Six-Dollar Dome

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The shape of the arch is what determines the shape of the finished dome; so—if you decide to join the Umbrella Conspiracy—take care when you lay out the struts for your bubble. You can use any, number of boards and vary the curve to suit your fancy or the necessities of your living space. The only requirements are that the top of the arc be reasonably fiat and the bottom boards be more or less perpendicular with the ground. Each support should at least vaguely resemble a half circle.

You can be equally flexible about materials: We worked with five-foot struts of 1" X 3" oak, but just about anything will do. Don't use big heavy timbers, however . . . they weigh too much and aren't necessary.

When you've nailed your first arch together, you may think the result looks pretty flimsy. That's OK, because the only function of the supports is to support the plastic and give it shape. The skin takes most of the load and distributes the stresses so that the completed structure is quite strudy.

Brush aside your doubts, then, make two more arches using the first as a pattern. One should be a few inches taller than the model and other a few inches shorter (so that when the supports are put up the top struts of your second and third semicircles will fit just over and just under the top of Number One).

Don't worry about being precise your carpentry. All the little variations contribute to the funkiness of completed structure and help you away from the idea that houses should be regular and exact. Remember that any variations are just manifestations of the cosmic flow, and that the finished ished dome will thus reflect the spiritual conditions that prevailed during construction. A lodge so created fits much better into the scheme of things and doesn't disturb the universal energy because it is part of that wholeness. Think of the Umbrella as just growing by itself—like a tree or a flower—without regard for angles, precision or plan. Have you ever seen a tree that was put together wrong?

When you've finished all three arches, carefully raise therm one at a time (with a person at each end). Steady . . . they're very fragile at this point and can break easily. This is the time when an unexpected wind can destroy the whole thing in about two seconds. This is also the time when all the friends and/or spectators who should be arriving to have a look at this weirdness will shake their heads and tell you that the building will never work. Don't believe them . . . get them to help.

Once you have the three arches in place so that the struts are more: or less evenly spaced around the perimeter; lash the supports together tightly at the top where they cross. If you're ex pecting winds you may want to run a ropy: from this point to a stake inside the dome as insurance that your new home won't blow away.

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