anyone here know about monolithic domes?

[Gato Moteado]

has anyone here ever built a monolithic dome or other type of dome? or, does anyone have any experience with other alternative construction (i.e. rammed earth, hay bale, etc)?

[BigMcLargehuge]

1. I had a friend who wanted to build a monolothic dome motel

but he couldn't get zoning ANYWHERE for non-traditional construction.

Nice concept, but I think it requires an "outside the box" city/town council to even get the plan approved.

[Gato Moteado]

2. that won't be a problem.

i'll be far outside a city.

i wanted to see if anyone has ever built a monolithic dome and what it ended up costing. and, i'm interested in hearing about other alternative constructions and their costs.

[bicentennial_baby]

3. I'm going cob

Cob houses are wher it's at! Inexpensive, easy to build, cool in the summer, warm in the winter!

"The word cob comes from an old English root meaning a lump or rounded mass. Cob building uses hands and feet to form lumps of earth mixed with sand and straw, a sensory and aesthetic experience similar to sculpting with clay. Cob is easy to learn and inexpensive to build. Because there are no forms, ramming, cement or rectilinear bricks, cob lends itself to organic shapes: curved walls, arches and niches. Earth homes are cool in summer, warm in winter. Cob's resistance to rain and cold makes it ideally suited to cold climates like the Pacific Northwest, and to desert conditions.

Cob has been used for millennia even in the harsh climates of coastal Britain, at the latitude of the Aleutians. Thousands of comfortable and picturesque cob homes in England have been continuously occupied for many centuries and now command very high market values. With recent rises in the price of lumber and increasing interest in natural and environmentally safe building practices, cob is enjoying a renaissance. This ancient technology doesn't contribute to deforestation, pollution or mining nor depend on manufactured materials or power tools. Earth is non-toxic and completely recyclable. In this age of environmental degradation, dwindling natural resources, and chemical toxins hidden in our homes, doesn't it make sense to return to nature's most abundant, cheap and healthy building material?"

http://www.deatech.com/cobcottage/

[Gato Moteado]

5. wow, that is cool.

this is the kind of thing i'm looking for. i was originally thinking of putting up a monolithic dome but was surprised by the cost. i might not be able to afford the dome, so i will look into this.

thanks.

[short bus president]

4. there are designs and kits online

I looked into this before I built my house here. My next house will almost certainly be a dome, and at least partially underground.

BTW - I lean towards the welded-rebar framing with swimming-pool gunnite exterior. The unfortunate problem there is what to do with the interior. Some of the 2x6-based wood kits came with drop-in panels for the inside finish, and drop-on panels for the exterior, and the framing was designed so that you could climb up it as it progressed, avoiding ladders. I don't have the links handy anymore, but just google "dome kit" and you'll find 'em.

[Gato Moteado]

6. there's a dome city in texas...

...just north of waco in a town called italy, tx. i've toured some of the domes there and they are excellent.

they have a patented system where you inflate a big dome made of parachute material and spray concrete onto it from the inside. it's reinforced with rebar, etc. it seems like the price to build one of these things has increased dramatically over the years and i am looking for similar types of construction that might be cheaper.