Have you built a dome home?

Question

I am going to start building dome homes and want to get some feedback from someone who has gone through the process at least once.

Answer 1

You really are on the wrong forum...expect allot of inane and dumb answers here (of course you can get lucky, sometimes).

I was involved in the 1960'a in staying at some of the first dome communes in the west and helping building them...Drop City for one (domes were made of car hoods..wild). The was one really nice one (I've forgotten the name of the commune)had a huge communal kitchen ,30-40 high,...looked like 3/4 dome (of about that) and made of plywood. The major problem back then was leaking.
Today things are much easier with the introduction of all kinds of silicon caulking and spray urethane? insulation.....In those day the struts were made with 2x4 predominantly outdoor.

One trick I discovered (recently) is that one can thin silicon caulking with paint thinner and roll it on (over say plywood)..of course one would want to buy it in drums and not tubes..
Silicon is an amazing product. Nowadays people use all kind of materials for struts as you know.
Go goggle on Geodesic domes. There are many people especially out around New Mexico making kits....

Buck Minster Fuller will be proud of you...once you solve their propensity to leak..then what frequency do you build..I like ones that can handle a circular staircase to a loft area....But since you ceilings are your walls furniture can be a bit of a problem, Most furniture is designed for boring square rooms.....
You might want ot go out around Taos, New Mexico..and see whats up with latest developments...

Oh, and you can make a pretty good spray insulation with ground up newspaper, a binder, some colorant and a fire retardant,,,like boric acid? The equipment to spray is not cheap but the materials are virtually free. Stay away from ground up Styrofoam (release a poison gas when it burns).....




Good Luck.....

Master Quark

Answer 2

Back Door Man - The Doors Kitchen Person - The Associates Fly On The Wall - XTC (well, no point in it being too clean) Let There Be More Light - Pink Floyd Across The Kitchen Table - Pale Fountains Living On The Ceiling - Blancmange Single Bed - Fox Throw in a few Inspiral Carpets and you're sorted. And outside: Garden - The Groundhogs just avoid: Burning Down The House - Talking Heads

Answer 3

I saw that on HG tv or something but there are only a few companies that will make the dome home, one is timberline geodesics. Not the greatest looking home but the most energy efficient.

Answer 4

nope sorry, did build a regular one though.