Good Karma Domes - FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about Dome Construction.

Let me be blunt, contractor's are building houses the way they did 2,000 years ago. With traditional building the roof weighs so much, interior walls are needed to support it; the pillars become the essential weapon in the fight against gravity (BOXING) . "Dome home" construction integrates the structure into a continuous curved surface. (JUDO) Curves are always stronger than planes. The attic in conventional housing becomes a huge waste of space, material, and labor that you pay for. Building square houses uses a lot of lumber (trees) this makes for a lot of weight now you need more foundation = more concrete = more trees = more labor = more money = more of your life. The sphere is one of the strongest structures known to man (found everywhere in nature from molecules to planets). enclosing the most amount of space with the least amount of material. The sphere is the most wind resistant structure. (Excellent for tornado and hurricane regions). Air circulates naturally in a round structure.

Here are some facts, the known truth

The sphere is a mathematical maxim, it encloses the most amount of area for the least amount of material. Less material ( concrete, lumber, man hrs., labor, etc.) = money. The triangle is the strongest structure known to man. You build a sphere from triangles you have a super structure. A structure is only as strong as its potential in theory; how it is built is the reality of the structure. I don't want you to be confused, I've been talking strictly architectural form and structure. Who builds it, by what method and materials is the reality of the structure's potential. The story of The 3 Pigs is a good example same structure 3 different techniques. Geodesic domes have been wind tunnel tested to exceed 200 mph, winds (but you can't build it out of straw). Why build a tornado safe room when you can buy a tornado safe home?

Dome Construction Method

Our dome prices are for complete dome shells. Your local carpenters and trade people may handle cupolas, doors, windows, and extensions at a savings. But we are happy to offer a quote and options in estimate. We concentrate our efforts on having the most affordable, labor friendly, structural, headache free dome kits available -- the way Bucky wanted it! We will always build to your specifications and needs. The sizes of our kits are guidelines; if you want a larger or more specific size or frequency we have no problem accommodating. Good Karma paneled domes come with triangles pre-assembled. Struts or framing materials are the best money can buy. Struts and interior framing of triangles are glued and screwed or nailed. Exterior decking (1/2" CDX mill certified unless otherwise specified) is glued and nailed on 6" centers and is factory painted to ensure against rain damage prior to roofing. All our domes come with engineer's calculations on weight and wind shear loads. And we guarantee to pass any structural building code standards. We work with you on pier and foundation plans. Triangles or panels come color coded for easy erection. Blue to blue, red to red, stick a bolt in it. Four 3/8" x 4" zinc plated bolts per side; that's 12 bolts per triangle. All nuts, bolts, washers, color code guide along with layouts for sheetrock and foundation piers are included along with 30 years experienced technical support. Our domes exceed building codes and all other manufactured domes. We also do 6 frequency and elliptical domes. We do custom domes and we give custom dome price! Contact us for a quote! Some of our customers have requested a bare-bones price on framing only and would like to apply the plywood decking themselves. We will offer this option at a 40% discount from kit dome price. Framing still comes color coded with directions for assembly with all nuts & bolts. Delivery costs additional.

Getting Started

Many factors need to be considered when choosing a site. Does it have any "infrastructure"? A. Good roads B. Septic C. Well D. Electricity E. Scenery. Consider an abandoned mobile home it may be so far beyond repair or in such poor condition, you can buy it on the cheap. The previous owner may have $15,000 to $20,000 of such improvements to the infrastructure. There are many properties like this. Another good source are county auctions. These are properties that may have good infrastructure and a dilapidated or useless structure. These properties take time to research; but many will come up year after year with no one to bid on them. Most times it is as simple as paying the back taxes. I have personally gone to my councilman and negotiated better deals than even taxes do. They figure someone paying future taxes and taking responsibility of the property a better course than no taxes and having to spend city or county tax revenue to keep up the property. Another source is E-Bay. They have many listings and auctions all the time. Keep yourself posted to your area. A real estate agent may have just what your looking for, but remember the infrastructure.

