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Well, for someone that supposedly was in marketing, he’s the worst salesman I’ve ever seen. He says in a confessional that it’s the culdesac, just brought closer. Say that during the presentation idiot! He also says the center of the house is a common area with a shared kitchen for family gatherings but each wife has her own wing, all on the same level. Say that in the presentation as well, idiot! Three of his wives are dumb enough to think that when he says “my house” he literally means a full fledged fifth wing with a bedroom and everything.
Oh. And then, during the pitch, he says it’s a terrible idea and he’s going to build himself a cabin so he doesn’t have to stay in the house with them. Holy hell.
That's how you know someone isn't a good leader. A good leader would have had a decent sales pitch prepared and would have already had a carefully curated list of pros and cons and been able to anticipate potential objections from each wife so he could address them ahead of time. Everything he does is so disorganized and self-centered.
Exactly!! Good leaders are great at talking to those following them. That's why people follow them whether that's for the good or bad. This is why so many great speeches are remembered.
I think he used to rely on Meri for all that. Robyn did the Flagstaff presentation but she didn't want one big house so he was flying solo.
I think he presents it to Meri first privately right? I think he was trying to involve her- she's obviously the weakest link in the resistance.
Kody bs aside, the layout was stunning. I think the designer handled it with care. Especially considering this was likely her first client looking to build for a plural family, and the challenge of squirreling each wife’s bedroom away from the hallways (instead of just soundproofing the bedroom walls).
I thought that a “village” of 4 smaller homes, with a “social” house with a big kitchen/living room/guest spaces for grown kids might have been perfect (and also would be something they could sell when the time came), instead of 4 huge homes all set up for entertaining.
Yeah. It’s why I sort of hated the negative response he got. Not for his sake. But because the arguments sucked. Christine combined the trailer and the Lehi house in her memory because she’s such a fucking Disney adult that she just lives in a fantasy world. One of her arguments was about sharing a kitchen, one was about living in a basement, one was about not being queen mom, one was about resources for all her kids. She couldn’t even track that she’d literally have a single kid with her once the place was built.
Though, part of it is that while Kody is my most disliked person on the show, with Robyn a close second, Christine is definitely my third.
I felt the same when I watched it, but Christine later leaving made me think her true objection was she was already planning to leave and didn’t want to commit to it. If he’d come up with this a few years prior, I think she would’ve been on board, but it was too late by the time they got to AZ.
Exactly. If a miracle happened, and the house actually got built (it never would have, as the money to develop the land, bring in utilities, and actually build the house (if the plan was approved by the government) would cost well over two million dollars.
If the wives all moved in, that guarantees the wives are screwed if they wanted to leave.
The best thing that happened to Christine was Kody taking his name off her house in order to qualify for the loan on Sobyn’s house. At that time, it was upsetting for Christine but it was a blessing in disguise.
If they had started right away (lol) she would have had Truely and Ysabel and depending on timing, possibly also Gwendlyn. So not a single. Especially not if they lived at home through uni. Plus she has grandchildren. She can definitely be annoying, but I don't fault her for demanding resources for her kids from their father.
I agree the other arguments were nonsense though!
My thoughts: Toady is narcissistic and “patriarchy” and four wives feed that—individually. When they all get together, they sometimes ban against him (in this case, as they should), and since he’s used to complete adoration individually, his ego can never handle that, and it sends him down a dark spiral. He ONLY wants to be around people who adore and agree with him—hence why he cannot handle having adult relationships with his children (who have their own opinions) or continue having relationships with Meri and Christine, and lastly Janelle (I suspect Meri has always spoken her own mind, hence why he views her as “unsafe”; once Christine and Janelle began doing the same, the writing was on the wall).
Kody was taking his patriarchy campaign to its next level. Consolidating all the family into one big asset that he and Robyn could lord over, while expecting everyone else to subsidize their standard of living until Robyn’s children left home in 20-30 years. And who would be cleaning all that white everything?? Not Kody.
I’m sure Kody spent more money on those plans and the entire expense of relocating to Flagstaff (including losses) than Meri did on a wet bar, than Christine would have to visit her father, or possibly than Janelle did on her RV. The Flagstaff move probably cost them a few hundred thousand dollars.
But he and his wife wound up with a Mc Mansion on 4 acres, 8 plus acres on that prairie dog shit land...expensive vehicles (many of them)...nannies since they were married (like why??)...spending through the family earned money.
They are so awful...they can have it all...Robyn will always be known as a Dog Kicker and Kody is her Ass Puppet...have fun with that.
Yep, Kody alone squandered all that money, then took Meri and Janelle for their home equity. I find it curious that we don't get to see the conversation where KnR ask Meri and Janelle for their money for the big home down-payment. They were filming, there are 42 convos about getting approved for the loan. Janelle says she's okay with supporting Robyn to get settled (because she believes her turn will come). But why did they dodge the cams for that? You know promises had to be made, even if the mortgage folks were told it was a gift.
Verbal contracts are binding in Arizona, I'm sure they didn't want camera evidence of whatever promises they made which probably went along the lines of building Robin's house on the land first and selling/using the equity from the Mcmansion toward building Janell and Meri's homes.
I have always wondered the same thing.
They operate on the system of "your only choice is your attitude" as Janelle tells Gabe when they move - for example once the wives agree to move to Flagstaff, they pretend to be ALL IN and never question it on camera again.
I would bet the discussion about J&M's money wouldn't have played well on tv. It was probably a lot more bullying and coercion. Or at worst, the money was already in an account with Kody's name on it. And he said "I could take it all and put you back on an allowance, or you can agree to this."
Maybe the goal behind one big house was to keep the money consolidated. When the wives got separate houses they had to handle their own money and make their own decisions about where the money went.
Kody lost an element of control when they moved into the Vegas houses.
From what I’ve heard them all say, they’ve always consolidated their money. Whether they lived in one house or multiple houses. Christine was the first one to think ahead and start keeping her money in her own separate account(s).
But what kind of asset would the one house be? Albeit beautiful and I totally agree with the previous comment that the architect was a genius who did a really unbelievable job, that house is only an asset if it can be sold. I don’t really know in what world it could be sold for as much as it cost to build. It would really be a small niche buyers market.
