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Also checkout www.monolitic.com, the are a good resource for info on Monolitic domes. (And they're right down the road from my old home.) I've visited their facility and toured several of their homes. Energy effeciency and structural stability are their biggest pluses in my book. The is a lot of room for debate about their looks, certainly many are outright ugly, but I've seen several that were nice inside. There is a certain amount of wasted space inside, due to the curved walls, so in a direct comparison of square footage, the dome house tends to be cramped or will have fewer rooms compared to it's frame counterpart. The trade off is that there is a more open feel, expecially in smaller rooms with the raised roof.
Hey anybody out there have, or know anybody that owns a dome home? We have been thinking of purchasing one. Would really like pros and cons on quality, etc of their dome home!!!
I too have been trying to find some info from someone who personally lives in a dome home. I have done a lot of research and really like what I have found.
They are good for Ok weather (tornadoes) because the air just passes around and over it. If you put the right kind of roof covering on it, it won't leak and they are fire retardant.
Depending on the company, they can be very easy for someone who wants to do it themselves.
If you square the walls rather than put round ones inside, you don't loose any floor space. They also make double domes that attach together to make a single family home.
As for price, I have found that you get alot more for your buck with domes than traditional houses.
The following website has several different sites for domes. If you look for OK there is one in OK City called Domes - Manufacturer and Builder Dome Homes.
my uncle and aunt live in a very unique dome house here on the coast. Its not one of the ones you can get via a kit or anything like that. They actually designed and built it themselves over several years. Its very very spacious, energy effecient, sturdy and unique. I think their only complaint is all the people that come to the door and want a tour of the inside! lol but as they say, it comes with having a more unique house.
Here's their website w/lots of pics of it going up from start to finish...its pretty awesome! Geodesic dome home project book on CD-ROM with virtual construction (http://www.uci.net/~parti/domepage.htm - broken link)
Good luck!
Tiffany
Last edited by tiffela74; 07-15-2007 at 09:57 PM..
Reason: change wording
Also checkout Monolitic, the are a good resource for info on Monolitic domes. (And they're right down the road from my old home.) I've visited their facility and toured several of their homes. Energy effeciency and structural stability are their biggest pluses in my book. The is a lot of room for debate about their looks, certainly many are outright ugly, but I've seen several that were nice inside. There is a certain amount of wasted space inside, due to the curved walls, so in a direct comparison of square footage, the dome house tends to be cramped or will have fewer rooms compared to it's frame counterpart. The trade off is that there is a more open feel, expecially in smaller rooms with the raised roof.
As others have said, there are two main types, monolithic and geodesic.
I would go with monolithic, because as the name implies they are one chunk of a structure unlike any stick built home.
We visited a lady nearby who had just finished her monolithic about two years ago, about a 44 footer as I recall.
She was very happy with it, said it was almost completely airtight so good exhaust ventilation is mandatory.
I like the looks of domes, and hers looked like a Mars lander off in the distance. Perhaps many don't share my taste in structures.
Monolithic domes are virtually impervious to the sort of wind damage that pulls stick houses apart.
I've wondered how costly it would be to design and build a concrete dome, not shotcrete. I read a story of a couple on the east coast who bought a former coastal gun emplacement, it was built of concrete several feet thick. Friends and neighbors come by during hurricanes.
GoPadge, you're lucky to live near the Monolithic people. I'd love to do one of their workshops sometime.
Hey anybody out there have, or know anybody that owns a dome home? We have been thinking of purchasing one. Would really like pros and cons on quality, etc of their dome home!!!
American Ingenuity is building a dome community in NC. I think they also have one availble in Florida. Domes from American Ingenuity - Home. They are the strongest most energy efficeint on the market right now.
Also checkout Monolitic, the are a good resource for info on Monolitic domes. (And they're right down the road from my old home.) I've visited their facility and toured several of their homes. Energy effeciency and structural stability are their biggest pluses in my book. The is a lot of room for debate about their looks, certainly many are outright ugly, but I've seen several that were nice inside. There is a certain amount of wasted space inside, due to the curved walls, so in a direct comparison of square footage, the dome house tends to be cramped or will have fewer rooms compared to it's frame counterpart. The trade off is that there is a more open feel, expecially in smaller rooms with the raised roof.
The only thing I have found wrong with Monolithic is they require very expensive and spesific equiptment to assemble the dome. American Ingenuity comes in pannels and is the most energy efficeint on the market. I don't think Monolithic give a warrentee against hurricanes and tornados, like American Ingenuity does.
My ex-husband and I built a geodesic dome in Merced, CA. It has stood since 1985, no leaks, great efficiency. It is probably the only geo in the world that has a real clay tile roof (not fake concrete tile). The riser walls are 6 feet high, so the curved walls clear most heads, except upstairs. Strategically placed furniture prevents people getting close enough to curved walls so no head bumping. No leaks. 2 x 6 studs and insulated every crack and crevice. No central heating and air for 3 years, just a wood stove. A cupula with electronically controlled windows to let heat out during the summer nights. 5 extensions (wings) we designed ourselves for the kitchen, extending the living room, downstairs bathroom and 2 bedrooms. Hot water heater located centrally with every spigot within 10 feet of it for high efficiency. Clean design inside and simplicity, avoiding that hippy or hobbit look, and use of high quality ceramic tiles for flooring. Every inch of space planned for use or storage. Minimal windows for highest R rating. Lots of visitors over the years (we took our time building it and built our rectangular garage first) and we also visited dome homes prior to our construction. Present husband and I are considering a monolith. Don't like my home to look like a spaceship (the geodesic doesn't) but believe the monolith might be less expensive to construct and no roofing needs. Anyone having experience with the concrete/shotcreted dome, we'd be interested in hearing more, including any known negatives. This would be built in the central valley of CA.
We have friends who live in a small modified (steel frame, ICF walls in the basement) dome, and it's very cute, except that it leaves some very oddly shaped room. The "center" of the house is sort of a utility shaft, and all the rooms ringing the shaft are like apple slices - narrow and long. The kitchen is galley-style with a dog-leg in it.
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