If you’re searching for a next-gen home in Gilbert or Queen Creek, you already know what you’re looking for: a home with a private suite that gives everyone enough space to breathe while keeping the family close. What you might not know yet is that there’s a significant difference in how different builders approach this product, and some of those differences will affect you every single day.
I specialize in multi-generational and Next-Gen homes across the East Valley. I’ve walked these floor plans, I’ve sat with the sales reps, and I’ve had conversations with families after they’ve moved in. What follows is my honest read on which builders are getting this right in 2026 and which communities are worth your time.
WHY BUILDER MATTERS MORE THAN YOU THINK IN THE NEXT-GEN SPACE
Most buyers start their next-gen search looking for “a home with a separate entrance.” That’s the right instinct, but it doesn’t tell the whole story.
The difference between a genuinely livable next-gen suite and a guest room with a side door comes down to a handful of specific features: a full kitchen (not a kitchenette), in-suite laundry, a private HVAC zone, and an entrance that doesn’t require walking through the main home. When all four exist, the arrangement can truly work long-term. When one or more are missing, it creates friction.
Builders vary widely on these details, and they don’t always make it easy to compare. So here’s what I’ve found.
LENNAR: THE ORIGINATOR, AND STILL A STRONG OPTION
Lennar created the “NextGen” concept and holds the trademark. Their suites are generally the most fleshed-out product on the market: a private exterior entrance, a full kitchenette (with microwave and sink, sometimes a two-burner range), a bedroom, bathroom, small living area, and a connecting door to the main home. Most configurations also include a private one-car garage space.
In Gilbert, Lennar has Next-Gen floor plans available in Morrison Ranch and a few remaining phases in Lyons Gate. Inventory is tighter in Gilbert because the city is largely built out. Queen Creek is where Lennar is more active, with Next-Gen homes at Harvest, a master-planned community off Rittenhouse Road that has become one of the more complete new developments in the East Valley.
What Lennar does well: The product is consistent. You know what you’re getting because they’ve refined it over years of feedback. The suite design is purpose-built, not retrofitted.
What to watch: The kitchenettes are not full kitchens. If your family member needs to cook real meals independently, you’ll want to check whether the specific plan includes a range or only a cooktop and microwave. This varies by floor plan and by what upgrades Lennar is offering in that particular community phase.
Price range for Next-Gen floor plans: Roughly $550,000 to $750,000 depending on the community and included features. Lennar is offering rate buydowns and closing cost credits in Queen Creek right now, which changes the math in ways that are worth sitting down and calculating carefully.
MARACAY: THOUGHTFUL DESIGN, QUIETER BRAND
Maracay doesn’t market their product under the “NextGen” label, but they build multi-generational floor plans that are worth serious consideration. Their approach tends to put more emphasis on the suite feeling like a real apartment rather than a glorified guest room.
In Gilbert, Maracay has been active in the Lyons Gate area and in Morrison Ranch. Their Bridlewood community in Chandler also has multi-gen options if you’re open to that market. In Queen Creek, Maracay has had presence in Meridian and in communities near the Vineyard Parkway corridor.
What Maracay does well: The interior finishes tend to feel more elevated out of the box, which matters if you’re moving a parent in and want the suite to feel dignified rather than like an afterthought. Maracay also tends to give the suite more square footage in the living area.
What to watch: Maracay builds in phases and their inventory in Gilbert is limited. If you find a floor plan you love, the timeline for move-in may be longer than you’d like, particularly if you’re on a specific deadline.
Price range: $580,000 to $800,000+, depending on lot and community.
TAYLOR MORRISON: SOLID BUILDER, EMERGING MULTI-GEN OPTIONS
Taylor Morrison has expanded their multi-gen offerings in the East Valley, particularly in Queen Creek and San Tan Valley where land availability is greater. They don’t have a specific branded product like Lennar’s NextGen, but several of their larger floor plans include accessory suites that function similarly.
Their Meridian community in Queen Creek is one to look at if you’re drawn to that area. San Tan Valley communities give you a lower price point if the $600K+ range is a stretch.
What Taylor Morrison does well: They tend to be more flexible with customization during earlier build phases, which means you can sometimes specify features in the suite before construction is locked in. If you’re working with a specific need, like wider doorways for mobility or a full laundry setup, there’s often room to discuss.
What to watch: The suite designs are not always as self-contained as Lennar’s purpose-built product. Ask specifically about the entrance, the kitchen setup, and whether the HVAC for the suite is on a separate zone. Those details don’t always show up in the floor plan rendering.
