Downtown LA micro-lofts - 200 to 325 square feet

[Liberal_in_LA]

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/laland/2009/07/microlofts-for-rent-in-downtown-la-affordable-they-sure-are-tiny.html

Downtown L.A. micro-lofts for rent may be affordable, but they sure are tiny

Microloft

The Rosslyn Lofts in downtown L.A. announced the availability of micro-loft apartments last week featuring kitchenettes, free utilities and free Internet.

Redesigned to serve the downtown workforce, the 1913 concrete-and-steel building at 451 S. Main St. was largely gutted and now has 297 rentals, 259 of which qualify as "affordable housing." Households earning between 35% and 60% of the Los Angeles area’s median income are eligible to lease the units from $484 to $832.

Now here comes the micro part: The spaces range from 200 to 325 square feet. That's smaller than a standard two-car garage.





see the little sink/burner thingy to the right. I think the floorplan is the reverse of the one shown in the picture

[Drunken Irishman]

1. I wouldn't mind living in one.

[Liberal_in_LA]

5. even with all that Ikea furniture?

:smoke:

[Drunken Irishman]

22. Ha.

I'm a slob and my room is pathetic, so no.

[sasquatch]

2. It looks like a studio apartment to me

[Gormy Cuss]

31. Yeah, what's with the "micro-loft" newspeak?

Looks like a newer version of efficiencies/studios.

[sasquatch]

44. They need to realize that we aren't the baby boomers, we aren't easily affected by branding and -

other types of propaganda.

[Maru Kitteh]

48. WTF w/ the insult? And not even an accurate or intelligent insult at that.

Yeah, the young are notable for their uncanny immunity to branding, advertising and other types of propaganda.

[JI7]

52. most studios have a larger kitchen space with enough room for fridge, oven, counter etc

[SheilaT]

3. It's like a motel room.

I've lived in a small efficiency before, but it was probably more like 500 square feet.

[Liberal_in_LA]

7. I lived in something that size for 3 months..temp basis

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. Now, THAT'S tiny!

My own study is 440 square feet...

There's no plumbing in here, but it could be lived in with that addition...

Still, those little lofts would be heaven to a homeless person.

Interesting!

:hi:

[Liberal_in_LA]

6. They aren't going to be letting homeless people live THERE

[ContinentalOp]

17. I'm almost positive that's who did live their before this redevelopment.

If it's the building I'm thinking of.

[JDPriestly]

21. For homeless people at over $800 per month? I don't think so.

This is ridiculous. I've been wondering why so many Yuppie types have been moving into my neighborhood about 5 miles north of downtown L.A. We are convenient and the housing is more expensive than that, but if three people shared a house, it would be about that price per person. Why live in a sardine can when you can live near the Gold Line (convenient rail to downtown) with a backyard and a real kitchen for the same price?

[Gormy Cuss]

32. They'd be heaven compared to sharing an apartment with a bunch of people too.

In Boston and NYC most of my friends shared two bedroom apartments with three or four roommates in the first years after college. It was a cheap way to live in an expensive area. On a square foot basis even a 200 SF studio would be spacious compared to that.

I do think that they should have erected translucent partitions on the sides of the kitchen area to separate that space a little bit but otherwise I would have loved to have an apartment like that when I was young and single.

[Gwendolyn]

42. We had 4 in a 2-bedroom in NYC during the uni days.

It was fine when people had alternating schedules, although there were always fights about dishes in the sink and clothes all over. It was TERRIBLE when we got the occasional crazy permeating the place with drama vibes. I'd have preferred a small, single place anytime. :P

Looks like those places work as long as you don't have many books and no more than three days worth of clothes. Forget about sports equipment.

[CoffeeCat]

8. I think it's adorable!

I lived in a studio apartment--complete with Murphy bed--when I was in college.

I love the idea of less space, less stuff--and more simpler living.

Cool!

Aren't most New York City apartments that size anyway?

[lindisfarne]

9. Not bad. Needs to have good storage though. Much cheaper than $1000.Or a hotel if you're in LA a lot

[Skittles]

10. it's all I need

and low electric bills

[Ex Lurker]

24. same here. I live alone, and there are several rooms in my house that

I almost never go in. I basically live in that amount of space now.

