Mansion owners have hilarious complaints about how difficult it is to be rich


In a new article in The Wall Street Journal, mansion owners have gone on the record to say that living large isn't as easy as it sounds.
The homeowners have complaints ranging from employing enough staff members to contacting family members in opposite ends of the house.
The first homeowner profiled, Claudio Stivelman, owns an 11,000-square-foot house in Golden Beach, Florida. Stivelman said that hiring staffers was just too much work, and that he's leaving his home. He employed "two housekeepers, a weekly handyman, and regular visits from a pool guy, landscaper and pesticide sprayer," the Journal reports. Stivelman said he was "tired of...all this maintenance."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Carolyn Mullany-Jackson, meanwhile, resides in a comfortable 20,000-square-foot home in Paradise Valley, Arizona, and said it's far too difficult to contact others in the home "when they are out of shouting range." Mullany-Jackson told the Journal that sometimes she will resort to texting the others rather than use the house's intercom system.
Norm Snyder, who, along with his wife, is selling his 14,000-square-foot house on Kent Island in Maryland, had a similar problem with his residence. The home includes a nightclub with a stage and full bar, a car showroom, and a two-story movie theater, along with eight bedrooms and 11 bathrooms. "It took me six months to find my way around and feel comfortable," Snyder said.
The Journal also notes that while the size of the average American home is increasing, the 2013 average was still only 2,598 feet, making these mansions far from common. And if you're wondering, the average asking price for homes larger than 10,000 square feet is $3.5 million.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.
-
DHS chief Kristi Noem's purse stolen from eatery
Speed Read Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's purse was stolen while she dined with family at a restaurant in Washington, D.C.
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Harvard sues Trump over frozen grant money
Speed Read The Trump administration withheld $2.2 billion in federal grants and contracts after Harvard rejected its demands
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Trump tariffs place trucking industry in the crosshairs
IN THE SPOTLIGHT As the White House barrels ahead with its massive tariff project, American truckers are feeling the heat from a global trade war
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
DHS chief Kristi Noem's purse stolen from eatery
Speed Read Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's purse was stolen while she dined with family at a restaurant in Washington, D.C.
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Trump stands by Hegseth amid ouster reports
Speed Read The president dismissed reports that he was on the verge of firing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over a second national security breach
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Hegseth reportedly shared war plans in 2nd group text
Speed Read The defense secretary sent information about an attack in Yemen to a Signal group chat that included his wife and brother
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Judge threatens Trump team with criminal contempt
Speed Read James Boasberg attempts to hold the White House accountable for disregarding court orders over El Salvador deportation flights
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Biden slams Trump's Social Security cuts
Speed Read In his first major public address since leaving office, Biden criticized the Trump administration's 'damage' and 'destruction'
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
El Salvador refuses to return US deportee
Speed Read President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador said he would not send back the unlawfully deported Kilmar Ábrego García
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Trump says electronics tariff break won't last
Speed Read The tariff exemptions on smartphones, laptops and other electronic devices are temporary, the administration says
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Man charged in arson attack on Pennsylvania's Shapiro
Speed Read Governor Josh Shapiro and his family were sleeping when someone set fire to his Harrisburg mansion
By Peter Weber, The Week US