Unpaid Renovations: How Karma Delivered Justice to My Brother-in-Law

My BIL Asked Me to Renovate His House and Refused to Pay For It, but Karma Caught up with Him Soon

Family and business can occasionally mix just as well as oil and water. My brother-in-law was very explicit about that. My name is Clyde, and I work as an engineer. My profession is renovating homes. This is what transpired, and it was entirely his fault, that led to the breakup with my brother-in-law.

Owing to my work, this story of my brother-in-law Jeff, a significant restoration project, and a ton of drama has been developing over the last few years. It’s going to be a wild journey, so buckle up.

Jeff came up to me a few years ago with a significant request. He was hoping I could finish his dark, unfinished basement. He requested many rooms, a kitchenette, a bathroom, and a family room—the works. Although we weren’t as close, I regarded it as just a request from a client.

He trusted me to handle the project because he owned a renovation company. I priced the entire job at $38,000, but I gave him a good discount because we were family. This was very kind of him, as he would normally have to pay three times as much as I did for something similar.

As Jeff was rebuilding his basement, he would occasionally request adjustments. Even though the layout and floor plan had his approval earlier, he nonetheless went ahead and accomplished this.

Let’s fast-forward to when the renovations are finished. It was a renovated basement. What had been a gloomy, unwelcoming room was now a lively living place. To put it mildly, Jeff was pleased.

But when it came time to pay, Jeff became uncooperative. Every time he tried to talk about his dues, he was met with postponed promises or excuses. His justifications started to show indications that he wouldn’t pay anything at all about six months later. He never made a payment. He would frequently make excuses and utter phrases like:

“Now that you’ve married my sister, we’re like real brothers. Would you ask your brother for money?”

I attempted to discuss the matter with my wife, but she seemed to be in favor of her brother. She attempted to get me to overlook the money while defending him. But I had previously paid for this with my own money. Both the materials and my employees’ salary were covered by me.

We danced like way for two years. Jeff then had to sell his home. After his fiancée found employment in a different city, they decided to relocate to make room for her. All of a sudden, he gave me a call. Anger and panic mixed together in his voice.

“Is that what you’ve done? “Why am I unable to sell my house?” he cried out.

“because you haven’t reimbursed me for the labor I completed. Jeff, that lien is real, I laughed a little in response.

There was a noticeable stillness on the other end. A knife could be used to release the stress. Once more, Jeff pledged to make the payment as soon as the house sold. He even made an attempt to coerce me into believing that he was my brother, but this time, I wasn’t buying it. In response, I said:

“Jeff, no. Once you pay me what you owe, we can discuss removal.

He attempted to persuade not only me but also my wife, who is his sister, into helping him with his money problems. In our own living room one evening, he made an attempt to scare her into paying his bills. That’s when she decided to side with me.

“You’re my older sister, that’s what sisters do, help out.”

“Jeff, fulfilling your obligations financially isn’t helping; it’s enabling. You must pay off your bills.”

It startled both of us that he would twist familial ties for his own benefit. However, when that failed, he turned to my in-laws in an attempt to win them over. With worried voices, they made a call.

“We’ll settle his debt. We can’t watch him walk out of the house.

“All right, but he has to reimburse you or take it from any inheritance. Furthermore, interest begins to accrue on the day the loan is made.”

They grudgingly consented, and Jeff became agitated again upon learning about this arrangement. Knowing that her brother would also be taking money from her inheritance enraged my wife just as much.

Jeff replied, “How could you involve our parents and talk about inheritance like that?!”

“I wasn’t involved; you were. Jeff, you forced this scenario.”

When Jeff was finally forced to face reality, he took out a credit line and paid the debt, interest included. Thanks in large part to the remodeled basement, the house sold for more than asking, but not before leaving a bad taste in everyone’s mouths.

Some familial ties have been strained, if not completely severed, by the entire affair. However, it has strengthened my conviction to stick to your convictions even if they are uncomfortable. It’s difficult to combine family and business, and if limits aren’t established, it might result in unwelcome circumstances.

Similar like Jeff, someone else learned an important lesson from a family member. She lost out on what could have been a pleasant family home, regrettably.

My BIL requested that I renovate his home but refused to pay for it; still, Karma quickly caught up with him.

I never imagined that I would have a bitter relationship with my ungrateful daughter. But Lucy, the oldest among us, made it all possible.

For background, I was a stay-at-home mother who later became a full-time homemaker and was quite active in our neighborhood. My husband’s extraordinarily prosperous career made it possible for me to have this luxury. I’ve been married to my spouse for more than thirty years. Our three gorgeous girls are here. Lucy, our oldest, tied the knot last week.

Brian, Lucy’s college sweetheart, was married. They have been dating ever since they first met during their final year of college. Sadly, since Lucy departed for university, our family hasn’t spent as much time with her. We would hardly speak more than once a week.

Lucy and I don’t seem to have similar interests. She is a driven professional woman. It appeared like she had no choice but to become a stay-at-home wife. On the other hand, it was my delight and full-time job. Nevertheless, I encouraged her to pursue her goals and was always kind to her future spouse. I was confident that they would treat each other with respect and care.

Like all weddings should be, theirs was a lovely day full of happiness and festivities. Our family covered the majority of the cost of the wedding. We nevertheless gave them a wedding present in spite of that. My spouse and I decided to offer Brian and Lucy the key to our cottage house as a genuinely significant gift. For us, this farmhouse held immense sentimental value, filled with fond family recollections. It has spent years with our family.

Lucy called us the day after the wedding. I was completely taken aback by the tone with which she was speaking to us for the first time. Says she:

“I appreciate the gift, but to be honest, I was hoping for something nicer than this hut. Most likely, we’ll give it back to you.

Even though I couldn’t speak, I managed to reply, “No problem, dear.” Lucy made a subtle indication about how inexpensive our gift was before the call ended, showing no signs of appreciation. I was surprised since I didn’t think someone I reared would say such things. I had to take a moment to process what she had said and determine the best course of action.

We had all of our daughters and their husbands over to the cottage yesterday. The idea was to reveal to Lucy the actual value of this “shack,” which she had so quickly written down. The cottage had just undergone repairs that preserved the memories it had while adding to its beauty and coziness. Naturally, Lucy was unaware of this.

When we convoyed at a nearby petrol station, Lucy had an irritated expression on her face and refused to even proceed to the cottage. Everyone was stunned by the place’s beauty and transformation when they arrived, but Lucy’s response was the most striking. Her mouth fell when she saw the renovated cottage.

The cottage was converted into a contemporary vacation house with floor to ceiling windows. There was also an outdoor fire pit and a veranda with an amazing view. Since Lucy loved to cook, we knew that the kitchen would be equipped with top-notch appliances and a television.

The space wasn’t enormous, but it was big enough for us to erect a pleasant family home. Lucy’s eyes glistened as she peered about.

She said, amazed, “How did you accomplish this? When? I’m really grateful for your gift. I smiled calmly in response:

“Honey, did you forget? You gave it right back to us.”

A deep purple hue appeared on her face as understanding set in. She was so embarrassed by her previous lack of gratitude that she started to shout and swear.

Things quickly got out of hand, and everyone was shocked by her response, particularly Brian. It was his wife’s terrible reaction that stunned him, not the lovely restoration. It was the last thing Brian expected from his new bride to act like that in front of her own family.