How to raise a family in 600 Sq Ft
Can you really raise kids in a one-bedroom condo? Some Vancouver parents are trying—and guess what? It’s not all bad, and it could get better.
Three years ago, Alison Mazurek and her husband, Trevor, were awaiting the birth of their first child. Living in a 600-square-foot, one-bedroom condo in Mount Pleasant, the pair weighed the option of moving to a bigger condo or a townhouse in order to get more space. Back then, upgrading to a two-bedroom condo was going to increase their mortgage by at least $200,000. “We started getting a bit overwhelmed by the thought of adding that much to our mortgage,” she says. Plus, the Mazureks loved their ground-floor condo with its patio and 15-foot ceilings. They loved their walkable neighbourhood and their access to parks, groceries and good coffee. Alison’s office, where she works as a project manager for a restaurant group, is a quick 15-minute walk from their place. The pair, both in their 30s, have deep roots in B.C. Alison grew up in Delta and Trevor came to Vancouver from Prince Rupert to attend UBC. Trevor works in Richmond as an occupational therapist, but the couple knew that life in the suburbs just wasn’t a fit for them. So they stayed. “If it didn’t work, we told ourselves that at least we would have tried,” Alison says. “But it did work.”
Read the full article in Vancouver Magazine.