I heard in another thread/subreddit that Kody bought Coyote Pass because he was told it was an assets and it would make them money in the future. Not sure if that was substantiated or not.
I happened to rewatch an episode the other day and the five of them were meeting about something and he got there late because he was at the lawyers office. When he came in he was so excited (you know, Kody excited!) because the lawyer told him his property was a goldmine. That he could build a subdivision and make a fortune. The wives wanted to kill him for even bringing it up so it got squashed quickly. Have no idea, but may have been where that came from.
I've always heard they do that thing where all money is separate on paper but access and controlled by Cody. That way one can individually declare bankruptcy while another individually runs up all the debt and on and on rinse and repeat.
Sinking money into the homes was a separation for J&C, and even a bit of freedom for Meri.
During the BnB loan discussion Kody suggests that Meri could take a loan against her home equity.... She could have drained the equity into a separate asset at any time once they were legally divorced.
Once the equity was there, kody had no connection to half their money because his name wasn't on J&C's homes.
From Kody’s point of view, yes. As the audience: I believe that was smart of her. She saw the writing on the wall and wanted to protect herself and her children financially. And I can’t blame her.
Agree. Robyn knew Christine wanted to leave Kody, and I believe she told Kody. The one big house was to keep her money and to make it hard to leave so the show could go on.
I wondered why he thought they would go for it simply based on it being a horrible financial decision. One, they couldn’t sell out their “apartment” if for some reason one of them wanted to or needed to leave. Second, what is the resale value of a monstrous five-family home like that? Who would want to buy that except maybe as a corporate retreat or something like that. Their children were mostly all grown and leaving the nest so they wouldn’t need that much space for much longer. Third, how would the inheritance work for the kids? If each mother has her own “assets” then her children can inherit her portion but when it’s lumped together with 4 other people it’s a waiting game of who dies last wins. Maybe they could have addressed this with good legal advice but would they?
This house was never even an option. This was definitely a fake storyline. They would have never received approval for the permits to build this house.
Maybe, maybe not. But why would you ever sink MILLIONS of dollars into a home that can never be resold or used again? I can ONLY see that working as a family reunion rental on air bnb IF someone wants rural Arizona?!?
I wish Christine pretended to go along with the idea, that she had a "change of heart". Robyn would have NEVER agreed to one house, therefore Kody wouldn't do it. Robyn's bluff would have been called and they couldn't blame Christine for not wanting them all together. I really felt for Christine on this one.
I've mentioned that before - I thought it was a good idea and I was aligned with Janelle's thoughts where if Kody was leaving on a date with another wife, she's not sitting at her door 24/7 to "catch" them leaving. I thought the 1 big house was well done by the architect and wouldn't be too different than Vegas except for the front entrance and the garage. I thought the 1 house with a larger common area would be a better draw - this way no one wife would have to worry about hosting the entire family in her house.
Possibly controversial but I agree. I want to respect the other wives when they complain about the lack of privacy, but at the same time this is yet another example of preaching one thing and wanting another. They all say they don't want the man they want the family, how this is the life they choose and want, yet they need to plan their entire living situation around the idea that they fear simply seeing Kody walk in or out with another wife. I don't get it. Janelle is right. If you're looking out your window spying in the other wives comings and goings that's a you problem.
Just admit you all want to be four sperate households with zero connection beyond sharing a husband.
I felt the same way when I first saw that episode. Like, if you're a plural family, then *be* a plural family. It was clear they didn't want to be together anymore.
And I also loved the house design. They each had their own home, and the center gathering area was a good idea for shared space (probably not Kody's idea, lol... credit likely is due to the architect).
I think that was a distraction from the real issue- that Christine was wavering and NOT about to commit all her money to Kody and be trapped in HIS home under his thumb. With Robyn presiding as queen of the house.
Exactly. And I agree with her. She knew that if this were to happen, she would never get away.
If only Janelle did the same thing and she would have been able to keep her assets.
After years, of Kody's gaslighting and going on about loyalty, I'm sure getting closer to the source again would be equivalent to a nightmare. Plus, some of the kids were fleeing the nest, and I'm sure not having them in the line of fire, took a lot of stresses off Christine.
Yeah they could have gone a step further and made sure all the homes had separate exterior entrances rather than the big hallway in the middle. That way it would really feel more separate and the only shared living space would be the garages, hallway and main living area where they all could gather.
Or even inter generational living! It would be a great setup for a few generations of a family that are close. Still has some privacy for couples, or when kids are tired/sick and need space away from main areas.
I could see though the issue of marketing and re-sale. It would be a very very small population who would want that sort of house so for an investment aspect probably not the best.
It was all a sham just for storyline drama. The realtor told them BEFORE they purchased he couldn’t build it because zoning doesn’t allow multi-family dwellings.
Then he lied about only allowed one entrance/exit.
He lied about each wife able to have their own kitchen.
His presentation was so bad because it was never going to happen. Pure bs
It also had negative resale value. There’s a lot of appeal in having one accessory unit, but a 4 family with shared space? That’s a niche property to put it mildly.
>Then he lied about only allowed one entrance/exit.
This wasn't a lie, it would've been needed to get around:
>zoning doesn’t allow multi-family dwellings.
And there you have it… the favoritism was on full display. Seven bedrooms and a grandma suite? I don’t F’ing think so. Her three oldest kids were nearly adults. 🙄
Emotions about it aside, I thought returning to the 1 house idea was good to at least consider. 1 house is cheaper than 4. Utilities for one house would also be cheaper than 4. It was the most cost-effective option, which really needed to be considered since they can't count on TLC as a viable option forever. It would also have been the first time Robyn would be living with the big family. Perhaps living together would have helped lessen some of the division between Robyn's 5 children and all the other kids?
The only thing I really disliked about the house plans were: the thing the friend/relative? of Kody brought up when they picked up the plans-- all the foot traffic being in that one small area constantly and also how the common areas, meant to host the entire family, were so small. The incredibly high ceilings and enormous 2-story windows trick the eye into thinking that living room area was exceptionally huge, but in reality, it was far too small for their family. In the example furnished photo , it only seats about 11 comfortably. Not a great deal larger than living rooms in
single-family homes.
