Ok, so in a few months I plan on moving into an apartment near Wrigley field. Considering the bulk of my college was spent in dorms/frats/houses I’m not really sure what I want to look for. I’ve never lived entirely alone (although there were semesters where I didn’t share a bedroom), and I want to hear some of the pros and cons.
I haven’t completely committed to a single apt., I’m still considering getting double with one of a a few friends, but as long as my budget can handle it I’m leaning towards going it alone for a change.
So, to my question, what is everyones opinion of the better apartment style to look at? In the are Lofts and 1-brs are both fairly comparable in availablility and locations. Based on some of the classified listings I’ve browsed so far this is my impression of the pros and cons.
Loft: ~$100 cheaper, high ceilings, older buildings
1-Bedroom: some covered parking, better climate control, usually recent rehabs, privacy with guests
So, theres certainly alot of variation in both, especially in terms of parking, on site laundry, and other details. Having never lived in either, or spoken to a real estate agent yet I’d like to get an impression of what’d be better. Please share any horror stories, or good ones. Have you compared the two styles in your region in the past? Even better, have you looked in Chicago? How would you personaly prioritize the requirements of each?
When you have a loft & have to use the bathroom at night, you have to either climb down some stupid ladder (which you might not see very well) or stairs. By the time you get back to bed, you’re awake.
Like you, I had never lived entirely by myself until June (and I’m 36 years old - folks house to college sorm to fraternity house to post-college apartment with my future wife to house with my wife to, now, apartment by myself). God how I love it. As Hawkeye said when Frank was put under house arrest - “I can go out, I can come in. Out, in, in out.” But I digress-
I’d go with the more conventional 1 bedroom simply because I like to have a private space. I enjoy the open character of a loft, and it may not be too bad if you could create a separate living space with a screen or piece of furniture, but for me, I like to be able to close the door to my bedroom. Not that there’s too much going on in there right now, but I’m digressing yet again.
I have lived in both lofts and various numbered bedroom apartments. I really liked the loft I lived in last. It had 25 foot ceilings and the bedroom was at the top of the stairs with the bathroom that looked over the living room. Anyway, I was there with a lover so it wasn’t completely alone. The loft lacked privacy so if you had people over and wanted to get away for a few you couldn’t really do it. Also, if you had a different sleeping schedule from the other person than it won’t really work out well either.
One bedroom apartments are nice too. It makes the bedroom feel more like sacred space.
If I were you and single I wouldn’t care which one I lived in. I would take the apartment that put me in the better area that still stayed within my budget. However, if one of the apartments is significantly cheaper ($150-200 less) than the other, I would probably do that one intead. If I planned on having a SO move in or something like that the loft would be out of the question as sleeping schedules and things like that don’t necessarily align completely.
My friend has a HUGE loft on Belden (Just off of Fullerton & Kennedy Expresseay). It is the most beautiful apartment I have ever seen. Those old buildings have so much character. I thinks lofts are fun because they are so open, and it makes your place look bigger. As far as climate control, just throw on a sweater if you get too cold, and use a fan if you get too hot. (It’s the Chicago way!)
Apartments are better if you are sharing space with somebody else, because you can go into your bedroom and close the door for some privacy.
I really think that lofts are much cooler, though.
handy, you do know the difference between a loft bed, and a loft apartment, don’t you?
FYI, I’m quite single and don’t have any expectations of sharing the space with anyone for extended periods of time, if you get my meaning. The most company I’d expect is some drunk buddies passing out on the weekends instead of driving back out to the burbs, or a future gf. With the future gf I’d certainly hope privacy wasn’t a problem, or else we wouldn’t make the best couple. Anyone I date would always be welcome over, but I’d expect her to have her own place for quite sometime. So, the privacy issue would come up on a sporadic short term situation, its not likely it’d become a grating daily issue like if I had a live in sex-slave, er… I mean partner.
I think this is the best advice. Instead of worrying about which kind of place you want, I would look for whatever suited you best in regards to location, cost and amenities. A big thing for me when I was looking for apartments was square footage. The more space I have, the better. Your priorities may lie elsewhere - go with what’s important to you.
One of my good friends has a loft in Chicago - it’s on Wells, near the Second City place. It’s the best of both worlds, because it has the loft feel, but they put walls up for the bedrooms. I love it.
Don’t get me wrong folks, price and location are my top priorities, but when considering all the other details I don’t have the experience to really weigh one against the other. My knowledge of the area indiactes that location and price are going to be very similar between the two, and the finer points would make the difference. Of course I’d take a nice 1-br, over a shitty Loft, and vice versa. But presuming the two types fall in line, what style would you all prefer/reccomend?
In that case, I’d consider (in no particular order):
Character - an old building, high ceilings, lotsa windows, wood floors…way cooler than a cookie cutter complex apartment.
Neighbors - find out from your prospective landlord what the neighbors are like (i.e. what sort of hours they keep, kids, pets, etc.) You gotta be able to live with your neighbors.
Lease - ask to see a copy of it before you make your application, and see if the landlord will modify anything you don’t agree with. Seems like most rental leases these days are 6 months to a year, minimum. If you’re going to commit to paying rent that long, you’d better be satisfied with your contract.
Also, don’t overlook an apartment just because it looks like hell when you look at it. Most people walk away from really great apartments for this reason. Ask the landlord what he/she plans to do to prepare the apartment for a new tenant, and look over it carefully. Point out any fault you notice. And don’t be afraid to make requests. If the place has crappy carpet throughout, ask what’s underneath it. Nine times out of 10, it’ll be a hardwood floor; ask if they’d be willing to tear up the carpet and just leave the wood exposed. My apartment looked like a dump when I looked at it, but the day I moved in, it was gorgeous. They’d remodeled the bathroom, torn up the ugly carpet, and painted all the walls and ceilings. The landlord’s desire to rent the apartment is just as strong as your desire to get one. Feel free to ask that he/she fix things up.