Dome Financing

We recommend "Owner Builder Loan Services" for financing owner/builder loans. They have loan applications on their website. Most people can't walk into a bank, and expect to get approval for a dome home without having done your homework. They are going to want to see an itemized budget with 2 or 3 estimates of every stinking phase of construction. They are going to want to know if your plans will be approved by all building code officials. They want to make sure their investment is well documented and meets all standards and practices. They will want to be assured that getting insurance will not be a problem. You will need all these quotes and paperwork. For these reasons I always advise having an engineer sign off on all phases of planning. Whether the city or county codes require it or not, the banks and insurance companies like to see it, and it takes that element of denial that they employee. When you have your paperwork done make lots of copies (6 or 7 of everything) and call ahead and make an appointment for a homeowners construction loan. Be professional. Don't go in with the attitude "we would like to build a dome". Go in and say "We are building a dome, and submitting our plans to you and others to see who has the best deal." Then be prepared to answer any and all questions. Its all about homework. We have a saying in the construction business "7 p's -Perfect Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance". There are only 2 factors in achieving your construction loan. You have control over both of them. One is homework, the other is your credit history. Comparable is a term used by banks and real estate agents to determine values on future structures. Example they may require information on other domes in your area. This is something that needs to be done before going to the bank as part of your homework. Real estate agents may know of domes, engineers and architects or city/county tax assessors. We are also working with other dome manufactures and Wells Fargo on a database of such comparables. Contact me for update. There are many planning and construction contracting manuals. If you are going to build your own dome, don't be afraid to spend money on books and floor plans and videos. You need to make yourself an expert on your ideas and be able to relate this expertise to all that work on the project. Its really up to you and no one else. Its not like baseball "There is crying in construction, and a lot of it"

Engineering

GoodKarmaDomes has the engineering available to meet all your needs. City, county and state codes for all 50 states. The 7p's to a good job , Perfect Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance! I have found Engineers as a group to be highly ethical and cost effective. Shopping for one that suits your needs is important.

Let your fingers do the walking through the yellow pages or on the internet. Introduce yourself and explain the situation. You are looking for a structural engineer or P. E , a civil engineer may also work but I prefer a P.E., structural engineer. Engineers have their own little circle of associates; everyone knows everybody else. They go to seminars and dinners together. Ask who is doing domes in your area. There is usually one person they will refer you too. He may know where other domes are in your area. He may have a good contacts with city planning and/or code officials that may have knowledge of domes. Why do I need an engineer? Many of the other dome companies have certified or engineered stamp approved plans that I can submit myself to the city, county or planning officials! Good Question! Or I am not building where I have to deal with these people.

  1. Remember about having paper work; homework, together before you go to bank, An engineered stamp approved set of plans will go along way to establishing credibility to your overall plan.
  2. City ,county , code or planning officials don't like you! YA, it's a personal issue ; if you are Jo Public they will make you wish you had never heard the word dome. They will lose your plans or send them back with so much red ink you will not recognize them. They are in the position to certify your plans as safe for habitation so they can get you on the Tax Rolls; but they are not willing to take on that responsibility for a structure they know little about, it is beyond their limited expertise. They can't come right out and say they won't OK your plans but they can ask you for all kinds of data and structural analysis indefinitely. The city or county does not want to be responsible for saying your dome is safe. An engineered approved set of plans removes the responsibility of the city or county to the engineer. The engineer is responsible for the data and analysis.
  3. So why don't I just get a set of plans from another dome company that already have an engineered approved set of plans; stamped and ready to go. You can do that , or we can do that for you too! The situation works like this. Each state requires that your structure meets a certain minimum threshold of criteria .i.e. foundation ,wind shear and snow loading or deadweight loading. Each state is different. This is most important for the foundation which; a couple of years ago, came under a national as well as state standards. To insure that a dome will pass these criteria many dome companies have elected to overbuild their plans so that each dome will pass all conditions in every state. Most domes have no problems meeting the standards and condition required. No matter who builds them or by what design or method; the basic minimums for structures are little more than a wink and a nod. Consider that a mobile home will pass the powers -that-be test. This is one of the reasons you have decided on a dome and hopefully a GoodKarmaDome, you want it done right, you don't want minimum nothing you want the best! It is the foundations that are the problem, they must pass both local and national standards.
  4. Most dome manufactures plans are designed to pass code for all conditions everywhere, this includes the design for the foundation. Most dome manufactures still place their domes on foundations designed for square housing. Long square concrete beams in the ground. To help understand. The foundation is designed to keep your house level and permanently stuck. Throughout the seasons ground conditions are constantly changing. In the winter when the ground freezes it expands and tries to force or push the foundation up out of the ground. In the heat the ground is loosened up and one side of the house may have less support under your footing ( that part of the foundation that is underground) either can result in disastrous conditions. The conditions of the soil or your terrain can change over short distances, in the middle of your house even. Remember most dome companies have a set of foundation plans that are designed to pass all the criteria of a conventional house built anywhere in the United States. There is a state soil extension center that will know the conditions of your area.

