Update, 9/2/2015:
More info re: rent rates, utilities added.
Hi, everyone. Loial and I have settled into our new home; We did not originally think that we would have the downstairs suite available to us, but the landlord has agreed to allow us the use of the downstairs unit. This means that any prospective room-mate for us will not have to worry about being confined to a cramped little bedroom; We will be turning the third upstairs bedroom into an office and an electronics workbench for Loial instead. Aside from the back neighbors having a smaller 3-bedroom segment detached from our own, the house is basically ours now.
Here are the amenities available through the house:
- Fireplace upstairs
- Well-equipped shared workshop space in a garage that is nearly as big as our old apartment was. We have a bandsaw, miter saw (Sliding type, not arm type - Suitable for panelwork), drill press, laser cutter, several 3D printers, a brace of good hand tools, sewing machine, and soon, a tube forge. Builders/tinkers will love it here, though you might get shanghai'd into helping theme Rainfurrest or other conventions!
- High speed internet. We have 25 megabits down, 5 up, and a static IP available upon request.
- Good networking infrastructure coming soon; We are putting in jacks.
- Beer! I brew on a regular basis. Contribute malt and hops to a batch, help me bottle, and you get free beer out of the deal. Lots and lots of beer.
- More than ample parking. 2 spaces up front, lots of streetfront, and once the front garage is clear, that too.
- HDTV and various retro consoles. This doesn't see a whole lot of love, and we don't have TV service here, mind you; If you want cable, that will be up to you.
- Well-equipped kitchen upstairs. Good stainless cookware, adequate tools, and two otters on hand that very much so like to cook.
- 15-20 minutes walk from Gateway Skytrain station, or a few minutes cycling. I make this commute every day now.
- Excellent food; See point below about requirements. However, we love to cook. You are not going hungry any time soon!
- Tremendous back yard. The back yard is as large as the entire lot the house sits on, and this house has 6 bedrooms, 3 cars of garage space, and a den. We have permission to plant small plots back there. I plan to grow hops at some point, but if you want to plant vegetables, please feel free!
- Guest-friendly culture. We do ask that you let us know in advance about overnight guests, and we're not going to be friendly to couch surfers (Sorry, too many bad experiences!), but otherwise, visitors = yes, houseparties = yes.
Features of the downstairs:
- Pet friendly, with exceptions; No cats, sadly! I'm allergic to the little moggies. Small pets are fine, and we have a yard for dogs, so long as the dog is okay with the neighbor's outdoor cats. However, you will need to take care of the pet deposit, and we'll need to revise the tenancy agreement.
- A private bathroom. The downstairs bathroom has a shower and toilet. Upstairs has a bathtub, which you will be welcome to use.
- Shared, but private laundry space. Aside from my request that we share laundry soap (Or use the same confirmed-safe types) for the sake of my allergies, you have a washer and dryer available.
- Parking allotted for a car. Two, if you're fine with street space.
- Unusually large single bedroom. The downstairs was originally the den. It's the size of the living-room, which we have two couches, a dining table, an HDTV, bookshelves, and soon, a liquor cabinet in. Not small. However, it is a single large room. You could easily fit a king-size bed in here and still have room for a couch, a desk, shelving, and other furnishings
- As above, shared workshop space, and if you use them responsibly, shared tools.
- Decent amount of storage. Space under the stairs is yours, there's a decently large closet in there, and we can set aside some space in the other garage for you.
- Beer fridge. You're welcome to a nook in this for your own suds or snacks.
- There is a stove outlet in the laundry room, and we can set one up for you in there; We have a spare, if old stove in the garage. A fridge will be your responsibility, however.
Obligations:
- We tend to cook communally, and have no concept of "mine!" unless it's beer or wine. We tend to contribute roughly even lots to the food on hand, and expect the same; This will cost you roughly $150 per month for food and kitchen sundries. On the bright side, you're going to eat like royalty here. Loial and I don't spend any more on food than your average couple, because we also buy almost no packaged foods whatsoever, ingredients only.
- Rent, of course. Loial and I are asking $600 for the downstairs den and bathroom, plus the mentioned storage spaces and perks.
- Internet. This will run you about $22 per month.
- Power. Power is bimonthly, and averages about $220 for the whole house; However, 30% of this cost is set aside to cover power for the back neighbors; We're under one account here for the two sections of this house. Your share of power will be $25 monthly. It will probably climb to $30 in summer as air-cons are on, fridges work harder, increased laundry, etc.
- Gas. Same deal as power, we split off 30% of this to cover the cost of the smaller back unit's gas bill. Gas is monthly, and your share will be $40. This will not change seasonally, as we are on a fixed rate plan. It might or might not change in 2016 when the plan is reevaluated.
- Yardwork. Very minimal. Basic weed control and arbor-care, which we will all share in; We do have a lovely pine out front, some hollies, and that's about it. On the other hand, if you want to plant a vegetable garden in back, PLEASE do!
Overall costs:
- About $800-850 monthly between food, all utilities and rent.
Nopes:
- We won't get along very well with children, sorry. Loial and I are occasionally clothing optional, and some articles or chemicals in this house would be outright dangerous or deadly to a curious child. The same goes for adults that don't know how to conduct themselves around potentially dangerous chemistry or tools!
- Bill-dodging. Note "shares". If you can't reasonably afford your share of costs, we are not the right house for you.
- No cats, sadly! I love them, they're adorable, and my immune system utterly hates them.
Interested? Drop me a DM, or contact me by any other means you have handy.
Why, why? why! is this not on the other side of the river :'(
This sounds like an attractive accommodation arrangement, were it not for the horrid commute to Vancouver
(I, for now, live near Scott and Nordel, and must choose between either a brutal fuel bill, or miserable transit commute).
For the record, u-brewed red wine is surpassing my love for u-brew beer (yes, I am a ... mature ... wuff),
yet very little can surpass my love of otters.
The equipment for wine does cross over with the equipment for beer, you know. I could attempt a batch. ;)
Hmmm... If it wasn't for Surrey, I'd move in with you guys in a heartbeat. I have no worries about you guys or having any issues other than a longer commute time due to Surrey. You guys are awesome, so you'll definitely get a room-mate quickly to fill the space.
Everyone keeps using the "Aw, Surrey" response. We'd have gone west, but you can't get a sodding *shed* for what we're paying, never mind the space we have, with a tool tolerant landlord.
: dobie12345 February 09, 2015, 04:14:46 -07:00
Is it dog friendly ?. Have 2 danes.
I'd have to bring that up with the landlord and the back neighbors. It is pet friendly, but, the back neighbors have a cat (Are the dobies cat-friendly?), and when we discussed pets here, we only asked about small critters like bunnies or ferrets.
Er, danes, rather! And it might not be enough space for a pair of Great Danes, unless they're very much so outdoor dogs.
We've added a plunge router to the tools. Laser's operational again. And we've been given permission to customize/repair the downstairs. If you choose to join us before that happens, you can have your hand in color and fitting selection.
We otters are still looking for a housemate.
Looks like we otters have found someone. Thank you for your inquiries. If anything changes, I'll post anew.