Contractor? Check. Board approval? Yep. Couple's therapy? Um....
For best results when renovating, you may want to dial back on the Grohe faucets and spend $500 on a couple's therapist instead.
That's the takeaway from a Brownstoner.com thread in which a woman explains that wants to buy a house that needs major renovation (a project she is willing to undertake and lead) but her significant other thinks it will be "an expensive, never-ending nightmare." Now she's afraid that if they decide to go ahead, it will be all her fault if things go terribly wrong.
"Think really hard about your budget and make sure you're in agreement about that," one commenter advises, noting that it's one thing to "freak out over some misadventures along with way" and quite another to "undertake a project you can't afford." Then, consider short-term couples therapy "with the express aim of improving your communication and conflict resolution skills. Some will laugh, but it could be the best $500 you'll ever spend."
Most commenters agreed with that last point: "I don't think we could have done this without having a strong marriage and great communication about what we wanted and needed," says one, noting that she and her spouse had never fought or raised voices at each other until they renovated their home.
(Brownstoner.com)
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