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Creative Solutions: How'd they do it?- i( ^* X2 t& x- o' N0 \1 }
Nothing says home like the living room couch8 a0 [! T) h2 o5 c; @ L w
+ `# {/ k# |. {- ^' |Alexandra Zabjek. |% N( Y z9 x4 H, M
The Edmonton Journal3 X9 c5 ?5 |) \4 t) R5 d% A7 ?, i
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Sunday, May 20, 2007" b5 v. G& y' c% B8 a! {2 K. F- ?8 T
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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.2 N8 o) Y) v% Q/ }
+ k- O% l+ ]5 l# \" sAt Steve Li's one-bedroom apartment near NAIT, the living room is a bedroom for his roommate, Bill Chadwick. }( x6 H! L2 @0 g9 }3 g
" I& r( x' ~- H" O7 Y! ?( pLi 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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" z3 ^# U( E: S. J"I receive approximately $700 per month (in grants) to go to school," says Chadwick, 32. "So when $275 comes into the picture, it works out quite well."9 D; u+ L, R- G, w
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After spending time couch-surfing with friends, Chadwick says having a "defined space" is great, even if it isn't a proper bedroom.7 V' R$ e6 H W- W1 i/ s+ D
) K' v/ u3 B) z ]. G, M9 l" O& ~+ RSharing 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.- T' q/ T) C! E2 W) ?5 {! U( G
' W$ K; v8 i, f$ @"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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/ V( o$ e8 n" m& \; I8 M6 `, u"I wouldn't say (it would be completely) unaffordable, but this way it's much more economical," he says./ {: d0 D+ p0 b" P
& b3 M$ n+ c2 TSOMEONE IN THE BASEMENT TO HELP PAY THE MORTGAGE
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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.
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/ i4 }( k- w( K% b" |% T# L"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."; g8 e+ I0 `. E1 c/ i! O
4 _4 K% m1 t8 R! oTheir tenant pays $500 per month for the 750-square-foot suite. The money helps the couple pay down their mortgage more aggressively and provides a cushion in case either loses their job, says Crawshaw.
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The arrangement has worked out well, especially because the tenant was already living in the house when they moved in and has proved to be a "fantabulous" tenant who often spends time gardening in the yard or raking leaves, says Crawshaw, 25.- n; U" t- a& ]2 f' d! n" A. w
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The downside, however, is the lack of space. The couple and their two cats share about 750-square-feet on the upper floor of the house.
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"It would be nice to have more space and to have another bathroom," she says.9 P9 [, [: G/ J, ^; V. b
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"But it does work out quite well. I don't regret it. But I don't want to do it for more than five years -- I don't think that anyone does.") x9 |- R7 ] p7 G' W$ I
© The Edmonton Journal 2007 |
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发表于 2007-5-20 07:27
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