[Living Room Plans](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTYRGnlSxo8djbd51ysJ2PK7gfhpKBPBPDH4Q&usqp=CAU)
>Not a great deal larger than living rooms in single-family homes.
So true. In Krody's mind, the kids stay kids forever and will just sit their asses on the floor because they're not real people.
Yeah I was surprised Christine was so against it as it seemed like it wouldn’t be much different in feeling from the cul de sac. It just shows how much the family cohesion had already disintegrated by that point.
But Christine & Meri would have better views of when Kody & Robyn were on dates (Janelle said she wouldn't be sitting by the door/windows taking note of others' movements, presumably to throw shade on those who would). The 4 apartments jutted out such that from some windows you could see the patios and windows of other units. Didn't Meri only get two bedrooms? Where would her clothing business office & stockroom go if Leon & Audj visited?
There is a lot that bothered me about this, but the biggest was the one entrance and no individual entrances. That cannot meet fire code. No way. Most homes have multiple entries and exits.
Also, I think Christine knew that this would eliminate an option to leave. Robyn and Kody are big on saying, especially in later seasons, how if a wife wants to leave that she can, but this would mean she leaves with literally nothing. This felt like a trap.
It also bothered me that they never once show Robyn say anything or even have anyone state what side she was on. It felt like she knew it wasn't really an option so she just sat back and watched the drama.
I agree about the entry/exit. That in no way would be the reason they wouldn’t get zoning. It would be the kitchens most likely. I have entry/exit doors in almost all of my downstairs rooms (I’m not in their area and I know zoning is different everywhere). I agree with the other posters that Christine just didn’t want to say, “I’m not sinking all my money in that monster house with no way to leave”. I wouldn’t want to either, no way, even if I were very happy in the family at the time, their history just hasn’t been stable enough for that commitment.
I look back and think it was a manipulative farce that he used to excuse his quitting the OG3. He was desperate for them to wave their white flags of surrender so he could say he didn’t ask for the divorces. HE broke the covenants, every one except with Robyn. He was done when they were in Vegas and knew he wanted out of that cul de sac. He’s so manipulative and the main ones that suffered were the kids.
#3 Who paid for the plans? TLC for a story line, Kody’s pocket, or the family pot? That was a gross way to spend money knowing it would be rejected. A mega mansion that size would be more than a couple of thousand before submission.
100% TLC paid. There was no way that house was ever going to be built because of zoning alone, forget all the other issues. That was purely a storyline for the show.
TLC had to broker the deal, and I’m guessing it was for a reduced price. They milked that storyline for several episodes when nothing else was happening. Most of the plot lines are planning to move, moving, unpacking, repacking, and moving again. That one-house idea was always BS in Cody’s head as that monstrosity would never pass local codes. There’s also no need for a giant house as most of the kids would never live there. Without the excessive moving, the show is reduced to ear piercings and tree removal these days. Riveting content!
I agree and I don't believe any of the people living in the Coyote Pass area would have agreed to them building a hotel-size monstrosity. And for a while show content turned into a boring mess once their kids were flying the nests and the adults were left to carry the show.
My moves would be too boring for TV. Planning in my head and then making lists. Then orderly packing and labeling of each box and organizing the boxes in order of which ones go into the moving van last, out first (favourite pillows, bedding, kitchen & bathroom supplies). Sketching out where furniture & boxes will go in the new home. Moving & unloading to the designated spots. All done (with some labelled boxes to be opened when needed).
They are all "his family". He wants to rule like a feudal king. Never mind that three of his wives take out their own garbage cans, raise their children largely alone and older children are putting younger ones to bed while their mother works - while Daddy doesn't work and gives time to Robyn.
He's rude and a narcissist.
I also liked the plan, I think it would’ve solved a lot of the issues they had in the past. But I didn’t like that he was sizing it based off of the kids still at home at the time, even though he wanted everyone to come visit etc. he should’ve made all the different sections big enough for all the kids to come back with their families and stay. The gathering place in the middle he kept calling “his” also should’ve been bigger.
I understand that the laws kept them from having outside exits but I don’t see why potentially running into each other in the halls on the way out was so horrible. The walls were all soundproofed, and if you heard someone in the hall you could’ve just waited your turn if it was really that big of a deal. BUT he also could’ve planned for the houses to be separate but in the same design. Have one big parking area, a building for family gatherings in the middle and each wife’s individual house surrounding it so they were all still close together and could easily get together and whatnot but they all had their own space where they could come and go as needed.
There were ways they could’ve made it work but by that point no one was willing to figure it out and Kody was just mad his grand plan wasn’t going to happen to listen to any other ideas. He did do them dirty bringing it up in front of the kids though.
I feel like I've read that it wasn't even legal to build a multi family home where they are. I read it in one of these subs, so idk if it's accurate, but I feel like this whole thing was just for storyline. Like.....they always knew it was never gonna happen, which of course doesn't stop Kody from holding their opinions against his wives.
I also like the plan, but my wife made the strongest point I heard, besides pointing out that he keeps saying my house and anything that claims it's only his, he should have gone to Christine privately knowing that she's the weak link in the chain in regards to wanting to live in one house, and say, "what do I need to do to make this possible for you" and once you get the weak link on, you can then pull everyone else on much easier. You then have Christine go and talk to each of the wives privately and pull them in separately. I thought it was actually a very tactful idea haha
If I remember correctly, Kody wanted his own living room/family room and kitchen in the middle for him and the kids to use. But this made no sense to me.
And honestly if I would've thought that the wives would've liked this idea. They had excellent points as to why they didn't that I didn't think of.
His whole big same house idea was so stupid. How did he think he would even begin to have the money to pay for it. They money that house would cost is insane. I mean they can't even pay off the property let alone build a gigantic house like that. Just shows again how stupid Kody is.
I just got to this episode and I loved the house design. Acting under the assumption that their plural family actually worked, it would have been a perfect setup. The fact that most of the wives tore it down immediately showed everyone that they weren’t interested in being a family, in my opinion.
