"Me and my plants aren't going to take the bullet so a developer
can
make money," said Ludlum, standing in the humid, man-made ecosystem
he
has spent $100,000 building."


"The last landlord didn't mind. He thought the whole thing was
neat."


Ludlum's orchids fill a room the size of a studio apartment. Five
ceiling fans and a ventilation system regulate the temperature. A
hand-rigged irrigation system pipes water to the plants, sending earthy

runoff to a drain behind the building. "

Five ceiling fans, one ventilation fan and a hand rigged irrigation
system (read PVC pipe) in a 1000 square foot (25x40?) space costs
$100,000? That costs about $500 in Houston. Tables and such may add
$3000. Lights? Does he have lights? Add $10.000 just to make sure he
has lights. $13,500 in Houston. I don't see how you NY guys make ends
meet.