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Creative Solutions: How'd they do it?& p6 t: }# U2 a }+ o( z
Nothing says home like the living room couch
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Alexandra Zabjek4 T' T6 S8 ^5 R* k2 X
The Edmonton Journal5 ` V- G' o3 v% i% }6 y
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Sunday, May 20, 2007. P% e: z) h. @& S
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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.. ]( t: F( N q# h7 t# `5 t
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At Steve Li's one-bedroom apartment near NAIT, the living room is a bedroom for his roommate, Bill Chadwick.
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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.5 s1 }3 {( y) R' ^4 v
: i; g6 R8 t& I" P5 T"I receive approximately $700 per month (in grants) to go to school," says Chadwick, 32. "So when $275 comes into the picture, it works out quite well."
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& M. |/ [6 g9 T6 x/ |, f" G" Z; cAfter spending time couch-surfing with friends, Chadwick says having a "defined space" is great, even if it isn't a proper bedroom.
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Sharing a one-bedroom apartment is a common arrangement amongst Chinese students studying in Edmonton, says Li, who has been living in Canada for the past seven years. It's a big change for many of these students, he says.
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"The people who can afford to send their kids to Canada to study are quite rich," he says. "(Their) apartments in China are big."
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Splitting the rent on a one-bedroom apartment, however, make things much easier for students with limited budgets.
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$ ^! X* k+ F$ _+ c/ q"I wouldn't say (it would be completely) unaffordable, but this way it's much more economical," he says.- }8 L& |! l0 {
5 L8 P1 ?* k, P. h: m! {7 t' N! jSOMEONE IN THE BASEMENT TO HELP PAY THE MORTGAGE
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) @- `( A/ T9 j4 JWhen 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.4 A& S/ Q. ^- A: h/ a z9 o2 B
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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."- x9 i" Q* [) f5 `
! I/ _: G, m8 bTheir 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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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, 25.9 i5 f" w# j8 [& X4 r. W3 b4 c& f
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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.' Q5 @4 Z! p2 j) D* R3 \
! i' d1 i, U% g* K"It would be nice to have more space and to have another bathroom," she says.
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0 E, D' f: S' P) N"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."4 S" f9 S3 j2 h& G# P
© The Edmonton Journal 2007 |
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发表于 2007-5-20 07:27
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