The Dome Thread

[Dreepa]

I want a prediction on when someone gets the stones and actually buys/builds a dome.

[Sweet Mercury]

The Pacific Domes aren't too terribly expensive. The largest one they offer has a base price of $60,000, significantly less than a traditional home.

Yet significantly more than a traditional tent.  Apples and Oranges....  Fabric Domes do not stand up to hurricanes and tornadoes and can definitely not be expected to last hundreds of years.  On the bright side.  Getting radio signals inside should be no problem whatsoever.

More than a tent, yes. But with the full winterization, can't they be used as permanent homes?

[FTL_Ian]

They're pretty expensive.  The dome I described above cost about 1 million for just the slab/shell and rough-in plumbing and electrical.  That's before you put any demizing walls up or the second floor.

According to the dome sites, these things cost about the same as a regular home, maybe slightly more.

[Roycerson]

According to the dome sites, these things cost about the same as a regular home, maybe slightly more.

I think we're probably all talking about different things.  I was originally motivated to post about the sprayed concrete type domes that they claim can stand up to hurricanes and tornadoes.  I believe they are every bit as strong as advertised but they are not cheap.  I suppose it depends on the housing market.  The one I have experience with would go for about 400,000 In the same location if it were a metal building with similar features and size.  It was finished out by volunteers with cheap or donated materials so something of the same size with more frills could easily be priced in the 1 million dollar range in the middle of the Ozarks where things are significantly less expensive than Florida or New Hampshire.  The big dome part itself came in at just under 1 million.  Put it in a different location and the cost of the shell of the dome will most likely decrease in ratio to everything else. 

These concrete domes I know something about.  I watched a "making of" video of this dome and have done some maintenance work in the building that was not related to the dome itself but I got the oppurtunity to give it a good once over and kick the tires so to speak with the eyes of a builder.  I'm sold.  They're cool and tough and your great-grandchildren will thank you. 

More than a tent, yes. But with the full winterization, can't they be used as permanent homes?

About the fabric domes.....  Sure you could.  I wouldn't.  I like Lloyd's idea better.  However I wouldn't bet on either of those standing up to small arms fire, hurricanes, tornadoes, or forest fires like the thick concrete jobbies.  By apples and oranges I mean concrete and cotton (or superpolymethawhateverhellitis.)

[FTL_Ian]

The initial cost of a Monolithic Dome is usually the same as a custom built, conventional home of equal interior finish. If you planned on buying a $100,000 house, you will probably have to pay $100,000 for your dome home.

http://www.monolithic.com/thedome/cost/index.html

Monolithics are cool.   

[Roycerson]

The initial cost of a Monolithic Dome is usually the same as a custom built, conventional home of equal interior finish. If you planned on buying a $100,000 house, you will probably have to pay $100,000 for your dome home.

http://www.monolithic.com/thedome/cost/index.html

Monolithics are cool.   

These ARE the domes I'm talking about and they are cool indeed.  I know they say that about the price but salespersons say all sorts of things.  I'm open to the idea of it being true but I've never seen real numbers from people who built them except in the case I mentioned and that particular case does not support the above statement.  That's not to say I don't think they're worth it. 

The dome I have knowledge of is larger than any of those floorplans on that link and it was much thicker than 3 inches at it's thinnest point.  It was more like 30" at the base and 12" on top.  It was built by some swedish company if I recall correctly (and I think I do... definitely in that neighborhood).  That bit about three inches changes everything I said about their strength and durability and makes my pricing irrelevant also.  As I mentioned before NH isn't particularly high risk for tornadoes (especially large ones) or hurricanes so I suppose the danger posed by flying cars would be less of a concern but as for that dome in the Ozarks.  I wouldn't endorse so heartily if I didn't think it could withstand the flying car/direct hit by F4 test.  At 3" they might stand up to very strong winds but flying debris packs a bigger punch.

[Russell Kanning]

http://www.shelterpub.com/_shelter/smart_but_not_wise.html

some thoughts about those triangle domes.

[KBCraig]

http://www.shelterpub.com/_shelter/smart_but_not_wise.html

some thoughts about those triangle domes.

Too deep for me. I have no idea what he said.

[Lloyd Danforth]

I want a prediction on when someone gets the stones and actually buys/builds a dome.

I predict it won't be me....at least for myself.

[Lloyd Danforth]

http://www.shelterpub.com/_shelter/smart_but_not_wise.html

some thoughts about those triangle domes.

The guy was kind of wordy.......potential libertarian author
I have a copy of DB 2.  If enough people wanted a copy, I would consider trying to reproduce it.  It is a large format.  I'm not sure how I would do it.
The leaking and 'poor material' problems in Domes could have been solved by the use of the Ferro Cement Process which was available at the time(70's).  Ferro Cement is basically a thin coat of re-enforced Concrete.  The sand is replaced by lighter materials to cut down on the weight.  Layers of screening are tacked to the frame, and the cement is troweled on to the screening.  They make big boats with this method.

I used this process once on a chimney.  Although the chimneys on old colonial houses come out of the center of the roof, they don't  always run up the center of the house.  Some run a couple of feet off center and when the enter the attic turn a couple of 45 degree angles to get to the center.  Due to the weight of all the brick this is a weak spot.  I  cured the problem in one house by wrapping it in three layers of chicken wire and cementing it from floor to where it went thru the roof.