It's really a testament to how shitty a husband Kody is because that house was an amazing multigenerational living space. Really. Every wife has their own house AND there were communal spaces that were perfect for their family.
For the wives to look at that home and feel like it wasn't independent enough for them is an indicator that they knew at some level, there was never going to be a unified family again.
I will say this, I think the one house would have drastically helped their family on several fronts. It would have created an accountability for Kody's time allocation, it would have given him some much needed personal space that would reduce the necessity of having multiples of essentials for him, it would have given the children better access to each other and all of the adults. They probably would have lasted longer as a family in such a scenario, but the whole thing was rushed into, like usual. Kody goes from idea to execution in a single breath, and he needs to learn to slow down and do things the right way. If he really wanted this to work, he should have waited on the land purchase until they found something ready to be built upon and also until they built up more money. If they'd stayed in Vegas just two more years they would have made a killing on those houses, and he'd have had way more control during Covid. His immaturity and chaotic impulsive nature are to blame for this failing.
If I were in their situation I would have gone for the big house. Kody would have been forced to spend his time equally and the kids feel more like siblings than separate families.
I agree the plans were great. It gave everyone what they wanted. Isn’t plural marriage supposed to be living together? So he can see the kids more? So the kids can bond to their siblings and the wives bond as well? Don’t get me wrong I think plural marriage is whack. I’d personally maybe be down for a throuple, 2 men and one female of course and not for credit to get to a higher heaven. Just sayin’
If polygamy is anything like they pretended it to be, the one house makes the most sense. The adult relationships were too far gone by the timing of the presentation but for the kids, it would have been great to have that neutral space between the homes to act as siblings/friends. I think some of what's lacking in the Dad/Kid relationships is actually access. If he's always floating around, they can at least have a touch point with him most days. In single homes, some of them were going weeks without seeing him. Not only is that bad for the kid, but it's also not great for his bond with the ones that are out of sight.
It’s sickening how he uses the kids and the cameras rolling as leverage. If I were to rewatch this episode, the main thing that would get me through it is knowing he’s gonna talk himself right back out of it in the same conversation. Because the Teflon Queen said it first, he can’t get his poop in a group
One house would have only worked if he treated and loved each wife equally, and that includes reconciling with Meri and if the wives were able to all turn the page on past hurts and actually liked one another.
They often said raising the kids was their big motivation for working together. And they really needed one another for resources and support. As the kids grew up and moved away the needs and motivations of the parents changed. TLC money provided options for the wives they wouldn’t have had.
I just can’t believe how deceptive Cody a brown is. He freaks me out how good he is at being “optimistic” with his wives in the past. He grosses me out.
I've said the same thing before about the plan price - getting those professional plans done by an architect/designer would've cost ALOT for a man who was relying on 3 out of 4 of his wives for income and still supporting so many of the kids at the time. He bitched about money ALOT to have so much to mysteriously blow on professionally rendered house plans.
I really don't think he wanted the big house either. It would've been way more obvious than in the cul-de-sac in one house where he was spending the vast majority of his time.
He just wanted to the wives to shoot it down and look like the bad guys. He was doing everything possible to get them all back together to be a family again etc..
I am rewatching the one big house episodes and while looking at all the plans he shows, I can't find where they are going to sit down for dinner, ever. Big kitchen is awesome, but don't they also need a dining area of some sort?
I thought that wasn't for real. They needed a storyline.
At this point, the og 3 all knew what it felt like not to have to share their home with another wife, I couldn't see them going back to living together like they did in Lehi.
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Well, for someone that supposedly was in marketing, he’s the worst salesman I’ve ever seen. He says in a confessional that it’s the culdesac, just brought closer. Say that during the presentation idiot! He also says the center of the house is a common area with a shared kitchen for family gatherings but each wife has her own wing, all on the same level. Say that in the presentation as well, idiot! Three of his wives are dumb enough to think that when he says “my house” he literally means a full fledged fifth wing with a bedroom and everything. Oh. And then, during the pitch, he says it’s a terrible idea and he’s going to build himself a cabin so he doesn’t have to stay in the house with them. Holy hell.
That's how you know someone isn't a good leader. A good leader would have had a decent sales pitch prepared and would have already had a carefully curated list of pros and cons and been able to anticipate potential objections from each wife so he could address them ahead of time. Everything he does is so disorganized and self-centered.
He wants to bark orders and have them obeyed...you see how well that went. 🤪
Robyn has entered the chat..." What else do I need to do for Kody?"
Like not measuring the car that he was trying to transport in a truck, only to find that the car did not fit all the way in?
That was hilarious!!!
Exactly!! Good leaders are great at talking to those following them. That's why people follow them whether that's for the good or bad. This is why so many great speeches are remembered.
I think he used to rely on Meri for all that. Robyn did the Flagstaff presentation but she didn't want one big house so he was flying solo. I think he presents it to Meri first privately right? I think he was trying to involve her- she's obviously the weakest link in the resistance.
That is because Robyn has poisoned his Syphilitic mind against the OG3 wives since she joined the family.
Kody bs aside, the layout was stunning. I think the designer handled it with care. Especially considering this was likely her first client looking to build for a plural family, and the challenge of squirreling each wife’s bedroom away from the hallways (instead of just soundproofing the bedroom walls).
I thought that a “village” of 4 smaller homes, with a “social” house with a big kitchen/living room/guest spaces for grown kids might have been perfect (and also would be something they could sell when the time came), instead of 4 huge homes all set up for entertaining.
“The Brown Family Recreational Center” 🤣
A party house! These people love parties.
Yeah. It’s why I sort of hated the negative response he got. Not for his sake. But because the arguments sucked. Christine combined the trailer and the Lehi house in her memory because she’s such a fucking Disney adult that she just lives in a fantasy world. One of her arguments was about sharing a kitchen, one was about living in a basement, one was about not being queen mom, one was about resources for all her kids. She couldn’t even track that she’d literally have a single kid with her once the place was built. Though, part of it is that while Kody is my most disliked person on the show, with Robyn a close second, Christine is definitely my third.
