On behalf of Kirk Montoute Dawson LLP posted in High Asset Divorce on Friday, March 21, 2014.
The stress associated with planning, coordinating and paying for a home renovation is frequently listed as a significant factor leading to relationship breakdown. While family discord arising from home renovation may simply be the the means by which cracks in the foundation of the relationship become evident, a remarkable number of spouses separate during or shortly after a major renovation.
Often frustration arises from disagreement over the details of the renovation or the cost involved, but in at least one instance, the husband’s complete lack of interest led to marital friction.
In this case the husband committed to participate with his wife to refurbish a brownstone but ultimately refused to do so. The wife began to rely on the handymand as a “surrogate” to deal with the ongoing renovation. When it came down to choosing a dining room table and the husband made it very clear that he could care less about the table she chose, the wife felt devastated that her husband could care so little about what that table represented. The parties separated, then divorced.
Source: New York Observer, “Until Decorating Do Us Part: When Renovations End in Divorce,” Kim Velsey, March 12, 2014
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