Graddy flat
Life at home for returning graduates
In the west London street where 24-year-old Clara Strunck lives, the “graddy flat” – self-contained basement or garden home for adult children – is now a common architectural feature. “My parents got the idea for a selfcontained flat in the basement from my godmother, who lives a few doors down,” she says. “She built one when her children graduated. Her son, who is 32 and just married, has even moved back in while he and his wife save up for their own place.”
Clara’s sister lived in this flat for the past five years, then Clara took over after graduating in English literature at Oxford University, while she completes a publishing internship. “It’s very practical,” she says. “I have my own space, but I can also go up and see my parents and watch Midsomer
Murders with them. It’s a nice mixture, really.”
A combination of mounting student debt, shifting demographics and soaring house prices has dramatically affected the prospects of millions of young people across the developed world. In 1986, affluent baby boomers built granny flats so they could care for ageing relatives; in 2016 their focus has shifted to their debt-ridden, children.
Even George Osborne temporarily moved back in with his parents this summer after losing his job as chancellor, and with it his Downing Street flat. And in the US, people aged 18-34 are more likely to live with their parents than with flatmates or partners, according to an analysis by the Pew Research Centre. One in three young people now lives with their parents, the highest percentage since the Second World War. In the US and Italy, disposable income for millennials is no higher in real terms than it was in 1986, while, pensioners, by contrast, have enjoyed significantly higher disposable income growth in virtually every developed nation.
In 2016, granny flats are out; graddy flats are in.
Twenty-two-year-old Luke Alexander has also moved into his parental home in Barnet, north London, after graduating in history from Cambridge University. Like Clara, Luke is aware of his good fortune in having a family home in the capital. When a graduate job fell through and he had to start the search all over again, moving in with his parents gave him time to reassess. “It’s a safety net,” he says. “My friends from farther afield have found it tough trying to move down to London after uni.”
The growing popularity of standalone flats on larger properties can also be explained by the Airbnb phenomenon. When a flat is not in use by a family member, it can be rented out to generate income. And homeowners are becoming increasingly creative in how they optimise the value of their property.
Surrey-based Mark Burton is founder of Tiny House UK (tinyhouseuk.co.uk), specialising in custom-built cabins and homes. “More people are looking to their gardens to create a bit more living space,” he observes. “Whether it’s for a teenager or spare bedroom, or just a bit of extra B&B space.”
A growing number of Burton’s customers are parents planning ahead for their children, who find his tiny houses make ideal poststudent digs. Also benefitting from this new trend is Green Retreats ( greenretreats.co.uk), which specialises in “garden rooms” that can function as offices or temporary digs, all made out of traditional and sustainable materials.
The graddy flat might have been borne out of necessity, but generally parents pluckily make the most of it. Diane*, 54, is a designer who lives in Wokingham,
‘I have my own space but I can also go up and see my parents and watch TV with them’
Berkshire, whose 24-year-old son Ted has moved back after graduating last year.
“We were lucky and bought a large four-bedroom house years ago, so there’s space for the kids now,” she says. “Ideally, we’d love him to find a place around the corner with his mates or his girlfriend – close, but not too close.”
Diane laughingly observes the “unwritten rule” of graddy flats: “There’s still the idea that we’ll pay for everything, from holidays to groceries to cinema tickets,” she says. “And when he went on a proteinonly diet, our grocery bills tripled.”
It helps that most of Diane’s friends are in exactly the same boat. “We generally agree that the selfsufficiency that we experienced was simply a blip,” she says. “I think this is the new normal.”
Thirty years ago, young adults earned more than national averages, but today’s millennials earn as little as 20 per cent below average wages. This is perhaps the first time since the Industrial Revolution (apart from wars or natural disasters) when the incomes of young people have slid so far behind the rest of society.
Family psychologist Dr Rachel Andrew (drrachelandrew.com) is seeing more and more families dealing with situations like this. “There are always issues to be navigated,” she says. “Some parents feel like they’ve got a 30-year-old dependant in the house, a child who is still financially, emotionally and socially reliant on them. I also see young adults who feel like their parents aren’t permitting them to be independent while living in a family home.” On the other hand, young adults moving back in with their parents does offer the opportunity for the family to attain more positive relationships, she adds.
It doesn’t always work out that way. Luke says: “Communication with your parents gets damaged. I don’t want them listening to every detail of my relationships or career plans, so I’ve honed the art of seeming like an emotionless hulk.” He adds: “You end up deliberately ignoring the people you rub up against the most.” Luke also admits to constantly being on the defensive.
“My parents were born when rationing was a recent memory, and now they have chia seeds and tablet computers. My dad started work as a postman, and ended up teaching at a business school. For many baby boomers, history means things getting better,” he says. “But for my generation the difference is the sense of trajectory – it’s not like that for us.”
‘The self-sufficiency that we experienced was just a blip – this is the new normal’