Reading an Independent Living Floor Plan

One of the most popular pages on a senior living website is the floor plans page. Those considering making the move naturally want to know what kinds of senior independent living floor plans communities offer. Are there a variety of floor plans? How many square feet are they? What kinds of living spaces are in the residences? These are important questions to ask.

So as you investigate independent senior living floor plans, here are some tips to help you read them correctly and know what you’re looking at.

How to Read Floor Plans

Most independent living floor plans have rooms that are clearly identified with the name of each room and its dimensions. Here’s how to interpret what else is in the drawings you’ll see.

Walls: In traditional floor plans, thick lines indicate exterior walls and thin lines indicate interior walls.

Doors: A thin slanted line extending out from a wall indicates a doorway. The arc extending off that line shows you which way the door opens. That will help you visualize furniture placement.

Windows: A solid line representing an exterior wall may have a section where the line isn’t filled in. This indicates a window.

Balcony, Patio or Porch: These are usually noted with a rectangle that has open lines indicating a railing, rather than solid walls. There will also be a door indicator, or overlapping window indicators if there is a sliding door.

Fixtures: Stoves, toilets, sinks, showers, bathtubs, and light fixtures are typically indicated by small drawings that approximate their actual real-life shapes. If you see a dotted line or shaded area above a stove or counter, that indicates there are cabinets above that space.

Interactive Senior Independent Living Floor Plans

On some websites, you can use an interactive tool to help you visualize how you can effectively use the space in each residence. Here’s how ours works:

1. Select a floor plan option.
2. Some interactive floor plans may open up prepopulated  with some furniture items. If you want to start from scratch, click the “Clear” button at the top right of the screen.
3. Hover your cursor over each piece of furniture to identify it and see its dimensions.
4. When you’re ready to try it, select a furniture item from the top and drag it to the room you want to place it in.
5. You can move it anywhere on the floor plan by clicking and dragging.
6. On each piece of furniture, there is an arrow you can click to rotate the furniture so you can place it just where you want it.
7. You can save and print your layout for future reference by clicking the “More” button and making your selection.

Evaluating Senior Independent Living Floor Plans

As you research your senior living choices, ask some questions about the floor plans you’re looking at.

Are there a variety of floor plan options to choose from, or just a few?

• What are my priorities for living spaces? (Do I want to entertain? Do I need an extra bedroom for a workspace or guest room? How often will I really use the kitchen?)
• How does the floor plan layout help me with my priorities? (Is the living/dining area large enough? Are the bedrooms right next to each other, or is there space in between?)
• What size residence fits my budget?

If you’d like to explore the senior independent living floor plans that will be available at Aberdeen Ridge, it’s easy. Use the Floor Plan Fit Calculator to find floor plans that suit your budget. Then you can use the interactive floor plan tool to experiment with furniture placement. And if you have questions about available floor plans and how to reserve yours, you can always use the form on this page to reach out, or just give us a call