25 Dome Choices!
If humans and our dwellings, could be the solution to sustainable living, then dome homes should be at the top of everyone’s list. I know, if I had it to do over, I would live in one again, in a heartbeat. They are safe, easy to heat, and economical. They use at least 6% less material, in their construction than a conventional home. This very well could be the “green home” of the future.
Planet Green, considers them to be among the Worlds Greenest Homes, as you will see in the video. For those who are curious, or willing to pursue the idea of dome living, I came across this list of 24 different types of domes and their manufacturers. Some offering plans for DIY construction.
This was the dome we had built in 1984. 
It is much like number 5 on the list above. It was 45 ft. in diameter with 3 large bedrooms (upstairs was a spacious master suite), and 2 full baths. It was a very roomy 1,800+ sq. ft. Changes that have been made, are a larger deck off the slider, a new entry porch, a very large approximately 36×48 ft. standard garage and mature landscaping. I would move back in a minute!
Number 6 on the list, is the Monolithic Dome. Interest in dome homes, skyrocketed after the 2004-2005 Hurricane season. Cliff and patsy Monk, (she does not capitalize her first name), spent most of that time on the run from the storms in an RV. The Monolithic Domes structure is a 60 ft. wide, single slab concrete structure, nearly 4 inches thick. The Monks, now have absolutely NO fear, of riding out even a category 5 hurricane, from the comfort of there living room! See why they feel that domes are the answer to Florida’s drastic weather problems.
Back in February of this year, I wrote “Dirt”- Cheap Eco-Domes!. To me, there is no greater respect you can show for yourself and for nature, than by building a sustainable building with your own two hands. While most of the Eco- domes are 400 or 800 square feet, they can be joined together for a larger dwelling. They also have a 2,000 sq. ft. model that can be built for approximately $3,000 worth of adobe filled bags and barbed-wire! I absolutely love it. Cal-Earth is a non-profit organization that offers workshops teaching you how to build your house, out of Super- Adobe with a team of 3-5 people in a week! These domes and there durability and simple beauty are my current favorite.
With the main building material being earth, the simplicity of the Super-Adobe technique, allows for the possibility to quickly build emergency shelters, whenever and wherever they are needed, anywhere in the world. Most recently, a team from Cal-Earth has gone to Darfur, to help rebuild the damage and devastation to villages there.
Whatever building medium you choose for a dome home, you definetly will save energy and money, in the long run. There spherical shape, allows them to equally carry the stress of the structure, much like the unwavering durability of an arch. With Mother Nature, not always being so nice, this solution to housing could well be the safest and greenest choice you could make. Always working toward a better tomorrow!
