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Creative Solutions: How'd they do it?
, [% z1 l- A3 O# BNothing says home like the living room couch# j6 j; V9 v- W3 `" h; d
7 A l( E4 p; z1 oAlexandra Zabjek
( o& F, J' e% J$ z iThe Edmonton Journal
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7 z% i M3 C/ b0 oSunday, May 20, 2007
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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.# e9 n1 R: M" L) i Q
3 p( {9 c1 z; n# |At 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 $275 per month to put his bed in the living room.
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# ?; p! F4 R5 p: r- e3 ~6 z$ X8 h"I receive approximately $700 per month (in grants) to go to school," says Chadwick, 32. "So when $275 comes into the picture, it works out quite well."$ x0 W# e! p& v
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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.; I# y+ q* S7 ~# ]
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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.
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9 t. f# M$ R. v- b"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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1 {/ n1 o6 @6 r, RSplitting the rent on a one-bedroom apartment, however, make things much easier for students with limited budgets.% R* _+ ~- e4 `, o9 w
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"I wouldn't say (it would be completely) unaffordable, but this way it's much more economical," he says.! _( c1 z4 z6 X. T; S- V$ n' S! T* j f
; U r2 N) Y& K9 a; xSOMEONE 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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, O: x2 l4 M9 b' n3 @"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 $500 per month for the 750-square-foot suite. The money helps the couple pay down their mortgage more aggressively and provides a cushion in case either loses their job, says Crawshaw.* b- c9 J& ~" m2 z; N; t- L& [
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The arrangement has worked out well, especially because the tenant was already living in the house when they moved in and has proved to be a "fantabulous" tenant who often spends time gardening in the yard or raking leaves, says Crawshaw, 25.
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The downside, however, is the lack of space. The couple and their two cats share about 750-square-feet on the upper floor of the house.0 c4 ]6 Q- R0 x1 r8 w- J1 X* R
9 q+ z2 M& ^4 S/ ~7 z"It would be nice to have more space and to have another bathroom," she says.
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"But it does work out quite well. I don't regret it. But I don't want to do it for more than five years -- I don't think that anyone does."! m& N) n" b8 W$ t6 {2 |
© The Edmonton Journal 2007 |
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