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Creative Solutions: How'd they do it?
) X$ T2 G' ?' v- NNothing says home like the living room couch& M' @: m8 [9 P! _$ c% e0 T8 B
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Alexandra Zabjek. b2 S5 T7 f; Y/ H. \. g5 ~
The Edmonton Journal" t# D* A* M/ {+ |! y
+ g) p* y* a* f. \( L0 ISunday, May 20, 2007
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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.0 q8 n( I" P d
^6 j3 ^5 @; H2 `$ G& HLi 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.' K& t9 b- b) X) g
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"I receive approximately $700 per month (in grants) to go to school," says Chadwick, 32. "So when $275 comes into the picture, it works out quite well."
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; w9 Y5 d5 I }3 j! gAfter spending time couch-surfing with friends, Chadwick says having a "defined space" is great, even if it isn't a proper bedroom.
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' L6 c. R7 M5 X) ]( J, j( USharing a one-bedroom apartment is a common arrangement amongst Chinese students studying in Edmonton, says Li, who has been living in Canada for the past seven years. It's a big change for many of these students, he says.
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0 G3 y/ m2 A2 a+ Y! O- u"The people who can afford to send their kids to Canada to study are quite rich," he says. "(Their) apartments in China are big."
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& D" b8 Z. m- C* @: ^: hSplitting the rent on a one-bedroom apartment, however, make things much easier for students with limited budgets.
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' C* l' q6 r' k* \2 r$ P"I wouldn't say (it would be completely) unaffordable, but this way it's much more economical," he says.
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0 M0 C) R* N8 T9 W/ aSOMEONE IN THE BASEMENT TO HELP PAY THE MORTGAGE4 ~; c" K. D5 X: e9 E2 w
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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.' J% s- c- A2 J: T. y; u. L, N, I) S( |
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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."
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9 ]0 U9 g) Q" E rTheir tenant pays $500 per month for the 750-square-foot suite. The money helps the couple pay down their mortgage more aggressively and provides a cushion in case either loses their job, says Crawshaw.
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% M1 D- P0 L" vThe arrangement has worked out well, especially because the tenant was already living in the house when they moved in and has proved to be a "fantabulous" tenant who often spends time gardening in the yard or raking leaves, says Crawshaw, 25./ A' g* m+ l* x6 G, {
6 r- U0 I C. N0 p" O+ XThe downside, however, is the lack of space. The couple and their two cats share about 750-square-feet on the upper floor of the house.
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$ G* E t1 \" w. K. ^8 C; v"It would be nice to have more space and to have another bathroom," she says." D1 e( Q2 [5 _5 ^$ E0 A
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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# S% R9 F ]' S/ {© The Edmonton Journal 2007 |
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发表于 2007-5-20 07:27
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