Building a Cupola

You know I used to wonder what those little houses with arrows were that sat on the tops of old historical houses, garages, churches and barns. After some research I found out they are called copulas and served as a way to vent hot air out of the loft or attic area. Then my next thought was why don't people fix and paint them since a lot of them seem grungy. Building a cupola can be fun .