Expanded Living Space in an Historic Townhome

Transforming a 5-Bedroom/4-Bath Residential Home Into an 8-Bedroom/9-Bathroom Memory Care Facility in Alexandria, VA

Highlights include:

In-home salon or haircutting station
Dutch doors in bedrooms to assist with privacy and visibility for residents
ADA-compliant multifunction hand shower packages in all bathrooms
Toilets with slow-close seats
Bathroom medicine cabinet mirrors
Universal design elements incorporated throughout the facility

With a bit of creativity and vision, this 5-bedroom residence in Alexandria, VA was transformed into beautiful and functional care facility.

A Thoughtfully Designed, State-of-the-Art Memory Care Facility

The owners of this residential home hired Schroeder Design Build to help them carry out their vision–converting the residence into a state-of-the-art memory care facility. In the early planning stages, working collaboratively with a designer who is a Universal Design Certified Professional (UDCP), great care was made to consider every design detail, incorporating universal design features and, in some cases, ADA-compliant standards.

The remodel created comfortable living quarters for 8 residents, each with their own private bathroom. The evidence-based design for dementia solutions included curbless showers, Moen Home Care Collection grab bars, widened doorways, and paint schemes to assist with wayfinding and toileting in the home.

Working in close collaboration with the owners, long-term memory care design guides were established and used by our design team as a reference throughout the design process.

Challenges that Require Creative Design Ingenuity

As with any remodel, there are often challenges that require creative design ingenuity. This project was no exception. It was important for the owners that we come up with a design solution that resulted in an 8-bedroom/9-bath floorplan without changing the existing footprint. In other words, no bump outs or add-ons.

As an “interior-only” remodel, it was also important to the owners that we recommend and install maintenance-free design features, many that needed to function for various ranges of mobility and accessibility. The rooms were also designed with caregivers and nurses in mind, so that there was ample space for assisting residents in their bedrooms, bathrooms or the general living areas.

For warmth, comfort and a personal touch, the owners envisioned their care facility to feel much more like a home than a commercial facility. It was our task and mission to deliver exactly as they envisioned.

Result

The results were nothing short of spectacular. As a result of the remodel, this one-of-a-kind Memory Care Facility houses and cares for eight adults living with dementia or memory loss who feel right at home, in safety and comfort. For everyone involved, it was an honor to play a small role in carrying out the owners’ vision of Tilden Memory Care and the amenities it provides.

“My wife and I purchased a 5,000+ sf single-story luxury home that we wanted to convert into a premier residential assisted living facility for seniors living with dementia. To give proper care, we needed to convert the home from a 5 bed/4 bath into an 8 bed/9 bath so that each of the eight residents could have their own private bedroom and bathroom. We also wanted to include specific design elements to make the home bespoke for memory care, such as Dutch doors for all bedrooms, ADA-style bathrooms with roll-in showers and grab bars, widened doorways, and paint schemes to help with wayfinding and toileting. Needless to say, this was not the typical renovation project so we needed to find a good partner who was willing to think outside the box and really take the time to educate themselves on evidence-based design for dementia and then competently execute the work. We interviewed four different contractors but felt that none of them had the resources, experience, or flexibility of Schroeder.

We are VERY happy with the Schroeder team all the way from the initial design phase up through production. Architect Chris and Designer Nina went above and beyond in answering our questions and exploring alternate solutions for the challenges encountered during the project. Production manager Selema was very responsive and professional during a construction phase beset with supply chain and labor shortages during Covid. The home turned out beautifully and we constantly get compliments from the residents and their families how happy they are to be living in a gorgeous real home instead of some large big-box facility. Should we be fortunate enough to expand to a second location in a few years, I would not hesitate to work with Andrew and his team again.”

—Wade C., Tilden Memory Care, Alexandria, VA

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