Last weekend I visited the local Home and Garden Show and I was so inspired by the patio rooms displayed that I made an appointment for a salesman to visit my home. After talking with him about my desires for the room, he crunched the numbers. I had figured the room would cost around $25,000. After he crunched the numbers, the first price was $81,000! He said, “I’m sure that is a bit more than you were expecting.” Of course, after all the deals and discounts, the final price was $57,000. Then we discussed some adjustments, such as, making the room smaller. Ultimately, we were able to get the price down to a meager $42,000. After he left, I ultimately decided that adding this room to my home is just not in the budget for this year. However, I started thinking about the cost of this room and the fact that no one would ever question the validity of this cost. The company has a good reputation, and the rooms are made from the highest quality materials.
Yet, when discussing the cost of adoption, many people question the validity of the cost. Many feel that adoption should be free or at the very least the cost should be minimal. In the mind of some, no one should be employed in the world of adoption and everyone should volunteer. Over the years, I’ve heard comments made that it is “free” to adopt through the state. This is simply not true. While the adoptive family does not write a check to the local Department of Human Services, the employees are paid and the cost of the process is covered by tax dollars. If you look at statistics regarding the average cost to care for a child in foster care annually, you will find that private adoption is actually quite inexpensive.
So, how is it that building a room for $42,000 or even $57,000 is so easily accepted but adoption costs are seen as unfair? Let’s look at this objectively.
In order to build this room onto my home, I would need to pay for the following:
- Building permit
- Materials-I want the best quality of course.
- Specialized workers for foundation, glass, roof, etc.
In addition, the company doing the work would need to cover the cost of:
- Insurance
- Oversight
- Shipping materials from the manufacturing plant to my home
- The room will need to meet all building codes and pass a safety inspection
- The company also offers me a lifetime warranty. If anything happens to the glass 20 years from now, they will send someone out to fix it.
How does this compare to adoption? Stayed tuned and read more next week!