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Comment by mothballed | Hacker News Reader

If they are that enterprising and go-getters, I paid some guy almost $10k to roof my house, and he gave me an invoice showing the price of materials were only about $3500 of that. He did it with a few friends in two days, maybe 60 man-hours of work. All they had was a few ladders, harnesses, an ancient truck, and they didn't look like the sort to have wasted much of it on insurance or overhead.

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> and they didn't look like the sort to have wasted much of it on insurance or overhead

This is in general a really bad idea. Not only can you be on the hook if they make a mistake with the install, or mess something up like venting that ends up damaging appliances or plumbing, but if one of them falls off your roof, depending on the circumstances you could be personally liable for their possibly life long medical treatment (or end up in an extended lawsuit as they try to claim that you personally directed their work). Make sure your contractors have insurance.

>wasted much of it on insurance or overhead.

Insurance and overhead (eg. safety harass) exist for a reason other than to drain your wallet. Roofing is also a physically difficult job. You won't find many 50+ year old to couch on a rooftop all day, regardless of pays.

I would expect kiddos who are all-in on going to college won't be able to see any other opportunity as acceptable. They've spent almost their entire lives trying to get into a good college. No college may not seem like even an option.

You sound like you are blaming them personally, instead of the teachers and guidance counselors who pushed them in that direction.

How are children supposed to know the adults in authority positions around them are full of shit?

> How are children supposed to know the adults in authority positions around them are full of shit?

I think that was my underlying point. It isn't blame, its just that they don't know any better. They've been sold the One True Path To Adulthood and Success and Happiness and it is a false bill of goods.

That’s 108 dollars per hour. That seem reasonable?

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