[Hippo_Tron]

11. My one issue is that the kitchen isn't really adequate, very small fridge

It looks like it wasn't designed for any real cooking which is problematic. If I'm skimping on the rent I certainly don't plan on spending that extra money eating out every night.

[Art_from_Ark]

12. That's a little bigger than a "1K" apartment in Japan

with the "K" referring to "kitchen" and the "1" referring to 1 standard size 6-tatami-mat room (bath and closet facilities included).
.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

37. Yes, a lot of single people in Japan live in apartments like that

Mine was slightly larger, since the kitchen unit was shut off from the main room by a sliding door.

[Art_from_Ark]

45. The 1K apartments in my building have about 9 X 12 feet of living space,

a closet about 6 1/2 feet wide by 3 feet deep by 7 feet high, a small kitchen area of maybe 7 feet X 5 feet, and bath facilities of about 7 feet by 4 feet.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

46. Yup, that sounds about like my roku-jou in Nakano

although my kitchen was more like seven by three feet and the bathroom had no tub or shower, necessitating a hike to the sento every evening. I had a dorm-sized refrigerator, a cold-water sink with an instant gas water heater, and a two-burner gas hot plate. No central heating, of course, so I spent those winter evenings at the kotatsu and ironed my futon sheets before going to bed. Those were the days.

[comrade snarky]

13. I've lived in smaller

Doesn't look that bad, hate that kitchenette thing though.

Question is, is this low income housing or an executive crash pad so they don't have to drive all the way back to Riverside tonight? Big difference.


Edited for typo, again!

[kojak]

14. $500 with free utilities and internet? Sign me up

It beats the shitty, and I mean shitty, studios in the Boston area that go for $1K+.

[bettyellen]

15. I know- that would easily be 3 times the price in NYC !

[incapsulated]

41. AMEN, for NYC that is a good deal!

....damn I have to get out of here.

[ContinentalOp]

16. OMG, I drove by this place the other night and did a double take.

When I lived downtown about a decade ago, I'm pretty sure this was an ultra sleazy residential hotel of the "pay by the week" variety. I can't imagine why anyone would pay that price for these places, considering the current state of the real-estate market, but I'm sure somebody will. It's pretty close to the Smell so I guess it could make a nice "my first apartment" for some 18 year olds financed by mommy and daddy.

[704wipes]

18. gives new meaning to minimalism

but that is mot such a bad thing really, just a little pricey for the minimalism...
...bet you could get those things down to $150.00 /month in other parts of the country, which to me would be as cool as the $105 I paid for a studio with steam heat about 25 yrs ago in an urban inner city area. Steam heat was free from the city...

[alfredo]

19. They used to be called "Efficiencies."

[EndersDame]

20. I live in a converted two car garage with my boyfriend

It is actually quite nice and cozy

[KillCapitalism]

23. Looks like a college dorm room.

Only difference is that one is far more luxurious than any dorm I lived in.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

25. If it allows you to walk to a downtown job and avoid that terrible L.A. traffic

that saps the very life out of you over time, it might not be that bad for awhile. But that's no place to eventually raise any kind of family. I wonder if there's a limit in the rental contract as to how many can live in one unit.

[Adsos Letter]

26. I hope it has a REALLY good bathroom fan...

:scared:

[Joe the Liberal]

27. $832 for that small thing, fuck that!

You'd might as well rent a 1-2 bedroom apartment, $484 seems more reasonable but even then it should be lower. After all it's only a measly 200-300 sq ft. I don't know if the cost of living in L.A. is higher than that of where I live but around here you can get a full 1-2 bedroom apartment for about $832 that's way bigger than that.

I wouldn't pay almost $1000 a month to live in a closet. Don't get me wrong this sounds like a good idea and everything but they just gotta adjust the prices imo.

[conscious evolution]

30. When I lived in LA in the early 90's

a two bedroom apartment rented for around $1000-1500 a month.
And that was in the barrio.Apartments in nice areas were much higher priced.

