Need Help - design elderly living home space with full offerings of an autonomous home in spare room

I have an urgent situation that needs some serious consideration. I must care for elderly parents that are moving into some serious mobility problems, but also still require some level of autonomy and independence and are highly opinionated, but greatly loved.

The following may not necessarily be strictly a "tiny house" scenario, but it is in a very limited space and must fit into a single room within an existing home - and yet must maintain all of the facilities of a normal home and in a way that is acceptable to people in their late seventies and are still significantly active.

I need to facilitate both their independence (they value privacy where possible), but simultaneously be able to care for them and facilitate interaction. Health problems are descending that require both family help and medical attention.

They will be requiring the following areas / rooms:
• Living / Sitting / Visiting / Television Room (Dining Room could be combined)
• Kitchen
• Utility + Pantry (washer, drier, food storage)
• Office (closed for privacy)
• Bedroom (separate room for privacy)
• Closet (could be integrated into room I think to provide more storage area)
• Bathroom
• Preferably additional 1/2 bath (just toiletries, not bathing)
• Second Bedroom would be amazing, but unlikely able to be fit into the space

With the following room dimensions, can anyone offer suggestions of how to arrange this to maximize the potential area and retain their ability to move around with sufficient space?

I am concerned about not only providing sufficient living conditions, but also the ability to move around when it is difficult to walk. This could translate into a walker or wheelchair at some point in the near term for one or both of them.

This is the space that I have to work with is as follows:

Greg, 27 x 15 is bigger than some travel trailers so I see this as totally doable.

If I were doing this I would put the kitchen on one side of the closet and the bathroom on the other side.

After drawing those in then what is left can be the other items on your list and you will know how much sq. ft/ is left.

Will the program you used to draw the dimensions allow this?

Thanks Anne, yes the program I am using will allow a high degree of flexibility. I can pretty much do anything needed here. My problem is trying to figure out what kind of appliances and sizes of furnishings I suppose would be most conducive to their efficient usage. I don't know exactly what is reasonable I suppose.

I these folks are okay with using smaller appliances, I would suggest using an RV stove and refrigerator, especially if they will not be cooking for a lot of folks.

We use them in our AirBnB cabins.

Then there is a stackable washer and dryer that are mostly found in apartments.

I would recommend conventional bathroom fixtures.

You might want to look at something like the "Safe Step Tub/shower combo".

We only have a shower and DH really want a tub.

I hope some of this has been helpful.

Well that's kind of the rub. They are accustomed to having meals and love to cook and serve meals. I really don't know if they will be doing a lot of that, but another family member living in this home does like to cook and probably would do a lot of cooking with them. Not sure what to think, but I agree that shrinking the kitchen footprint would be helpful.

Thank you.

Hey Greg!
My parents are in a similar situation. However, they decided to go into a senior living apartment instead of moving in with any of us kids. They were wow'd by the way professional senior apartment designers created spacious, safe and navigable floor plans with all the amenities that you describe and more that I never thought about: recessed lighting (reduce tripping hazards), thick carpet padding, short carpet pile, grab bars integrated into everything. The professionals thought of everything ergonomically cool that would seduce aging parents into signing up for these "autonomous homes" within a large complex.
If you google "senior living floor plans" you will find out how the experts create spaces that work well for seniors. Also, take some tours of the new places with your folks and get their glossy brochures. Find out what they like and don't like about the layouts. The size that you describe is a luxury 1 bedroom with office, kitchen, master bath and guest bath. Once you see the floor plans the designs are much easier to duplicate. The floor plans will activate creative explorations for all involved. My mother even made little paper cut-outs of their bed, favorite furniture, and entertainment center then moved them around on a big piece of graph paper that had the outline of the apartment layout. She enjoyed this very much.
Best wishes to you and your family.
Amy

I would suggest the following to think about;
- ramps instead of steps
- 600mm wide freestanding stove and cooktop
- more light sources.

I agree with a lot of what Amy Gardener said. I wouldn't underestimate how much space it takes to turn a wheelchair!

You're also right that you need to consider what is important to your parents - if cooking and entertaining is something that brings them joy, (and it is extremely important for mental/emotional status as was reinforced when so many seniors were isolated by the recent epidemic) you want to ensure that's still possible.

