# The modern multigenerational home: How some Singaporean families are redefining living together

- **Source:** EdgeProp Singapore
- **Published:** 2026-08-07T01:00:00.000Z
- **Author:** Cecilia Chow
- **Original:** https://www.edgeprop.sg/property-news/modern-multigenerational-home-how-some-singaporean-families-are-redefining-living-together
- **Topics:** Private Residential, Commercial & Industrial

## Featured rationale

Ageing, caregiving and affordability needs may sustain demand for larger or flexible homes, while empty-nesters could release landed properties and move into smaller condominiums.

## AI summary

Singapore demand for multigenerational housing remains resilient, with executive-flat resales averaging 1,773 annually from 2015 to 2025 and reaching 1,539 in 2025.

## Original article

Margaret, who prefers to be known as Maggie, and her husband spent years building expansive homes for their family of four children, from a double-storey shophouse to a jumbo flat. Both grew up in landed estates, and for years, they even kept a second home in Malaysia as a weekend retreat for the family.

But as their children grew up and moved out one by one — to start their own families, or simply to live independently — Maggie and her husband became empty-nesters in a large apartment.

“It was great to have so much space to ourselves again, but we also missed the buzz of a big family living together under one roof, with laughter and conversations daily,” says Maggie, who is in her 60s and works in the fast-moving consumer goods industry.

Read also: Home, through every stage of life: A National Day 2026 special

Maggie and her husband occasionally floated the idea of moving in together again with one or more of their adult children. “They were always open to it, but it was very hard for everyone to get the timing right,” she says.

At different points, one child was working overseas. Another wanted to take a career break but wasn’t yet financially settled. One was undecided between moving in with her in-laws or buying her own place. Another was prioritising school proximity instead.

The Covid pandemic added further uncertainty, with property prices and rents surging, and job security in flux. The turning point came in late 2025, during a casual family lunch. One daughter mentioned she was thinking of selling her property. Another said she was ready to commit financially to a joint purchase.

“We quickly ran through the numbers to make sure they made sense in terms of affordability, and also browsed the latest property listings to see whether what was available in the market would pique our interest,” says Maggie. “The stars were finally aligned.”

The household moving into a landed property together will comprise five people: Maggie, her husband, their single daughter, and their married daughter with her husband. Along with them will come a variety of pets, both feathered and furry.

The family’s priorities were clear from the outset: as much space as they could afford, a garden for the pets and Maggie’s hobby of growing vegetables, and parking for at least two cars. A large kitchen was a bonus, since the family cooks often.

Read also: A more expansive life: Why Singaporeans are eyeing retirement in Johor Bahru

Demand shaped by long-term demographic, lifestyle trends

Increasingly, in multigenerational households like Maggie’s, it’s pets rather than grandchildren that need looking after while the adult children are at work.

“The demand for multigenerational housing is likely being shaped by several long-term demographic and lifestyle trends,” says Mohan Sandrasegeran, SRI head of research and data analytics. “Multigenerational living has become a practical solution that allows some families to share caregiving responsibilities while making more efficient use of housing resources.”

Rather than being driven by a single generation, the demand appears to reflect a mutually beneficial arrangement that supports both younger and older family members, adds Sandrasegeran.

Buying multiple units, dual-key flexibility

After Covid, more homebuyers prioritise space. This is evident at new condo launches too, with buyer preference shifting from dual-key units to buying larger four- and five-bedroom units, says Mark Yip, CEO of Huttons Asia.

There have also been more cases of multigenerational families and siblings coming together to buy multiple units during private residential project launches in the past two years, adds Yip. Reasons include shared support with childcare and caring for parents, priority in balloting queues, and investment potential.

“Priority is often given to multiple purchases of units during project launches,” notes Yip. “To secure first dibs, some families have indicated interest in buying multiple units. Some adult children have opted to live with their parents or in-laws in a larger unit as an occupant. This allows them to invest in another unit without paying ABSD (additional buyer’s stamp duty).”

Read also: How school proximity drives property decisions for families

Dual-key units offer another route to multigenerational living, as adult children can have their parents live with them while still enjoying privacy. According to Huttons’ Yip, dual-key units were first introduced at Caspian, a 712-unit, 99-year leasehold condo launched in 2009.

In addition to multigenerational families, dual-key units have been popular with investors, who can lease out one unit while retaining privacy, adds Yip.

Family considerations

Singapore’s ageing population has led more families to consider living arrangements that allow them to care for elderly parents, while younger couples increasingly value the support grandparents can provide with childcare, notes SRI’s Sandrasegeran.

For example, Belicia Tan, 34, chief commercial officer of Manna Concepts, and her sister, Bettina, who both have young children, have moved in with their parents.

They are staying in a strata landed house in the east, as they have yet to begin construction on the new home which they purchased together last year. (Read below: “Sisters and business partners building a three-generation home for 11”.)

Resilient demand across public to private housing

Besides private housing, multigenerational living is also evident from the “robust” application rate for 3Gen flats. Huttons points to the five-room/3Gen flats in Teban Heights launched in October 2025, which had an application rate of 2.1 for first-timers.

