Dome homes are anti tornado, fire, quake, rot, emp, termite, etc

Makes me wonder why we aren't going this route faster. Most people 'dont like these dome homes' because they look "odd". I'd take peace of mind, safety and life over 'looks' any day. Do read on. It's quite interesting. I have links too Yay, links!!!!

Dome homes (I just found out about them last night) are tornado proof, fire proof (in places where fires break out, forest, etc), earthquake proof, emp proof (with the right components installed into the dome), weapon projectile proof, termite, rot, flooding, mold proof. They are very green too, require super little upkeep and maintenance; slashes bills nearly 3/4, keeps warm air in in winter and cool in in summer.
www.monolithic.org...

You can have levels, 2 story, 3 story, they can be small to mega huge (Think churches, schools, sports places), you can put in inground pools indoors, basements, you can devote one to growing food, flowers, etc., livestock.....
You can even have them connected to make bigger homes! Garages, game room, one of the bigger sized ones has a freakin' built in in ground infinity spa pool D:
also:
These things last centuries, not decades like the usual square homes. Think Panthnon in Rome. Domed, been around for centuries now, still going strong. Needs upkeep here and there but nothing like the usually built things, right? *nudges you* right????

With all these positives, I'm stumped why folk prefer to rebuild regular normal 'what we're used to seeing' homes after floods, quakes, tornados, pay extra for termite proofing, fire and water damage, etc, annnnnd struggle to pay bills for electric etc when it seems that these dome houses are nearly eliminating all those issues. The smaller ones are kinda cute, the bigger ones are awesome. Here are some floor plans and dimensions of most all of the models. The wee ones are good for a single person but they definitely go up from there in family size, offerings, etc.

www.monolithic.org...

Seriously, take time to check over this site and all its information. When I first saw them I was laughing "Like I want to live like a Martian/Jetsons lol no'. And then i really READ and saw all the positives and benefits. You know? It seems worthwhile to get one, a smaller one, build on as I go and know that I - and my son's future kids and their future kids if they all wanted to live there after my death - will have a safe long life because of these.

I kinda dig em, to be honest. They're very doable in too many ways. So many wins in the immediate and way down the road spans of time. FIgured I'd share with all of you.


Edit to add this link to a pic of a dome as the sole survivor in this area from the Moore, Oklahome f5 Tornado.
It's the only house/shelter standing. Pics speak loudly, don't they, just?

www.monolithic.org...

I've had an eye on building one of these for a few years. I am not a big fan of square architecture. I was thinking of connecting a few domes, digging a fish pond, and covering the domes with the removed earth. A hobbit would love it.

a reply to: sarra1833

I've always kind of liked dome-homes. They are also very easy to emulate a "Hobbit House" so that it blends into the scenery.

Aunt Beru? Uncle Owen?

Sorry, I couldn't resist. I thought of the Lars homestead when I saw the images of the domes. They are really neat looking. I'll be perusing the images at the link since I love to study unique designs like these.

Thanks for the link!

I hope more people look into these Yeah, they do have a star wars/hobbit feel to them but hey, if they save lives, save money and save the economy AND trees, etc., what is NOT to love????

a reply to: skunkape23

You were posting as I was typing...LOL.

But I'm sure if you wanted to build one in town for other than a business, you would probably encounter some problems. People don't like the "odd" house in their neighborhood.

But in a rural setting, it makes sense.

I love this design.



www.houselogic.com...

And would really blend in the the setting I'm moving to. But then again, so would a small log cabin.

Pricings not bad,

I looked into these awhile ago Concreate canvas they run around 25k, unfinished.

So 25 for a finished concrete domes not bad.

Wife an I have been reasearching Tiny houses, Earthsheltered homes, and things like concrete domes.

Seems 25k tends to run the entry point if you don't want to do all the building yourself.

Ill have you know we built these in the sixties quite a bit....hippy houses....
They were constructed from hexagon shaped panels made of triangles of ply wood...
Now , I hope they are using ferro cement or other substance...with a fish net of metal reinforcing you have an effective Farraday cage.....very efficient and long lasting...but you couls spray any shape you want...

a reply to: benrl

Yeah, the pricing isn't too bad (I saw one on the monolithic domes site I posted links to in my op where it was 60k for just the shell but once everything was in place, 130k) so that's a little pricey BUT as it points out and as it makes sense to me, the long term benefits plus current to forever low cost of taking care of the place and bills being lowered SO much, it's definitely worth the money. I wonder what 'normal' home owners pay a year, a decade, 25 years etc for maintenance, upkeep, bills, etc in contrast to a dome?

