ᐅ How have you resolved disagreements with your partner?

Created on: 1 May 2019 21:52
J
Jean-Marc
Last night we visited friends, and of course, during the evening conversations over red wine, the topic eventually turned to our upcoming house construction (specifically the building of our prefabricated house in September). Our friends built their house back in 2015/2016 and already warned us about how stressful the construction phase can be for a relationship or marriage. They shared numerous examples from their new housing development, where tensions between partners remained quite high for a long time, dampening the enjoyment of the new home. For instance, one couple still hasn’t agreed on what kind of paving to have in front of their house, so nothing has been done yet, and the area is still just covered in gravel. For others, the design of the terrace seems to be dispute number one... I’d rather not know what else causes arguments inside the house.

Our prefabricated house sales consultant mentioned that even during the two-day selection appointment, there have been loud arguments, and he had to act as an unintentional mediator.

My wife tends to stay in the background and leaves many planning decisions up to me. However, when it comes to shapes, color schemes, and so on, she can be very assertive. We agree on the general aspects, but of course, we haven’t discussed all the finer details inside and outside yet.

So my question is: how have you handled disagreements?
Does one of you give in?
Do you negotiate a compromise?
Do you balance things out elsewhere?
Do you leave it to chance?

I would be pleased to read a bit about this delicate topic, which is rarely discussed openly... after all, we’re among friends here.
rick20182 May 2019 15:20
Did you want the lawn or her?
M
Maria16
2 May 2019 15:21
Maria16 schrieb:

Whoever stubbornly tries to impose their own way (me planning everything in advance vs. him making decisions gradually and only when necessary) will lose.

I’ll repeat myself.

What I never said anywhere is that he wasn’t interested at all. He almost always had a clear idea of how something should turn out, but he developed it only when the timing required it; so it wasn’t necessary to present him with multiple options, Haydee.
T
tumaa
2 May 2019 15:51
Organization = I
Appearance = she or both

both together = Moving in without separation (with high probability)
T
Tassimat
2 May 2019 20:29
tumaa schrieb:

Organization = me
Appearance = her or both

both together = moving in without separation (very likely)


This also describes our situation very, very well.
In addition:

"You only build once, so do it right" (my wife)
vs.
"The simplest and most pragmatic option" (me)

This does lead to minor "disagreements," as I simply reject suggestions to definitely stay within budget. But so far, it’s all harmless.
Z
Zaba12
2 May 2019 20:53
Tassimat schrieb:

That also describes our situation very well.
In addition:

"One only builds once, so do it properly" (my wife)
vs.
"The simplest and most pragmatic option" (me)

This definitely leads to minor "disagreements," because I simply reject proposals to definitely stay within budget. But so far, it’s all quite manageable.

I find this dynamic very interesting.
B
Bookstar
2 May 2019 21:02
For us, it was like a horse trade. You get this, and I get that. In the end, it just kept getting more expensive and better equipped. Design often involved compromises or searching until we both liked it.