Multigenerational families are given priority to choose Build-To-Order flats under the multigenerational priority scheme, adds Huttons. Meanwhile, the proximity housing grant, together with the CPF Enhanced Housing Grant, helps lower the purchase price of a resale flat for a couple living near their parents.

“While there is no direct transaction dataset that specifically measures multigenerational living, broader housing market trends suggest that demand for larger homes has remained relatively resilient over the years,” says Sandrasegeran.

Based on data tracked by SRI Research, HDB resale transactions for executive flats, which include multigeneration flats, averaged around 1,773 transactions annually between 2015 and 2025. In 2025, a total of 1,539 executive flats changed hands, above pre-2016 levels.

“Looking ahead, we expect multigenerational living to remain an increasingly important segment of Singapore’s housing market, supported by long-term demographic trends such as an ageing population, evolving family structures and rising childcare costs,” says Sandrasegeran.

While it is unlikely to become the dominant housing model, demand for larger and more flexible homes is expected to remain resilient as more households prioritise practicality, caregiving and long-term liveability alongside traditional considerations such as location and affordability, adds Sandrasegeran.

Established with long-term family needs in mind

Most multigenerational living arrangements are also established with long-term family needs in mind, and are therefore generally more stable than purely investment-driven purchases, according to Sandrasegeran.

This is evident from the multigenerational households featured here — for instance, the four generations of the Ong family who have lived in the landed housing cluster at Tanah Merah Besar Lane over the past three decades. (Read below: “How the Ongs turned three houses in Tanah Merah Besar into an extended family compound for four generations”.)

Another is Kenneth Lim, who grew up in his grandfather’s mansion in Tanjong Katong, where six families and 32 family members lived together along with three helpers. His own household has shrunk to just three — himself, his mother and the helper. (Read below: “When multigenerational living shrinks to just three: A Peranakan family’s story”.)

“Although housing needs naturally evolve over time as children grow older, elderly parents age and family circumstances change, we expect multigenerational living to remain a relevant and practical housing solution for many Singaporean families in the years ahead,” adds Sandrasegeran. For Maggie, she is looking forward to the simple things they could do together as a family once they all move in: daily breakfasts, movie nights, and gatherings with friends and extended family.

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Sisters and business partners building a three-generation home for 11

Belicia Tan and her younger sister Bettina have always been close. They work together at Manna Concepts, a multi-brand hospitality and F&B group spanning eight brands and two central kitchens, which their mother, Linda Quek, started in the early 2000s in her home kitchen.

Quek has since retired and left the business in the hands of her two daughters. Belicia, 34, is chief commercial officer of Manna Concepts, while Bettina and her husband, Alson Tan, are executive chefs who run the restaurants in the group.

Even after they both got married, the two sisters wanted to continue living together. Home was a four-bedroom condo in the east. “Our family is very close-knit,” says Belicia. “It only made sense for our spouses to move in with us when we got married.”

A change of heart

Initially, Belicia thought living together would only be a temporary arrangement, and that she and her sister would have separate homes once they started having children. With this in mind, she and her husband bought a separate four-bedroom condo at a new project launch in 2019 — also in the east, so she could stay close to her family.

However, once their children came along, the sisters had a change of heart. “We thought it would be nice for our children to live together and have people to play with,” says Belicia. “My two children are very close to my sister and her husband, as well as my parents, and they’re used to growing up with a lot of people doting on them.”

When Belicia and her husband received the keys to their new condo in 2023, they decided to rent it out instead of moving in. “It was just easier with the support at home, and more people to take care of our kids because of our busy schedules,” she says.

Accommodating an expanding household

The expanding household also meant they quickly outgrew the original four-bedroom condo they had all been living in together. To have more space, the family moved into a three-storey strata house which they rented, while searching for a new home.

The household now has 11 members — Belicia, her husband, and their two young children; Bettina, her husband Alson, and their child; Belicia’s parents; and their two helpers.

Having grown up in the east, the family began house-hunting for a new home that could accommodate all three families plus helpers. They also wanted to stay close to their workplace, with easy access to amenities such as a gym, swimming pool and convenience stores. “It was not easy to find such an accommodation,” says Belicia.

One roof, three floors

In June 2025, they bought a three-storey freehold terraced house that met all their needs for $3.7 million. The plan is for the household to share the living and dining areas, while each family has its own level, so they still have privacy: Belicia’s parents will occupy the first level, while the two daughters and their families will occupy the upper floors.

They are planning the renovation of their new home, which was built 30 years ago. “We are still in the midst of planning what to do with the house — we haven’t begun construction yet,” she says.

For the family, what matters most are the shared, everyday moments: Belicia’s parents enjoy seeing their grandchildren every day. “As we all work, my dad helps to pick up my two children, either with me or my husband, and we all have dinner together — either my mum and the helpers cook, or we eat out together,” says Belicia.