I would look at lots of "tiny home" videos and floor plans, and plans for multipurpose and expandable furniture, to help make some of these decisions. For example, my Mom's friend built her "private office" in a double wide closet. When she was done, she could just close the doors. Similarly, ceiling height dividers that can be moved and reconfigured can give some sound and visual privacy that can be moved aside if the space is needed for something else.

If you post some of your drafts when you've got some, that might generate ideas and suggestions also.

Great idea @Amy Gardener! I will try to dig up some such floor plans for ideas. The option of moving into such a facility is not within the realm of consideration in our situation, but perhaps finding such options will help. Our region doesn't seem to have any such similar places anyway, so I will have to rely on online resources to identify such information.

Good info @John C Daley. After speaking with them some more they did agree that "no one ever really needs more than two burners at a time in practice" so a smaller stove/oven will be reasonable.

@Jay Angler yes, we went through this with another family member before and were very fortunate to make it through with only a walker up to when things went really south and hospice kicked in during the final stretch within our home and mobility was no longer a consideration.

At this point I really need to figure out how to identify furnishings, appliances and bathroom items that will make life manageable. For example, we already know we need a shower that facilitates a seat since we had to go through that before. Since this time around they are highly mobile, just starting to have serious problems resultant from a botched knee replacement, we see the writing on the wall and need to try to get out ahead of the situation since things are already starting to decline and additional surgeries are likely to result in death and therefore not an option.

I built a small house for my Grandmother a little while back, for similar reasons. She could no longer safely stay by herself but is very independent and butts heads with my aunt and uncle. So I built I small "Grandma's House" behind my uncle's house. Your room looks almost the same size! The floor plan I came up with is attached.

@Ben House nice! Thank you!!! I have roughly 400 sq/ft to work with here and the what I'm finding awkward so far is the long format. It would be a lot easier if it were more square.

The other thing is that this area will remain a primary entrance to the house so it will be trafficked a lot. That may or may not be a problem. I wish I could minimize it, but it seems like the living room and kitchen area will need to go on the left of my above diagram since it will also be where extended family enters to visit them.

I'm thinking I can give them a bedroom on the far end (right) where the furnace is, but it will be really close to a loud area that serves as the "hub" for our primary family dwelling (on the other side of the wall) so I might have to figure out sound dampening since it's "rockin'" all hours day and night in that space.

Sister a second wall right up against the noisy wall and add some sound dampening insulation, it'll only take up about 4-5 inches but it will significantly reduce noise.

Also keep in mind that bedrooms don't have to be huge, as most older folks only sleep in the bedroom and spend most of their waking time in the living room or dining room.

If you don't need an oven you could simply put a cooktop in the counter to save space instead of having a full size stove.

I've come up with some thoughts. Thanks everyone!

I'm not super pleased with this yet, I feel like things are off.

Some thoughts I have:
• Not super pleased with the bedroom and bed position - they need a queen size bed or double twin XL. I have a queen in there right now since it's a little smaller than double twin XL beds.
• Not sure about the "living room" space. We have two couches already that I'd like to use and a lift recliner we have had for years that I've shoved together on the left there to create some visiting space. I don't know where to stick the television except on the wall or maybe to install two that have synchronized video feed for watching from both sides or with heads turned. Watching westerns and movies together as a family are important to them. I am guessing maybe there will just be a TV on the side for the lift chair to see clearly.
• I tried to pre-plan for a wheelchair requirement or needing some additional space to navigate. You can see this in the kitchen and with the 3' walk passage through the kitchen and beside the lift chair. I also put it in the bedroom area to show some passage through between the bed and the accordion door, but only a walker can fit on the right side of the bed.
• I don't know if the bathroom really works well. It's kinda cramped and not laid out well enough it seems according to some of the retirement/assisted living layouts, but close.
• Not sure what I can do with the extra space in bath or what kind of shower that accommodates a seat might be sized like.
• I couldn't squeeze in another half bath. Not end of world, but not great.
• No good dining area. I really would like 4-8 people to be able to dine in here comfortably since that is about the size they are used to entertaining.
• Coat closet could go maybe, but I would have to figure out some other way to store coats and winter clothing and boots. I probably will build a shed/shelter onto the outside of the door at some point as a "mud room" and extra, but can't do that for another year at least depending on society's endurance.
• I don't see any way to put a ramp up into the interior door into the main house which is the door on the middle bottom of the wall beside the kitchen area and bathroom. Probably ok, but it would sure be useful.
• I think accordion doors are critical here to eliminate the swinging doors.

