Monday, June 29, 2009

Not an Aluminum Airstream but a very close kissin' cousin and being very smart and thorough about it.

This small house, on a quiet road, is sitting on a nice size piece of land surrounded by a beautiful canopy of tall old oak trees. What stuck me as I approached it was that it looked forgotten and forlorn. Without knowing its story, what I think makes its special and stand out amongst its peers is that it is covered entirely in aluminum. Walls. Roof, Windows, Awnings. Screen door. The all shebang. (You'll never have to lay a paintbrush to this baby. Ever.) Like its distant brother on wheels, the iconic and not-so-humble Airstream travel trailer, this tiny mansion on the lush grassy lawn is thinking big. Built for the ages. The owner figures if it's covered from head to toe in solid aluminum it'll last forever. They say that after a 75 year history, 60% of all Airstreams are still around. That's a real target for this house to set its sights on. Except for a few bangs and car dents here and there, to be expected from homeowners thrilled and anxious to get home to their snugly little aluminum castle, the roof looks tight and waterproof and the walls seem to be reflecting all of the sun's rays really, really well. (That sure keeps the air conditioning bill down.) I don't know if it'll surpass its iconic brothers on wheels for longevity, but it's got a good shot at it. Stay in the race little aluminum palace. You already win for the world's most creative and thorough use of aluminum. Hands down. (Now we must do something about that pesky and unsightly plywood over the window. Darn! I hear a weekend project revving up. )

4 comments:

  1. Very interesting building, that's for sure...and it may not take a lot of upkeep but the owner does need to do something about those unsightly rust stains...

    We can always count on you to come up with something worth looking at, Frank!

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  2. I also see there's a cement pad already poured. I wonder if an aluminum garage is on the drawing board. Neat subject Frank.

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  3. Now, if we can just get rid of the termites...

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  4. Perhaps the termmites could be encased in aluminum. That'd work!

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