 鲜花( 15)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Creative Solutions: How'd they do it?& L8 X/ y& y0 C
Nothing says home like the living room couch' z$ |8 k/ y* K
5 q4 q( ]$ m* S" N- Q1 f
Alexandra Zabjek
* l" e& q1 A1 p0 _' p( A$ zThe Edmonton Journal
6 v [6 I" E5 t2 W5 s' p2 t: ~
" s9 C! b. I( O2 @' J8 ESunday, May 20, 2007% ?/ ?( g4 ?* W9 g. G
* d2 [4 n7 k: T4 k. [+ x, z; A- n! k1 c3 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./ d( ?+ o, k5 v% K5 }
% V. }7 D: ]9 k4 _, jAt Steve Li's one-bedroom apartment near NAIT, the living room is a bedroom for his roommate, Bill Chadwick.
3 `/ j2 h# f" p2 U. ]* @# t) B* A. ?6 |7 C( ^
Li and Chadwick, both students, split the $600 rent almost evenly -- Li gets the bedroom for $325 per month, while Chadwick pays $275 per month to put his bed in the living room.
6 Y0 [+ I* h5 A# h. B
0 H% Z9 D$ h7 ?( H9 r0 Z"I receive approximately $700 per month (in grants) to go to school," says Chadwick, 32. "So when $275 comes into the picture, it works out quite well."
. f% w' c! t( d x$ W& J1 @0 q x% {+ k) z. l& f
After spending time couch-surfing with friends, Chadwick says having a "defined space" is great, even if it isn't a proper bedroom.3 v# C4 g- p' J$ Z0 r( k
r2 X2 K# Y1 V5 i0 bSharing 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.
' \ [+ D8 u) |; @ E1 W* q3 E- }; O/ H" y7 n
"The people who can afford to send their kids to Canada to study are quite rich," he says. "(Their) apartments in China are big."
! l$ | G& i: g" f4 B+ q- ~( |0 M- |* h3 g; u
Splitting the rent on a one-bedroom apartment, however, make things much easier for students with limited budgets.' c8 P* @' A, _
: [6 X- w3 t' C5 d. q
"I wouldn't say (it would be completely) unaffordable, but this way it's much more economical," he says.
7 v. W. u8 C3 m+ a5 i
+ ^9 f0 {6 h( L) k; T2 L: K' `SOMEONE IN THE BASEMENT TO HELP PAY THE MORTGAGE- N# G& O5 R0 {8 x
8 P( l! @- q0 X, _& R* |0 W' 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.
" C6 R4 U5 ^8 B ^; f
" \' y: `+ q* d"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."
1 D2 y. @) @8 D# J3 a
0 w) ?7 b6 ?' K; X7 w( _( A: j2 OTheir tenant pays $500 per month for the 750-square-foot suite. The money helps the couple pay down their mortgage more aggressively and provides a cushion in case either loses their job, says Crawshaw.' b. g3 [6 b! }
) `. c4 V; l2 K- F8 Z: F
The arrangement has worked out well, especially because the tenant was already living in the house when they moved in and has proved to be a "fantabulous" tenant who often spends time gardening in the yard or raking leaves, says Crawshaw, 25.8 G% z& P: ~' t, b$ t
% Q, {. P7 k5 K1 b- ~7 G: Z: 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.% c m# @! s3 w- s+ P
/ S2 t% {+ P7 c% w( `, |"It would be nice to have more space and to have another bathroom," she says.
4 V. f2 \' T% Q$ u
' Z" Z% z$ m/ r2 R/ H! S H% _( O4 V"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."
/ N0 a* F1 t N2 y& h© 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
- b4 U. O) [2 J) @; L. _
