Advice for my first apartment

[fatty@golfmk6.com]

I'm trying to decide between either a studio or a one-bedroom apartment. I'm gonna be the only one living there. No pets. I don't have a lot of furniture;probably just a new bed and new tv + tv stand. I had pretty bad experiences with room mates during college so i'm trying to avoid that option.

Does anyone have experiences with either a studio or one-bedroom that they're willing to share?

 

[danielj1]

I lived in Studio's for a few years back in my 20's. I had roommates prior to that and enjoyed solo living in a studio better after I moved to Seattle. The low maintenance and low overhead yielded the best times of my life. I lived in different 3 studios and had space for a small sofa which helped make it feel more livable.

If you don't need the extra space then don't spring for it. Enjoy the financial freedom. When you feel the need for extra space then move on to a larger apartment, condo, home, otherwise, a studio can be fine.

 

[DBESTGTI1]

I don't have experience with either but one thing to look for that you don't think of ahead of time is built in light fixtures. If there aren't any/many it means outlets are on light switches and you're going to need a lot of lamps which sucks.

 

[fatty@golfmk6.com]

Some pretty good advice so far. I haven't even considered the light situation

 

[maxtdi]

Studio... you don't need a 1 bedroom. What is the cost differential...?

 

[danielj1]

I would add to my post, if you get a studio, make sure it has ample closet space. Having storage to hide your stuff, clothes etc. makes it a million times better.

 

[McQueen77]

i dont know where in Mass you live, but it can't be very expensive unless you are in the desirable area of Boston.. id get the 1 bedroom. the studio is depressing. ive done both. especially if you bring girls over, its just way better to have a 1 bedroom instead of like "this the 1 room i live in.. there's my bed.." 1 bedroom is just right for a single guy. storage is key as well. studios often have some weird makeshift wannabe kitchen that is basically some kitchen type shit attached to a random wall.. a midget bathroom, midget closet, etc.. i guarantee if you get a studio you'll feel the walls closing in on you on a regular basis. trapped like a little rat. just my 2 cents. obviously if we were talking about san francisco or parts of l.a. or manhattan, then yeah, a studio.. but otherwise, pay the extra dough for a 1 bdrm and trick it out.

 

[D Griff]

If you can afford a one bedroom, I'd get that.

It's great to have a bedroom separate from your living space. If you have people over you don't have to worry too much about making the bed or making sure all of your clothes are perfectly organized or whatever. You can have a cool sleek living space and plenty of storage so you don't have random weird shit out that everyone will see or might annoy you to look at every day. Everyone has random stuff and it's a drag if it's just piled up where you hang out, eat, watch tv, read, go on golfmk6...

When I lived by myself I had a two bedroom which was awesome. One was my bedroom, one I kept my bike, all my music shit, anything that I just didn't want to look at all the time. But I had an awesome deal.

 

[troyguitar]

If you are social, go for the bedroom. If you are boring like me and stay home alone, go for the studio. It's nice to have the computer, speakers, bed, stove, everything all in a single room. You don't even need a TV that way, just a big computer monitor.

 

[littleazn248]

A studio is great if you intend to live by yourself. The only bummer of a studio is two things. First if you do any heavy cooking your bed will smell like food. You could fix this by swapping the microwave/vent with a more powerful unit though. The second problem is when inviting guest over. If you tend to be kinda messy your guest will see the entire house. With a one bedroom you could throw some stuff in the room and just close the door.

I don't know if its a disadvantage but based on your floorplan if your studio has an Alcove it could be kinda dark in the sleeping area at night. I personally still prefer a studio though b/c of the cost savings.

 

[reelknead1]

I lived in a 1 bedroom for over two years. I have no experience in a studio but thought about it when I was originally looking for one bedrooms. The cost difference between the two was minimal which is what steered me towards the 1 bedroom. Having a seperate kitchen, living area, and bedroom is key for me. I hate being in my bedroom if I'm not sleeping.

Other people bring up good points with having people over. Studios are built to handle 1 person not a group. In the end its personal preference but depending on the price I'd go with the 1 bedroom.

 

[fatty@golfmk6.com]

I'm gonna be moving to CT around the Waterford/New London area. I looked for rentals around there and the cheapest studio I found was $600:
http://www.apartmentguide.com/apartments/Connecticut/New-London/The-Villages-At-Shore-Landing/17051/

cheapest 1 bedroom is around $800:
http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/161-Boston-Post-Rd-Waterford-CT-06385/111033227_zpid/

Its a 20 min drive from New London to work, and 10 min drive from Waterford.

So I need to look for these key things: Light fixtures, storage space/closets. A balcony would be ( . )( . )'s

Pros of a studio: Lower Costs
Cons of a studio: Awkward/difficult to have guests over, be wary of heavy cooking due to smell, not a lot of space.

Pros of 1 bedroom: More space, guests can come over often, room is separate from smells and eyes.
Cons of 1 bedroom: Higher costs, requires spending more to fill up space

Tons of good advice so far. :thumbup:

 

[t'sGTI]

Go for the one bedroom, it is cold in MA in the winter
and chances are you will be spending some time inside,
more room to move around, not so claustrophobic. Studio's tend
to feel like hotel rooms.

 

[danielj1]

$2400 a year is a lot of money.

 

[pinkgolf]

One bedroom .. $200 difference but less time to get to work. You'll be more comfortable having people over and you'll save some what on gas going back and forth to work.