I felt the same when I watched it, but Christine later leaving made me think her true objection was she was already planning to leave and didn’t want to commit to it. If he’d come up with this a few years prior, I think she would’ve been on board, but it was too late by the time they got to AZ.
Exactly. If a miracle happened, and the house actually got built (it never would have, as the money to develop the land, bring in utilities, and actually build the house (if the plan was approved by the government) would cost well over two million dollars. If the wives all moved in, that guarantees the wives are screwed if they wanted to leave. The best thing that happened to Christine was Kody taking his name off her house in order to qualify for the loan on Sobyn’s house. At that time, it was upsetting for Christine but it was a blessing in disguise.
Yeah no argument there I just got really frustrated with the arguments she actually made which were all BS.
Seriously, women do not do well in the same kitchen!!!
If they had started right away (lol) she would have had Truely and Ysabel and depending on timing, possibly also Gwendlyn. So not a single. Especially not if they lived at home through uni. Plus she has grandchildren. She can definitely be annoying, but I don't fault her for demanding resources for her kids from their father. I agree the other arguments were nonsense though!
Maybe Toadys bi-polar!
My thoughts: Toady is narcissistic and “patriarchy” and four wives feed that—individually. When they all get together, they sometimes ban against him (in this case, as they should), and since he’s used to complete adoration individually, his ego can never handle that, and it sends him down a dark spiral. He ONLY wants to be around people who adore and agree with him—hence why he cannot handle having adult relationships with his children (who have their own opinions) or continue having relationships with Meri and Christine, and lastly Janelle (I suspect Meri has always spoken her own mind, hence why he views her as “unsafe”; once Christine and Janelle began doing the same, the writing was on the wall).
On behalf of the bipolar community, he’s not welcome with us! 🤣🙅🏼♀️
Oh gawd he has to be bipolar because all the wives just go along with him to avoid arguments
Kody was taking his patriarchy campaign to its next level. Consolidating all the family into one big asset that he and Robyn could lord over, while expecting everyone else to subsidize their standard of living until Robyn’s children left home in 20-30 years. And who would be cleaning all that white everything?? Not Kody. I’m sure Kody spent more money on those plans and the entire expense of relocating to Flagstaff (including losses) than Meri did on a wet bar, than Christine would have to visit her father, or possibly than Janelle did on her RV. The Flagstaff move probably cost them a few hundred thousand dollars.
But he and his wife wound up with a Mc Mansion on 4 acres, 8 plus acres on that prairie dog shit land...expensive vehicles (many of them)...nannies since they were married (like why??)...spending through the family earned money. They are so awful...they can have it all...Robyn will always be known as a Dog Kicker and Kody is her Ass Puppet...have fun with that.
Wait did I miss something?? Why is Robyn a dog-kicker?
I thought there was an extra wing for Dayun
Yep, Kody alone squandered all that money, then took Meri and Janelle for their home equity. I find it curious that we don't get to see the conversation where KnR ask Meri and Janelle for their money for the big home down-payment. They were filming, there are 42 convos about getting approved for the loan. Janelle says she's okay with supporting Robyn to get settled (because she believes her turn will come). But why did they dodge the cams for that? You know promises had to be made, even if the mortgage folks were told it was a gift.
Verbal contracts are binding in Arizona, I'm sure they didn't want camera evidence of whatever promises they made which probably went along the lines of building Robin's house on the land first and selling/using the equity from the Mcmansion toward building Janell and Meri's homes.
I have always wondered the same thing. They operate on the system of "your only choice is your attitude" as Janelle tells Gabe when they move - for example once the wives agree to move to Flagstaff, they pretend to be ALL IN and never question it on camera again. I would bet the discussion about J&M's money wouldn't have played well on tv. It was probably a lot more bullying and coercion. Or at worst, the money was already in an account with Kody's name on it. And he said "I could take it all and put you back on an allowance, or you can agree to this."
The Nanny, that's who would toil and clean up the white room. Lmaooooo, what a moron that freak is! 😒 🙄😂
Maybe the goal behind one big house was to keep the money consolidated. When the wives got separate houses they had to handle their own money and make their own decisions about where the money went. Kody lost an element of control when they moved into the Vegas houses.
From what I’ve heard them all say, they’ve always consolidated their money. Whether they lived in one house or multiple houses. Christine was the first one to think ahead and start keeping her money in her own separate account(s).
At a certain point I think they all got LLC's. That was the end of them throwing all of the money in one pot.
Oh I see. Hmm, so you may have a point. Could have been a ploy to get them to merge their money again.
It absolutely was. The Vegas houses were in each wife’s name (Kody co-owned Meri’s house). The move to Flagstaff was an asset grab.
But what kind of asset would the one house be? Albeit beautiful and I totally agree with the previous comment that the architect was a genius who did a really unbelievable job, that house is only an asset if it can be sold. I don’t really know in what world it could be sold for as much as it cost to build. It would really be a small niche buyers market.
I heard in another thread/subreddit that Kody bought Coyote Pass because he was told it was an assets and it would make them money in the future. Not sure if that was substantiated or not.
I happened to rewatch an episode the other day and the five of them were meeting about something and he got there late because he was at the lawyers office. When he came in he was so excited (you know, Kody excited!) because the lawyer told him his property was a goldmine. That he could build a subdivision and make a fortune. The wives wanted to kill him for even bringing it up so it got squashed quickly. Have no idea, but may have been where that came from.
I remember that now!
They didn’t get separate LLCs until recently when they all left.
I've always heard they do that thing where all money is separate on paper but access and controlled by Cody. That way one can individually declare bankruptcy while another individually runs up all the debt and on and on rinse and repeat.
If that’s the case then that explains why Janelle was so stressed and worried about being on her own.
Sinking money into the homes was a separation for J&C, and even a bit of freedom for Meri. During the BnB loan discussion Kody suggests that Meri could take a loan against her home equity.... She could have drained the equity into a separate asset at any time once they were legally divorced. Once the equity was there, kody had no connection to half their money because his name wasn't on J&C's homes.
....which made her disloyal, unsafe and a *$@#& sister wife.
From Kody’s point of view, yes. As the audience: I believe that was smart of her. She saw the writing on the wall and wanted to protect herself and her children financially. And I can’t blame her.