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When multigenerational living shrinks to just three: A Peranakan family’s story

Thirty-five people once lived under one roof at Kenneth Lim’s grandfather’s mansion on Wareham Road, off Tanjong Katong Road. Growing up in the 1970s, Lim lived there with his parents and younger sister. They were part of a household with six families across three generations who shared the sprawling main house. It had 32 family members in total, including his grandparents, two single aunts, and two married uncles with their wives and children. An outhouse on the compound housed three helpers, bringing the total to 35.

In the early 20th century, such multigenerational Peranakan family homes could be found primarily in Joo Chiat and Tanjong Katong in the east, as well as Emerald Hill, off Orchard Road.

Lim’s story reflects just how the multigenerational family living in a Peranakan household has changed over three generations. After Lim’s grandfather passed away, the land was subdivided and sold in the late 1990s: The main house was sold as a standalone bungalow, while the garden was developed into a pair of semi-detached houses that were subsequently sold too. With the proceeds from the sale, the remaining family members bought their own homes.

Separate household

In 1997, Lim’s parents bought a corner terraced house at Jalan Bangsawan in Opera Estate, a quiet, established residential neighbourhood in the east that was once a massive coconut and rubber plantation owned by the Frankel family in the early 20th century.

The strong Peranakan tradition continued in Lim’s family home at Jalan Bangsawan, even though the family size had shrunk. When his father passed away, Lim decided to redevelop the property in 2006.

The 2.5-storey corner terraced house came with a built-up area of 3,700 sq ft on a freehold site of 2,432 sq ft. The house has five en suite bedrooms. As Lim’s younger sister had already married and moved out, the household shrank to just three people — Lim, his mother and a helper. However, he still designed the home to be multigenerational in spirit: separate, self-contained floors for himself and his mother, connected under one roof.

Lim designed the interiors himself and handpicked the furniture, including antique pieces — some over 200 years old — that once graced his grandparents’ mansion. He wanted the home to reflect the family’s Peranakan heritage.

A high-level tech professional, Lim is also a self-taught landscape designer and horticulturist. He decided to treat the redesign of his home and garden as his first landscape design project. The living room was designed with a direct view of the garden, with glass sliding doors opening out to it. The dining room was equally spacious, as Lim enjoys cooking and entertains regularly at home.

The second level was his mother’s private space. Her en suite bedroom on that level opened onto a private terraced garden, where she could exercise and meditate.

Lim’s own private sanctum was on the attic level: a spacious bedroom, a workspace, and a private terraced garden with a jacuzzi pool. His Balinese-style bathroom featured a bathtub overlooking greenery.

Second career

Not long after completing the redevelopment and landscaping of his home, Lim began getting requests from neighbours and friends to design their gardens too.

What started as a recreational activity grew into a business — SyncScape, formed in 2007. Over the next two decades, Lim designed gardens for more than 100 properties across Singapore, from terraced houses to Good Class Bungalows.

In 2024, after 27 years in tech, Lim decided to leave the corporate world behind and pursue landscape design full-time. He felt it was also time to rightsize as his mother was entering her 90s.

Notably, when he sold the house at Jalan Bangsawan, the buyers were themselves a multigenerational family — a format that still holds appeal in Singapore, even as its shape varies widely from household to household.

“They kept the property intact and made only minor renovations to suit their lifestyle,” says Lim. He has visited the property several times since, as they have consulted him on the care of the garden.

Lim declined to comment on the sale price. However, based on caveats lodged, the sale price was almost four times the $1.45 million his father paid for the property in 1997.

Rightsizing: ‘From managing seven bathrooms to three bathrooms’

For his new home, Lim’s criteria were space to continue entertaining and plenty of greenery. After visiting the sales galleries of new launches and older resale condos on the East Coast, he settled on a three-bedroom apartment in Marine Parade with sea views.

Lim embarked on a major refurbishment of the 1,647 sq ft unit and moved in in May 2026. Most important was the kitchen, large enough for Lim, his mother, and their helper to prepare and cook Peranakan dishes for the dinner parties he hosts for family and friends.

“My cousins and friends are amazed at how I managed to retain the vibe of the house at Jalan Bangsawan in this new space,” says Lim. The balcony has been turned into Lim’s new garden. He converted a corner of the apartment into a “showroom”, where he holds discussions with his clients. These days, Lim plays the dual role of home and garden designer.

Today, at least 60% of his time is spent outside Singapore. His practice now takes him to Indonesia and Thailand, where he designs the landscapes of residences, villas and boutique hotels.

For Lim, the new condo is proof that the Peranakan tradition of multigenerational living can take root in a much smaller footprint than the mansion he grew up in. “In a way, the apartment is easier to manage than a house,” he says. “We only have three bathrooms to manage now, compared to seven in our previous home.”

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How the Ongs turned three houses in Tanah Merah Besar into an extended family compound for four generations

For nearly 30 years, Rosie Ong, her siblings, and mother have lived with their families in three semi-detached houses in the quiet landed residential enclave on Tanah Merah Besar Lane in the east.