MERITAGE HOMES: ENERGY EFFICIENCY PLUS CASITA OPTIONS
Meritage builds one of the more energy-efficient homes in the East Valley, which matters in an Arizona climate where cooling costs are real. Their M.Connected smart home package and spray foam insulation are genuine differentiators, not just marketing language.
Their multi-gen product tends to be framed as a “casita” or “guest suite” rather than a full Next-Gen floor plan, but several of their communities in Queen Creek, particularly around Sossaman Estates and in the Combs Road corridor, have options worth looking at.
What Meritage does well: The energy efficiency story is real. For a family where a parent or adult child will be living in the suite full-time, the lower utility bills are a long-term financial benefit that’s easy to underestimate upfront.
What to watch: Verify the suite’s kitchen situation carefully. Some Meritage casita plans are bedroom-and-bath only, which works for some families and doesn’t work for others. The definition of “casita” is loose across the industry.
K. HOVNANIAN: VALUE-ORIENTED WITH DECENT MULTI-GEN OPTIONS
K. Hovnanian has communities in Queen Creek and San Tan Valley that offer multi-gen floor plans at a slightly lower price point than Lennar or Maracay. If your budget is closer to $500,000 to $580,000, it’s worth including them in your search.
The trade-off tends to be that the finishes are more standard and the suite design less refined. But for the right family, it’s a way to get into a multi-gen home in the East Valley without stretching to $650,000.
What to watch: Hovnanian’s incentives vary significantly by community and phase. In some cases the standard incentive package is competitive with Lennar’s. In others it’s not. This is a place where having an agent in the room with you during the sales conversation matters.
THE COMMUNITY FACTOR: WHERE YOU LIVE IS AS IMPORTANT AS THE HOME
A next-gen home is a long-term living situation for more than one generation of your family. The community surrounding it matters in ways that go beyond the floor plan.
For families with aging parents, Gilbert’s proximity to Banner Gateway and Dignity Health Chandler is worth factoring in. For families with school-age kids alongside a grandparent in the suite, communities like Morrison Ranch and Harvest are zoned into some of the strongest school districts in the East Valley, and that school zone premium tends to protect resale value.
If San Tan Valley’s price point is appealing, the infrastructure is improving but still developing. Grocery options, medical facilities, and commute times are different from what you’d experience in Gilbert or Chandler. That’s not a dealbreaker, but it’s worth being clear-eyed about.
WHAT I TELL MY BUYERS BEFORE THEY WALK INTO A BUILDER'S OFFICE
Builder sales reps are genuinely helpful. But they work for the builder, not for you.
Before you sit down with a Lennar or Maracay sales rep, know what your non-negotiables are: full kitchen versus kitchenette, private laundry versus shared, separate HVAC, timeline, and total cost including what you’ll need to upgrade to get the suite where you need it to be. Go in knowing those things and you’ll get much better information out of the conversation.
I’ve been in enough of these appointments to know that the gap between the model home and the base price home can be significant, and that the incentive package being offered today may not be available when your build is complete. I’m not saying that to create worry. I’m saying it because the families who understand the full picture going in make better decisions.
If you’re starting your next-gen home search in Gilbert or Queen Creek, I’d love to talk through what your specific situation calls for. The right builder and the right community depend on your family’s actual needs, not the general features of the product.
QUICK REFERENCE: BUILDER COMPARISON
Lennar NextGen: Best overall suite design, consistent product, active in Harvest (Queen Creek) and Morrison Ranch (Gilbert). Strong incentives available now.
Maracay: Elevated finishes, more suite square footage, limited Gilbert inventory. Good fit if you want the suite to feel substantial.
Taylor Morrison: More flexibility during early build phases, solid Queen Creek presence, verify suite details carefully.
Meritage: Best energy efficiency story, casita options in Queen Creek, confirm kitchen setup before getting attached to a floor plan.
K. Hovnanian: Lower entry price point, Queen Creek and San Tan Valley communities, less refined suite design.
I’ve been working with multi-generational buyers in Gilbert, Queen Creek, Chandler, and San Tan Valley long enough to know that this decision touches more than just real estate. It’s about how your family wants to live, and getting it right matters. Reach out anytime you want a straight answer.
Cheri Smith
REALTOR® | eXp Realty
480-298-5551
cherismithrealtor.com
@cherismith.azrealtor