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Creative Solutions: How'd they do it?& r9 U9 G$ w! L( t+ d, o
Nothing says home like the living room couch' a; J+ o! |$ m5 z; d$ u9 v% A1 r, f
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Alexandra Zabjek, [* H3 E4 e' w% X4 v& s# Y% k
The Edmonton Journal
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: r3 E: P; Y- u3 j0 T3 _2 n ?( x HSunday, May 20, 2007
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8 Y# u$ d3 O+ p; hStudent 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.
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At Steve Li's one-bedroom apartment near NAIT, the living room is a bedroom for his roommate, Bill Chadwick.# i J+ L4 N& x2 M; L( X
! S3 J3 K! u: k: ~3 E2 c9 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.
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"I receive approximately $700 per month (in grants) to go to school," says Chadwick, 32. "So when $275 comes into the picture, it works out quite well."
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6 P8 l$ Y8 S% e+ p$ i. W' ZAfter 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.) t. b: v) V! J& g9 v0 I J
9 ~- U0 \1 }6 p"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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; o( e C7 q& o" _; v0 p t' R) xSplitting the rent on a one-bedroom apartment, however, make things much easier for students with limited budgets.2 j8 {4 y$ C* N8 b+ S2 ^" G4 g
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"I wouldn't say (it would be completely) unaffordable, but this way it's much more economical," he says.
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5 S. c4 B; Q3 M' N6 J& o/ ?SOMEONE IN THE BASEMENT TO HELP PAY THE MORTGAGE* |" K+ c2 r$ i: Z% b% j% P
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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.
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( J6 S0 ?# c% o+ k7 ?1 P3 O v"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."
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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. Y6 b0 U' i+ N/ O0 G& X2 K& B
3 b! O' e( u" N8 I7 V3 C6 C8 HThe 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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, V& [4 Y' P+ ^8 Z5 N. o! 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.
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"It would be nice to have more space and to have another bathroom," she says.
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: T1 M- w1 v* I% M"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."* I: e. p3 ?9 I: }
© The Edmonton Journal 2007 |
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发表于 2007-5-20 07:27
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