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Creative Solutions: How'd they do it?
5 {; R& j8 N( `2 x+ O: @) w2 @$ t' ^+ K2 pNothing says home like the living room couch) m, f! o) \$ {
5 K! {+ [0 q% \Alexandra Zabjek
2 P; r, r d4 b) TThe Edmonton Journal1 u) [" T+ ?; u4 @* S
. W- G2 B0 W; N2 lSunday, May 20, 2007
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! k3 D9 Z: c4 a: ]0 BStudent apartments aren't typically luxurious places, but soaring rents in Edmonton are forcing some students to pare down their living arrangements even more than usual.+ o" `; }: a) C K$ G0 C& J ?
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At Steve Li's one-bedroom apartment near NAIT, the living room is a bedroom for his roommate, Bill Chadwick.7 `* a/ K/ R. [7 @* _4 P
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Li and Chadwick, both students, split the $600 rent almost evenly -- Li gets the bedroom for $325 per month, while Chadwick pays $275 per month to put his bed in the living room.* j& T7 P1 S% P' G4 `- b/ \" `
: Q: L- p& k* @/ q9 b7 f"I receive approximately $700 per month (in grants) to go to school," says Chadwick, 32. "So when $275 comes into the picture, it works out quite well."
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+ `9 Q$ p" y5 c( dAfter spending time couch-surfing with friends, Chadwick says having a "defined space" is great, even if it isn't a proper bedroom.( j0 O6 W c5 k1 a& N
, v# G$ Y% b) G( l8 _8 rSharing a one-bedroom apartment is a common arrangement amongst Chinese students studying in Edmonton, says Li, who has been living in Canada for the past seven years. It's a big change for many of these students, he says.
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"The people who can afford to send their kids to Canada to study are quite rich," he says. "(Their) apartments in China are big."8 B5 s. j$ J% y6 f. s6 \- v9 \
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Splitting the rent on a one-bedroom apartment, however, make things much easier for students with limited budgets.% q, e+ O L4 F3 \) t* @
( a$ a4 V" x: v* H/ H"I wouldn't say (it would be completely) unaffordable, but this way it's much more economical," he says.2 K7 o& _. L! k7 A4 d" {0 V
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SOMEONE IN THE BASEMENT TO HELP PAY THE MORTGAGE7 M" T. {3 y. P1 l" l4 i% W
/ j+ H) K7 p R0 E$ N2 HWhen Caitlin Crawshaw and her girlfriend bought a bungalow in Bonnie Doon last summer, it wasn't just the location that sold them on the 1950s era house. It was also the basement suite.* x, H# s8 P5 `2 m5 p1 ~) f, Z" r, @
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"It wasn't originally part of our plan," Crawshaw says. "But as soon as we started looking at houses and seeing what the market was, we thought that maybe we should consider it."4 c& D" F, j) T
* A. Q: B, A6 I5 [) z9 e0 H5 f, Z/ `Their tenant pays $500 per month for the 750-square-foot suite. The money helps the couple pay down their mortgage more aggressively and provides a cushion in case either loses their job, says Crawshaw.
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1 }& \& w8 h& H5 N9 ?The arrangement has worked out well, especially because the tenant was already living in the house when they moved in and has proved to be a "fantabulous" tenant who often spends time gardening in the yard or raking leaves, says Crawshaw, 25.
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The downside, however, is the lack of space. The couple and their two cats share about 750-square-feet on the upper floor of the house.+ ?! A3 ]1 o* w' o, O! }
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"It would be nice to have more space and to have another bathroom," she says.
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( Q3 a& x0 G1 K& y"But it does work out quite well. I don't regret it. But I don't want to do it for more than five years -- I don't think that anyone does."
: x/ R) c7 W! N2 r4 q! ]© The Edmonton Journal 2007 |
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发表于 2007-5-20 07:27
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