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Creative Solutions: How'd they do it?; ~3 G% ]2 p- l6 n, D* ~) R
Nothing says home like the living room couch3 d) F2 m/ Z5 c+ `" x
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Alexandra Zabjek8 ]4 _" ?) p1 o7 m* w3 r8 y
The Edmonton Journal- t) Y2 c' {8 S5 H3 X+ B
8 x5 K0 P) l7 bSunday, May 20, 2007
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* A0 V. Z n( v& @6 FStudent 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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2 Q5 c8 p5 ?# }3 _5 C: b( vAt 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 $275 per month to put his bed in the living room.$ D! L, N3 l2 k0 \
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"I receive approximately $700 per month (in grants) to go to school," says Chadwick, 32. "So when $275 comes into the picture, it works out quite well."3 h: G) I% s. c' [( g3 r
; O8 \" Y9 X; |0 n9 _After spending time couch-surfing with friends, Chadwick says having a "defined space" is great, even if it isn't a proper bedroom.
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+ M B2 e$ m+ g# N3 E. e6 ] |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.5 E% j9 j7 Z# x. s/ S2 Z9 U
' L) z2 x- U& _, T0 c; d, |% y9 c"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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4 z8 ]% g* `- o9 o$ BSplitting the rent on a one-bedroom apartment, however, make things much easier for students with limited budgets.& P" m9 g" C9 B4 ~9 q
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"I wouldn't say (it would be completely) unaffordable, but this way it's much more economical," he says.0 u7 x/ g* g/ r k: ]
5 d: J! j2 \# d, |7 R- g$ T$ WSOMEONE IN THE BASEMENT TO HELP PAY THE MORTGAGE+ O: K. H% L0 ~7 D: D- u( u' T: N& O
" r2 U- S8 f) D: y+ K0 m6 kWhen 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.& r& Y8 z5 ]6 V
( x: k. e; W- `, ?2 ?$ \"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."# @" G1 k/ e/ Y1 M* X4 [- V( L
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Their tenant pays $500 per month for the 750-square-foot suite. The money helps the couple pay down their mortgage more aggressively and provides a cushion in case either loses their job, says Crawshaw.
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$ w% l! @+ }6 k. r( c3 QThe 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.! p. G6 k7 N6 L5 ~" z9 y
, _3 M" C1 e+ `2 G" K7 s7 hThe 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.2 a# b1 e9 U+ g: U8 w' W r
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"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."
8 y$ ~5 z. L: O6 f$ A% J# ~2 h) f+ Y© The Edmonton Journal 2007 |
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发表于 2007-5-20 07:27
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