This is definitely something one has to think about for the now and long term where money/future costs and savings are concerned. I still think a dome would be the wisest investment.

I was reading also on there that for people making 8 to 10 an hour (a rough number they used) it's a safe place with low bills for their own home and landlords could charge 400 a month, bills included, and the working poor could actually have a safe place to call home, instead of a mobile home (tornado/quake/ high wind threat) or shelter (robberies, assault, in some).

These domes really seem to be a good thing. If folks can get past what they look like and look at what they DO, it truly outweighs a 'look'.

The picture on that site of the Moore Oklahoma f5, all the devastated 'once were houses' debris and in the middle stands an untouched dome, that sold me. This is that very picture.

www.monolithic.org...

a reply to: sarra1833

These domes really seem to be a good thing. If folks can get past what they look like and look at what they DO, it truly outweighs a 'look'.

The thing is, people seem to be always worried about "The Look" of things. The car they drive, The clothes they wear, etc, etc.

About the only way a dome home in a urban/semi-urban setting would sell is if you bought the land and built nothing but Dome Homes. Of course, each property would have to be at least two acres, otherwise, "The Look" would look right. LOL

a reply to: sarra1833

ET somehow impressed this on me long before I ever looked into it. It really is the ultimate survival necessity. Alas too much money for my blood however I have a friend who built one somehow with a green technologies and it only cost the woman 55K. Very uptown and nice.

I LOVE them and wish so much that I had one. My neighbor does and it is huge.

a reply to: stirling

Stirling, this is how they are built now, at least with this particular company:

www.monolithic.org... this should tell you all you need to know Definitely beyond plywood.

Ive never understood why so many that live in tornado ally or on the east coast wouldnt consider a dome home constructed of concrete with an architectural neighborhood friendly design . Only seems to make sense.

Geodesic domes. So 1970's

Ive long wondered why more structures in tornado alley arent built as geodesic domes. Makes sense to me.

That said, I know that they have come across many architectural issues with domes, most notably that the way air and moisture fills a dome is different than other structured, and the building materials tend to degrade a lot faster in them.

I don't either. I guess the argument is that they look awful and will depreciate the normal houses or *gasp* will make the city/town be known as 'dome village'.

Guess the mayors etc would rather be known as 'we have rebuilt 90 times in the past decade and have lost x amount of poeple' than 'safe against all threats weather-wise'. I'm just shaking my head. Kinda goes to show how outer appearance means more than personal safety. If I were a mayor of a city/town/village, yeah sure proper darned TOOTIN' my people living in my city/town/village would have dome homes! I want my people safe, end of. There are billions of ways to design ones dome to look amazing and mind blowing and like it's a 5 million dollar home inside and out.

no excuses in saving lives. none.

a reply to: sarra1833

A guy I grew up with lived in a domed home... it was a really cool house. The only drawback, that I am aware of, is that they can get some funky acoustics...

a reply to: antar

I hope you are on great terms with your neighbor. In the event a tornado/flood etc comes, you could find your safety there.

I watched a tornado vid on youtube last night and a guy filmed the nado coming and going and instantly, soon as it was past everyone, he ran to the closest home decimated right up the block. When help came, he was able to say that every person on said block was accounted for, only one person had a scratch, etc.

Knowing our neighbors goes beyond 'flour borrowing' or 'just being nice'. A lot of us stay to ourselves and, were something bad to happen, wouldn't be able to let help know that 'Mr. Smith is over there but I haven't seen little Susie...' We all need to find our humanity towards others. I'd feel awful to learn someone perished in my neighborhood because I didn't know that so and so lived there, or this family actually has two kids; not just that partying teen who is always out and about. In a life changing event (tornado, fire, flood, etc), it's vital to know who is around you.

a reply to: sarra1833

Edit to add this link to a pic of a dome as the sole survivor in this area from the Moore, Oklahome f5 Tornado.
It's the only house/shelter standing. Pics speak loudly, don't they, just? - See more at: www.abovetopsecret.com...

Not a negative comment about dome homes, however, the dome house/shelter that you refer to as the only thing standing was not a home but rather it was a fully designed tornado shelter built to withstand an F5.



Source

You should look into cal earth. The method they use is super cheap and as strong as your op mentions. It was a technique invented over at cal tech to help house people in 3rd world countries and refugees at low cost out of the most abundant building material around...dirt or "earth". Pretty smart too!