 鲜花( 15)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Creative Solutions: How'd they do it?( q$ {9 H+ O9 ~& }! U' j
Nothing says home like the living room couch
4 ]6 d: _/ c$ g+ I; S9 B& G" ^
) p4 m8 e5 b# i( P; p7 y$ Y& G( FAlexandra Zabjek! `2 B' h( ]4 Z5 \3 y" r9 A0 O
The Edmonton Journal0 e* W, ?# o7 V5 Q# _+ I) _; T3 Z$ C
# Z+ g$ m6 i8 ~- J* C1 J( @) xSunday, May 20, 20077 ~, J6 [8 Z6 t; X' z w
4 p$ s# ^7 {: V: y/ ?. w
- h& \" M& [% IStudent 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.' k) D) [% C/ f' m# q
4 S @3 Y. b! d' p) j$ y- H
At Steve Li's one-bedroom apartment near NAIT, the living room is a bedroom for his roommate, Bill Chadwick.
# V G' p8 b4 h3 A8 L; r. z' A( M
Li and Chadwick, both students, split the $600 rent almost evenly -- Li gets the bedroom for $325 per month, while Chadwick pays $275 per month to put his bed in the living room.
" g K. Z& w8 C& r
: E7 s( S. \6 h$ z& o"I receive approximately $700 per month (in grants) to go to school," says Chadwick, 32. "So when $275 comes into the picture, it works out quite well."( ^ T, {" V2 ]/ r) p9 }
- ?( d2 X* Y# w1 j0 W5 S# k
After spending time couch-surfing with friends, Chadwick says having a "defined space" is great, even if it isn't a proper bedroom.- q) W1 N2 Y" q) A J% H
( V$ c- ?) g( ]5 D* T" nSharing 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.: B9 C" j6 j" B1 y b! t
+ i6 A6 ^8 n! V0 z
"The people who can afford to send their kids to Canada to study are quite rich," he says. "(Their) apartments in China are big."
0 w& N; J$ e8 b# ^) [1 R9 M B$ P4 F
; U" k( I3 J2 [# ~- L+ U2 z0 SSplitting the rent on a one-bedroom apartment, however, make things much easier for students with limited budgets.
' ~% f+ L+ m( n# S! O
e7 q4 ?5 v0 _ L"I wouldn't say (it would be completely) unaffordable, but this way it's much more economical," he says.2 O5 K- Y( p( ` u7 W, R
+ C, A, }" `$ @ ]SOMEONE IN THE BASEMENT TO HELP PAY THE MORTGAGE; h+ O1 `$ j; Q, S* V
* [9 ^0 r9 j h( C) d Y" ]7 g
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.7 r( F4 ?/ v2 z$ p( x
4 ?0 x( J: U' z"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."
6 [' l6 L# P9 ^
n6 p* H; _2 c% @Their tenant pays $500 per month for the 750-square-foot suite. The money helps the couple pay down their mortgage more aggressively and provides a cushion in case either loses their job, says Crawshaw. S/ Q1 m! h D0 j9 W2 p
5 x; x J u' g6 u- ~* p" t' IThe arrangement has worked out well, especially because the tenant was already living in the house when they moved in and has proved to be a "fantabulous" tenant who often spends time gardening in the yard or raking leaves, says Crawshaw, 25.4 M8 A0 L- k& q4 o
! z5 D, V& V# c9 Z9 D
The downside, however, is the lack of space. The couple and their two cats share about 750-square-feet on the upper floor of the house.
; y7 G* S/ M6 @4 [- ?6 [, k# _* n$ ^
"It would be nice to have more space and to have another bathroom," she says.
3 {1 ^: R4 G9 u0 x" Y
$ {, O- O' ~' Y" C! e9 ?"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."
4 v% [, ]# \# o+ K C7 X/ I© The Edmonton Journal 2007 |
|