Twins create family compound in California to raise children together

Amelia and Sydney Stoker, 39-year-old twins, purchased adjacent homes in the Bay Area of California to establish a shared family compound.

The sisters, who work together at Twin Smiles Orthodontics, wanted to provide their children with the experience of growing up around cousins, a dynamic they lacked during their own childhoods.

The arrangement began in the summer of 2022 after Sydney and her husband, Paden Roder, bought a house next door to the home where Amelia and her husband, Adam Fagin, reside. The property became available while the families were navigating the high costs of the region. The families removed the fence between their backyards to create a single large property where children can move freely between the two houses.

The compound functions as a coordinated household where seven adults live and work together to manage five children. The families share a credit card for compound expenses and rotate cooking duties every weeknight. They also utilize accessory dwelling units to house two au pairs and a retired mother-in-law. The sisters say the setup provides a support system that makes raising children easier while they work full-time jobs.