In a message dated 4/30/01 2:37:00 PM Central Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

How does ugly old aluminum hold up?

Sharpshooter,

Ugly aluminum does not hold up very well. Attractive aluminum holds up a bit
better.
Granite holds up fairly well. It also can be heavy and hold things down. If I
had to start over I would consider eliminating corners and the need for metal
flashings. For my philospher-king-shaman $.02 I believe the future, and the
past, is in masonry domes. I particularly like the idea of masonry domes
built well above the water table and then covered with a mountain of earth
and shallow rooted plants. Pyramids seem to work pretty well also, though
they have a fairly large footprint:living space ratio and the cost of labor
may be somewhat exhorbitant. I'm not sure what to make of the relative merits
of piling dirt over a dome as opposed to a pyramid.

Shaman