Cheap living for tourists over 3 months (Denver, Boulder: low income, extended stay, real estate)

[jub-jub]

Hi there. my girlfriend and i are coming for 3 months to denver. we wanted to know what are the best and cheapest way to have a roof over the head. doesnt matter if a trailer on a campground or a cheap monthly motel rent or what ever. we got quit low standards. (shouldnt got bug's and sh***)

we will also stay with couchsurfing for as long as posible if people are kind enough to take us.

the only problem is we aint got a car license, so we can not just buy a cheap trailer or camper cause we cannot drive.

were happy for any help

chers jubjub

[StealthRabbit]

What time of yr?

Most people in my neck of the woods sleep under a bridge? There are lots of them in Portland, OR Dignity Village. Maybe Denver has similar. Don't remember anything except South Colfax having lots of dives.

My sister-in-law (from Colorado) has gotten by without a house for 30 yrs by house sitting in Hawaii.

[jub-jub]

Originally Posted by StealthRabbit

What time of yr?

Most people in my neck of the woods sleep under a bridge? There are lots of them in Portland, OR Dignity Village. Maybe Denver has similar. Don't remember anything except South Colfax having lots of dives.

My sister-in-law (from Colorado) has gotten by without a house for 30 yrs by house sitting in Hawaii.

thanks for the fast reply

its gonna be mid august till mid november...

isnt it going to be too cold for those months to sleep outside?

[sunsprit]

without your own transportation, you're essentially limited to the core city area where you have access to the public transportation system and the shelters.

It can be rather cold & snowy starting in late September; I wouldn't advise planning on living outside during that time.

Within the core Denver area, there's "cheap" motels along several main corridors such as Santa Fe Drive, East Colfax Ave, or the Broadway/Lincoln Ave's South area. But cheap is a relative term.

With the legalization of mj in Colorado, Denver has had a recent influx of homeless folk. The numbers are already exceeding the low-end housing/shelters resources of the area. Don't count on being anything but another face in the crowd seeking shelter when the late Fall weather hits the area. It will be a matter of having the finances or luck that you'll find any cheap shelter given the folk already here that have found every available shelter/bed/couchsurfing opportunity in the area. The shelter problem for the homeless or very low income folk has been written up several times lately in the Denver Post ....

[jub-jub]

Originally Posted by sunsprit

without your own transportation, you're essentially limited to the core city area where you have access to the public transportation system and the shelters.

It can be rather cold & snowy starting in late September; I wouldn't advise planning on living outside during that time.

Within the core Denver area, there's "cheap" motels along several main corridors such as Santa Fe Drive, East Colfax Ave, or the Broadway/Lincoln Ave's South area. But cheap is a relative term.

With the legalization of mj in Colorado, Denver has had a recent influx of homeless folk. The numbers are already exceeding the low-end housing/shelters resources of the area. Don't count on being anything but another face in the crowd seeking shelter when the late Fall weather hits the area. It will be a matter of having the finances or luck that you'll find any cheap shelter given the folk already here that have found every available shelter/bed/couchsurfing opportunity in the area. The shelter problem for the homeless or very low income folk has been written up several times lately in the Denver Post ....

thanks for the information.

so it sounds like its gonna be hard to find some places to stay... even with couchsurfing? are there posibilities to rent like a garage, barn, room for some time or some like that just that we got some shelter? or are there on campgrounds any installed campers / trailers to rent?

do you know over the thumb what does a weekly rent in a motel cost. i dont find any internet sites that give me some prices.

or would you recommend to us as soon its getting too cold traveling down south to new mexico or texas for the colder time of our stay?

[ayoitzrimz]

Jub-jub - Denver is pretty expensive. Is there a specific reason you guys are heading to Denver instead of some other cheaper city? If I were you I'd move someplace warm if I plan to spend the majority of my time outside...

[jub-jub]

Originally Posted by ayoitzrimz

Jub-jub - Denver is pretty expensive. Is there a specific reason you guys are heading to Denver instead of some other cheaper city? If I were you I'd move someplace warm if I plan to spend the majority of my time outside...

we enjoy outdoor sports like snowboarding, biking, hiking. and we wana go to some national parks as well.

yeah you can do that in lots of places. we know but we also enjoy some nice weed

if its not gonna work out like we want it, we will head south to warmer places.

