Dome Homes (Durango: loft, houses, construction)

[MrGerardo]

I would like to open a discussion about dome homes under the Colorado thread. I think they are the construction of the future and since we are all concerned about global warming and going green, these are highly energy-efficient. What does everyone else think?

[jwiley]

Originally Posted by MrGerardo

I would like to open a discussion about dome homes under the Colorado thread. I think they are the construction of the future and since we are all concerned about global warming and going green, these are highly energy-efficient. What does everyone else think?

I think I have been hearing how dome homes are the wave of the future for th last 20 years, until you can convince the public to actually want to live in them, then they are just that, something that may catch on in the future.

[sunsprit]

Outside of a few folks building these when "Bucky" Fuller was promoting the concept, these were a real failure to deliver on the promises of energy efficiency and low cost housing.

There's many other ways to achieve construction simplicity and energy conservation which have been proven in many climates for a long time. Even something as simple as adobe works better, or rammed earth construction ..... which use mostly (if not entirely) locally available structural building materials ... work in many locales. Earth berm houses are far more energy efficient, too, in many climates, even when using a lot of conventional building materials, or concrete or cinder block walls.

By way of comparison, there's nothing about building a dome structure that isn't a manufactured product. If these structures had been such a good option, they'd have caught on many years ago .... and they haven't, even in climates favorable to their use.

[multitrak]

i can't tell if you want to know about aboveground or underground homes, but for the underground ones, google Formworks (it's a Colorado owned company based in Durango). it should dissuade most folks of the notion that underground homes are dark, dank, and moldy bunkers.

[MrGerardo]

Originally Posted by multitrak

i can't tell if you want to know about aboveground or underground homes, but for the underground ones, google Formworks (it's a Colorado owned company based in Durango). it should dissuade most folks of the notion that underground homes are dark, dank, and moldy bunkers.

They actually look more aesthetic than the dome home I was describing. Do you know anyone who pursued building this type of construction or what the average cost would be? I would love a small home with only one bedroom, one bathroom.

[High Altitude]

There is a very good reason why houses are built with straight walls in rectangular shapes.

As far as energy efficiency goes, there are much better ways than dome homes.

Dome homes are a huge pain in the butt to build, with the exception of the basic shell framing, and a regular house, built right, that takes advantage of the sun will be better.

I would only build a dome home if a dome home was exactly what I wanted.

[brightdoglover]

An old boyfriend of mine was doing finish carpentry for a dome home in California. He said it was a complete PIA because the walls weren't at right angles, and most cabinetry, etc., are.
I personally feel domes lack "houseness," that almost instinctive desire for a sheltering roof kind of shape. They are ugly.
I don't know that the domes that have been built are any more energy-efficient than a well-built, insulated, etc. small house of a more usual shape.

[charlescamden]

I helped my cousin put together a Dome house in 1985, The pieces were all pre-fab for the shell and a nuisance to bolt together, The footers were difficult due to oddball measurements. It has a loft with a spiral staircase, if I remember right the drywall was a real PIA to hang because of all the angles and the fact that half of the dome was wide open (ceiling to floor ,lotsa scaffolding). And i do not think he ever got the skylights to stop leaking, He has since built on 2 wings to the existing dome and he went conventional construction on them, he has confided in me that he wishes he had went conventional from the beginning.

[multitrak]

Originally Posted by MrGerardo

They actually look more aesthetic than the dome home I was describing. Do you know anyone who pursued building this type of construction or what the average cost would be? I would love a small home with only one bedroom, one bathroom.

nope, i don't know anyone personally who built one. but what i could gather from my i-net research, the underground ones have roughly the same or a bit higher cost per sq ft as conventional construction.

[HarpSong]

Originally Posted by MrGerardo

I would like to open a discussion about dome homes under the Colorado thread. I think they are the construction of the future and since we are all concerned about global warming and going green, these are highly energy-efficient. What does everyone else think?

Sure hope it's not too late to reply even though, some time has lasped. I totally agree with you about domes being the construction of the future. I don't understand why more people can't see this. Bucky Fuller wasn't stupid - he was way ahead of his time. I do dome research am interested in one for healing with sound. PH