So, listen to thismy sister-in-law recently went on holiday at some swanky seaside resort while we were knee-deep in renovations, and now shes suddenly desperate for a bit of comfort.
Ages ago, I suggested we all pitch in for the house refurbmy husband, his sister, and Ibut she flat-out refused. Now, she expects to move in with us because her half of the place is basically unlivable. Honestly, shes only got herself to blame.
The house used to belong to my husbands gran, and it was left to him and his sister when she passed. It was already a bit of a wreck, but we decided to do it up and make a proper home there. The great bit was, it had two separate entrancesso in theory, we could each live there with a bit of peace and not get in each others way. The garden and the back yard were shared, but each side had the same number of rooms.
We sorted the inheritance once we were all married and it went smoothlyno drama. My mother-in-law didnt want a bar of it, said she was too used to city life, and told her kids to do what they want.
My husband and his sisters husband managed to scrape together some savings, fixed the roof and reinforced the foundations. We wanted to keep going with the renovations, but my sister-in-law was fuming about itshe had zero interest in investing in what she called a shabby old cottage. Her husband just kept his head downnever one for a row.
My husband and I had our hearts set on living there. The village was just a stones throw from town, and we had our own car, so commuting was no fuss. Frankly, wed had enough of squeezing into our poky little flat. Owning our own place had been the dream for ages, but starting from scratch would have cost a bomb.
To my sister-in-law, this house was more like a weekend getawaya place for summer barbecues and lounging around. She made it crystal clear: we shouldnt depend on her for anything.
Four years later, wed finally finished sprucing up our half. Yes, we took out a mortgage, but that was the least of our worries. We put in a bathroom, got the heating in, rewired everything, stuck in new windows, and gave the conservatory a fresh coat of paint. It was round-the-clock graft, but we were chasing our dream.
Meanwhile, my sister-in-law was always off gallivanting to one place or another. She didnt give two hoots about all our hard work or what was happening with her side of the house. She was just living her best life, blissfully unaware. Then she had a baby and went on maternity leaveand reality hit her.
No more fancy trips and the purse strings got tight. Thats when she suddenly remembered her half of the house. Being cooped up as a new mum was tough, and she starting thinking how nice itd be for her little boy to play outside all day long.
By this point, my husband and I had already moved in, and we were letting out our old flat. We never touched her part of the house, but honestly, after years of neglect, her half was crumbling. I had no clue how she thought shed live there with no heating and barely any amenities. She rolled in for a month with a suitcase, then asked if she could crash with us for just a weekI caved and let her in.
Her son was noisy as anything, and she acted like she was lady of the manorno consideration for anyone else. I work from home, and the chaos drove me mad, so I moved in with a mate for a bit. She happened to be away, which was actually a lifesaver for her, because she wanted someone to look after her place.
Long story short, life threw me a curveball, and I had to come home nearly a month later. I just assumed my sister-in-law had long gone, but when I walked through the doorsurprise!she was still there, totally settled in as if it was her own home. I straight-up asked when she planned on leaving.
She says, Where else am I supposed to go? Ive got a young child. Were fine here.
I told her, Well, tomorrow were dropping you back into town.
She protested, I dont want to go back to town.
I said, Youve not even bothered to clean up once all this timethis isnt a hotel.
She shot back, Who are you to throw me out? This is my house too!
Your house is through the wallgo stay there, I replied.
She tried turning her husband against me, but even he told her shed outstayed her welcome. Offended, she stormed out. Not long after, my mother-in-law started blowing up my phone: You had no right to throw her out. Thats her property.
My husband calmly explained, She could have stayed in her halfshes the mistress of her own house.
My mother-in-law protested, Hows she meant to live there with a child? Theres not even heating and the loos outside! You could have helped your sister.
My husband lost it and told his mum everything. Wed offered to fix the place up togetherit wouldve been cheaper for everyone. She refused, and now everyones got something to say.
In the end, we suggested to my sister-in-law that she could sell her half to my mum. She agreedbut at a price so high we could have bought a whole new house in perfect condition. Needless to say, we werent impressed.
Now, were stuck in this family row. My mother-in-laws constantly upset, and Emily (thats my sister-in-law) is a pain. She hardly shows up, but when she does, the parties are out of control, with little acts of sabotage and wrecking the flowerbeds.
So now weve started putting up a proper fence to finally split everything for good. No more bending over backwardsthis is exactly what she wanted.
