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So I checked out two apartments yesterday evening - got caught in a torrential down-pour in the process (it took two hours for my dress to dry out, and my sandals are still damp and slimey-feeling).
Apartment #1 was on Preston street, at Poplar.
It is, for the most part, really awesome. Meaning that it's a house -- one reasonable-sized bedroom (with a balcony attached) plus one very small bedroom (suitable for an office) plus one bathroom that, while small, is clean and serviceable, all on the top floor. The main floor includes a somewhat big kitchen and a somewhat small, but still functional main-room. The basement includes a laundry hook-up.
There is a microscopic front yard with enough space to plant *something* to eat in it (provided I grow it up the side of the house -- and with a balcony -- and a porch! -- I could do that without too much trouble).
The rent is $800/mo + hydro.
The catch: The heating? Is electric-baseboard. (Yeah, right, I'm not getting stuck with *that* again...)
Also: The kitchen is *very* badly laid out. You can't fully open the fridge door - or the basement door - because they are blocking each-other partially. This could be dealt with for a little while (or, conversely, I could see if I could get the fridge moved, thus negating the problem) if I didn't have this baseboard heating to deal with.
The baseboard heating, alas, would mean that - for a few months (January-April, let's say) I wouldn't be able to eat (let alone get a bus pass or pay for my phone and internet) if I were in a job that made me only $10/hr.
Also, the size of the main room would make it very dificult to fit all my furniture. If I switched out the pull-out couch for my mom's old love-seat (small, but comfortable), I could do it, I *think*. Particularly if I put three out of four bookshelves plus the desk & desk chair plus the spare matress in the "office". Which I could do.
I could fit the china cabinet into the kitchen and - probably - fit at least a dish-washer, if not a laundry machine, in the kitchen too. And *IF* the fridge could be moved, I could (in theory) get a laundry machine (portable or otherwise) into the basement. I could ask about that.
So... With some changes in the kitchen and some creativity with the furniture, I could probably swing it. Even on freaking Preston, North of Sommerset, I could swing it, even with a damn construction site tearing up the road (thus making it rather difficult to move in...) I could do it.
But the heat is a BIG problem. (Because the price would go from, say, $850 in summer to, like, $1200 in winter (urk...).
So... Beyond "Look somewhere else", does anyone have any suggestions?
Appartment #2 was on Sommerset West at Percy.
First of all, it's closer to both public garden space and useful busses than the Preston place. Second of all, it, too, has *some* (small, and badly in need of big heaps of well-rotted compost) garden space available outside the door.
However. It's up a VERY narrow, slightly lopsided flight of stairs, and it has no balcony (not a huge problem, that last bit, I admit). The stairs, however are a problem.
The apartment itself, isn't too bad. The living room and "second bedroom" (conveniently located off the living room, with two doorways) would make a perfectly serviceable dining room, thus allowing the desk, desk chair, and couch (if I could get it into the apartment... unlikely) to live together in perfect harmony. There are windows and skylights, both. The kitchen is a very good size and could fit the china cabinet OR a set of appliances (again, IF I could get them up those stairs).
The master bedroom, however, is not only TINY, it has no closet. I could fit my bed in there - maybe - but nothing else (beyond a bed-side table, anyway), so no dresser and no high-boy, and no closet (there's a closet-esque open space to hang clothes, but has no doors to shut or anything like that, and it's not very big, anyway).
It *does* have radiator heating, and the landlady is nice. :-)
Also, it was surprisingly non-loud for being right on Sommerset (and it's over a baker and right accross from the Umi Cafe, which is pretty handy).
Basucally, both appartments have some VERY good points, and some very bad points at the same time. :-(
The Preston house is a better appartment by far, but the price of the hydro will be exorbitant and, anyway, I can't open the fridge or the basement door all the way. (The land-lords are nice fellas, though - at least the one I met is. :-)
The Sommerset appartment is *way* less expensive (even at $850 + hydro, because the heat is included in the rent) and much closer to (a) useful busses, (b) community garden space and (c) a big bunch of my friends -- plus it's east of Bronson (by all of one block) which puts me in the CCHC area. But I would have to give up either my bedroom set or my dining room set to live in the place.
I am, I must admit, very disappointed about how this turned out.
However, I do have a number for The Acadian appartment building on Nepean street between Bank and O'Connor. So I shall give them a call. (Also, there was a nice looking - from the outside - place accross the street from the Preston House, which I may have to sneak a peak at as well. :-)
So, the search continues. <*sigh*> Dammit, I want a place to move to! :-\
In other news: I went to the co-ed bi group thing.
It was fine.
The guys were fine.
The gals were fine.