• UGH- I forgot a laundry area!!! 😿

Thoughts or improvements (or complete changes) on this are welcome:

Personally, I'd hate for the coat closet to go. It's one of my pet peeves with most tiny and small houses  - no place to put your shoes or wet coat.

You are getting the feel for the size of the problem! Consider that many elderly end up needing a hospital bed at home, and you'll be glad that you allowed for a large bed with space around it!

How squishy are the sofas? What if you made specific "TV trays" to go with the sofas so that people could sit there to eat? Is that a counter top beside the lift chair? Food could get set there for people to serve themselves from?

All I can suggest is to keep playing with it!

Some more comments and questions;
- I would create an airlock at the public entrance and make it long enough for doors to be closed and also hang the coats etc in it.
- Can the furnace go on the outside or above the bathroom?
- Can the shower be entered from the left hand side rather than past the toilet?
- I would not have the 2 doors into the bathroom and that allow better movement.
- Will the toilet require hand grips and bars to move from wheelchair to bowl ?
- Will the bowl be a higher one because of the fitness of your folks?
- I think the bedroom is too big, with the furnace elsewhere, the lounge wall can be moved to open the lounge.
- Have people sit on a bench at a table in the 'lounge area', it often is the way in country homes.
- even have the table fold back against the wall

I come from a family with a lot of physical limitations and I have some thoughts on design choices to make aging in pace easier.

Bathroom suggestions.  
Look up ADA bathroom designs to get ideas for the configuration.  The shower needs to be big enough to easily fit a shower chair and possibly a walker at the same time.  They will need 60" by 60" turn around space in the bathroom  and  space next to the toilet to transfer from the chair. While your parents may not need that space now it will make a huge difference if they are ever injured, have a joint replaced, recover from a stroke or other aliments one is more likely to have when they are older.  Retrofitting an ADA bathroom is very expensive so I would make the space and build it to handle a wheel chair now.  

Make the shower floor level with the floor so and next to the toilet so it can be a roll in shower and double as space for a wheel chair to turn around and have room to transfer from the chair to the toilet.  Use a shower curtain over a door design to save space and increase mobility tool options.  Install a shower head on a hose.  This makes using a shower chair far easier.  Set it up so the person shower can easily reach it while sitting or standing.  I find  free standing shower chair is easier to use than a fixed location bench.

Go with a tall toilet with and allow space for grab rails.  
Ideally the sink could be used while standing or sitting and go with leaver style faucet handles.  

Kitchen
I would look into having an open space under the sink so one can sit on a stool while using the sink.  
freezer on the bottom refrigerators are must if you are in a wheel chair.  
Pull out cabinet shelves or drawers are easier than deep shelved cabinets or high up shelving.  
Having smaller  and lower pull out counter that can be used for food prep while sitting down is extremely useful.  It will allow them to keep cooking even if they can't stand for long periods of time.  This makes a huge difference on those bad days.

Built in drawers under furniture like the bed will help maximize storage.  Adding as much lower height storage as possible.  Spend the extra time and money to source easy to use with limited mobility hardware for door, drawer pulls,  draw slides, handles, and light switches.  These little details make a huge difference when your dexterity is not what it used to be.  

Entrance ways should be ramps with smooth transitions through doorways.   This makes using canes, forearm crutches, walkers and wheel chairs  far easier.  

Can you make and outdoor entertainment space for them to use in good weather?  We added this to our garden space and it makes having gatherings far easier than buying a bigger house.  

Could folding chairs and drop leaf tables be used instead of lots of couches for visitors?  

Greg Payton wrote:I've come up with some thoughts. Thanks everyone!

