Shelter

Are you ready for something different?

I am deviating from the food format for a minute because I need your help! One of my roommates is moving out July 1, so I need to find a new roommate.

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Here’s the pertinent info:

  • The apartment is located in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY (the best neighborhood in the entire city). Even better, the apartment is four blocks from the subway (which will get you to downtown Manhattan in 30 or fewer minutes, depending on destination).
  • The two of us staying are female (obviously) non-smokers, and we want the same!
  • Rent is an absolutely unbeatable $468 per month. Utilities average about $50 each per month.
  • The new roommate will be added to the lease, which continues until April 30, 2010.
  • This is technically a two-bedroom apartment that has been treated as a three-bedroom for the past five years. We lovingly refer to the space that is for rent as “the tent.”

Still with me? Here’s the deal on the tent. We have a very large living room, so for the past five years, we have had the living room partitioned with fabric walls to create a third living space. (How else do you think we’ve kept rent so manageable?!) This arrangement has worked successfully for two long-term roommates, one for two years and one for three, so it’s definitely liveable.

Cons: There’s only one real con. Privacy can be a challenge! Also, you’ve seen what goes down in my kitchen. Kitchen chaos tolerance is a must. Living room noise isn’t a problem because I go to bed ridiculously early, and Brigitte spends most nights at her boyfriend’s apartment.

Pros: The space is big enough for a full bed and some small furniture items and has a window. It’s cheap. Pleasant and easy living environment. Excellent location.

Ideal for: Someone new to the city, someone who travels a lot, someone who doesn’t make much money, a student, and the list goes on.

And now for the most important part: photos!

The living room and tent from the outside:

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(Tara will be donating her fabric walls to new roommate, or new roommate can supply her own more opaque fabric if desired.)

The rest of the living room (and some kitchen):

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Inside the tent, side view:

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Inside the tent, from the tent entrance:

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More:

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Tara uses a closet rack (because the tent has no closet):

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Under-the-bed storage is also key. Tara is taking her bed but leaving behind the cinderblocks for the next lucky inhabitant:

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And just because this is a food blog, here’s where all the magic takes place:

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So … please, help me out and pass this along to anyone (decent) who is in the market! I think I’ve included most of the basics here, but feel free to email me for more details at talesofexpansion@gmail.com

THANK YOU for your help and for your patience with the non-food content! As you know, I have two weeks of relative freedom from school and work, so I’d like to get this all figured out before everything goes crazy again 6/1.

What roommate search methods have you used before?

22 thoughts on “Shelter

  1. verbalriot says:

    man, I wish I was graduating this semester, I would TOTALLY live with you! 🙂

    LOVE IT, so cute.

    I use craiglist and Facebook marketplace. Good luck!

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  2. Lara (Thinspired) says:

    I totally did that when I was in college! I rented a one-bedroom apartment with a friend and it had a huge living room so we made a “tent” just like yours! It worked fine.
    My best roommate experience was actually found through Craigslist, if you can believe that! I was in a scary last-minute, need-a-place-to-live freak out and it turned out to be the best living experience I had during college!
    Good luck with your search!

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  3. snackface says:

    Haha! That tent is hilarious. Living in a fort-like environment was always so glamourous when I was little. I really like your apartment, though! And I love seeing that little kitchen is where you create amazing masterpieces!

    OH! I caught up this morning on your weekend, and can I say that I loved your expansion-filled night? I love it when food is so good you lose track of what you’ve eaten. Nothing but love!

    Hope your Monday is going well!

    Like

  4. Diana (Soap & Chocolate) says:

    Are you serious with that rent?! I don’t know if we can be friends anymore, lol…although I guess if you kept it as a true 2BR it wouldn’t be SO insanely cheap…but still. My 1st apt (also in Park Slope) was $2K for the 2 of us, and we thought we had it made! And we won’t discuss my current rent, which I can’t actually afford. Anyway, I will keep my ears open for you.

    Also:
    1) How do I become friends with Olivia and get her to cook for me too?
    2) I had some seriously crispy roasted brussels last night too, but I used frozen ones, which I love because they stay moist inside and burnt outside – my fave! I don’t care if it’s weird, haha.
    3) You are a falafel master. Your balls look fal-awfully good. ZING!

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  5. Gina says:

    Some websites advertise for roomates (like Craig’s List) but with all the problems lately with those types of lists, I’m not sure it would be the best idea…Either way, your apartment looks huge for NY! I’m jealous

    Like

  6. Danielle says:

    Great use of the space! I hope you find a roommate I found my old roommate on Rent.com it might work out for you but definitely spend some getting to know the person before you let them move in, that was my mistake. She turned out to be a little crazy.

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  7. Andrea says:

    I lived in a tent of sorts myself when I first moved to Oregon! It’s a rite of passage.
    A couple of years ago, my friend advertised for a 3rd roomie on Craigslist. She found a good one and they got married last year 🙂

    Like

  8. Hangry Pants says:

    I just told Mark I was moving to Brooklyn. 😀

    That is a pretty big kitchen!!!! In my old apartment we had a temporary wall built and I had to walk through my roommate’s room to get to mine!

    Like

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