And I was fine.
Thank goodness. :-)
- TTFN,
- Amazon.
Apartment #1 was on Preston street, at Poplar.
It is, for the most part, really awesome. Meaning that it's a house -- one reasonable-sized bedroom (with a balcony attached) plus one very small bedroom (suitable for an office) plus one bathroom that, while small, is clean and serviceable, all on the top floor. The main floor includes a somewhat big kitchen and a somewhat small, but still functional main-room. The basement includes a laundry hook-up.
There is a microscopic front yard with enough space to plant *something* to eat in it (provided I grow it up the side of the house -- and with a balcony -- and a porch! -- I could do that without too much trouble).
The rent is $800/mo + hydro.
The catch: The heating? Is electric-baseboard. (Yeah, right, I'm not getting stuck with *that* again...)
Also: The kitchen is *very* badly laid out. You can't fully open the fridge door - or the basement door - because they are blocking each-other partially. This could be dealt with for a little while (or, conversely, I could see if I could get the fridge moved, thus negating the problem) if I didn't have this baseboard heating to deal with.
The baseboard heating, alas, would mean that - for a few months (January-April, let's say) I wouldn't be able to eat (let alone get a bus pass or pay for my phone and internet) if I were in a job that made me only $10/hr.
Also, the size of the main room would make it very dificult to fit all my furniture. If I switched out the pull-out couch for my mom's old love-seat (small, but comfortable), I could do it, I *think*. Particularly if I put three out of four bookshelves plus the desk & desk chair plus the spare matress in the "office". Which I could do.
I could fit the china cabinet into the kitchen and - probably - fit at least a dish-washer, if not a laundry machine, in the kitchen too. And *IF* the fridge could be moved, I could (in theory) get a laundry machine (portable or otherwise) into the basement. I could ask about that.
So... With some changes in the kitchen and some creativity with the furniture, I could probably swing it. Even on freaking Preston, North of Sommerset, I could swing it, even with a damn construction site tearing up the road (thus making it rather difficult to move in...) I could do it.
But the heat is a BIG problem. (Because the price would go from, say, $850 in summer to, like, $1200 in winter (urk...).
So... Beyond "Look somewhere else", does anyone have any suggestions?
Appartment #2 was on Sommerset West at Percy.
First of all, it's closer to both public garden space and useful busses than the Preston place. Second of all, it, too, has *some* (small, and badly in need of big heaps of well-rotted compost) garden space available outside the door.
However. It's up a VERY narrow, slightly lopsided flight of stairs, and it has no balcony (not a huge problem, that last bit, I admit). The stairs, however are a problem.
The apartment itself, isn't too bad. The living room and "second bedroom" (conveniently located off the living room, with two doorways) would make a perfectly serviceable dining room, thus allowing the desk, desk chair, and couch (if I could get it into the apartment... unlikely) to live together in perfect harmony. There are windows and skylights, both. The kitchen is a very good size and could fit the china cabinet OR a set of appliances (again, IF I could get them up those stairs).
The master bedroom, however, is not only TINY, it has no closet. I could fit my bed in there - maybe - but nothing else (beyond a bed-side table, anyway), so no dresser and no high-boy, and no closet (there's a closet-esque open space to hang clothes, but has no doors to shut or anything like that, and it's not very big, anyway).
It *does* have radiator heating, and the landlady is nice. :-)
Also, it was surprisingly non-loud for being right on Sommerset (and it's over a baker and right accross from the Umi Cafe, which is pretty handy).
Basucally, both appartments have some VERY good points, and some very bad points at the same time. :-(
The Preston house is a better appartment by far, but the price of the hydro will be exorbitant and, anyway, I can't open the fridge or the basement door all the way. (The land-lords are nice fellas, though - at least the one I met is. :-)
The Sommerset appartment is *way* less expensive (even at $850 + hydro, because the heat is included in the rent) and much closer to (a) useful busses, (b) community garden space and (c) a big bunch of my friends -- plus it's east of Bronson (by all of one block) which puts me in the CCHC area. But I would have to give up either my bedroom set or my dining room set to live in the place.
I am, I must admit, very disappointed about how this turned out.
However, I do have a number for The Acadian appartment building on Nepean street between Bank and O'Connor. So I shall give them a call. (Also, there was a nice looking - from the outside - place accross the street from the Preston House, which I may have to sneak a peak at as well. :-)
So, the search continues. <*sigh*> Dammit, I want a place to move to! :-\
In other news: I went to the co-ed bi group thing.
It was fine.
The guys were fine.
The gals were fine.
And I was fine.
Thank goodness. :-)
- TTFN,
- Amazon.
