 鲜花( 15)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Creative Solutions: How'd they do it?
; J/ @) E4 ^( U0 r. tNothing says home like the living room couch
; a: ^! u6 D2 ^4 [( N3 d
" B% D% A: W- P7 V V' kAlexandra Zabjek4 }* |$ v8 E/ K
The Edmonton Journal
5 C# v) G1 N, n0 C& |1 c! l8 p& D: A$ G6 |* Y2 `
Sunday, May 20, 2007
1 }8 B7 B5 a9 f, x
6 h& a" H6 L6 M) s5 F( \# N9 Z7 S# {) U: n+ x
Student 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.
. A5 Y$ l& j! M! M% z% \
8 U4 k) S. k2 s, m1 d, VAt Steve Li's one-bedroom apartment near NAIT, the living room is a bedroom for his roommate, Bill Chadwick.
" }6 o q$ j+ d. S/ G; @
6 k5 U7 R' `3 r* QLi and Chadwick, both students, split the $600 rent almost evenly -- Li gets the bedroom for $325 per month, while Chadwick pays $275 per month to put his bed in the living room.
5 f4 ` t/ ^' ~5 x4 k) k
- l$ l# z" i4 v( ]% h+ e"I receive approximately $700 per month (in grants) to go to school," says Chadwick, 32. "So when $275 comes into the picture, it works out quite well."( U& f. u/ e. k6 G. R
. T5 ~; e6 [; q3 l! ]9 nAfter spending time couch-surfing with friends, Chadwick says having a "defined space" is great, even if it isn't a proper bedroom.* o3 c% D1 ?; o4 o
8 z6 M9 y2 w$ k! e1 _! y* nSharing 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.$ O/ M0 i) V) D8 G6 L @
2 y! ]1 ]' e& h"The people who can afford to send their kids to Canada to study are quite rich," he says. "(Their) apartments in China are big."
. \0 Y3 _7 [% O3 \" N7 Z; p
* ~8 b# p/ z! w7 X7 j1 ySplitting the rent on a one-bedroom apartment, however, make things much easier for students with limited budgets.
; f5 a7 R# e& D, }7 c/ F( [% A4 i& ~1 l0 c4 O. u; Q
"I wouldn't say (it would be completely) unaffordable, but this way it's much more economical," he says.
9 K5 G4 d; x7 y' H, F1 t9 p6 x+ N8 L, V6 i* [& p& z3 G6 b1 u; s
SOMEONE IN THE BASEMENT TO HELP PAY THE MORTGAGE3 D% _5 ~: `6 }: d0 t8 E" W7 y
/ g& z2 Y( I: J$ v) l
When 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.
9 {$ s* M7 Y6 I/ i; N" Z4 N" Z
9 B t; E* u2 x+ h8 o& J! l"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."$ v& m& e; x$ E9 t+ e, `5 K5 h' X0 p
% _) X& \& p! c% t
Their tenant pays $500 per month for the 750-square-foot suite. The money helps the couple pay down their mortgage more aggressively and provides a cushion in case either loses their job, says Crawshaw.
, `( M2 h3 x" V, E. k M. X% g O. ~1 d: e( }
The arrangement has worked out well, especially because the tenant was already living in the house when they moved in and has proved to be a "fantabulous" tenant who often spends time gardening in the yard or raking leaves, says Crawshaw, 25.
1 a+ _. ]. R* @/ u
3 l7 s( F2 ?- ^4 b0 N9 |: W0 LThe downside, however, is the lack of space. The couple and their two cats share about 750-square-feet on the upper floor of the house.& U6 c& O' a% W
0 A ~! j7 J3 I( {1 i/ }
"It would be nice to have more space and to have another bathroom," she says.
0 E2 a' ]- V6 U4 G9 \' t8 |+ t' q4 \1 B1 x+ e
"But it does work out quite well. I don't regret it. But I don't want to do it for more than five years -- I don't think that anyone does."3 L" s+ L. ]! ~; s% }: s$ s
© The Edmonton Journal 2007 |
|
狗仔卡
发表于 2007-5-20 07:27
提升卡
置顶卡
沉默卡
喧嚣卡
变色卡
显身卡