I'm not super pleased with this yet, I feel like things are off.

Some thoughts I have:
• Not super pleased with the bedroom and bed position - they need a queen size bed or double twin XL. I have a queen in there right now since it's a little smaller than double twin XL beds.
• Not sure about the "living room" space. We have two couches already that I'd like to use and a lift recliner we have had for years that I've shoved together on the left there to create some visiting space. I don't know where to stick the television except on the wall or maybe to install two that have synchronized video feed for watching from both sides or with heads turned. Watching westerns and movies together as a family are important to them. I am guessing maybe there will just be a TV on the side for the lift chair to see clearly.
• I tried to pre-plan for a wheelchair requirement or needing some additional space to navigate. You can see this in the kitchen and with the 3' walk passage through the kitchen and beside the lift chair. I also put it in the bedroom area to show some passage through between the bed and the accordion door, but only a walker can fit on the right side of the bed.
• I don't know if the bathroom really works well. It's kinda cramped and not laid out well enough it seems according to some of the retirement/assisted living layouts, but close.
• Not sure what I can do with the extra space in bath or what kind of shower that accommodates a seat might be sized like.
• I couldn't squeeze in another half bath. Not end of world, but not great.
• No good dining area. I really would like 4-8 people to be able to dine in here comfortably since that is about the size they are used to entertaining.
• Coat closet could go maybe, but I would have to figure out some other way to store coats and winter clothing and boots. I probably will build a shed/shelter onto the outside of the door at some point as a "mud room" and extra, but can't do that for another year at least depending on society's endurance.
• I don't see any way to put a ramp up into the interior door into the main house which is the door on the middle bottom of the wall beside the kitchen area and bathroom. Probably ok, but it would sure be useful.
• I think accordion doors are critical here to eliminate the swinging doors.

• UGH- I forgot a laundry area!!! 😿

Thoughts or improvements (or complete changes) on this are welcome:

For wheelchair access you are going to need 60" minimum to be able to turn around.  They do not turn on a dime since they only have  castor wheels on the front.   Your pathways will need to be 48" wide to accommodate  a wheel chair and make life easier with cane or walker.

Use a smaller stackable washer and dryer unit.  They are easier to use than full sized stacking units.

Are the accordion doors easy to use one handed left or right.  Moving the bathroom between the bedroom and living spaces could allow for the only interior door to be bathroom door.  

John C Daley wrote:

Have people sit on a bench at a table in the 'lounge area', it often is the way in country homes.

The picture John C included will work for young people, but if you're mostly going to be inviting older people to visit, I would not recommend it. You have to partially squat and move sideways and tables with center, rather than corner supports are often not sturdy enough for someone to put their weight on the edge to help move. The reason most sofas have small legs is so there's a "kick space" where your heals can go when you try to stand up. This allows you to get your center of gravity in a safer spot before standing. Thus, the pictured built-in bench with a flat front to accommodate drawers, will make things even harder for anyone with weakness. If the drawers were recessed under a lip of bench, or angled towards the back  from the top to the floor (a rare, but appreciated feature I've seen), the built-in bench would be easier to use.

Thank you all for the feedback thus far. I will try to update thoughts/plans as I find some time here.

@Jay Angler yes indeed. Size is a headache. It would be nice to keep the coat closet, but I am thinking about maybe next year bolting a porch or shed (airlock as @John C Daley suggested) within the next year that has temperature control. I think I want to use it as a utility "routing" room so we can install a water softener that we've needed forever and then move the water heater and some other things into it on the side while also being able to serve as a mud room / airlock.

The sofas are semi firm and I already have them and was going to sell them (as they were never used much).

Yes the rectangle to the side of the lift chair and refrigerator is planned to be a counter, so probably like a breakfast bar style thing that can be used to eat.

@John C Daley thank you. See above for the airlock idea. I agree with that and want to do that in an expanded format already, so good call.

Furnace cannot presently be moved. Maybe a future project if we convert to full wood heating with an outside furnace arrangement, but there is a lot of square footage to maintain well beyond this area and we have additional elderly also that live here that also require temperature control considerations.

