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<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/04/your-money/04wealth.html?em">http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/04/your-money/04wealth.html?em</a>
<em>The average price of a home in Darien was $1.165 million in 2008 and in New Canaan, $1.455 million. Greenwich topped the list, with an average home price of just under $2 million.
And the people who buy that average house ? 6,500 square feet on an acre or two ? rely on landscapers, gardeners, pool guys and all manner of tradesmen to keep everything in shape.</em>
(Greenwich's 2007 median household income is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenwich,_Connecticut">$168,779</a> according to wikipedia. O_RLY?)
<strong>Ahh, the burdens of having an 6,500 sq ft estate on an 1-2 acre lot.</strong>
1) Propping up a billion dollar landscaping and nursery industry in Connecticut.
<em>... the state?s industry generated $1 billion in revenue a year and employed 48,000 people.</em>
2) Fending off lawsuits from litigious lawnmower men.
<em>The more serious issue, though, is hiring someone who is not properly insured. Every reputable landscaper or tradesmen will have liability insurance for his employees and be able to produce the certificate. But that insurance is expensive. Mr. Femia said he paid $80,000 a year to insure his workers and equipment. If his employee is hurt mowing your lawn, his insurance covers it. If, however, a worker without insurance is hurt on your property, he can sue ? and end up owning your house.</em>
3) Big Lawnmower's non-negotiable rates
<em>?Once I said I couldn?t lower my hourly rate, he put it out to bid,? Mr. Femia said. ?That $4 to $5 an hour means a lot to me. I?ve got guys who have been with me 20 years and make good money. Is that five bucks an hour really that much to a billionaire??</em>
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/04/your-money/04wealth.html?em">http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/04/your-money/04wealth.html?em</a>
<em>The average price of a home in Darien was $1.165 million in 2008 and in New Canaan, $1.455 million. Greenwich topped the list, with an average home price of just under $2 million.
And the people who buy that average house ? 6,500 square feet on an acre or two ? rely on landscapers, gardeners, pool guys and all manner of tradesmen to keep everything in shape.</em>
(Greenwich's 2007 median household income is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenwich,_Connecticut">$168,779</a> according to wikipedia. O_RLY?)
<strong>Ahh, the burdens of having an 6,500 sq ft estate on an 1-2 acre lot.</strong>
1) Propping up a billion dollar landscaping and nursery industry in Connecticut.
<em>... the state?s industry generated $1 billion in revenue a year and employed 48,000 people.</em>
2) Fending off lawsuits from litigious lawnmower men.
<em>The more serious issue, though, is hiring someone who is not properly insured. Every reputable landscaper or tradesmen will have liability insurance for his employees and be able to produce the certificate. But that insurance is expensive. Mr. Femia said he paid $80,000 a year to insure his workers and equipment. If his employee is hurt mowing your lawn, his insurance covers it. If, however, a worker without insurance is hurt on your property, he can sue ? and end up owning your house.</em>
3) Big Lawnmower's non-negotiable rates
<em>?Once I said I couldn?t lower my hourly rate, he put it out to bid,? Mr. Femia said. ?That $4 to $5 an hour means a lot to me. I?ve got guys who have been with me 20 years and make good money. Is that five bucks an hour really that much to a billionaire??</em>