Can you build a "green" house in the Adirondacks?

[montcalm]

Also FYI, I do own a LLC. I could never make any money with it, not in a million years. I only own it to give myself liability protection.

But that brings up a bigger issue, in that Americans can't afford their own labor. It's really the same issue that is going on with trades.

I saw it happen working for a big corporation. I saw the dissolution of the UAW in this city. I saw what it was like to work at a failing corporation, despite all measures to export labor, move HQ to avoid taxes, and cut important jobs all while maintaining an ugly, fear-ridden environment of blame. It's not a pretty picture. America has been failing miserably on every front but somehow there seems to be a class of rich who can never fail.

[John H Swanson]

I feel like perhaps I struck a nerve...

By greasy I mean dishonest. There's really no excuse for that. I understand it's a fine line to walk, and perhaps many people don't catch what I do, but I don't much care for it.

I feel like maybe I grew up and witnessed the end of an era when trades people used to have to rely on a reputation to stay in business - that died sometime in the 80s, early 90s.

I disaggree for my area. In my town I would say more people than not use contractors for typical home projects. There is a town specific mom's facebook group and a dad's facebook group. Most of the posts are people looking for a reputable contractor for a specific task. When a post is made there are usually 3-6 responses. These contractors enjoy the benefits of a steady stream of work all for the simple task of being professional and reputable. Unfortunately, the very popular ones sometimes get overwelmed and dont always return calls.

These groups also get inquiries for doctors, accountants, lawyers, gyms, etc. Anything that's legal. We also have local freecycle and buy nothing with high volume traffic.

[montcalm]

I'm not saying that's not entirely true - there are reputable contractors, but they come at a premium, and as I said in the following paragraph that creates a large division between neighborhoods - and of course the contractors are going to go for the higher dollar jobs in expensive neighborhoods.

I was talking more about the "group" contractors though - mechanical industries like HVAC and plumbing. They seem to be dominated now by them rather than single individuals. There are some good reasons for that, but I also rate them about as car dealerships in terms of honesty. I've never worked for one, but they do work on similar premises except they come to your home. I have worked for a car dealership before, and I'll say this for certain, they take advantage of a lot of people and still don't do well financially.

[Addryn]

Sometimes I think about it, it really sounds like a good idea. I need to think about where the electricity will come from, maybe from a generator, and many other issues need to be resolved ...