There's room — and doors — for everyone in a "granny flat"

Troy Hokanson used to drive 11 miles to check on his aging mother.

Now he goes into his hallway -- and knocks on a door.

"It's really convenient," said Hokanson, who recently moved into a new Lakeville home that has a separate apartment for his mother.

Homes like his are creeping into the Twin Cities area, with new ones being built in Woodbury, Stillwater and Maple Grove.

The homes aren't considered duplexes, because the apartments aren't designed for renters. They share common utilities including water, cable TV and electricity.

But they are popular with those who want to live near a loved one -- without living with them.

The units were designed by national builder Lennar Homes, under the brand name "NextGen" homes. The company has sold about 600 nationwide, according to Lennar's Minnesota marketing manager Tim Fohr.

He said the NextGen homes are taking advantage of demographic trends, including that "people are bunking up."

The U.S. Census reports that 25 percent of Americans lived in multi-generational households in 1940, a percentage that fell steadily until it hit 14 percent in 1990.

It has since bounced back, reaching 17 percent in 2009 -- meaning that about 51 million Americans were living in a multi-generational home.

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There's room -- and doors -- for everyone in a "granny flat"