Today, there are 36 freehold houses there, predominantly semi-detached and detached houses completed in 1997. Back in the late 1990s, there were just two pairs of semi-detached houses, with the rest built progressively over the years.

At that time, Ong and her husband, Jeremy, were living in an HDB flat in Tampines with their two young daughters. Ong’s sister, her husband and their two young daughters had just sold their HDB flat and moved in temporarily with Ong while waiting for their new condo to be completed.

“We got along very well, and Jeremy and I decided to sell our HDB flat too, and upgrade to an executive condo,” she recalls.

While house-hunting, they chanced upon a three-storey, semi-detached house that fitted their needs — with five en suite bedrooms, two of which were designed as master bedrooms, and spacious living, dining, and family rooms for their growing children. The house also came with a dry and wet kitchen, important to Ong, who loves to cook; as well as a helper’s room with an attached bathroom and a large yard at the rear.

Buying three neighbouring houses

Ong and her sister, together with their husbands, pooled their funds to buy the semi-detached house for $1.3 million in 1998. Ong’s eldest brother bought the semi-detached house next door and moved in with his family, which included three daughters.

Shortly after, her second brother and another sister, together with their mother, bought a single-storey, semi-detached house on the street behind. Their grandmother moved in too.

Living together meant accommodating each other, Ong says. “We felt it was important to give and take, and share household chores — even our husbands pitched in.”

Both families had an upfront agreement to split 50:50 when it came to bills and household expenses. They took turns paying the property tax, the helper’s salary, groceries and utilities.

Looking out for each other

While Ong, her sister and their husbands were at work, and the children were still young, Ong’s mother looked after them. The children used to run freely from one house to the next. “As we stayed close to each other, whenever there were problems, help was available just a few steps away,” says Ong.

Growing up together, and living together, also meant their children became very close over the years. “They played together, studied together and went to school together,” says Ong. “Even after getting married, they remain close.”

Ong and her siblings have also renovated her mother’s home to make it more comfortable and elderly-friendly, as her mother, now in her mid-80s, requires more care.

The families continue to gather every Saturday evening for dinner. Ong’s mother used to prepare the meals for these gatherings; the responsibility has since fallen to Ong.

“We will all eat together, chat, laugh and celebrate every event — birthdays, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, Chinese New Year, the Lantern Festival and Christmas,” she says.

The sisters have passed on the tradition of family togetherness to their children. “We’ve kept the tradition for almost four generations,” says Ong. “And we want to see the next generation continue the tradition.”

Ong notes that family sizes are shrinking, and increasingly, people don’t even have any surviving family members in old age. “I see so many people die alone these days,” she adds. “I hope their relatives and the community can do more to care for them.”

Empty-nesters downsizing

Recently, Ong’s younger daughter moved into her new Build-To-Order flat with her fiancé; the couple will marry next year. Likewise, Ong’s nieces have married and moved out.

Her eldest brother’s oldest daughter had also lived with the family in the home next door after having children of her own, bringing a fourth generation into the household. She has since moved out.

Ong’s eldest brother, in turn, sold his semi-detached house next door as well, as his own household emptied out.

The Ong sisters, now empty-nesters themselves, found their own house had also become too big to maintain. “We are also getting older, and can’t really climb stairs every day,” says Ong.

The two sisters and their husbands decided to put the property up for sale last year, and found a buyer for $4.26 million in October 2025, according to a caveat lodged then.

Only the single-storey, semi-detached house on the street behind — which continues to be home to Ong’s mother — remains in the family today, and it’s there that the family’s Saturday dinners continue to be held.

Since the sisters sold their joint home, they have each bought their own condos: Ong purchased a 1,044 sq ft, two-bedroom-plus-study unit at a freehold condo in the Changi area for $1.42 million. Her sister is also moving into a condo in the east, to be near her daughter.

“Our course in life is always changing, and as we age, our needs and plans change,” says Ong, who is now 63 and retired a decade ago from a global toy and entertainment company. “Our children have grown up and are getting married, so our next phase is to downsize.”

Check out the latest listings for Marine Parade, Changi properties

## Chinese translation

> Translation model: openai_codex_cli

### 现代跨代同住之家：一些新加坡家庭如何重新定义共同生活

从 11 人同住一屋，到家人分散而仍保持亲近，新加坡家庭正在重新定义跨代同住。

Margaret 更喜欢别人称她为 Maggie。她和丈夫多年来一直为有四个孩子的家庭打造宽敞住所，从双层店屋到 jumbo flat。两人都在有地住宅区长大，多年来，他们甚至在马来西亚保留第二套住房，作为一家人的周末度假居所。

