Yes, some people do that, but it isn’t the same...
Two of my daughters (17 and 19) are dog- and house-sitting with a pair of elderly and infirm Golden Retrievers. The owners went to the beach for a week with their adult children. My girls feel like they’re in the lap of luxury, with only the two of them and the dogs in the big house.
We plan to move to a much smaller house when all the children have gone ... which won’t be any time soon: Kathleen is only 5. I’m confused by people who are “empty nesting” in the biggest house they’ve ever lived in.