 鲜花( 15)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Creative Solutions: How'd they do it?
: G& e5 T. p" `8 U* A; XNothing says home like the living room couch
' i% [% N% f2 d0 Q9 A. J / G5 D# M5 u3 w) ~; c
Alexandra Zabjek
( p. E& |* _: u9 [8 sThe Edmonton Journal
8 C! ?8 E) r3 Q* D/ m* i+ n# p
+ l+ Y% G/ G8 I1 PSunday, May 20, 20070 l* ]9 ]6 ]. z$ ]5 u0 h! h
2 O; `9 ?$ E2 a. O4 k: x3 N8 W8 A |2 n5 i2 A& h3 T! Z' c
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.
1 A' `3 R; \3 l8 G, G+ r+ l4 }, N8 a9 `
At Steve Li's one-bedroom apartment near NAIT, the living room is a bedroom for his roommate, Bill Chadwick.+ F# l9 ]9 R! h$ s' V
/ y" {. V4 J6 L9 ?' qLi and Chadwick, both students, split the $600 rent almost evenly -- Li gets the bedroom for $325 per month, while Chadwick pays $275 per month to put his bed in the living room.7 I; \: |$ U" t$ n1 z* p9 i0 D
) B% h! J: s, H
"I receive approximately $700 per month (in grants) to go to school," says Chadwick, 32. "So when $275 comes into the picture, it works out quite well."
: ^% V D6 x$ H! w4 n {
( o1 ?% F- ?& ^# jAfter spending time couch-surfing with friends, Chadwick says having a "defined space" is great, even if it isn't a proper bedroom.
! d! H5 @3 Z' f; y5 A, F D0 q" Y# F6 k' i8 r% M* 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.: G- U/ q; j6 `7 S5 D- }/ U; Y, t
& I- g$ `$ C3 o( d- k8 X7 j6 L
"The people who can afford to send their kids to Canada to study are quite rich," he says. "(Their) apartments in China are big."
- V5 E6 M. o" u+ h/ Q) p) n. M8 p
Splitting the rent on a one-bedroom apartment, however, make things much easier for students with limited budgets.
6 V7 S5 g- C5 S
( U: l ^6 D$ W5 R"I wouldn't say (it would be completely) unaffordable, but this way it's much more economical," he says., ]+ ?; p) n* j- q3 `* U; p
6 r' Y* c: v l/ ~! V: n! v2 B0 }SOMEONE IN THE BASEMENT TO HELP PAY THE MORTGAGE
, M/ c; X$ X: L$ o1 M2 ]" w6 p) D5 J: b: ]* n% j
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.
& n" c7 @# M$ ?+ W% @% J
& |1 `! j4 }; s: J z e* k! S"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."
9 P7 C6 t6 g2 {9 O5 Y
. _6 i. y% b/ g) f; O" XTheir tenant pays $500 per month for the 750-square-foot suite. The money helps the couple pay down their mortgage more aggressively and provides a cushion in case either loses their job, says Crawshaw.) z( ?0 U, B3 B! W- l) S% z* c$ x
. \2 n3 _, X# W x2 c- y
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, 25.7 L; _, B3 g# K8 V& ~: Y1 u) k
6 A: @; C; K4 L( b7 a6 {' ?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.
! Y3 Y* V! f( S. s' D
2 d& I# \. K8 Q5 y2 X1 ^3 _"It would be nice to have more space and to have another bathroom," she says." X7 W! W0 l* t( w' Q2 c+ b2 v
% V/ g5 G7 h& L- v" l; \! w# z
"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.". `/ p C9 I9 q; R; p
© 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
" M3 U% K0 k3 Q* u+ S