但随着孩子们长大，并一个接一个搬出去，有的组建自己的家庭，有的只是为了独立生活，Maggie 和丈夫成了住在大公寓里的空巢夫妻。

“重新拥有这么多属于自己的空间当然很好，但我们也怀念大家庭在同一屋檐下共同生活的热闹，每天都有笑声和谈话，”60 多岁、从事快速消费品行业的 Maggie 说。

延伸阅读：人生每个阶段的家：2026 年国庆日特别专题

Maggie 和丈夫偶尔会提出再次与一名或多名成年子女同住的想法。“他们一直都愿意，但对每个人来说，要把时机凑对非常困难，”她说。

在不同阶段，一个孩子在海外工作。另一个想休一段职业空档期，但财务上尚未稳定。一个还在犹豫是搬去和姻亲同住，还是买自己的房子。另一个则优先考虑学校距离。

Covid 疫情进一步增加了不确定性，房价和租金飙升，工作稳定性也处于变化之中。转折点出现在 2025 年底的一次普通家庭午餐中。一个女儿提到她正考虑出售自己的物业。另一个女儿说，她已经准备好在财务上投入联合购买。

“我们很快算了一遍数字，确保从负担能力来看是合理的，也浏览了最新房地产挂牌，看看市场上有哪些选择会让我们感兴趣，”Maggie 说。“时机终于对上了。”

即将一起搬入有地住宅的家庭共有五人：Maggie、她的丈夫、他们的单身女儿，以及已婚女儿和女婿。一起搬去的还有各种宠物，有带羽毛的，也有毛茸茸的。

这个家庭从一开始就很清楚自己的优先事项：在负担范围内尽可能大的空间；一个供宠物活动、也供 Maggie 种菜爱好的花园；以及至少两辆车的停车位。大厨房则是加分项，因为这一家人经常下厨。

延伸阅读：更宽广的人生：为什么新加坡人把目光投向柔佛新山退休

受长期人口和生活方式趋势塑造的需求

在 Maggie 这样的跨代家庭中，越来越多时候，当成年子女外出工作时，需要照看的不是孙辈，而是宠物。

“跨代住房需求很可能受到若干长期人口和生活方式趋势的影响，”SRI 研究与数据分析主管 Mohan Sandrasegeran 说。“跨代同住已经成为一种务实解决方案，让一些家庭能够共同分担照护责任，同时更高效地利用住房资源。”

Sandrasegeran 补充说，这种需求似乎并非由某一代人单独推动，而是反映了一种互利安排，能够支持较年轻和较年长的家庭成员。

购买多套单位，双钥匙灵活性

Covid 之后，更多购房者优先考虑空间。Huttons Asia 首席执行官 Mark Yip 表示，这在新公寓项目中也很明显，买家偏好正从双钥匙单位转向购买更大的四房和五房单位。

Yip 补充说，在过去两年私宅项目开盘期间，跨代家庭和兄弟姐妹共同购买多套单位的案例也更多。原因包括共同支持育儿和照顾父母、抽签队列优先权，以及投资潜力。

“项目开盘期间，多套单位购买通常会获得优先权，”Yip 指出。“为了取得优先选择权，一些家庭已表示有意购买多套单位。一些成年子女选择以居住者身份与父母或姻亲住在一个较大单位中。这让他们可以投资另一个单位，而无需支付 ABSD（额外买方印花税）。”

延伸阅读：学校距离如何影响家庭的房地产决定

双钥匙单位为跨代同住提供了另一条路径，因为成年子女可以让父母与自己同住，同时仍享有隐私。根据 Huttons 的 Yip，双钥匙单位最早于 2009 年推出的 Caspian 引入；Caspian 是一个拥有 712 个单位、99 年地契的公寓项目。

Yip 补充说，除了跨代家庭，双钥匙单位也受到投资者欢迎，他们可以出租其中一个单位，同时保留隐私。

家庭考量

SRI 的 Sandrasegeran 指出，新加坡人口老龄化促使更多家庭考虑能让他们照顾年迈父母的居住安排，而年轻夫妇也越来越看重祖父母在育儿方面能提供的支持。

例如，34 岁的 Manna Concepts 首席商务官 Belicia Tan，以及她的妹妹 Bettina，都有年幼孩子，并已搬回与父母同住。

她们目前住在东部一栋 strata landed house，因为她们去年共同购买的新家尚未开始施工。（见下文：“身为姐妹兼商业伙伴，为 11 人打造三代之家”。）

从公共住房到私人住房均有韧性需求

除了私人住房，跨代同住也可从 3Gen 组屋“强劲”的申请率中看出。Huttons 指出，2025 年 10 月推出的 Teban Heights 五房/3Gen 组屋，首次申请者申请率为 2.1。

Huttons 补充说，跨代家庭在多代同堂优先计划下，可优先选择预购组屋。同时，近居购屋津贴连同 CPF Enhanced Housing Grant，有助于降低夫妻购买靠近父母住处转售组屋的价格。

“虽然没有直接的交易数据集专门衡量跨代同住，但更广泛的住房市场趋势显示，多年来较大住宅的需求保持相对韧性，”Sandrasegeran 说。

根据 SRI Research 追踪的数据，包含多代同堂组屋在内的行政公寓 HDB 转售交易，在 2015 年至 2025 年期间平均每年约 1,773 宗。2025 年，共有 1,539 个行政公寓转手，高于 2016 年前的水平。

