Home renovations can increase the value of a home and make the space more enjoyable to live in. For some couples in Missouri, a home renovation can mean finally remodeling the second-story bathroom, while for others it is putting in the new cabinets and creating a dream kitchen. However, while these projects are supposed to be positives, when it comes to relationships, there can be some real negatives.
Anyone who has gone through the process of a home renovation will agree that a good deal of stress can come with the renovation process. In some cases, this is due to the fact that projects can easily go over budget. In others, time delays in start and finishing dates can also be rather annoying. For some though, this stress can push a relationship to its breaking point.
A recent survey by Houzz, a design and home improvement website, asked questions related to home renovations and marriage. The following statistics came from that survey:
- More than 50 percent reported renovation time being a stressful and frustrating time in their marriage.
- Of those asked, 12 percent said the renovations led them to consider separation or divorce.
- One-third of respondents said the marital issues over the projects were due to different conflict styles.
When it comes to home renovations, part of the problem is that one spouse may feel like their ideas are not being heard. In some cases, this perception may be reality and speak to larger issues in the marriage. Over time, these feelings can really start to fester and eventually come out in other aspects of the marriage.
During home renovations and projects, one spouse may also come off looking like a control freak, wanting everything their way. This lack of compromise can really damage a relationship, and again, come out in other aspects of a marriage.
Of course though, there are plenty of couples in Missouri who have renovations done without any issues. What this means is that while renovations can be stressful and bring up other issues in a marriage, in some cases those issues were probably already there but just had not yet bubbled to the surface.
Source: Huffington Post, “Home Renovations Make 12 Percent of Couples Consider Divorce, According To Houzz Survey,” Shane Ecker, July 31, 2013
