Metal homes as an endangered species in NC?  Sounds like a method of
construction that may achieve its own significance in 50 years -- if it
doesn't rust itself into oblivion by then.

MDK
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From the March 1998 North Carolina Manufactured Housing News:

FEDERAL COURT UPHOLDS CATAWBA COUNTY BAN ON METAL HOMES

A federal judge has upheld a Catawba County zoning ordinance which bans
manufactured homes with metal roofs and siding.  The United States District
Court in Charlotte ruled that Catawba County's 1996 zoning ordinance
amendments, which require that single-section and multi-section manufactured
homes be constructed of hardboard or vinyl and shingle roofing materials,
establish a valid "appearance criteria" authorized by state law and do not
establish "construction standards" that conflict with federal law or the HUD
code, even though these requirements effectively eliminate metal roofing and
metal siding materials.

Clayton Homes, Fleetwood Homes, Champion Homes and Elixir Industries had
filed suit to challenge this local ordinance, which was unique in North
Carolina. <snip>.  Owen Tharrington, former Director of the Manufactured
Housing Division of the Department of Insurance, and Ashok Goswami, Director
of the Housing and Building Technology Program for the National Conference
of State Building Code Standards (NCSBCS) both were qualified as expert
witnesses at trial and testified that the Catawba County zoning ordinance
amounted to "construction standards" which conflicted with and were
preempted by the HUD Code.  Catawba County relied on North Carolina's
manufactured home zoning statute which authorizes cities and counties to
adopt "appearance criteria."  County witnesses also testified that they
developed their ordinance from the Model Zoning Ordinance published and
endorsed NCMHI, the N.C. League of Municipalities, and the N.C. Association
of County Commissioners.  <snip>