“展望未来，我们预计跨代同住将继续成为新加坡住房市场中日益重要的细分领域，受到人口老龄化、家庭结构演变和育儿成本上升等长期人口趋势支持，”Sandrasegeran 说。

Sandrasegeran 补充说，虽然它不太可能成为主导住房模式，但随着更多家庭在地段和负担能力等传统考量之外，也优先考虑实用性、照护和长期宜居性，对更大且更灵活住宅的需求预计将保持韧性。

以长期家庭需求为出发点建立

Sandrasegeran 表示，大多数跨代同住安排也是以长期家庭需求为出发点建立的，因此通常比纯投资驱动的购买更稳定。

这一点可以从本文所呈现的跨代家庭中看出，例如 Ong 家族四代人在过去三十年里一直住在 Tanah Merah Besar Lane 的有地住宅群。（见下文：“Ong 家族如何把 Tanah Merah Besar 的三栋房子变成四代人的大家庭院落”。）

另一个例子是 Kenneth Lim，他在 Tanjong Katong 祖父的豪宅中长大，当时有六个家庭和 32 名家族成员与三名帮佣共同生活。他自己的家庭如今已缩小到只有三人：他本人、母亲和帮佣。（见下文：“当跨代同住缩小到仅三人：一个土生华人家庭的故事”。）

“尽管随着孩子长大、年迈父母变老和家庭情况变化，住房需求自然会随时间演变，但我们预计跨代同住在未来几年仍将是许多新加坡家庭相关且务实的住房解决方案，”Sandrasegeran 补充说。对 Maggie 而言，她期待全家搬到一起后能够共同做一些简单的事：每天吃早餐、看电影之夜，以及与朋友和大家庭成员聚会。

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身为姐妹兼商业伙伴，为 11 人打造三代之家

Belicia Tan 和妹妹 Bettina 一直很亲近。她们在 Manna Concepts 一起工作，这是一家多品牌餐饮和 F&B 集团，横跨八个品牌和两个中央厨房，由她们的母亲 Linda Quek 于 2000 年代初在自家厨房创立。

Quek 现已退休，并把业务交给两个女儿。34 岁的 Belicia 是 Manna Concepts 的首席商务官，而 Bettina 和她的丈夫 Alson Tan 则是行政主厨，负责经营集团旗下餐厅。

即使两人都结婚后，这对姐妹仍希望继续住在一起。她们的家原本是东部一套四房公寓。“我们家非常亲密，”Belicia 说。“我们结婚后，让各自的配偶搬来和我们一起住，是很自然的事。”

心意转变

起初，Belicia 以为同住只是暂时安排，她和妹妹有了孩子后会各自拥有独立的家。基于这个想法，她和丈夫在 2019 年的新盘开盘时买了一套单独的四房公寓，同样位于东部，以便继续住在家人附近。

然而，孩子出生后，姐妹俩改变了想法。“我们觉得让孩子们住在一起、有玩伴会很好，”Belicia 说。“我的两个孩子和我妹妹及妹夫、还有我父母都很亲近，他们也习惯了在很多人疼爱下成长。”

当 Belicia 和丈夫在 2023 年拿到新公寓钥匙时，他们决定把它出租，而不是搬进去。“有家里的支持会更容易，而且因为我们的日程很忙，有更多人可以照顾孩子，”她说。

容纳不断扩大的家庭

家庭成员不断增加，也意味着他们很快就住不下原本所有人同住的四房公寓。为了拥有更多空间，这家人搬进了一栋三层 strata house 租住，同时寻找新家。

这个家庭现在共有 11 名成员：Belicia、她的丈夫和两个年幼孩子；Bettina、她的丈夫 Alson 和他们的孩子；Belicia 的父母；以及两名帮佣。

由于在东部长大，这家人开始物色能容纳三个家庭和帮佣的新家。他们也希望住在工作地点附近，并能方便使用健身房、游泳池和便利店等设施。“要找到这样的住所并不容易，”Belicia 说。

同一屋檐，三层空间

2025 年 6 月，他们以新币 370 万元购买了一栋三层永久地契排屋，满足所有需求。计划是全家共享客厅和餐厅，而每个小家庭拥有自己的楼层，因此仍保有隐私：Belicia 的父母将住在第一层，两个女儿及其家庭将住在上层。

他们正在规划新家的翻新工程。这栋房子建于 30 年前。“我们仍在规划要如何处理这栋房子，还没有开始施工，”她说。

对这个家庭来说，最重要的是共同拥有的日常时刻：Belicia 的父母喜欢每天见到孙辈。“因为我们都要工作，我爸爸会帮忙接我的两个孩子，有时和我一起，有时和我丈夫一起，然后我们一起吃晚饭，不是我妈妈和帮佣做饭，就是大家一起出去吃，”Belicia 说。