My point or way of thinking about the need for a set of engineered approved plans. Find a local P.E. or structural engineer to review the data and analysis that GoodKarmaDomes will provide (comes with the video) to ascertain the credibility of our domes. (We have passed every code we have met all over the world) More data is available if needed. Go to the soil extension center and get the plot and data they will provide for your building location. Saves the engineer this small hassle. We will work with the engineer you have selected (we are happy to interview him or her and may already have someone local in your area, to develop a custom pier plan to meet your local conditions.

Why piers?

For the design of a dome they are stronger (because they are deeper and penetrate below the frost line. and cost less than a conventional beamed footing. Ask your engineer if they think piers are better. They may want a pier with a small footing. Whatever pier plan they come up with, it will be far superior to a big clumsy labor intensive concrete expensive footings like _______________ use. Fill in the space. How much less. The extra concrete and labor methods that the other dome companies use will cost thousands of dollars more and not be as strong. The money you save will pay for the engineer to do his work on your foundation, submit all your building plans and review your total building program and still cost less. You have hired some one local , which the bank and building code people will know and hopefully like, keeping that money around town.

Picture yourself going into the bank now and saying we have tentatively hired Edna the local engineer and asked the city and county if they thought we would have any problems passing code and got their endorsement, we have some cost estimates we would like you to review. You know our credit and work history and we would like you to submit a loan schedule and finance breakdown for cost of your services; as we are shopping for a loan. To sum up. Engineers, God Love 'em, Bucky is on the all time greatest list. They have a better plan and 9 times out of ten they will save you money! Use them! Floor plans, if you want to design your own your engineer can dress them up. They are not all that important to the powers-that-be. I have submitted a circle with habitat written in the center and been denied because I did not have a structural analysis of the porch.

While we are here and I am in fine typing order, let me expand on this story. In 2001 I, here in Oklahoma city, where in 1999 on May 3rd the strongest winds ever recorded on earth were recorded 318mph. Where 10,000 homes across the state where declared unsafe or totally un-rebuildable, which in the following years resulted in insurance rates doubling and some time tripling rates, where in this state insurance companies contemplated even offering insurance, I ask our local building code enforcement officials what I would need to build a dome. The head of the department was located for his approval and he informed me that a certified P.E. or structural engineer would have to certify the dome and foundation plans. I showed him pictures of my building procedure and pontificated in front of the other builders how I actually glued the ¾ inch decking to the framing, how the shear panels were bolted 12 bolts per triangle, how the dome was bolted to the slab using ½'' all thread and 5,000 lb epoxy at 80 places. It didn't matter, he just smiled and said I had to have an engineer sign off on it. He's having his fun and as well there are a few of the builders enjoying my frustration and dilemma. I asked him "since the may 3rd tornado of 1999 what modifications to our building codes have we established or retro activated. Like hurricane tie down brackets for the roof rafters, average cost per house <$50.00 or shear panels on the exterior corners; additional cost to builder about $50.00 or have we gone back to using J-bolts like code required 40 years ago which would have prevented many homes from leaving the foundation in the first place; cost to builder at time of construction additional $50.00. His answer was "NO" I then informed him that the dome was just an idea and that I would probably just move a trailer house onto the site; and ask what I would need for that. " Don't need anything for a mobile home as they are approved by the company that manufactures them!" The days of 'The George Bailey Savings and Loan' are gone.

Insurance

Insurance is another headache that demands a sit down with your agent or outside bids on. We recommend "State Farm" as they have been most favorable to our designs. Make these companies be competitive. Just a quick insert here; do the major banking, insurance, and trades contacts person to person. Make an appointment. Be all about the bizness! You have a greater bargaining position building a GoodKarma ( not all domes are built by our standards )dome . Your position is one of building a safe low-risk structure; you can not be rewarded any savings without first making the insurance agent and policy underwriter aware of these benefits. You will need to have at minimum a couple of good estimates to provide the bank or lending institution, They will not lend or even entertain the idea of a loan without it. What follows are reasons domes are safer structures to live in and lower risk to insure.

