14 people staying in a thousand square foot home!

[Chubroach]

In a few weeks I am going to stay at my wife's home for a family activity. The entire extended family (14 people) will be staying in the house. The house is a one floor rambler built in the early 1960s with two bedrooms and one bathroom. There are three beds and two sofas, so half the people will be sleeping on the floor.

I told my wife's family that we would stay at a hotel and were screamed at! My wife's mother said, "Our place is not good enough for you?" So to avoid conflict, we agreed to stay at the house. Now there will be 16 people staying in this small one thousand square foot home!

Should I call the fire department? Should I call the zoning people? Is there any law about so many people staying in such a small home? My wife wants to defer to her parents.

What would you do?

 

[pirateofthecarolinas]

Get a hotel room. If the ILs get mad then they get mad.

Lori

 

[sue1013]

16 people in a 1000 sq ft is bad enough. But only 1 bathroom!! That is crazy! Your wife must be very afraid of her parents to want to put up with that. Tell her she can stay there and get yourself a hotel.

 

[FOJMO]

We don't care who gets mad, when we visit relatives, we ALWAYS stay at a hotel. We usually tell them that my DH has "points" from business traveling and has to use them or lose them. That's not always the case, but who cares?

We like the liberty of coming and going, waking and sleeping, as we please and being "at home away from home". The sleeping arrangements are not the problem most of the time, it's the bathroom use. I absolutely hate carting all of my bathroom needs into the bathroom each and every time I shower (usually there's no place to keep them in the bathroom at a relative's house). Plus, at my in-law's, there's no electrical outlet or any countertop in their small bathroom. Big inconvenience.

 

[Serena]

LOL, no way on earth would I stay there. I have a two bedroom/ one bathroom house. It got crowded with one teenager in the bathroom, let alone 14 other people. Sheesh, you all would be crawling over each other like ants.

I vote for getting a hotel.

 

[my3kids]

There is no house large enough for me to stay with my MIL. Get the hotel room and let them be mad.

 

[CEDmom]

Originally posted by my3kids
There is no house large enough for me to stay with my MIL. Get the hotel room and let them be mad.

ITA.

 

[Blondie]

Should I call the fire department? Should I call the zoning people? Is there any law about so many people staying in such a small home?

I know in my neighborhood there are limits on how many people can live in a certain size home, but since these are temporary accommodations you are talking about, I'm sure it would be okay. Needless to say, I'm too old to be sleeping on anyone's floor.

Get a hotel room and let them be mad at you while they are waiting in line to use the bathroom!

 

[rbuzzotta]

HOTEL!!! We never stay at relatives homes while visiting.....we are more comfortable in a hotel................

Maybe this should be in the 5 in a 1 BR ttype topic!!! and placed on the debate board!! LOL!! just kidding............

Good luck...............

 

[Beauty]

I don't like staying at anyone's house even if its just us! I vote for MOTEL!!!!!

 

[CamColt]

Another vote for a hotel here. Personally I would feel uncomfortable staying in someone elses home, but with that many people and 1 bathroom NO WAY!

 

[Chubroach]

Thanks to everyone who has responded so far to my posting about 14-16 people staying in the relatives thousand square foot home. The general feeling so far is that we should stay in a hotel regardless of family pressure.

I forgot to include some important facts about the issue:

The house we are staying at is actually my wife's sister, who is wildly popular and has incredible influence within the family. Everyone defers to her and wants to be near her and her good looking husband and three children. Her house is "where the action is!" I dislike her.

We live just 50 miles away and live in a 3000 square foot home (just the two of us). Our house is close to everything, my wife's sister is out in the middle of no-where.

They do not want to stay with us because my wife's sister (the one in a thousand square foot home) has a powerful personality, handsome husband and cute kids. We are seen as "dull" and bad because we choose not to have children.

The rest of the family thinks were are just crazy for thinking of a hotel and will not consider a hotel themselves even though they could get one with a indoor pool and excercise area, etc, through Priceline for under $50.00.

Anymore feedback?

 

[IMGONNABE40!]

My in-laws also just don't "get" our choices and lifestyle. I have come to terms with that and do what I think is best for me and my (immediate) family. I know that I will not change their opinion of me and what's "one more thing" for them to think I am bizarre about? (We once attended an out of town wedding for a friend of my husband's family. DH's parents got one hotel room and expected 8 adults to stay in it! We are thought to be the odd ones for getting our own room!). Get the hotel room, and enjoy the freedom that comes with being the black sheep. Better yet, see if you can get the hotel manager to let you host a pool party at the hotel for all those cooped up at your SIL's house. That will make you popular.