 鲜花( 15)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Creative Solutions: How'd they do it?+ W0 A( H! I% ]) u7 t# b- c# w
Nothing says home like the living room couch" T# M5 `- O4 \+ y% }/ L1 S4 ~+ p
7 O0 f' b- U7 e/ V4 I
Alexandra Zabjek$ n) f7 Z) |0 I, ^ d+ G0 ^- ^2 b
The Edmonton Journal
4 k8 n) ^! [- ~, W
0 F- h. y% L% \Sunday, May 20, 2007( D+ R8 B! ?" O- ^: l3 l
2 K- Q; q @% s6 z: t% [) N6 G" p; t; v' ?! L
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.
' X# W5 I" D6 r( V1 \6 b, v9 y
* R4 {. z5 v2 P U w( |At Steve Li's one-bedroom apartment near NAIT, the living room is a bedroom for his roommate, Bill Chadwick.! o2 H3 m% D; t: h5 i5 Q% I
" i( `) A# Y8 Y% q. E1 z8 j, z0 q9 w
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.
N* E8 s0 z: T1 U& c: u5 {, r" \# V
"I receive approximately $700 per month (in grants) to go to school," says Chadwick, 32. "So when $275 comes into the picture, it works out quite well."2 g& n# l) K& c- `
. Z5 N1 Z/ x: v9 B. lAfter spending time couch-surfing with friends, Chadwick says having a "defined space" is great, even if it isn't a proper bedroom.0 w# L) Z8 p# C4 L- }
( Q% N0 T, o) {1 i. Y0 g4 b
Sharing a one-bedroom apartment is a common arrangement amongst Chinese students studying in Edmonton, says Li, who has been living in Canada for the past seven years. It's a big change for many of these students, he says.
/ ~# \8 X- v+ S/ V+ ]
[. F& S/ X8 \: k: k. {; s"The people who can afford to send their kids to Canada to study are quite rich," he says. "(Their) apartments in China are big."
5 e% h3 |, ^, d' h: j" i: g
2 z/ T$ i; Y# J0 p9 p) {6 g9 `6 wSplitting the rent on a one-bedroom apartment, however, make things much easier for students with limited budgets.
8 J# T/ M, C6 {! P" x" G0 u6 h" k; @2 p2 L6 ]7 t1 Z! f
"I wouldn't say (it would be completely) unaffordable, but this way it's much more economical," he says.
1 i) Y1 M" M4 {% a- @1 U: Q/ U9 |! p3 A( }
SOMEONE IN THE BASEMENT TO HELP PAY THE MORTGAGE
* T' E g) h% F+ x3 q2 \ ]1 E3 Y& D/ ?" T, J7 N i7 [
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.8 C, p1 _1 C4 e. p* h
5 G6 k% c/ l- N. _"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."8 l% v! m) a; \
8 F1 ~1 E; |! C- V5 c
Their tenant pays $500 per month for the 750-square-foot suite. The money helps the couple pay down their mortgage more aggressively and provides a cushion in case either loses their job, says Crawshaw.
) R6 g, q" x. [% \$ i0 _. b5 I* h' M4 S6 s6 C
The arrangement has worked out well, especially because the tenant was already living in the house when they moved in and has proved to be a "fantabulous" tenant who often spends time gardening in the yard or raking leaves, says Crawshaw, 25.
# h% x: m9 D& l# x5 [# Y$ n+ N6 I/ F
& v, W1 ^. _$ |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.) n: N" k% P4 S2 v, p, o( z
4 o4 Y+ c' _* t
"It would be nice to have more space and to have another bathroom," she says.9 B0 Y4 H2 F2 P8 m
& C9 K+ O2 k. e: }"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."
) z/ D( E+ O2 b7 W: G6 \# E9 U© 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
1 P! i' p1 {" S' F# m& v) |5 y A+ U