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当跨代同住缩小到仅三人：一个土生华人家庭的故事

Kenneth Lim 祖父位于 Tanjong Katong Road 附近 Wareham Road 的豪宅，曾经有 35 人住在同一屋檐下。Lim 在 1970 年代长大时，与父母和妹妹住在那里。他们是一个横跨三代、六个家庭共同生活的大家庭的一部分，大家共用宽敞的主屋。家族成员总共 32 人，包括他的祖父母、两名单身姑姑，以及两名已婚叔叔和他们的妻子与孩子。院内一栋附属屋住着三名帮佣，使总人数达到 35 人。

在 20 世纪初，这类跨代同住的土生华人家庭住宅主要可见于东部的 Joo Chiat 和 Tanjong Katong，以及 Orchard Road 附近的 Emerald Hill。

Lim 的故事恰好反映了土生华人家庭中的跨代同住如何在三代之间发生变化。Lim 的祖父去世后，土地在 1990 年代末被分割并出售：主屋作为独立洋房出售，而花园则开发成一对半独立式住宅，随后也被售出。凭借出售所得，剩余家庭成员购买了各自的住房。

独立家庭

1997 年，Lim 的父母在 Opera Estate 的 Jalan Bangsawan 购买了一栋角头排屋。Opera Estate 是东部一个安静、成熟的住宅社区，在 20 世纪初曾是 Frankel 家族拥有的大型椰子和橡胶种植园。

尽管家庭规模缩小，Lim 位于 Jalan Bangsawan 的家仍延续了强烈的土生华人传统。父亲去世后，Lim 决定在 2006 年重建该物业。

这栋 2.5 层角头排屋坐落在 2,432 平方英尺的永久地契地段上，建筑面积为 3,700 平方英尺。房子有五间套房卧室。由于 Lim 的妹妹已经结婚并搬出，家庭缩小到只有三人：Lim、他的母亲和一名帮佣。不过，他仍把这套房设计成具有跨代精神的家：他和母亲分别拥有独立、自成一体的楼层，并在同一屋檐下相连。

Lim 亲自设计室内，并挑选家具，包括一些古董，有些已有 200 多年历史，曾经摆放在祖父母的豪宅中。他希望这个家体现家族的土生华人传承。

Lim 是一名高级科技专业人士，同时也是自学成才的景观设计师和园艺师。他决定把自己住宅和花园的重新设计，作为第一个景观设计项目。客厅设计成可直接望向花园，玻璃推拉门通向室外。餐厅同样宽敞，因为 Lim 喜欢下厨，并经常在家招待客人。

二楼是他母亲的私人空间。她在该层的套房卧室通向一个私人露台花园，她可以在那里锻炼和冥想。

Lim 自己的私人静修空间位于阁楼层：宽敞卧室、工作区，以及带按摩浴池的私人露台花园。他的巴厘风格浴室设有浴缸，可俯瞰绿意。

第二职业

在完成自家住宅重建和景观设计后不久，Lim 开始收到邻居和朋友的请求，请他也为他们设计花园。

原本的休闲活动逐渐发展成一门生意，即 2007 年成立的 SyncScape。在接下来的二十年里，Lim 为新加坡超过 100 处物业设计花园，从排屋到优质洋房不等。

2024 年，在科技行业工作 27 年后，Lim 决定离开企业界，全职从事景观设计。他觉得随着母亲步入 90 多岁，也是时候缩小居住规模了。

值得注意的是，当他出售 Jalan Bangsawan 的房子时，买家本身也是一个跨代家庭。这种形式在新加坡仍具吸引力，即使其形态因家庭而异。

“他们保留了物业原貌，只做了小规模翻新以适应自己的生活方式，”Lim 说。此后他数次到访该物业，因为买家向他咨询花园养护。

Lim 拒绝透露成交价。不过，根据已提交的买卖禁令记录，售价几乎是他父亲 1997 年为该物业支付的新币 145 万元的四倍。

缩小居住规模：“从管理七间浴室变成三间浴室”

对于新家，Lim 的标准是有空间继续招待客人，并且拥有充足绿意。在参观东海岸新盘和较旧转售公寓的销售展厅后，他选定了 Marine Parade 一套可看海景的三房公寓。

Lim 对这套 1,647 平方英尺单位进行了大规模翻新，并于 2026 年 5 月搬入。最重要的是厨房，要足够大，让 Lim、他的母亲和帮佣能够为他招待家人和朋友的晚宴准备并烹调土生华人菜肴。

“我的表亲和朋友都很惊讶，我竟然能在这个新空间里保留 Jalan Bangsawan 那栋房子的氛围，”Lim 说。阳台已被改造成 Lim 的新花园。他把公寓一角改成“showroom”，在那里与客户讨论。如今，Lim 同时扮演家居和花园设计师的双重角色。

现在，他至少 60% 的时间在新加坡以外度过。他的业务如今把他带到印度尼西亚和泰国，在那里为住宅、别墅和精品酒店设计景观。

对 Lim 来说，新公寓证明，土生华人跨代同住传统可以在比他成长时那座豪宅小得多的空间中扎根。“某种程度上，公寓比房子更容易打理，”他说。“我们现在只需要管理三间浴室，而以前的家有七间。”