I will have to play with the arrangement there for the shower since I really don't even know the real dimensions yet of such a shower. I used a size I was already familiar with, but I don't think it will be the end result.

Two doors would probably be good for the bathroom since there is likely other family that will also be using the bathroom on occasion and we don't want to exclude direct bedroom private access and locking of the one entry.

Probably will need to install handles or bars for the toilet, thinking ahead.

Not sure of height considerations for the toilet.

@Kate Muller thank you for that specific advice. I will look at those guidelines- they seem helpful. The bathroom is something that does scare me having already gone through the decline and death of one family member over several years and taking care of them was challenging without proper facilities.

The kitchen ideas are also great. Thank you. I have been worried that pull-out or modifiable furnishings may be too difficult for aging folk.

Extremely variable weather and high winds in our area makes outdoor options challenging, but something that we have had in mind.

As noted above, the couches already exist and funds are limited so I want to try to use the couches if I can.

You'll need to modify a little for what you're looking for but here are a few space saving designs. The bed is supposed to be a captains bed with storage under it but I didn't have the right graphic

Hi,  All these are great ideas and I have found some useful for me.  One thing we do is to have card tables for guests. Just unfold legs an I have a dining room in the front room/library/tv room/puzzle room, get the drift. If you can make something serve for multiple uses the better for you.  The wife and I use tv trays or just put the plate or bowl in our laps. Do you remember the child high chair with a slide on tray? Our trays are sturdy wood that enclose the chair. They are not the cheap flimsy ones, I can stand on them if need arises.  To lesson sound transfer through a wall  a wall I might add coarkboard on your side, then sound insulation on the inside. Check the internet and try out of the box answers.  If a ramp is out of the question then you will need a lift of some sort.  You can either buy, or make your own platform lift for wheelchairs, or you can make an elevator if a lift is also not doable. You may not want to hear this but our bedroom is 14x13. A wheelchair fits and I have room to walk around. Any smaller and we would struggle and juggle things. The older I get the more energy I have to exert to do tasks. Moving space and getting around space looks wasteful, I assure you it is not.

Hi Greg,

Be sure to include your parents in the design process.


As a general rule, a 5’ x 5’ area is needed to turn a wheelchair. There are many variables here.  

Also, you may want to consider protection for door, doorways, and wall from wheelchairs bumping into them.

In Europe I have often seen bathrooms where they dispense with the shower stall and there is instead tiled walls and a drain in the corner, with just a hanging curtain, if that.  This way you have no floor obstruction which makes it easier to achieve wheelchair turning radius and ease of access for shower chair, etc if needed.

Also, inquire what resources you state or municipality have for disability/ senior renovations. Many have Grant's or loans to help people add grab bars etc. to help people stay in their homes, and can put you in contact with contractors experienced with such modifications.

MK raised a good point.  You may wish to contact the Commission on the Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities in Tucson AZ. There should be no charge for their assistance.

I will reiterate what Mk Neal said about the European bathroom- if you can do the wet room style bathroom, you can eliminate a lot of barriers and it doesn't feel as cramped in a small space. Also, even the short sill of a shower can be tough for me at times and my mobility issues aren't as severe as to need an assist so I would personally love to have that barrier eliminated in my own bathroom.

I'm remembering a kitchen I saw in a studio apartment years ago where it was a small scale piece with integrated sink, counter and two burners, a small fridge, minimal but everything you need. It fit into what had been a double door closet (not a walk-in shape) and had sliding doors so you could basically close the kitchen and the living space felt more like a living room without making the kitchen a separate area.

My first kitchen was one of those units that has a sink/burner/fridge combo in about a 3x2.5 cube that was behind a bar in a basement. I had a toaster oven and used the kitchen/dining table as prep space. It was a lot more functional than I thought it would be when I first saw it. I am a very enthusiastic and proficient cook so kitchen is a priority for me, but small and functional can be really nice, saving steps and clean up. Boat or RV units might be good for inspiration or sourcing really efficient sized equipment.

Very good idea about the bathroom. A friend recently told me that Japanese bathrooms would be much better to consider, but to replace the bath with a shower and work on really waterproofing the toilet and sink as well as any electrical outlet needs. Seems like similar advice.