There’s a great little basement studio flat that suits my budget perfectly. It’s cheap for the area and I guess it’s because no one wants to live in a basement apartment.
I don’t mind and I’m going to check it out. Should I even bother with such a place, considering the rain here?
Advice on what to look for when viewing is appreciated. Or if you think it’s a bad idea to begin with, please tell me.
I would be more concerned with the constant dampness here that is magnified by it being a basement. Seems like a terrible place for mold. And cockroaches.
OTOH we have a small basement at our school (in Koahsiuing) for storage and it seems fine down there. An awful place to live but not moldy.
Things why a basement (like in underground) is a BAD idea:
I lived in a ground floor apartment back in Europe and it wasn’t so bad, but at least I had ventilation and sunlight (I didn’t have a building in front of me). Moisture was really bad near the ground, up to the point that some books in lower shelves got mold in their pages (you’d be underground, so make that from the floor up to the ceiling!). Roaches weren’t a concern in Europe (I got two in a whole year), but here in Taipei they are a plague of biblical proportions.
Don’t do it.
Rats! Roaches and mold! Light! Sewage, drain pipes from above.
Hopefully it’a a little up hill.
Otherwise you could drown during a Typhoon.
Good luck!
One reason such apartments became non popular was the tuberculosis epidemic - moist, closed environment, very happy place for viruses.
No matter how cheap it is, your health will take a dive.
[quote=“Icon”]One reason such apartments became non popular was the tuberculosis epidemic - moist, closed environment, very happy place for viruses.
No matter how cheap it is, your health will take a dive.[/quote]
[quote=“Hamletintaiwan”]Hopefully it’a a little up hill.
Otherwise you could drown during a Typhoon.
Good luck![/quote]
Drown and dive are the keywords.
Anyhow, we forgot to mention carbon monoxide.
It will go to the lowest place.
Mold spores! Look carefully to see if it has been freshly painted: Taiwanese landlords often only do that to cover-up either a crime-scene or enough fungus to precipitate a zombie apocalypse.
Also dark and depressing. What kind of lighting does it have? Being underground with fluorescent striplighting did my head in when I did it in Scotland. Take vitamin D pills!
As someone else said, Taiwan’s acqua alta may be an issue in taifeng season.
Just out of curiosity, can you say which area, and how cheap?
(I’d stay away from it regardless.)
It’s in Shilin. 16 ping for NT10,000 per month.
It’s freshly decorated, looks nice and new. After all your comments I’m suspect about the place. I should be more wise as I got slightly ripped off for a scooter already.
Someone else rented it anyway, which is probably a blessing in disguise.
And speaking of roaches, four of 'em were boldly strolling around my kitchen last month. I live on the fifth floor! Don’t wanna think about how bad it is in the basement.
And yes, drowning in a typhoon crossed my mind.
Dinosaurs!
I’m always pleasantly surprised at the climate when I go to the B2 parking area in my building. It’s warm there, even in the middle of winter, and relatively cool all through the summer.
I think a basement could be quite comfortable to live in so long as a dehumidifier is running.
[quote=“chelseadagger”]It’s in Shilin. 16 ping for NT10,000 per month.
It’s freshly decorated, looks nice and new. After all your comments I’m suspect about the place. I should be more wise as I got slightly ripped off for a scooter already.
Someone else rented it anyway, which is probably a blessing in disguise.
And speaking of roaches, four of 'em were boldly strolling around my kitchen last month. I live on the fifth floor! Don’t wanna think about how bad it is in the basement.
And yes, drowning in a typhoon crossed my mind.[/quote]
Wait, a basement in shilin? Roaches probably look like this :
They have evolved!
Should be doable to at least get a rooftop within this budget (which has some other issues but is infinitely preferable to the basement; I think generally the higher you live, the better).
I remember seeing a 591 ad a few days ago for the rooftop in an elevator building by the Tianmu Circle at 9,000 per month. That’s pretty much the most expensive area in Shilin, almost anywhere else the price should not be higher.
10k is highway robbery for a basement. You can get a fully furnished taofang in Xindian for that. Basements used to be 4k tops. Wouldn’t pay more than 6, if you insist.
things i have seen crawl underground in taiwan: rats and cockroaches. no thanks to living with either of them. hey, i have also seen them on the 4th floor(yes both) so entering those guy actual lair is pushing your luck a bit i think! not to mention the lack of daylight. taiwanese already seem to have a fetish for cave like dwellings, no need to make things worse! anyway it looks like things worked themselves out.
btw does anyone know of a way to specifically search for rooftop apartments?
[quote=“RickRooney”]things I have seen crawl underground in taiwan: rats and cockroaches. no thanks to living with either of them. hey, I have also seen them on the 4th floor(yes both) so entering those guy actual lair is pushing your luck a bit I think! not to mention the lack of daylight. taiwanese already seem to have a fetish for cave like dwellings, no need to make things worse! anyway it looks like things worked themselves out.
btw does anyone know of a way to specifically search for rooftop apartments?[/quote]
You also don’t want a rooftop apt. They will be unbelievably hot in the summer resulting in electric bills potentially in the 10,000+ range. I pay 3000ish for two months on the 14th floor (out of 15).
i think i am prepared - although not totally sure. i used to live on the 4th (top floor) and used fans the majority of the time.
I guess some people just need to experience it (basement apts or rooftop apts) so they understand.
Young people like the appeal of the rooftop because they think it looks as a Western place, and hence grants them privacy and opportunities for parties. Little do they know that the buildings are so close together they offer little respite -and easy access for thieves, BTW-, plus as the rooftop is considered common space, there is a lot of likely traffic. And as to parties… once you settle into a work routine, we hope it is not a daily event. And they will be over before midnight, oh yes, they will.
It looks like a house, but it isn’t a house.
And yes, it must be experienced. Older folks like ourselves want to be cool in summer, and as warm as possible in winter, and to have our comforts as we are just too old to pop. Yes, cheap is nice, but healthy is better.