In 2018, Susan Sarandon bought 45 acres in Vermont for an off-grid solar-and-geothermal home; 5 years later, engineers and staff flagged 47 alleged construction problems

Sustainable homes sound like a dream: solar panels on the roof, a private well for water, geothermal energy instead of a furnace. That's exactly what actress Susan Sarandon had in mind for her Vermont estate, but her case shows how often that dream runs into messy reality. A review of building construction cost research published in the journal Green Building & Construction Economics found that sustainable buildings have often been associated with higher initial costs and a greater risk of cost overruns than conventional construction. Sarandon's case appears to reflect that kind of budget risk.

Starting a retirement plan from scratch

According to court filings, Sarandon purchased 45 acres of woods and meadows in 2018 in Stamford, Vermont, near the Massachusetts border. The land was undeveloped except for a small cabin. She wanted this property for her retirement. She had a vision: a house that was completely off the grid, powered by solar, fed by well water, and heated and cooled by geothermal, in light of what court filings describe as “increasing global environmental instability.” There, she wanted to grow her own food, eventually move in full-time, and get involved with the local community where she already had friends. This was not a celebrity indulgence. It reflected a trend that is increasingly common among younger buyers today.


When the dream started leaking, quite literally

Sarandon’s vision ran into serious trouble by August 2023. According to Reuters, her company, The Right to Bear Farms, filed suit in federal court in Springfield, Mass., on August 17. The suit named DeGrenier Contracting & Property Management and its owner, Chad DeGrenier, as defendants. The case involved several significant allegations. Engineers, contractors and Sarandon’s own staff found 47 separate problems with the property, which cost about $2 million to build. Problems included buckled siding, missing insulation, mold and an unfinished ceiling in the main bedroom.

Reuters also reported that the lawsuit alleged that DeGrenier misrepresented his qualifications, inflated invoices, and billed for construction work never done. After construction was complete, Sarandon said she paid DeGrenier nearly $140,000 to oversee the property, which she feels was mostly money wasted. She sought damages for breach of contract, unjust enrichment and fraudulent misrepresentation.

Why eco-friendly homes are more vulnerable to this kind of trouble

Off-the-grid and sustainable constructions can be more complicated than conventional houses. Solar arrays, geothermal loops and well systems all require specialized contractors who understand how these systems integrate. The Green Building & Construction Economics review notes that many contractors still use traditional means of estimating cost while using new and innovative systems. This can be one reason sustainable construction becomes over budget or defect-prone, even for wealthy homeowners with good intentions.

Younger buyers, a separate but related trend

Whatever happened on Sarandon's own property, the broader appetite for solar-powered, self-sufficient homes has kept growing. Residential solar installations in the United States rose 34 percent between 2020 and 2021, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration data cited by Pew Research Center, and growth continued into 2022. The trend began cooling more recently: installations softened through 2023 before dropping sharply, by about 31 percent, in 2024, according to industry tracking by Wood Mackenzie and the Solar Energy Industries Association, as higher interest rates and state policy changes reduced demand. Separately, Pew's research has found that millennials are more concerned than other generations about weather-related risks to their housing, and more willing than other generations to embrace sustainable home features.

So what happened to the lawsuit?

The case never went to trial. Court records show the lawsuit was dismissed May 15, 2025, roughly six months before it was set to appear before a judge in Springfield that October. Both sides filed a joint stipulation of dismissal, so the public record does not reveal the terms of the dispute’s resolution.

The lesson for anyone with a similar dream

Though Sarandon had the financial resources, the vision, and presumably good legal counsel, she still ended up in a lawsuit that dragged on for two years. Her case is more of a cautionary tale for those who are saving money to build their own sustainable homes, rather than a reason for people to give up on the dream. Homeowners can take a few practical steps. Do not be swayed by a sales pitch; verify the builder’s credentials and previous work. Have an independent engineer inspect the work at different phases, not only at the end. Keep aside some funds to cover any surprises because sustainability is a new field even for most of the construction industry players. An off-grid, solar-powered home isn't a bad goal. It's simply a goal that needs careful planning, patient research, and a healthy dose of skepticism toward anyone who promises an easy build.