Megamav: just a few thoughts about CAR.... scout in the Spring time for sporulating galls, they are very easy to spot. If the galls aren't sporulating, your trees can't get infected. If you spray with myclobutanil (Immunox) to control CAR you can even have a 1-2 day period after the leaves get infected to spray and still have the spray be effective. I suppose it is possible that areas with very low cedar densities can get away with no controls at all but who knows. It may also be possible that in some parts of the country, extended rains come in the Spring that combine with warm enough temperatures to cause the CAR gall sporulation period to be rather brief, say, a week to 3. If one only had to protect against CAR spores for a few weeks +- with Immunox, it makes sense to me that one could get by with 2 well timed apps.. I don't typically get suitable conditions (wet gals + warm temps.) to get all of the galls here to finish sporulating until about 8 weeks +- of the first sporulating galls. So, I watch the weather and scout until the galls are all done and spray only when needed, doing so makes it possible to spray fewer times. This year, we had far more Spring rain events, closer than usual, as a result I only needed 3 spray apps.. The point of all this rambling is, learn about the CAR organisms in your area and control them only when they are a threat to your trees, who knows, maybe you'll be able to get by with one spray.

Yes, "what the market will bear" is a big reason for the pricing of anything. It's worth what people are willing to pay for it up to the point where you increase demand so much you have to start hiring a bunch more people and building a new factory. At that point you raise your prices and fewer people will want what you sell but you're making more per unit than before. The other big factor is economies of scale. Most cheap freestanding ranges go into apartments, motels and the like. When you make lots and lots of the same thing, it costs so much less to make that you can afford to sell it for a lot less and actually have a bigger profit than if you sold fewer. Those are usually old tech models that have been made for years. They only cost resources and labor to make. The kinks have been worked out so they don't require a lot of warranty work. They're not for discriminating cooks. They're for landlords who can't rent a unit that has no oven (seriously, in some localities you can't get a certificate of occupancy without one--a cooktop by itself isn't sufficient). Of course, plenty of folks also buy these for themselves. The price and general reliability are very attractive. If it weren't for the thousands of units that you never see because they don't pass through retail inventory, however, the price would be a lot higher. As are wall ovens and slide in ranges. (And the design of the slide-in range isn't almost the same because it's a different model. Anything that isn't made from the exact same parts on the exact same line in the exact same way has different variables and a whole different cost/price structure.)

Outliers is an interesting book. The notion that "luck, coincidence and effort/hard work are generally all required to successful" at least looks at the mix that fate, destiny and the sweat of the brow play in most lives. But I would go a little further & still broaden the concept of "success" to include so much more than career or financial achievement. I think it is a big mistake (that our culture at large makes all the time) to automatically assume that a well-to-do person, or someone with a lofty title, is "successful" at life. They may be, of course, but they may also be full of anger, selfishness, & greed. They may have struggled & strived the joy out of their lives. They may never be satisfied. That is not success in my view. I do believe that life has plans for all of us. As I stated in another post, if we are attached to an image of our lives looking a certain way, we will suffer if life doesn't comply. That can happen at any income level. or..."Life is what's happening when we're making other plans," as John Lennon reminded us. I don't think being wealthy is in the cards for us all, no matter how hard we work. That's not the life every person is meant to lead. But that's not such sad or bad news either! People who have given energy & attention to what is real & capable of providing true happiness (connections, creativity, learning, growth, service, loving) are the most successful, in my view! Money may or may not stem from their endeavors. Either way, what could be more wonderful or more a marker of success, than when people truly enjoy what they are doing, find meaning through it, and are loving & at peace?

You talking to me? Or is the above post for everyone in general? Your post is total BS Architectrunnerguy. 99% of homeowners/builders have a budget and getting competitive bids is SMART, NOT CHEAP. The lower bids do not have to mean the cheapest quality. I have found in every instance the opposite to be true - every time! Big names mean big overhead. I own a small business. I get business because I do better work than the big guys at a lower rate. The subs we did hire do quality work- better than any home I have ever built or lived in. Maybe I got lucky, but my framer, carpenter/sider and cabinet maker are talented.- and yes, cost less- because they are small local craftsman. Again, cheaper does not mean inferior quality. The home we're building now is simple, because we wanted it that way. And by getting lower quotes (but again, NOT lower quality) we can have extras- R60 in the attic, Bibs in the walls, two foot roof overhangs, exterior and interior LED lighting, floors wood throughout, higher quality plumbing fixtures, counters, appliances, etc. And guess what? This 'cheap' home will have NO MORTGAGE. This home is also going to be the most energy efficient home I have ever owned. But we are lucky, we can do some of the work ourselves. What is wrong with that? So we are CHEAP because we: > Researched and hired the best local talent and kept the money in the local economy. I think you know the trickle down effect of this. > Educated ourselves on every aspect regarding home construction. Again, my partner is a smart contractor, so it wasn't a stretch. > Did some of the work ourselves. I wish you could know the satisfaction of doing an awesome job on your own home. Oh, but wait, that would be 'cheap'. > built a home that a big bank will NOT own. Therefore our son will not have to take out large student loans when he starts college next year, therefore he might be able to contribute to society instead of being a burden in the future- and his old parents might be able to save some money for retirement and long term insurance so the taxpayer won't have to pay for our 'cheap' old asses in the future. I don't know what your motivation was for your post (probably $) but it's just not true. You don't have to pay 25k to an architect or 50k to a kitchen designer to have a quality home- or to post on this forum. i would also say that since the merger with Houzz, this forum has really gone downhill. People in the building industry used to offer helpful advice here, but now all they do is try scare tactics- and not because they care, but because they want to make sure you over pay for their services. Why all the insecurity when people post about saving money and thinking outside the box some? There are always going to be people who will buy what they're selling, So what gives? And also know that there is one "pro" poster here that posts under 3 different names. I can't be the only one reading these forums for years that has noticed this. its just so deceptive and just plain wrong. I'll let you guess that one. in my opinion, I would not take any serious advice on these forums from people in the building industry - not since they merged with Houzz. But of course, that's just my "cheap", non-professional opinion.