[sunsprit]

Originally Posted by jub-jub

thanks for the information.

so it sounds like its gonna be hard to find some places to stay... even with couchsurfing? are there posibilities to rent like a garage, barn, room for some time or some like that just that we got some shelter?

Denver area residential zoning codes have long prohibited the casual rentals that you describe. The residential areas around core Denver primarily have these restrictive zoning codes (effectively limiting many areas to a "single-family" residence, with the family being defined as pretty much the real immediate family; for years, many of the area houses were OK with 3-generations of a family living there). Along with that, a fair number of those old big houses were used as non-conforming boarding houses and/or apartment rentals. Few folk in the area complained so the practice was common in some blocks. Keep in mind that the zoning restricts what is a "legal" space for residency; ie, a barn not built to a residential code spec or a garage space not built and zoned for occupancy is not legal to use for that purpose (the reason for code enforcement on these issues is that people have died in these places ... like a basement room used as a bedroom but without emergency egress, or a garage with an improperly vented heating device which built up carbon monoxide).

But as the price points of these areas went up, the newer owners didn't want the zoning violated. Many of the houses I knew of North of 6th Ave in the City through to Park Hill were turned in for the violations and back to single family only status. I lived in some of those houses, and even split a house in the 400 Block of Lincoln with 6 other roomies for a summer. Tolerated back then, but no longer.

Anyway, with the recent influx of homeless, the problems of unwanted guests in the neighborhoods around Denver has been quite aggravated.

So unless you can afford a legitimate apartment short-term rental or a motel, the pickin's for private home rooms or unzoned apartments are getting rather slim in Denver.

or are there on campgrounds any installed campers / trailers to rent?

Not within the core Denver area. Heading out of town, there are trailer parks which may have a rental available. I'd look in the Englewood area, perhaps the South Santa Fe or Hampden Ave corridors. There used to be a lot more trailer parks in those places, but the land has seen a lot of development in the last decade or so and that was prime real estate. The areas catered to low income folk and/or students at ACC.

do you know over the thumb what does a weekly rent in a motel cost. i dont find any internet sites that give me some prices.

I'd venture that an extended stay efficiency apartment in the area would run around $60-80 per night if you stayed for a month or more (capturing their extended stay rate rather than a short term nightly rental rate). I've put up workers in such places and seen the inside ... can't say that I'd want to stay in one of these, but they do fill a temp housing need in the marketplace. Nicer places ... probably in the low $100/night range. Don't forget that the lodging taxes add a big chunk to the cost.

or would you recommend to us as soon its getting too cold traveling down south to new mexico or texas for the colder time of our stay?

I think your big limitation comes from not having your own transportation. I'd say that it's very feasible to cold weather camp in the Fall in Colorado, but only if you have the right equipment and can access the places where it's reasonable to do so (which aren't in Denver proper). Doesn't sound like you have that option, so ... yes, likely better for you to move on to a more hospitable climate for the cold weather months.

[jamesdenver]

we enjoy outdoor sports like snowboarding, biking, hiking. and we wana go to some national parks as well.

yeah you can do that in lots of places. we know but we also enjoy some nice weed

if its not gonna work out like we want it, we will head south to warmer places.
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I'd add that if your budget is that strict on lodging you'll be hard pressed to engage in recreation like bike rentals, snowboarding (boards and lift tix,) and getting to National Parks. Hiking is free, but outside of Boulder, Golden, and 285 down to Conifer it will be difficult to access trailheads without a car.

[Chicago2Denver]

Let's start this response like we do with everyone else. Where will you be working - that will guide your housing decision

Seriously though, with the rationale provided - things like skiing and biking are not inexpensive hobbies. Also, there are already a lot of people who have moved here with the hopes of getting a job, or who have chosen to "pass through" Denver with little to no money to get by while here. People's frustration level is growing with the folks camping around town, and not working or having enough money to be self-sufficient.