 鲜花( 15)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Creative Solutions: How'd they do it?2 d4 o6 T0 Y/ ?( W& y0 ~
Nothing says home like the living room couch
$ K( l6 n9 v0 J * n0 ~- ?0 _2 ]
Alexandra Zabjek
4 e' Z( l+ y( t! EThe Edmonton Journal* a" _9 J4 q& F
1 o) e4 O, [" y! ^Sunday, May 20, 2007" p! N+ F8 ^4 Q
" k k N1 O3 M% G3 J2 }' D( U0 N5 T
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.; W" D# s6 u2 ~4 w4 b
. l: F- k0 Y0 P; c3 f' u! `
At Steve Li's one-bedroom apartment near NAIT, the living room is a bedroom for his roommate, Bill Chadwick." T' E/ I) ^% } _
! [0 p3 ^, `3 I) ^# RLi 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.8 v) I! [. [8 {
* ], w* S- ^! `7 ]& [( a
"I receive approximately $700 per month (in grants) to go to school," says Chadwick, 32. "So when $275 comes into the picture, it works out quite well."
& ?+ u& c1 e2 z; Z ~! _( P/ t$ f r1 t! L& [
After spending time couch-surfing with friends, Chadwick says having a "defined space" is great, even if it isn't a proper bedroom.6 y# a% @4 |$ r1 m& v. B+ Z
+ F; J$ L+ Y! L3 ASharing 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.( q, f+ t* R$ a* p. Z$ |, z
- o: b g/ } |; Q* a: z$ E"The people who can afford to send their kids to Canada to study are quite rich," he says. "(Their) apartments in China are big."8 B- G8 X6 g) Q7 P% C9 C* p
- g9 `- N9 e. @# \
Splitting the rent on a one-bedroom apartment, however, make things much easier for students with limited budgets.$ z( Q8 ~ B0 r) B. F$ H
7 t1 e5 q( R. {, a8 C" G"I wouldn't say (it would be completely) unaffordable, but this way it's much more economical," he says.
0 w" |) ~6 E+ _* }5 B# T& C1 u; f1 m8 j. a7 A# o3 H$ M2 A- ?
SOMEONE IN THE BASEMENT TO HELP PAY THE MORTGAGE
, b6 I3 F! H. v& k4 F# j
7 L% s' p7 G& J1 vWhen 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.
% }, F/ R4 d) X6 `! W0 p+ \1 g' S0 h
"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.": L/ [: i% D4 o9 V: ]: f! Z2 B
/ O8 _1 L+ g) l: P/ E
Their tenant pays $500 per month for the 750-square-foot suite. The money helps the couple pay down their mortgage more aggressively and provides a cushion in case either loses their job, says Crawshaw.* c+ G7 Q* g5 |4 i V0 ~; c
0 G$ v) O. V; ]
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.
# a; K0 v# m9 F& @4 ?! ^
, t$ M/ ^6 ~0 a; _0 C9 W' IThe 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.# X5 z$ C% m6 H2 v9 N( p/ f$ Y
$ ]" C9 `8 P+ S9 O5 a9 z( Z3 e"It would be nice to have more space and to have another bathroom," she says.
" d5 t$ m7 y% [6 k- F
# N" _$ g5 T6 U$ ["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."
6 b; d$ i( f5 Q5 [# Z z© 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
, x% O* n1 z1 W# D
