In some ways, birdnesting seems simple. The children live in the same house all the time, even after divorce. Their parents move in and out in accordance with the custody schedule. The simplicity, and the fact that the children don’t have to move, often convinces parents that this is the right custody solution to use.
However, if you are considering this, it is also important to consider some of the complications it can create. You need to plan in advance to be prepared for these things.
You need another place to live
First and foremost, birdnesting means that parents only live in the house when they have custody. You will each need to have another place to live outside of that family home. Some couples will share a second home, but many will have two independent secondary living spaces.
You have to share the home
Additionally, even though you’re not living in the same house at the same time, you’re still sharing spaces. You may still get frustrated if your former spouse doesn’t clean up the house before you move in or something of this nature. Couples do need to be on relatively good terms in order for birdnesting to work.
You have to divide the costs
There’s also a financial side to birdnesting that you want to address. Who is going to pay the mortgage on the family home that the children live in? Who is going to pay for maintenance and upkeep? If you’re going to split these costs, how are you going to do it?
These complications don’t mean that birdnesting is not a solution you should consider, but simply that you need to think about it carefully as you look into all of your legal options.
