It would be an easy matter to make the eaves much lighter by using, say, wooden shingles instead of tiles.

ECONOMIST: AN ENGINEERING MYSTERY

Early on, the couple thought about using wooden shingles, which are common in the region, but they went instead with naked wood.

WSJ: Inside Story: A Modern Farmhouse in Austria

The design featured a wooden frame on top of a concrete-slab foundation, with an exterior covered in gray asbestos shingles. (Steel was in short supply.) The structure violated the Cambridge fire code, but it was granted an exemption because of its temporary status.

NEWYORKER: Groupthink