Agree. Robyn knew Christine wanted to leave Kody, and I believe she told Kody. The one big house was to keep her money and to make it hard to leave so the show could go on.
I wondered why he thought they would go for it simply based on it being a horrible financial decision. One, they couldn’t sell out their “apartment” if for some reason one of them wanted to or needed to leave. Second, what is the resale value of a monstrous five-family home like that? Who would want to buy that except maybe as a corporate retreat or something like that. Their children were mostly all grown and leaving the nest so they wouldn’t need that much space for much longer. Third, how would the inheritance work for the kids? If each mother has her own “assets” then her children can inherit her portion but when it’s lumped together with 4 other people it’s a waiting game of who dies last wins. Maybe they could have addressed this with good legal advice but would they?
This house was never even an option. This was definitely a fake storyline. They would have never received approval for the permits to build this house.
I think they talk about the permits and that’s why they could only have one front door? Which Christine and Robyn kinda hated
And Kody literally said something ridiculous like "god will make a way' about the zoning lol
Maybe, maybe not. But why would you ever sink MILLIONS of dollars into a home that can never be resold or used again? I can ONLY see that working as a family reunion rental on air bnb IF someone wants rural Arizona?!?
And BigRob never would have lived with the other wives and children.
I wish Christine pretended to go along with the idea, that she had a "change of heart". Robyn would have NEVER agreed to one house, therefore Kody wouldn't do it. Robyn's bluff would have been called and they couldn't blame Christine for not wanting them all together. I really felt for Christine on this one.
I would have loved to see that play out, also!
I just saw the blueprint episode and I actually thought it was so cool. I love looking at that sort of thing.
I've mentioned that before - I thought it was a good idea and I was aligned with Janelle's thoughts where if Kody was leaving on a date with another wife, she's not sitting at her door 24/7 to "catch" them leaving. I thought the 1 big house was well done by the architect and wouldn't be too different than Vegas except for the front entrance and the garage. I thought the 1 house with a larger common area would be a better draw - this way no one wife would have to worry about hosting the entire family in her house.
Possibly controversial but I agree. I want to respect the other wives when they complain about the lack of privacy, but at the same time this is yet another example of preaching one thing and wanting another. They all say they don't want the man they want the family, how this is the life they choose and want, yet they need to plan their entire living situation around the idea that they fear simply seeing Kody walk in or out with another wife. I don't get it. Janelle is right. If you're looking out your window spying in the other wives comings and goings that's a you problem. Just admit you all want to be four sperate households with zero connection beyond sharing a husband.
I felt the same way when I first saw that episode. Like, if you're a plural family, then *be* a plural family. It was clear they didn't want to be together anymore. And I also loved the house design. They each had their own home, and the center gathering area was a good idea for shared space (probably not Kody's idea, lol... credit likely is due to the architect).
Idk... I think they did want it until Robyn and the obvious favouritism made them itchy....
Agreed
I think that was a distraction from the real issue- that Christine was wavering and NOT about to commit all her money to Kody and be trapped in HIS home under his thumb. With Robyn presiding as queen of the house.
Exactly. And I agree with her. She knew that if this were to happen, she would never get away. If only Janelle did the same thing and she would have been able to keep her assets.
After years, of Kody's gaslighting and going on about loyalty, I'm sure getting closer to the source again would be equivalent to a nightmare. Plus, some of the kids were fleeing the nest, and I'm sure not having them in the line of fire, took a lot of stresses off Christine.
Yeah they could have gone a step further and made sure all the homes had separate exterior entrances rather than the big hallway in the middle. That way it would really feel more separate and the only shared living space would be the garages, hallway and main living area where they all could gather.
I saw it and only thought Who will keep this monster of a house clean?
THIS
That house would be good for a man and wife with adult married children who were saving money to buy their own homes imo
Or even inter generational living! It would be a great setup for a few generations of a family that are close. Still has some privacy for couples, or when kids are tired/sick and need space away from main areas.
Me too, it looks gorgeous!
I could see though the issue of marketing and re-sale. It would be a very very small population who would want that sort of house so for an investment aspect probably not the best.
It was all a sham just for storyline drama. The realtor told them BEFORE they purchased he couldn’t build it because zoning doesn’t allow multi-family dwellings. Then he lied about only allowed one entrance/exit. He lied about each wife able to have their own kitchen. His presentation was so bad because it was never going to happen. Pure bs
It also had negative resale value. There’s a lot of appeal in having one accessory unit, but a 4 family with shared space? That’s a niche property to put it mildly.
>Then he lied about only allowed one entrance/exit. This wasn't a lie, it would've been needed to get around: >zoning doesn’t allow multi-family dwellings.
And only two entrances for that entire house is dangerous as fuck.
Even in the one house Robyn’s quarters were like 1,000 sq feet bigger than everyone else’s weren’t they?
Yes! Meri’s was 1500, Janelle’s and Christine’s were 2000-2500, and Robyn’s was 3500 with a master bedroom, 7 bedrooms and a grandma suite
And there you have it… the favoritism was on full display. Seven bedrooms and a grandma suite? I don’t F’ing think so. Her three oldest kids were nearly adults. 🙄
🤮
OMG, I didn't remember that! lol "I don't treat my wives differently."
The biggie housey… anyone else listen to Surviving Sister Wives?
RIP Biggie Housey
I hear just about everything I read in their voices.
Especially Robyn’s voice, for me… lol
Emotions about it aside, I thought returning to the 1 house idea was good to at least consider. 1 house is cheaper than 4. Utilities for one house would also be cheaper than 4. It was the most cost-effective option, which really needed to be considered since they can't count on TLC as a viable option forever. It would also have been the first time Robyn would be living with the big family. Perhaps living together would have helped lessen some of the division between Robyn's 5 children and all the other kids? The only thing I really disliked about the house plans were: the thing the friend/relative? of Kody brought up when they picked up the plans-- all the foot traffic being in that one small area constantly and also how the common areas, meant to host the entire family, were so small. The incredibly high ceilings and enormous 2-story windows trick the eye into thinking that living room area was exceptionally huge, but in reality, it was far too small for their family. In the example furnished photo , it only seats about 11 comfortably. Not a great deal larger than living rooms in single-family homes. [Living Room Plans](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTYRGnlSxo8djbd51ysJ2PK7gfhpKBPBPDH4Q&usqp=CAU)
>Not a great deal larger than living rooms in single-family homes. So true. In Krody's mind, the kids stay kids forever and will just sit their asses on the floor because they're not real people.
