To plan an assisted living floor plan, get the community's plan for your parent's exact apartment, then verify it with a tape measure: every wall, door and window, plus outlets, vents, heating units, the closet and the kitchenette. Draw it to scale on graph paper, measure each piece of furniture (width, depth, height), and place the pieces while keeping walking paths about 36 inches wide.
The community sent a floor plan, and it shows a square footage and a drawing of a bed and a couch that someone added for the brochure. That is a start, but it will not tell you whether your mother's dresser fits beside the window or whether the recliner blocks the bathroom door.
This post covers what to measure, how to draw it, and how to measure furniture so the plan is accurate enough to decide from. Where each piece goes once you have the plan is covered in assisted living room layout ideas.
Start with the community's floor plan
Ask for the plan of the specific apartment your parent will have, not the generic one for the apartment type. Corner units, units near stairwells and units on the ground floor often differ in window placement, closet size or where the heating unit sits.
What to say to the move-in coordinator: "Could you email me the floor plan with measurements for apartment 214 specifically? And could we have 20 minutes in the empty apartment next week to measure it ourselves?"
The Family Caregiver Alliance's downsizing checklist recommends an accurate template of the new residence showing where doors, windows, appliances, storage and vents are. Seniorly also suggests asking to see other residents' rooms to see how they have used the same space. Both are worth doing: the plan tells you the numbers, and an occupied room shows you what the numbers feel like.
What to measure in the apartment
Bring a 25-foot tape measure, graph paper, a pencil, and a phone for photos. Measure in inches and write every number on your sketch as you go. Take a photo of each wall from the opposite corner.
- Each wall, corner to corner, at floor level
- Doors: width of the opening, which way each door swings, and how far it swings into the room
- Windows: distance from the corner, width, and height of the sill from the floor (a dresser taller than the sill will block the window)
- Outlets, cable and phone jacks: position on each wall; these decide where the lamp, TV and lift chair go
- Heating and cooling units, vents, thermostats and anything that must stay clear
- Emergency pull cords or call buttons: their position, so furniture doesn't block them
- Closet: width, depth, rod height, shelf heights
- Kitchenette: counter length, cabinet sizes, space for a refrigerator if not provided
- Bathroom: the door width and whether it swings in or out
- Ceiling height if you are considering a tall bookcase or armoire
Do not skip the call buttons and door swings. Both are easy to miss on a sketch, and both change where the bed can go.
Measure the route in, not only the room
A piece has to get to the apartment before it can fit in it. Measure the apartment's entry door with the door open, the narrowest hallway point and any tight turns between the elevator and the door. Ask the community for the elevator's interior dimensions and whether there is a freight or service elevator for move-ins.
For reference, the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design call for door openings of at least 32 inches of clear width, measured with the door open 90 degrees, and walking routes of at least 36 inches. Measure rather than assume. The measurement that matters is the one at your parent's door.
| Measurement | Where | Reference point (2010 ADA Standards) |
|---|---|---|
| Door clear width | Apartment entry, bathroom, bedroom | 32 inches minimum, door open 90 degrees |
| Walking path width | Door to bed, bed to bathroom, chair to door | 36 inches minimum for an accessible route |
| Wheelchair turning space | One open spot in the room | 60-inch diameter circle |
| Clear floor space at a fixture | In front of the dresser, closet, sink | 30 by 48 inches |
| Comfortable reach range | Closet rod, shelves, outlets | Forward reach between 15 and 48 inches above the floor |
These are building standards for accessible spaces, not rules for your parent's apartment. They are useful because they describe space that a walker, a wheelchair or a person with limited reach can actually use.
How to draw the floor plan to scale
Pick a scale and stick to it. On standard graph paper, one square equal to six inches works well: a 12-foot wall becomes 24 squares, and a 20-inch nightstand is a little over three squares, visible enough to matter.
- Draw the outer walls first, then mark doors with their swing arcs.
