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Creative Solutions: How'd they do it?
( q: b0 j; M) ]- ~0 ~Nothing says home like the living room couch
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+ Q3 b# u( y- aAlexandra Zabjek/ y% a3 E- q4 ~) ~) h
The Edmonton Journal
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2 h, l# S7 b' I5 ~1 R, C# ^Sunday, May 20, 2007
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5 P2 k) x+ y7 B+ @1 Q [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.5 o; j+ F C, Z/ R% u
$ v+ N; `" ?- X$ KAt Steve Li's one-bedroom apartment near NAIT, the living room is a bedroom for his roommate, Bill Chadwick.
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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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+ `8 U1 ]5 M4 h8 f+ i"I receive approximately $700 per month (in grants) to go to school," says Chadwick, 32. "So when $275 comes into the picture, it works out quite well."$ J: M8 S7 c9 B+ ]3 a
1 z# ?* M6 _/ B5 y( n- v& O! vAfter spending time couch-surfing with friends, Chadwick says having a "defined space" is great, even if it isn't a proper bedroom.; g, K, c5 O3 J! a. B
" n' ^$ U9 h: _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.; Q) s, C1 W6 @4 b( N% r9 m! W
' M2 J$ y: f0 g4 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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7 O4 B( k1 L- s) O6 ^/ H6 j' WSplitting the rent on a one-bedroom apartment, however, make things much easier for students with limited budgets.2 C8 a! {3 a5 \( n7 E! v
1 o/ L9 Q( u0 ]" [9 {1 n8 G$ B"I wouldn't say (it would be completely) unaffordable, but this way it's much more economical," he says.$ H$ h3 B& V$ s8 @' }: z1 u0 _
" V7 {3 L R- t2 sSOMEONE IN THE BASEMENT TO HELP PAY THE MORTGAGE, J; h. s. u% a1 d% |. B T2 B |1 V
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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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"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.". i& D& ]6 N n- M0 r
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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.
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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.
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' z# }' q6 [( ~8 J8 `/ w) P s: p/ \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.+ S3 R: c& s# u
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"It would be nice to have more space and to have another bathroom," she says.4 a& n8 o2 A& p9 o
3 a0 w: u# @) B. c7 c2 q5 p {& ^"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."" _1 E8 p! ]2 ~. b8 Z
© The Edmonton Journal 2007 |
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发表于 2007-5-20 07:27
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