Dome Homes Dot the Landscape
#1
Buckminister Fuller lives on. Smiling
I could easily live in the one in Coquille!

Quote:While dome homes may be odd-looking to some people, to a growing set of home buyers, they are now the only way to go.

According to Dennis Johnson of Natural Space Domes in Minnesota, the housing crisis and recent devastating tornadoes have increased awareness and interest in building, or buying dome homes.

“We’ve had domes go through hurricanes,” Johnson said. “The three domes by New Orleans, had no damage around them at all even though the trees were decimated. [A] fourth one had shingles torn off, but no structural damage to the dome.”


Missouri’s Romain Morgan is a believer. In 2004, Morgan’s Halfway, MO, dome home withstood a tornado that swept over her home and left nary a trace of destruction. “I had no damage,” Morgan reported. “Just one piece of trim on a side window was torn off. I had a realtor ask me how much I would take for my house. I said ‘nothing.’ I won’t sell it. The feeling of security is incredible.”

Because dome homes are energy-efficient, easy to build and are able to better withstand hurricanes and tornadoes due to its round, aerodynamic shape, the dome home is becoming more popular — especially in areas that are prone to tornadoes and hurricanes.

The geodesic dome was first made popular by inventor Buckminster Fuller who wanted to revolutionize housing in the 1940s. Lightweight, cost-effective, easy to assemble, and built to withstand even the harshest of weather conditions, domes can be found across the U.S. and a number of companies sell dome kits.

“A bathroom would be a bathroom, and the kitchen would be a kitchen but the dome shell part of it is going to be less cost than a traditional box house,” Johnson said. “The safety factor is a big concern and I think this year a lot of people have been asking questions in regards to tornadoes."

Dome home kits range in cost; the basic frame starts at around $5,000 and the full kit, including siding, ranges more toward $75,000.

Interested in buying a dome home? Here are some for sale in the U.S.:

211 Camino De Lovato, Taos, NM
For Sale: $74,000
[Image: taos_exterior_v2.jpg]
This teeny-tiny dome — measuring 20 feet in diameter — sits on a whopping ten acres in Taos, New Mexico. Like many other dome homes, it was built with a kit and an additional kit is also available for sale with the property. Located twenty minutes outside of town, this dome is better suited as a little getaway home rather than a primary residence.
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9950 S Warhawk Rd, Conifer, CO
For Sale: $915,000
[Image: conifer-co_v2.jpg]
Like the Taos dome, this Conifer home for sale is a monolithic dome. Completely off the grid, this built-green 3-bedroom, 2.5-bath home relies on solar power for utilities. The property includes a little over 38 acres and is surrounded by mountain and forest views.
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9157 Hwy 42 S, Coquille, OR
For Sale: $350,000
[Image: coquille-or_v2.jpg]
Located on the southern portion of the Oregon Coast, this geodesic dome home sits on over seven acres of land with pasture, nut and fruit trees. The 2,060-square-foot home has 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and includes a private dock and river views. The home is a few minutes from the small town of Bandon, OR as well as nearby parks and beaches.

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#2
Those look to be "geodesic" domes, i.e. domes made out of triangle shaped (or are they 5 sided?) panels. It's my understanding those had their moments of popularity back in the '70's. They were known for being hard to waterproof at the seams. Not everyone finds they like living in a round shaped house, either, although they are very strong. It's considered hard to hang cabinets in, there isn't any wall space to hang pictures from, and you can't just push a couch up against the wall as a few drawbacks. Not everyone does well with an open layout that round houses lend themselves to, either.

Another sort of dome which is interesting is ones made out of earthbags - check out some samples here: http://www.google.com/search?q=earthbag+...20&bih=642 Earthbags are just sandbags filled with something handy (pumice would have at least some insulation value). I've tried to get someone interested in building one of these on my property, with no takers yet. I actually suspect a round house made out of straw bales would be more insulative (and bales can be bent round to a uniform size over a round form). The same drawbacks (and plusses) to a round shaped building would apply though.
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#3
(06-29-2011, 08:29 PM)PonderThis Wrote: Those look to be "geodesic" domes, i.e. domes made out of triangle shaped (or are they 5 sided?) panels. It's my understanding those had their moments of popularity back in the '70's. They were known for being hard to waterproof at the seams. Not everyone finds they like living in a round shaped house, either, although they are very strong. It's considered hard to hang cabinets in, there isn't any wall space to hang pictures from, and you can't just push a couch up against the wall as a few drawbacks. Not everyone does well with an open layout that round houses lend themselves to, either.

Another sort of dome which is interesting is ones made out of earthbags - check out some samples here: http://www.google.com/search?q=earthbag+...20&bih=642 Earthbags are just sandbags filled with something handy (pumice would have at least some insulation value). I've tried to get someone interested in building one of these on my property, with no takers yet. I actually suspect a round house made out of straw bales would be more insulative (and bales can be bent round to a uniform size over a round form). The same drawbacks (and plusses) to a round shaped building would apply though.

Round is good...ask any Native American. Big GrinSmiling
I love Buckie Fuller's work and I am amazed at how STRONG these babies are. Having a structure survive a big tornado is a wonderful thing.

Having said that, I'm enchanted with the earth bag houses! They remind me of tee pees with a lot of added strength and insulation! I'm not sure how it would be with a couple, but for me? I could winter in something snug and cozy like this:

[Image: rl28completeddome.jpg]
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#4
I think they look exactly like an improved (but not portable) tipi too. I've known people with "real" tipi's (OK, they all seem to be made out of fabric of some kind now, and not furs), and if you don't keep a fire going continuously they grow mold inside, which would ruin it for me. Earthbag domes by comparison actually look sort of sustainable, if as you say you like living in a round shaped house. The cost to build one of these is very inexpensive, once you have the land and get past the building inspectors. That might be the hardest part.

An idea I have had, a little more conventional, is to take a trashed existing home (mobile home perhaps?), and build new houses around them, using straw bales over an earthbag foundation and mud. When you were done, take out the middle, and never tell the building inspector or the assessor. I haven't tried this yet though. Smiling
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