New homeowner fires family and uses niece's tuition money to hire painting company.
Buying a new home is exciting. Owning a property means you can make any changes you want (unless you have an HOA). Painting, furnishing, and tearing down walls are fun parts of designing your new living space. Doing it, though, can become a tedious task. You might hire help or have family that can assist you.
On a popular Reddit thread in the Am I the a%#hole Subreddit, a person tries to get free labor from their family but realizes they'll have peace of mind if they go with an outside hire.
They write:
I bought a house six months ago, and it’s FINALLY time to right the wrongs of the dipsh#t who flipped it. They had no taste and painted it blinding white with gaudy black trim, painted the inside all gray, removed/covered up original features, etc.
My dad and brother think they’re hotshots regarding house stuff, so they offered their help. I chose a color between royal blue and eggplant—vibrant, gorgeous, colorful, etc. For the record, my neighborhood is NOT some sad beige neighborhood. It’s colorful. People have gardens instead of grass lawns.
Someone has one of those huge skeletons out wearing Uncle Sam's clothes. It’s f#*king awesome. My dad and brother immediately started b%tching and moaning about 'what an eyesore' it is, how they would be furious if I were their neighbor, etc.
I told them that I f%#king talked to my neighbors, and they loved the color and HATED how it was painted now. They said that it didn’t make 'any sense' to paint it purple because by the time I’m ready to 'upgrade,' it’ll kill the resell value.
I said that I was not renting from the next owner. This is my house, and I want it done purple, and if they aren’t going to shut up about my paint choice, I don’t need their help.
They got pissy with me and told me they were trying to stop me from making a mistake. How my 'marching to the beat of my own drum' mentality is childish, and it’s time for me to grow out of it and, I guess, make a sad f%#king beige life. I told them to leave, that I did not want their help, and hired a painting company run by someone a few streets over.
Now, they say I’m an a%&hole because paying a painter means I cannot pitch in and pay for my niece’s Catholic school tuition. I don’t pay all of it, and they’ll still be able to afford it, but it’ll mean they can’t go on vacation. I’m over here thinking, boo f#cking hoo, most people I know don’t even take vacations regularly anymore. They’ll f*cking deal, but I’m posting here, so am I the a%&hole for this?
The internet doesn't like a back seat home designer.
EbonyDoe says:
NTA (Not the A%$hole) Your house, your choice. It also sounds like a win-win cause your niece's school tuition is NOT your responsibility; that's her parent's problem.
toxicmunkee says:
NTA. I hate that houses are immediately seen for their resale value instead of, you know, a place you're going to live in for x number of years.
You can't possibly make it yours because what happens when you want to move in ten years? Paint it purple. Sucks about vacation, but enjoy that new house.
PsiBlaze says:
NTA and WTF are you paying for the tuition for someone else's kid? Leave that to the parents.
OP, you can afford a mortgage and paying for a child's private school tuition?!?!? I'm not more interested in what career you have.