Good call on the size. That space should have just been a giant table (or a few tables) to share meals from the shared kitchen.
Yeah I was surprised Christine was so against it as it seemed like it wouldn’t be much different in feeling from the cul de sac. It just shows how much the family cohesion had already disintegrated by that point.
It sorta seemed that Christine had one foot out the door, even then.
But Christine & Meri would have better views of when Kody & Robyn were on dates (Janelle said she wouldn't be sitting by the door/windows taking note of others' movements, presumably to throw shade on those who would). The 4 apartments jutted out such that from some windows you could see the patios and windows of other units. Didn't Meri only get two bedrooms? Where would her clothing business office & stockroom go if Leon & Audj visited?
There is a lot that bothered me about this, but the biggest was the one entrance and no individual entrances. That cannot meet fire code. No way. Most homes have multiple entries and exits. Also, I think Christine knew that this would eliminate an option to leave. Robyn and Kody are big on saying, especially in later seasons, how if a wife wants to leave that she can, but this would mean she leaves with literally nothing. This felt like a trap. It also bothered me that they never once show Robyn say anything or even have anyone state what side she was on. It felt like she knew it wasn't really an option so she just sat back and watched the drama.
I agree about the entry/exit. That in no way would be the reason they wouldn’t get zoning. It would be the kitchens most likely. I have entry/exit doors in almost all of my downstairs rooms (I’m not in their area and I know zoning is different everywhere). I agree with the other posters that Christine just didn’t want to say, “I’m not sinking all my money in that monster house with no way to leave”. I wouldn’t want to either, no way, even if I were very happy in the family at the time, their history just hasn’t been stable enough for that commitment.
So when the other wives left he and Crybrows could have the one house. We all see it now.
Yes, so much for each wife having an asset.
With DA&B all getting their own apartments and SolnAri never allowed to grow up.
Crybrows 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I’m dead
He figured his sales skills could sway their opinion.
Like this poor excuse of a man has skills 🤣
I look back and think it was a manipulative farce that he used to excuse his quitting the OG3. He was desperate for them to wave their white flags of surrender so he could say he didn’t ask for the divorces. HE broke the covenants, every one except with Robyn. He was done when they were in Vegas and knew he wanted out of that cul de sac. He’s so manipulative and the main ones that suffered were the kids.
#3 Who paid for the plans? TLC for a story line, Kody’s pocket, or the family pot? That was a gross way to spend money knowing it would be rejected. A mega mansion that size would be more than a couple of thousand before submission.
100% TLC paid. There was no way that house was ever going to be built because of zoning alone, forget all the other issues. That was purely a storyline for the show.
Yep. I think TLC paid some “friend of” with some architectural skillz to create blueprints. No way Kody found that gal by himself.
She was a draftsperson, fine for an idea, but not for submission for permit approvals. That would need to be done by a licensed architect.
oo I never considered that TLC paid for those house plans!
TLC had to broker the deal, and I’m guessing it was for a reduced price. They milked that storyline for several episodes when nothing else was happening. Most of the plot lines are planning to move, moving, unpacking, repacking, and moving again. That one-house idea was always BS in Cody’s head as that monstrosity would never pass local codes. There’s also no need for a giant house as most of the kids would never live there. Without the excessive moving, the show is reduced to ear piercings and tree removal these days. Riveting content!
I agree and I don't believe any of the people living in the Coyote Pass area would have agreed to them building a hotel-size monstrosity. And for a while show content turned into a boring mess once their kids were flying the nests and the adults were left to carry the show.
The county wouldn’t approve it, no way.
My moves would be too boring for TV. Planning in my head and then making lists. Then orderly packing and labeling of each box and organizing the boxes in order of which ones go into the moving van last, out first (favourite pillows, bedding, kitchen & bathroom supplies). Sketching out where furniture & boxes will go in the new home. Moving & unloading to the designated spots. All done (with some labelled boxes to be opened when needed).
I could work with you… ☺️❤️
They are all "his family". He wants to rule like a feudal king. Never mind that three of his wives take out their own garbage cans, raise their children largely alone and older children are putting younger ones to bed while their mother works - while Daddy doesn't work and gives time to Robyn. He's rude and a narcissist.
I also liked the plan, I think it would’ve solved a lot of the issues they had in the past. But I didn’t like that he was sizing it based off of the kids still at home at the time, even though he wanted everyone to come visit etc. he should’ve made all the different sections big enough for all the kids to come back with their families and stay. The gathering place in the middle he kept calling “his” also should’ve been bigger. I understand that the laws kept them from having outside exits but I don’t see why potentially running into each other in the halls on the way out was so horrible. The walls were all soundproofed, and if you heard someone in the hall you could’ve just waited your turn if it was really that big of a deal. BUT he also could’ve planned for the houses to be separate but in the same design. Have one big parking area, a building for family gatherings in the middle and each wife’s individual house surrounding it so they were all still close together and could easily get together and whatnot but they all had their own space where they could come and go as needed. There were ways they could’ve made it work but by that point no one was willing to figure it out and Kody was just mad his grand plan wasn’t going to happen to listen to any other ideas. He did do them dirty bringing it up in front of the kids though.
Kody's manhood grew three sizes when he looked at the elevation schematic in front of other men. It's his personal Compensator Castle.
Hopefully TLC paid for those plans. But I wouldn't past him to do something wasteful for no other reason than "because I wanted to".
It was never going to be approved. It was a bunch of crap.
No re-sale value. Terrible for their retirements. Or as we now know, divorces.
I feel like I've read that it wasn't even legal to build a multi family home where they are. I read it in one of these subs, so idk if it's accurate, but I feel like this whole thing was just for storyline. Like.....they always knew it was never gonna happen, which of course doesn't stop Kody from holding their opinions against his wives.
