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Creative Solutions: How'd they do it?
0 y {2 [$ p* d& Z3 p) aNothing says home like the living room couch ?9 R2 J$ S+ ^8 a
4 y3 O+ u( v( I5 N7 l) j+ E' ]Alexandra Zabjek
% S; H! A4 ~; r$ `0 t* vThe Edmonton Journal. ?; |$ D7 ?5 w/ }% |4 M3 A
" V+ N5 [5 t; l# J3 [Sunday, May 20, 20075 a) {! ]2 f* E4 j9 P
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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.
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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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" u! t! N9 |! G. Z9 U) P) CLi and Chadwick, both students, split the $600 rent almost evenly -- Li gets the bedroom for $325 per month, while Chadwick pays $275 per month to put his bed in the living room.$ ~3 ~. h; q0 s U
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"I receive approximately $700 per month (in grants) to go to school," says Chadwick, 32. "So when $275 comes into the picture, it works out quite well."
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+ `% K% b/ }( c5 d- uAfter spending time couch-surfing with friends, Chadwick says having a "defined space" is great, even if it isn't a proper bedroom.; a# l- Q! J( D' z$ V' r
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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.0 h% `' h. F8 l/ ^1 w
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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.": Y- M+ f4 C! I6 z2 ]
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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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"I wouldn't say (it would be completely) unaffordable, but this way it's much more economical," he says.( b. D' _7 ?8 i, w. W% k
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SOMEONE IN THE BASEMENT TO HELP PAY THE MORTGAGE% {: T- Y+ Z/ g- d! R+ o% a; ~
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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.1 U! O3 `# O/ Y, R: ^6 U
2 A* o5 K4 m( _# `, ^. u"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 $500 per month for the 750-square-foot suite. The money helps the couple pay down their mortgage more aggressively and provides a cushion in case either loses their job, says Crawshaw." o+ M: c' ^: R B
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The arrangement has worked out well, especially because the tenant was already living in the house when they moved in and has proved to be a "fantabulous" tenant who often spends time gardening in the yard or raking leaves, says Crawshaw, 25.& d2 ]# j7 G+ Z# z! y
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The downside, however, is the lack of space. The couple and their two cats share about 750-square-feet on the upper floor of the house.
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& A& Q' d9 L6 U"It would be nice to have more space and to have another bathroom," she says.
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"But it does work out quite well. I don't regret it. But I don't want to do it for more than five years -- I don't think that anyone does."
( P W' r$ H6 c. }© The Edmonton Journal 2007 |
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发表于 2007-5-20 07:27
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