  1. GoodKarmaDomes have been engineered to withstand 250 mph. Winds. Double strut construction, all joints are glued prior to nailing with screwshank nails, decking is glued before be nailed with 8 penny ringshank nails on 4'' centers. Dome is anchored employing highest engineered standards available. Different anchoring systems specifically designed for relevant area codes. Available for review by insurance company upon request.
  2. On Fire Safety As more an more people move and build in the country, the dangers of fire become a greater risk for home owner and insurer. Before purchasing your lot or acreage, find out what fire services are available. City fire dept., local, independent, volunteer all have a rating and then how far your are located from the services also will have a direct proportional return to your cost of coverage. With that in mind , ask the agent or insurance people you are investigating about a fire suppression system and that if incorporating one of these would reduce your coverage cost. A fire suppression system is a fire rated device; extinguishers, fire sprinklers or a fire rated hose bib These mechanical devices will get you support from your local fire dept. Have your local fire marshal do an assessment of your structures design, they lobby for builders to incorporate these systems and will support you in your efforts to employ them and enjoy the cost savings warranted by them. A fire rated hose bib is like having your own fire station. You have enough water capacity and force to direct a major flow of water on the fire for a certain amount of time. These can also be used inside the home and hidden away in a closet until needed.
  3. Have your dome home visited by your local fire dept. at least once a year to give you a clean bill of safety.
  4. In the country brush or any fuel should be kept clear of the structure. With conventional housing they are designed with a large tinder box "the attic" that actually 'overhangs' and reaches out to the fire. A domes shape is designed to draw away from the fire and has no dried out inaccessible attic.
  5. One of the most dangerous perspectives of fighting a fire; is that of the fire fighter who must position themselves under or over the fire as fires always congregate to the attic "an inaccessible dried out fireman's trap". With a dome the fire can be attacked from both sides of the exterior shell simultaneously.
  6. Because domes are self supporting structures they require less interior framing and incorporating steel interior framing and 5/8'' sheetrock will also get you points and lower rates. Even if the interior framing is wood you will still have reduced the amount of lumber or fuel by at least 30% over conventional built.
  7. In the building of commercial restaurants and handicap facilities we use what is known as fire blocking. Fireblocking is horizontal framing that goes between the studs to reduce the burn rate. A fire needs two things to live; oxygen and fuel, one without the other and the fire will die. A fire must burn through the fire blocking ; which takes time and oxygen, before it can continue. This gives you or your fire dept. time to arrive or for you to get out. Very important, another one of those ideas fire marshals have been lobbing for years to get builders to incorporate . Good karma domes are built with an overabundance of fire blocking. Every triangle is a sealed unit unto itself and with in each triangle more fire blocking can be found. Remember that all the wood framing and decking is glued. You can actually turn one of these triangles upside down and it will hold water. Or it will keep oxygen out. And a fire without oxygen is a wimpy thing!
  8. We recommend 5/8's sheetrock; another simple upgrade from ½'' but the points go up and the rate comes down. Endorsed by fire marshals.
  9. We recommend latex foams, some are fire rated and insect proof.

Insulation

a very misunderstood subject. Like any subject I profess knowledge of, I invite you to ask or investigate other professionals. Pertaining to insulation; because there is so much money involved, HVAC contractors and commercial HVAC engineers are very competitive. There has been a lot of excellent work done in this area to reduce energy consumption while providing a more affordable ,comfortable and 'YEA!' healthy environment. Ask them. There are two factors to consider when choosing insulation , yes the almighty "R" factor and the little known "air sealing properties" of the insulation. You can have an R factor of 50 but if you leave the door open it is worthless. Same goes for building the structure; if you have loose joints and open pockets in your framing like a hub and strut system ( I'm not to spend any time relating structures of comparison between domes and conventional framing) your going to get a lot of air leakage around or bypassing the insulation. Which brings us to fiberglass, it does not have the sealing properties of a sprayed in place foam. How many ice chests do you know of that contain fiberglass. All the fast foot walk in freezers; all of them, are foam insulated. The custom high end high energy efficient homes are foam insulated. The debate is mute! Energy savings are often as much as 50% when compared with conventionally insulated buildings. Cost installed about the same. Many of these foams environmentally and health conscious.

