Aging in Place with Grace

When mobility issues arose at retirement age, our clients had options to weigh – move or make their existing suburban house suitable for aging in place. Given their enjoyment of the neighborhood, the place, and the house and gardens they’d worked on for 30 years, they opted to stay and build an addition capable of handling their coming needs.

The project consisted of adding a main level bedroom, accessible bathroom, and laundry room. The bedroom features large windows with views to the backyard and its abundant plants and entertaining wildlife. The bathroom features a curbless, roll-in shower with plenty of grab bars and room for assistance; an accessible sink; and clear areas for maneuvering in a wheelchair.  Throughout the addition the roof trusses and framing are designed to support a ceiling-mounted track lift system. The motorized sling lift system is currently in place at the toilet and can be extended to other areas in the bedroom as needs change. Home automation features for phone/communication and lighting are installed to allow for stationary and hands-fee use of features.

The addition was added off the back of the house with an abundantly sunny skylight-lit hall, connecting to a new deck at the main level. The deck allows for easy access to the outdoors along with a vertical platform lift to access the yard and the patio. The existing home was made more accessible with a few simple moves – a new wider garage door to allow for their wheelchair accessible van, small ramp from the garage, and removing a knee wall for more flexible space at the dining table.

Location:

Leesburg, VA

Builder:

Delta Contractors, LLC

PHOTOGRAPHY:

Nathan Webb / Longhouse Architects