The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the growth of multi-generational households, including children living at home after college and aging parents moving in rather than going to assisted living facilities.
The pandemic is spurring this trend in other ways, as families find themselves isolated due to travel and quarantine restrictions or other logistical hurdles. All these stresses have combined to dramatically shift American living patterns. A 2020 July report from the Pew Research Center found that one in five U.S. adults either moved due to the crisis or knows someone who did. As quarantine and social-distancing impacts continue, the number of families choosing multi-generational living is poised to grow still more.
The U.S. Census Bureau defines multi-generational families as those consisting of more than two generations living under the same roof. Many researchers also include households with a grandparent and at least one other generation.
Beyond adding occupants, the pandemic has also shifted — and even disrupted — the way many homes function. That’s one of the reasons why more people are tackling home-improvement projects than ever, trying to make a suddenly growing household function smoothly for every occupant. Saniflo macerators and grinder pumps offer an easy and affordable way to make a multi-generational household work, allowing everyone to live together more comfortably and securely.
Let’s take a look at some of the ways Saniflo can make things easier for multi-generational households.
Create an additional living space
When someone moves in, what used to feel like ample space can suddenly seem very cramped. Saniflo’s range of macerators and grinder systems offers an easy and affordable way to equip living space with an additional full bathroom or kitchen. With Saniflo, homeowners can quickly create additional living quarters in an unused or under-used space, such as an attic, garage or basement.
One of the primary challenges families face when shifting to a multigenerational household is losing privacy. With so many family members under one roof, it can feel like there’s no place to turn for solitude. Separate bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchens or kitchenettes allow for complete separation between the generations within the household. With Saniflo’s Sanivite drain pump, for example, homeowners can easily add a kitchen to a finished space, like a garage or attic, at a very affordable price. The Sanivite pumps gray water away from various fixtures in commercial and residential applications, and it can even drain gray water from a washing machine through an indirect connection, such as a laundry sink.
The system can discharge wastewater up to 16 feet vertically and/or 150 feet horizontally through a small-diameter pipe. Small enough to fit inside a kitchen cabinet, the Sanivite is designed to handle the toughest applications, including hot water and grease.
Add a bathroom without costly demo
When the number of people increases in a home, the bathroom becomes a hot commodity. Maybe you need to put a bathroom closer to an aging parent’s bedroom. Or perhaps you just want to add a powder room in a nontraditional location. In these instances and many others, Saniflo offers a range of half- and full-bathroom solutions.
Although the Saniflo product looks much like a conventional toilet, there is one very big difference: A macerating toilet can be positioned virtually anywhere. That’s because the system is installed directly on top of any finished floor, so there is no need for costly excavation to put in a drain line, even in a basement or a garage. Without the need to dig up floors or tear out walls, a homeowner can add a spare bathroom quickly and cost-effectively: A new bathroom can be up and running in a day or two.
Saniflo proved to be the perfect solution for former distribution center manager Greg Bodlovick, who faced a bathroom-addition challenge during the COVID-19 pandemic. Living in a ranch-style home with only one bathroom posed some problems for Greg and
his wife Simone, because Simone’s extended family stays with them intermittently. At times, they had to share a single bathroom with up to 12 visitors!
Thanks to Greg’s experience working as a supply house manager and buyer, he knew an easy, affordable way to add a bathroom without the cost and hassle of breaking through the basement floor to install drainage. He installed the Saniaccess 3: a half-horsepower macerator pump system designed for creating a full bath. In addition to the toilet waste, the unit can also discharge gray water from two other sanitary fixtures, such as a sink, a bathtub, a shower, or even a urinal.
While each household has its own reasons for opting for a multigenerational structure, there’s no question that it’s a growing trend. Think strategically and take advantage of an easy, above-floor plumbing solution like Saniflo can help you update your home. By doing so, you will allow multiple generations to live together comfortably for years to come.
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