[Kickin_Donkey]

28. Those remind me of my apartment in Japan ...

If you're single and don't need to fill your life with possessions, the space is adequate.

I lived in one for 10 years without getting cabin fever.

[pinniped]

29. San Francisco also has micro-sized condos.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/24/BUTM12GQMI.DTL

It's about the size of seven ping-pong tables - and all yours starting at $279,000.

You could also buy a home in a sketchy part of town and take your chances.

[Blue_Tires]

33. wow...i was told my first apartment was about 600 sq ft

and it didn't seem as big as the one in the photo...

i could probably make it work...needs space for a desk and some kind of closet...

[KansDem]

34. loners

I see an emerging market for these types of residences as more and more loners appear. I mean, more singles as couples/families break up due to the economy and missed opportunities. $484 to $832 a month looks great if you're paying a couple hundred or more in college loans and child support.

Looks quite cozy for those of us who will be sitting night after night trying to figure out what went wrong...

[Fumesucker]

35. I and my two small dogs live in an 8 by 22 foot camper trailer.

That's just under 200 square feet.

Don't need any more room really, it would just be more to clean. Of course all the "furniture" is built in, I actually have sleeping space for eight but that is only if there is not much "stuff" in here.

Cheap to heat and cool, unless the temp goes down into the teens (only a week or two per year here) I can keep it comfy in the winter with a 1000 watt electric space heater and the built in AC keeps it as cool as I want in the summer.

[MindPilot]

36. To any sailor, that is a HUGH amount of space!!

I used to share a studio that was smaller than that with another guy in Santa Barbara. Forget what it cost though -- that was in the seventies.

There is part of me that wishes I could divest myself of all the things I need space for and get back to that living on (almost) nothing lifestyle.

[Wiley50]

39. I've been living ona 28 ft Kells sailboat for 3 years

I'm getting a 15 ft box van for storage in a couple of weeks and then life will be much better

[Odin2005]

38. About the size of my first apartment.

[begin_within]

40. So "micro-loft" is the new euphemism for "cell."

[hunter]

43. I lived in a shack smaller than that for almost a year.

I was sorta like Ted Kaczynski minus the evil.

My little shack was a step up from living in my car.

That micro-loft is attractive to me but I always gotta have a place where I can dig in the dirt and make things. So all it really needs is a balcony to grow vines on and a rail to clamp my antennas to.

The last place I lived as a single man was a big five bedroom house I shared with a bunch of guys. I had my own room, about 140 square feet, and it looked like a mad scientist lived in there.

Then I got a job in another city and met my wife. I never had a chance to settle into my mad scientist mode so she never saw me living in my natural state. I sometimes wonder what would have happened if she had. I might still be single.

Now we've got a big messy house, kids, dogs, birds, miscelaneous smaller semi-feral and domestic pets , a big organic garden, and the very best thing about the location is that we live in a small city and don't have to commute.

[aaaaaa5a]

47. Its basically a hotel room. I actually think I could live in it easily. nt

[REP]

49. I lived in 300 sq ft - and paid a lot more - for 10 years

It's doable for one person.

[Juche]

50. People in Hong Kong have been living in 300 sq ft apartments for years

Some of them are 100 sq feet, so moving up to 300 would be a giant boost.

http://photomichaelwolf.com/100x100/

Personally I had some trouble living in a 750 sq ft place with a roommate. Nothing major, just trouble with books and the dining table. Moving from 880 sq ft to 750 sounds minor but it is huge when you do it.

[JI7]

51. that's pretty nice for around 500 dollars a month, i would like to see more offers like this in LA

[Indy Lurker]

53. Nice income

300 units @ $650 each is about $200,000 a month

[DireStrike]

54. Why does this get an article? "Studio apartments exist, are cheaper than other apartments"

Did somebody pay for this advertisement on the LATimes blog?


These apartments usually become almost uninhabitable in the summer. Or winter, when they turn the heat on. The only time you won't sweat to death are the few weeks when it's cool, but not quite cold enough that they're forced to turn on the heat. No ventilation at all.