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Creative Solutions: How'd they do it?. t+ S9 ~9 Q' c( A2 A
Nothing says home like the living room couch
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, R! H p# T. A; UAlexandra Zabjek
6 W% d1 a* U; D0 u7 L+ t lThe Edmonton Journal7 z- c; s7 P/ y( e# e' n
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Sunday, May 20, 20077 y2 R, Q, i7 m2 I7 }6 \
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, t4 B( k' o& B# U" ~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.4 P/ s- V: a8 ]& c4 l$ e( o
& \5 {" O9 l5 r0 \# B6 yAt Steve Li's one-bedroom apartment near NAIT, the living room is a bedroom for his roommate, Bill Chadwick.
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" A1 [/ G# P* Z1 v8 A/ m2 @2 m1 \Li and Chadwick, both students, split the $600 rent almost evenly -- Li gets the bedroom for $325 per month, while Chadwick pays $275 per month to put his bed in the living room.
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4 ]' j, P1 a# A- }$ ]"I receive approximately $700 per month (in grants) to go to school," says Chadwick, 32. "So when $275 comes into the picture, it works out quite well."$ Y8 r0 ~8 f2 P8 w$ d
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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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8 p* l3 B9 e& r$ F9 |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.; d+ G& j; u5 {; k
\5 u/ Z9 z$ z3 I N6 J"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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Splitting the rent on a one-bedroom apartment, however, make things much easier for students with limited budgets.
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! B3 o" w3 |- L( D) G"I wouldn't say (it would be completely) unaffordable, but this way it's much more economical," he says." z% u1 ]/ l T1 V
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SOMEONE IN THE BASEMENT TO HELP PAY THE MORTGAGE0 ~& v( H u% P( ~- d+ h
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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.6 h* d8 Y- {, ^9 j! v [2 f, T
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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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Their tenant pays $500 per month for the 750-square-foot suite. The money helps the couple pay down their mortgage more aggressively and provides a cushion in case either loses their job, says Crawshaw.7 b: q( a8 g9 R8 \, @
+ P3 `2 O% I R8 cThe arrangement has worked out well, especially because the tenant was already living in the house when they moved in and has proved to be a "fantabulous" tenant who often spends time gardening in the yard or raking leaves, says Crawshaw, 25.% [% ~1 q) I9 [( l6 h
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The downside, however, is the lack of space. The couple and their two cats share about 750-square-feet on the upper floor of the house.! \% ^( X$ N6 S- ?3 o+ i5 X
1 p2 H- |) s1 X# _7 V7 y4 F"It would be nice to have more space and to have another bathroom," she says.( X/ O! @( V8 I4 ?6 R5 ]
) z; ?0 D1 J; t7 v+ D6 O"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."3 c* b5 }9 C6 B% M V
© The Edmonton Journal 2007 |
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发表于 2007-5-20 07:27
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