- Add windows, outlets, vents, heating units and call buttons as small symbols.
- Shade the areas that must stay clear: the door swings, the space in front of the closet, the heating unit.
- Draw each piece of furniture to the same scale on a separate sheet, label it, and cut it out.
- Move the cutouts around the plan until the paths work.
AARP's moving guide suggests exactly this method: a scale floor plan with cut-out furniture shapes that can be moved around. It lets your parent take part in the decisions at the kitchen table, which is often easier than in an empty room.
A floor plan grid that does the math
Parent Move Plan Complete includes a floor plan grid (one square is six inches) and a furniture fit calculator, so you can enter the apartment's measurements and each piece's size and see what fits. It comes with the full day-by-day move plan, counted back from your move-in date.
Build your plan in 2 minutesHow to measure furniture
Measure each candidate piece at its widest points: width, depth and height. Include what sticks out, like drawer pulls, feet, armrests and baseboards on the back of a dresser. Write the three numbers on a piece of painter's tape and stick it to the piece, so helpers can check without asking.
- Recliners: measure depth upright and fully reclined. The reclined depth is what has to fit.
- Beds: measure the frame, headboard and footboard, not only the mattress.
- Dressers: measure depth with a drawer fully pulled out, and plan clear floor in front of it.
- Tables: note whether legs come off; that can solve a tight door.
- Chairs: note the seat height too. The National Institute on Aging advises making sure chairs are the right height to get in and out of easily.
Which pieces are worth measuring at all is covered in what furniture to bring to assisted living, and bed sizes in which bed fits in assisted living.
Check the plan before you commit
Before you decide anything is going, run through this list with the plan in front of you:
- Path from bed to bathroom: straight, at least about 36 inches, no furniture corners
- Path from door to chair and door to bed: open
- Door swings: nothing in the arc of the entry, bathroom or closet doors
- Call buttons and pull cords: reachable, not behind furniture
- Outlets: one near the bed, one near the chair, one for the TV
- Heating unit and vents: clear
- Every piece: fits the route in (door, hallway, elevator)
If the plan passes, tape the footprint out on a floor at home and walk it with your parent. If it fails, remove the lowest-priority piece and try again. Once the plan is settled, put the measurements into your downsizing timeline so the sorting starts from what fits, and keep the plan handy for move day; the movers will need it too. The full packing list is in our guide on what to bring to assisted living.
Frequently asked questions
Will the assisted living community give me a floor plan?
Communities often have a floor plan of each apartment type, sometimes in their marketing materials. Ask for one with measurements for the specific apartment your parent will have, because units of the same type can differ. Then check the key numbers yourself with a tape measure on a visit.
What scale should I use to draw an apartment floor plan?
Any consistent scale works. On standard graph paper, one square equal to six inches is detailed enough to show a nightstand and still fits a studio on one page. Draw furniture to the same scale on separate paper, cut it out, and move the pieces around the plan.
How do I measure furniture for a move to assisted living?
Measure width, depth and height at the widest points, including handles, feet and armrests. For recliners, measure depth fully reclined. For beds, measure the frame, not only the mattress. Write the three numbers on a piece of painter's tape on each item.
What if the apartment door is too narrow for a piece of furniture?
Measure the door opening with the door open, the hallway turns and the elevator before moving day. Some pieces can be taken apart, such as bed frames or tables with removable legs. If a piece cannot fit the route, choose a smaller one rather than finding out on move day.
Sources
- U.S. Access Board: 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design (accessed Sept 2026)
- Family Caregiver Alliance: Downsizing a Home: A Checklist for Caregivers (accessed Sept 2026)
- AARP: Steps to Help Caregivers Plan a Manageable Move (accessed Sept 2026)
- Seniorly: Moving to Assisted Living: Checklist for Families (accessed Sept 2026)
- National Institute on Aging: Preventing Falls at Home: Room by Room (accessed Sept 2026)