By JOSEPH FITZGERALD

UXBRIDGE — When Jim Corriveau built a barn on his property in South Uxbridge five years ago, he knew some day he would build a cupola to grace the roof of the barn.

He also knew that the facade of the cupola would be fashioned with sheets of copper so that when the sun hit it in the morning, its radiance would be seen far and near.
In architecture, a cupola or lantern is a radially symmetrical ornamental structure (often dome-shaped or quadrilateral) located on top of a larger roof  or dome, often used as a lookout or to admit light and provide ventilation.
It didn't take long, however, for reality to set in.
When Corriveau, 66, decided back in May to take on the project, he soon discovered that copper was just too expensive. Copper is selling at record high prices, driven by worldwide booms in electronics and construction. Copper, which sold for about 83 cents a pound in 2000, now sells for between $3 and $4 a pound.
Corriveau did some quick arithametic. It was going to cost him $25 per square foot of copper and he needed 80 feet of copper for the project. That means it would have cost him more than $3,000 to cover the outside of the cuppola with the metal.
Then, one day while visiting the bank, he came up with an idea.
"I said, wait a minute, why not use pennies?" he says.
Corriveau bought $5 worth of pennies, which he estimated he would need to cover one square foot of the cupola. Doing the math, Corriveau figured out he would need a total of 20,000 pennies for the entire project, which would cost him $2.40 per square foot.
"That's dirt cheap compared to the $25 per square foot it would have cost to use copper," he said.
So, Corriveau went back to the bank and bought $200 worth of pennies. By deciding to use pennies instead of copper sheeting, Corriveau saved himself $2,800.
To look at the cupola (which he just completed after six months of work) from a distance, you can't tell the difference. You'd never guess it was covered with 20,000 pennies unless you were looking at it up close. Another feature you'd notice up close is that there are quarters around the edges of the cupola and the big letter "C" (C for Corriveau and the word circa) and the year "2008" are nickles and dimes.
"The hardest part was putting the pennies on straight. That took the most time," said Corriveau, adding that each and every penny was secured to the cupola "heads up."
Corriveau wanted to use all brand new pennies so that the cupola would really stand out, but the bank would only give out a mixture of old and new pennies. "Actually, it looks a lot better because it gives it so much more character," he says.
The base of the cupola is 5 x 5 and the cupola itself is 4 x 4. The penny facade is covered with a fiberglass epoxy to protect it against rain, snow and other heavy weather. Once atop the roof of the barn, the cupola will stand a total of 17 feet high.
"It was a pet project, but it came out a lot better than I expected," says Corriveau, who is semi-retired and the owner of Jim's Antennae Service, a business that has been operating in the Blackstone Valley for 42 years.
"My wife, Susan, has given me a lot of encouragement," he says.
If all goes according to plan, Corriveau is planning to erect the cupola at a "cupola raising party" on Sunday, Oct. 19 surrounded by family, friends and neighbors. "A friend of mine is coming over with a crane so we can get it up and bolted to the roof," he says.
Oh, and Corriveau's choice of weathervane for the cupola?
A pig.
"I figured it would give a whole new meaning to word piggy bank," he laughs.