His Brother’s Mad He Expects Him To Pay To Use The Family Cabin After He Invested A Lot Of Time And Money Renovating It
Several years back, this 35-year-old man’s grandparents passed away, and they left a gorgeous lakefront cabin behind.
The cabin was in rough shape after not being taken care of, and it was owned by their family for several generations.
It had a leaking roof, rotting wood, and antique plumbing. His parents didn’t want the headache, so they asked his 30-year-old brother Matt if he would like to have it.
Matt grew up talking about his love for the cabin, so his parents thought it would be perfect for him to take on as a project.
“At first, Matt was excited, but when he saw the actual state of the cabin, he quickly changed his mind,” he explained.
“The renovations would cost tens of thousands of dollars, and the upkeep was more than he was willing to commit to.”
“He told my parents that he “wasn’t in a position to take on such a big project” and that it was “too much work for a vacation home.” So they turned to me.”
He took his sweet time contemplating if he wanted to inherit the cabin, and he ultimately concluded that he did want it.
When he was a child, he spent his summers roasting marshmallows by the fire with his cousins or fishing with his grandpa in the lake, so that cabin had a lot of sentimental meaning to him.
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He knew he couldn’t let it leave their family, and he stepped up to assume ownership of it. However, he didn’t simply sign a bunch of paperwork – he invested years of his time and money into renovating the place, and it cost a small fortune.
“I had to replace the roof, reinforce the foundation, fix the plumbing, and completely redo the deck, which was one bad storm away from collapsing,” he added.
“It became my after-work project, but it also became a major financial commitment. Every spare dollar I had went into fixing up that place. I’ve asked my family to help out many times, whether financially or physically, with labor, but no one ever did.”
“Fast forward to a few years later, and Matt reaches out, saying he and his wife want to take their kids on a summer vacation and “would love to use the cabin for a week.” I told him sure, but he’d need to contribute $500 to cover utilities and general wear and tear.”
Matt freaked on him and said he was greedy for trying to make money off the cabin. Matt even went so far as to say their grandparents would have hated that he was turning the property into a profit.
He quickly refreshed Matt’s memory, as his brother had forgotten that he had the opportunity to own the cabin, yet he passed it up since it required too much work to fix.
He replied to Matt that it wasn’t quick or cheap for him to do the renovations, so it’s unfair for him to demand to use the cabin for free.
Matt quarreled and said he was not paying rent, but he’s missing the point. If he allows Matt to vacation there for free, he’s worried all of their extended family members will expect the same courtesy.
“If Matt contributes nothing but gets free access, doesn’t that mean I’m basically paying for his vacation?” he wondered.
“Now our mom is involved, saying I should “do the right thing” because “family helps family.” I told her that Matt was offered the cabin first, and he said no because it was too much work.”
“I had then asked for financial or physical help, and he also denied. He didn’t want to deal with the responsibilities; he just wants the benefits now that I’ve taken on all the costs.”
Matt has not said a word to him after their cabin conversation, and as for their mom, she’s insisting he’s not being fair at all.
He’s left wondering if he is being a jerk for wanting Matt to contribute something or if Matt is trying to take advantage of him.
What do you think?
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