HVAC

If you were a mad scientist and wanted to design a bacteria breeding and air-borne dispersing system that you could effect the American population with; it would most likely resemble what you have in your house now. It is safer to breathe the air outside than what comes out of your air ducts. Any air ducts are hard to near impossible to clean. Dark and often moist; some run underground where pollutants stew making toxic brews. As builders strive to make home tighter and tighter (sealing out the air leaks) condensation and mold have found a home. Like I mentioned before HVAC engineers are a bright spot in the building field. 20 years ago they began developing heat exchangers that today are state of the art. Affordable accessories to many units and standard equipment on others they can filter 99.98% any air-borne pollen, molds, fungus or other contaminants while preconditioning the water or condensation levels in your home. Yes Affordable!

Dome home air circulation

Ever notice that commercial buildings have A.C. units on top of the building so cold air falls down naturally, while your home uses a forced air unit. Forces the air up through dirty damp duct works in the floor. That duct work is where all your mold's, fungi's and allergens breed. Nothing like a cold damp duct running under your concrete slab with forced air running through it. If you want your own personal bacteria breeder! Not to mention the 30-40% loss in energy efficiency to move that cold air to get it to your feet! They do make heat and air units where the cold air comes out at top and heat at the bottom. Put it in a dome and you need very little ducting if any! You cut your energy consumption for heat and air by 30-40% and eliminate the bacteria breeder. A unit like this also cost less to install no ducts under slab = less labor = less money. Estimated cost savings on down draft unit is $1500 on installation. Air circulates naturally in a dome, maybe add a ceiling fan.

From an article titled "Pollution Control" by Joe Mullich. If you listen to scientists talk about the poor air quality of the air inside homes, you might feel tempted to pitch a tent in the backyard and go live there.
The EPA estimates that indoor air is more polluted than the air on the other side of the window. Houses are virtual swamps of sniffle-inducing allergens - dust mites, mold, and pet dander, to name a few. The dust in homes also contains plenty of nasty stuff we track in from outside, such as pesticides, pollens, and lead. One study found that simply walking across the carpet kicks up as many particles into the air as smoking half a cigarette...A study by the Institute of Medicine said "air cleaners are probably helpful in some situations in reducing allergy or asthma symptoms,"....for people with diagnosed respiratory conditions, air filters are way down on the list of steps to reduce problems. Before you buy an air filter experts advise you do such things as use smooth flooring instead of carpeting, avoid furnishings that gather dust and wash clothing with the hottest water possible to rid laundry of dust mites. "The solution to pollution is dilution," says Paul Enright, MD, a research associate professor of medicine at the University of Arizona. "In other words, open a window."...

Heat exchangers or mechanical filters

Force air through a special mesh, thus trapping pollen, dust mites and pet dander. The gold standard for mechanical filters is the high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter, which was developed after WWII to keep radioactive particles from escaping the labs. HEPA filters remove 99.97% of all airborne pollutants at least 0.3 microns in diameter (which is hundreds of times smaller than the average human hair). Some filters designate themselves as "Ultra-HEPA," which means they remove 99.999% of such particles, but no evidence exists that this provides an additional health benefit, Dr.Enright says....Whole-house filters are labeled by their minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV). The American Lung Association recommends a MERV rating of 10 or higher. The higher the MERV, the better the system will be at trapping small particles like dander, dust and mold... FOR MORE INFORMATION: The American Lung Association gives plenty of information about indoor air pollution at www.healthhouse.org. The Association Of Home Appliance Manufacturers sets standards for air-filtration devices. Visit www.aham.org. Consumer Reports provides evaluations of specific air cleaners at www.consumerreports.org

Dome home condensation

As the need to make homes tighter and tighter and improve insulation efficiency, condensation may occur. However if a dome manufacturer is warning you of condensation problems they are about 10 years behind conventional built homes. And really behind the times. Moisture from perspiration, faucets, toilets, etc. cause evaporation and condensation. About 10 years ago when the problem was first identified the HVAC industry developed heat exchangers to solve this problem. In today's newest energy efficient homes sprayed in latex or water based foam (very human friendly) is used in conjunction with state of the art heat exchangers that expel unwanted moisture. They incorporate a comfort dial much like a thermostat. In addition these units filter out 99.99% of unhealthy airborne contaminates, molds, fungi, and dust. Ask your local HVAC representative for an estimate. If your dome builder is not aware of these mechanical marvels tell them to review homebuilding 101. See www.comfortmasters.com

