Jorhannah's Profile

Location: Carbondale, CO (north of Aspen)

Description: Small accessory dwelling unit (ADU) behind the "main house", 750 sq. ft., loft bedroom, beautiful kitchen/bathroom, concrete floors and a small yard which backs up to green space, off street parking

Rent: $1200 a month (we negotiated down from $1400) with water/sewer included

We just signed a lease for a 3 bedroom, 2 bath house with an office, finished basement, a heated 2 car garage, and a huge fenced yard (it's a double lot) for $1450 a month (negotiated down from $1600).

It isn't as pretty as what we are in now (I prefer to think of it as retro and not outdated lol) but because my boyfriend was a professional musician in his 20's and still plays/records as a hobby we needed more space for him to play his drums and guitars and I am an artist so I needed more studio space.

Plus I wanted a garage so I don't have to clean 2 ft. of snow off my car in the morning!

Because of the proximity to Aspen, the wages in this area are higher but not high enough to allow a lot of people to rent without roommates or 2 incomes much less buy a house. However, prices are coming down now since the economy is so slow.

Even though it is expensive to live in this area my boyfriend and I both think it is worth it not to have to deal with the traffic and crime of Denver anymore (where we lived before). Plus the natural beauty, and the associated outdoor activities, of the Rockies and the Roaring Fork River is so worth it!

Also if possible relocate the fridge so it is not right up against your oven...that makes it work that much harder.

Considering the enameling process is so toxic, performed in China and not in the US because of this fact, I don't think that the enameled cookware is a "green" choice. Everything else sounds great though!