I appreciate your comments, and I will print them out for further planning. I am looking to build either west or east of Asheville, possibly Candler or Fairview with a 30 minute commute into the city. I am arranging to go see the builder in November and the model homes to help design, price and finance it.

It is what is known as a round house with pre-set eight foot panels of cedar or pine with a full scissor and truss roof system. These can be arranged in a hexagonal pattern anywhere from eight to twenty-two panels, with kick-outs or add-ons in a traditional sense. They are very energy efficient (about half the cost of traditional electric bills) and are wind proof up to 180 mph.

They also fit on odd shaped lots, so they're perfect for steep slopes and small areas that traditional homes won't fit into. I'm giving solar some thought. Maybe even putting the set up in an add on garage or separate room off the garage, like a utility room. Don't know. A good friend of mine who lives up in NC told me about these houses last week, and I fell in love with them. Just got my video, full color pricing and model catalog, and scrap sheet to design my own floor plan today. Needless to say I'm excited about the possiblity of it.

Haven't found a lot yet, ........one step at a time, but the builders are locking in their 2004 lumber costs for another 5 weeks. Think I'll jump <in.>