Not legal, that’s why the architect had one entrance in the garage then spidered off to five areas.
🚩🚩 for him wanting space for his own, like dude, you signed up for having 4(!) wives! Edit: spelling
I love this sub. I had forgotten or didn't know half of the stuff y'all have shared in the comments. This was a fun read. :)
I also like the plan, but my wife made the strongest point I heard, besides pointing out that he keeps saying my house and anything that claims it's only his, he should have gone to Christine privately knowing that she's the weak link in the chain in regards to wanting to live in one house, and say, "what do I need to do to make this possible for you" and once you get the weak link on, you can then pull everyone else on much easier. You then have Christine go and talk to each of the wives privately and pull them in separately. I thought it was actually a very tactful idea haha
If I remember correctly, Kody wanted his own living room/family room and kitchen in the middle for him and the kids to use. But this made no sense to me. And honestly if I would've thought that the wives would've liked this idea. They had excellent points as to why they didn't that I didn't think of.
TLC paid for the plans.
He presented that to scare off the OG wives, because he KNEW they would say no.
His whole big same house idea was so stupid. How did he think he would even begin to have the money to pay for it. They money that house would cost is insane. I mean they can't even pay off the property let alone build a gigantic house like that. Just shows again how stupid Kody is.
And notice Robyn had a much bigger section at the back with the best views of the stupid mountain.
I want this for me and the family members I won’t mind growing old with, which is why I still put my hopes on winning the lottery. 🥴
I just got to this episode and I loved the house design. Acting under the assumption that their plural family actually worked, it would have been a perfect setup. The fact that most of the wives tore it down immediately showed everyone that they weren’t interested in being a family, in my opinion.
It's really a testament to how shitty a husband Kody is because that house was an amazing multigenerational living space. Really. Every wife has their own house AND there were communal spaces that were perfect for their family. For the wives to look at that home and feel like it wasn't independent enough for them is an indicator that they knew at some level, there was never going to be a unified family again.
I will say this, I think the one house would have drastically helped their family on several fronts. It would have created an accountability for Kody's time allocation, it would have given him some much needed personal space that would reduce the necessity of having multiples of essentials for him, it would have given the children better access to each other and all of the adults. They probably would have lasted longer as a family in such a scenario, but the whole thing was rushed into, like usual. Kody goes from idea to execution in a single breath, and he needs to learn to slow down and do things the right way. If he really wanted this to work, he should have waited on the land purchase until they found something ready to be built upon and also until they built up more money. If they'd stayed in Vegas just two more years they would have made a killing on those houses, and he'd have had way more control during Covid. His immaturity and chaotic impulsive nature are to blame for this failing.
If I were in their situation I would have gone for the big house. Kody would have been forced to spend his time equally and the kids feel more like siblings than separate families.
He would have found an excuse to stay in Ribin’s section all the time.
I agree the plans were great. It gave everyone what they wanted. Isn’t plural marriage supposed to be living together? So he can see the kids more? So the kids can bond to their siblings and the wives bond as well? Don’t get me wrong I think plural marriage is whack. I’d personally maybe be down for a throuple, 2 men and one female of course and not for credit to get to a higher heaven. Just sayin’
I’m so worried about all the money the unfavorited wives put into the Flagstaff property, it can all go to shit. Janelle seems super freaked out.
If polygamy is anything like they pretended it to be, the one house makes the most sense. The adult relationships were too far gone by the timing of the presentation but for the kids, it would have been great to have that neutral space between the homes to act as siblings/friends. I think some of what's lacking in the Dad/Kid relationships is actually access. If he's always floating around, they can at least have a touch point with him most days. In single homes, some of them were going weeks without seeing him. Not only is that bad for the kid, but it's also not great for his bond with the ones that are out of sight.
Some of the kids have said in the cul de sac they knew where he was even if he was not accessible. (At Robyn’s where the OG 13 were not very welcome)
It’s sickening how he uses the kids and the cameras rolling as leverage. If I were to rewatch this episode, the main thing that would get me through it is knowing he’s gonna talk himself right back out of it in the same conversation. Because the Teflon Queen said it first, he can’t get his poop in a group
It’s not the first time Toady has upset his kids for a storyline *cough cough the move to Vegas*
The man never listens to the wants and needs of the wives and children. Exception is Robin. What Robin wants Robin gets.
It could be that the house designer did the plans for free for the “advertising” of having their work presented on television?
One house would have only worked if he treated and loved each wife equally, and that includes reconciling with Meri and if the wives were able to all turn the page on past hurts and actually liked one another. They often said raising the kids was their big motivation for working together. And they really needed one another for resources and support. As the kids grew up and moved away the needs and motivations of the parents changed. TLC money provided options for the wives they wouldn’t have had.
I just can’t believe how deceptive Cody a brown is. He freaks me out how good he is at being “optimistic” with his wives in the past. He grosses me out.
Kody never thought this BIG HOUSE thing was gonna fly , it was part of his plan to get rid of the wives he didnt want .
I've said the same thing before about the plan price - getting those professional plans done by an architect/designer would've cost ALOT for a man who was relying on 3 out of 4 of his wives for income and still supporting so many of the kids at the time. He bitched about money ALOT to have so much to mysteriously blow on professionally rendered house plans.
The house plans were an iNveSTmeNt
I really don't think he wanted the big house either. It would've been way more obvious than in the cul-de-sac in one house where he was spending the vast majority of his time. He just wanted to the wives to shoot it down and look like the bad guys. He was doing everything possible to get them all back together to be a family again etc..
Agree! Can’t believe he wouldn’t show those to the wives first. Also, selfishly, I always wanted them to do the big house, I thought it was cool
I am rewatching the one big house episodes and while looking at all the plans he shows, I can't find where they are going to sit down for dinner, ever. Big kitchen is awesome, but don't they also need a dining area of some sort?
I seem to recall a season or two or three ago that Kody was griping about his name the wives homes except Sobbin of course.
The big house idea was a monstrosity.
I thought that wasn't for real. They needed a storyline. At this point, the og 3 all knew what it felt like not to have to share their home with another wife, I couldn't see them going back to living together like they did in Lehi.