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Ong 家族如何把 Tanah Merah Besar 的三栋房子变成四代人的大家庭院落

近 30 年来，Rosie Ong、她的兄弟姐妹和母亲，与各自家庭一起住在东部 Tanah Merah Besar Lane 安静有地住宅区的三栋半独立式住宅中。

如今，那里共有 36 栋永久地契住宅，主要是 1997 年完工的半独立式和独立式住宅。回到 1990 年代末，当地只有两对半独立式住宅，其余房屋则是在之后多年逐步建成。

当时，Ong 和丈夫 Jeremy 与两个年幼女儿住在 Tampines 的一套 HDB 组屋里。Ong 的妹妹、妹夫及他们两个年幼女儿刚刚卖掉自己的 HDB 组屋，并临时搬来与 Ong 同住，等待他们的新公寓完工。

“我们相处得非常好，所以 Jeremy 和我也决定卖掉我们的 HDB 组屋，升级到一套执行共管公寓，”她回忆道。

看房时，他们偶然发现一栋三层半独立式住宅，符合他们的需求：有五间套房卧室，其中两间设计为主卧；还有宽敞的客厅、餐厅和家庭厅，适合正在成长的孩子。房子还配有干湿厨房，这对喜欢做饭的 Ong 很重要；此外还有一间带独立浴室的帮佣房，以及后方的大院子。

购买三栋相邻房屋

Ong 和妹妹连同各自丈夫合资，在 1998 年以新币 130 万元买下这栋半独立式住宅。Ong 的大哥买下隔壁的半独立式住宅，并与家人搬入，其中包括三个女儿。

不久后，她的二哥和另一个妹妹，以及他们的母亲，买下了后面街上的一栋单层半独立式住宅。他们的祖母也搬了进去。

Ong 说，共同生活意味着彼此迁就。“我们觉得互相体谅和分担家务很重要，连我们的丈夫也会一起参与。”

两家人事先约定，在账单和家庭开销方面按 50:50 分摊。他们轮流支付房地产税、帮佣薪水、杂货和水电费。

彼此照应

当 Ong、妹妹和她们的丈夫外出工作、孩子们还小的时候，Ong 的母亲会照看孩子。孩子们过去会从一栋房子自由跑到另一栋房子。“因为我们住得很近，只要有问题，走几步路就能得到帮助，”Ong 说。

一起长大、一起生活，也意味着他们的孩子多年来变得非常亲近。“他们一起玩、一起学习、一起上学，”Ong 说。“即使结婚后，他们仍然很亲近。”

Ong 和兄弟姐妹也翻新了母亲的家，让它更舒适并适合年长者，因为如今 80 多岁中旬的母亲需要更多照护。

这些家庭仍然每周六晚上聚在一起吃晚餐。Ong 的母亲过去为这些聚会准备饭菜；如今这项责任已经落到 Ong 身上。

“我们会一起吃饭、聊天、大笑，庆祝每一个节日和纪念日，包括生日、父亲节、母亲节、农历新年、元宵节和圣诞节，”她说。

姐妹们也把家庭团聚的传统传给了自己的孩子。“我们把这个传统保留了将近四代，”Ong 说。“我们也希望看到下一代继续这个传统。”

Ong 指出，家庭规模正在缩小，而且越来越多人到老年时甚至没有在世亲人。“我现在看到很多人孤独地去世，”她补充说。“我希望他们的亲戚和社区能做更多来照顾他们。”

空巢人士缩小居住规模

最近，Ong 的小女儿与未婚夫搬入了新的预购组屋；两人将在明年结婚。同样，Ong 的侄女们也已结婚并搬出。

她大哥的长女在有了自己的孩子后，也曾与家人住在隔壁家中，把第四代带入这个家庭。她后来也搬了出去。

Ong 的大哥随后也卖掉了隔壁的半独立式住宅，因为他自己的家庭也变成了空巢。

Ong 姐妹如今自己也成了空巢人士，发现她们共同的房子也变得太大，难以维护。“我们也越来越老了，实在不能每天爬楼梯，”Ong 说。

两姐妹和各自丈夫决定在去年把物业挂牌出售，并根据当时提交的买卖禁令记录，于 2025 年 10 月以新币 426 万元找到买家。

如今，家族中只剩后面街上那栋单层半独立式住宅，Ong 的母亲仍住在那里，而家族的周六晚餐也继续在那里举行。

自从姐妹俩卖掉共同的家后，她们各自购买了自己的公寓：Ong 以新币 142 万元在 Changi 地区一套永久地契公寓购买了一个 1,044 平方英尺、两房加书房单位。她的妹妹也将搬进东部一套公寓，以便靠近女儿。

“我们的人生进程一直在变化，随着年龄增长，我们的需求和计划也会改变，”现年 63 岁、十年前从一家全球玩具和娱乐公司退休的 Ong 说。“我们的孩子已经长大并要结婚，所以我们的下一个阶段就是缩小居住规模。”

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