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.
-
What are the different types of nuclear weapons?
The Explainer Speculation mounts that post-war taboo on nuclear weapons could soon be shattered by use of 'battlefield' missiles
-
Floral afternoon teas to enjoy during the Chelsea Flower Show
The Week Recommends These are the prettiest spots in the city to savour a traditional treat
-
How to plan a trip along the Mississippi River
The Week Recommends See this vital waterway from the Great River Road
-
Trump vows to lift Syria sanctions
speed read The move would help the new government stabilize the country following years of civil war
-
Senate rejects Trump's Library of Congress takeover
speed read Congress resisted the president's attempts to control 'the legislative branch's premier research body'
-
Hamas frees US hostage in deal sidelining Israel
speed read Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old soldier, was the final living US citizen held by the militant group
-
White Afrikaners land in US as Trump-declared refugees
speed read An exception was made to Trump's near-total ban on admitting refugees for the white South Africans
-
Qatar luxury jet gift clouds Trump trip to Mideast
speed read Qatar is said to be presenting Trump with a $400 million plane, which would be among the biggest foreign gifts ever received by the US government
-
Trump taps Fox News' Pirro for DC attorney post
speed read The president has named Fox News host Jeanine Pirro to be the top federal prosecutor for Washington, replacing acting US Attorney Ed Martin
-
Trump, UK's Starmer outline first post-tariff deal
speed read President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Kier Starmer struck a 'historic' agreement to eliminate some of the former's imposed tariffs
-
Fed leaves rates unchanged as Powell warns on tariffs
speed read The Federal Reserve says the risks of higher inflation and unemployment are increasing under Trump's tariffs