Loft Oasis

Located at: 2515 SW 35th Place


http://www.loftsoasis.com


Lance and I kept seeing this place as we drove down 35th and drooled because it looks so cool. We knew it would be expensive, but we just had to see the inside of this place. The apartments, as the title suggests, are loft style and an entire wall is just glass. I thought that would mean plenty of light and would break away from the traditional college apartment. There were a lot of pros and cons to this place, but if I had all the money in the world I'd probably go for it. The total cost of the apartment was $1000 for a 2 bedroom, 2 1/2 bathroom apartment and $1200 for a 3 bedroom 3 1/2 bathroom apartment. The three bedroom actually fits into our price range, where as the 2 bedroom is a little too expensive. 


For the cons:




There was no washer and dryer, but there was a washer and dryer hook up. The lady who gave us the tour said that we might be able to have them provided for an extra $30 a month. 


They want $1000 security deposit. That's a lot of money to put on the table in March.


You have to run a humidifier at all times because of the large window-wall and our tour guide didn't know how that would affect our utility bill.


The utility bill would be high all year round because the large window would let heat in during the summer and the cinder block walls throughout the rest of the apartment made the apartment freezing in the winter. 


There were no amenities 


It would be near impossible to put anything on the walls(i.e. paintings, shelves, etc.) because of the cinder block.


pipes are open and exposed throughout the apartment, and since they only have openings on the bottom story of the apartment, we'd hear water running through the rooms whenever someone flushed a toilet or took a shower.


The apartment overall was pretty dark. We visited at about 9 am, so the sun wasn't too high, but it was still bright outside. Inside, the dark cinder block and lack of lighting (the ceiling fans didn't have lights on them) made the apartment feel cold. The entire apartment would have to be lit with lamps. 


It would cost a pretty penny to make this apartment livable. We would need to by curtains and curtain rods for our window-wall and be able to install them. We'd need floor carpets in many areas because the floors are bare cement. For me to live there, we'd also need to install lights in the ceiling fans, which neither Lance nor myself knows how to do.


The Pros:


The design is different and fresh. It would be like having an apartment in a big city, without actually being in a city.


They are pet friendly, but charge $300 per pet.


The are brand new, so all the appliances are shiny and energy efficient. It even comes with a flat top stove.


The kitchen is huge, and all the living areas are pretty big. The rooms are decent sized. There's plenty of storage.


The location is nice, because it's just a bus ride to campus

I had my eye on these apartments, but they really do have more cons than pros. At the end of the day it comes down to how much we have to spend and we just don't have enough. The $1000 is inclusive, so we'd be paying utilities, internet and cable on top of the $1000. We'd also probably end up putting another grand into making the apartment livable. Money wins this battle and we'll just have to keep looking.