Dome home concrete footing

Square houses weigh so much it is necessary to have a footing a continuous, reinforced concrete pour think of it as a concrete beam. It has to be below the frost line depending on your area of country Oklahoma ex, 2' deep and at least a foot wide. Bigger structures require wider deeper footings some larger houses have footings under load bearing walls. EXAMPLE Lets build a 2400 sq. ft. house 60' long 40' wide. That works out to 200 lineal feet of concrete footing 1' wide 2' deep or 400 cubic ft. of concrete 27 cubic ft. of concrete to a yard. Concrete is at $65 a yard in Oklahoma. concrete prices vary region to region. This works out to 14.7 or 15 cubic yds at $65 = $975.00 plus labor back hoe for digging form work labor intensive = more money. Domes are light in comparison and do not require this footing a very important little item that a lot of dome companies fail to mention. A problem with dome companies is they take a round super structure and try to adapt it to square housing standards rather than letting structure dictate needs. Instead of pouring a round footing use piers where vertices of dome intersect. A 4 frequency hemisphere has 20 such vertices. A tractor with a 1' auger will drill a hole for our pier 3-4' deep well below the frost line, bell out the bottom with post hole diggers. Our structural engineer tells me this is more to anchor the dome down from high winds than actually supporting the structure, - as it supports itself. Now you only need 80 cubic feet of concrete or 3 cubic yds. = $195 and this method is labor friendly and ends up stronger, I.E. saves you money = labor = material = your time.

Dome home insulation

We don't recommend fiberglass insulation. We recommend a spray-on cellulose insulation as it is insect resistant, fire resistant, easily applied, is a recycled environmentally friendly product, and is reasonably priced (about the same as fiberglass). This product eliminates insulation voids and air leaks. It has come to our attention that some dome companies say that condensation can occur in domes. After asking engineers and architects in our area we don't feel this is legitimate concern.

Dome home Basements

Plan your basements square or rectangular to fit within the perimeter of the dome. Or have just one side curved with the perimeter. Reason being back hoe operators charge by the hour. Also it's easier to form a square for a concrete basement.

Dome home Substructure

We can erect a dome on any level surface (dirt, wood floor, concrete slab, concrete piers, etc.) keep in mind weight load and wind sheer.

Dome home Roofing

ERSystems Elastomeric Roofing "Highly recommended"

Spun Flex Cloth embedded between two coats of ERSystems Elastomeric. This SpunFlex cloth minimizes over-expansion and contraction, it also helps to build up the thickness. This SpunFlex Cloth needs only be applied one time it will not necessary to reapply when re-roofing. Re-roofing is a simple reapplication of finish coat. Cost of re-roofing application of 40ft dome is less than $1,000 for materials. Can be sprayed or applied with roller. Low tech-labor friendly. Call (800)403-7747
$2.50 per square foot, labor and materials.

Asphalt shingles

"35 year" asphalt shingles, laminated shingles extra. We use a peal & stick underlayment instead of tar paper. This peal & stick goes by various brand names i.e. Weatherguard, Iceshield, Most commonly known as Peal & stick. This product will not crack, tear, shrink, or become brittle under severe weather conditions. If we roof your dome, this is what we will use, and I highly recommend it to the do-it-yourselfer. www.certainteed.com or www.polyglass.com $2.50 per square foot, labor and materials.

Dome Windows

Dome home triangular skylights go to Dome'l skylights or call John Morse (973)614-1800 We charge $50-$75 to frame in rough opening for window or skylight that will fit inside a single triangle. Prices are for complete dome shells. Your local carpenters and trade people may handle cupolas, doors, windows, and extensions at a savings. But we are happy to offer a quote and options in estimate

Dome home Riser Walls

We offer a variety of methods and sizes, including triangular base risers or conventional frame. A true 5/8 curves back in at bottom. Stem wall is straight, and can be built in triangles or as a conventional wall.

Dome home Paperwork

We expect our customers to do their homework. We help in all phases concerning city, county, or state codes. We have always exceeded code. We do not offer floor plans but are happy to review and make suggestions. Many dome companies offer floor plans and are reasonable. We just build a better cost affordable dome structure.

Dome home Delivery

Please check Estimator on Dome pricing page for current prices.

Dome home site labor

Most cases we deliver the dome and then stay as needed to supervise and assist with erection of dome at a rate of $200.00 a day per man. Domes up to 40' average 3 men 5 days on site labor. We are happy to do any or all of the dome shell construction only, and quote you a price.

All this information can be confirmed and we want you to check it all out get out the yellow pages and call some architects at their biz. Ask them about everything we've told you. To be fair, don't talk to just one or two call five and talk to them ask them questions, they're usually helpful and courteous as a rule and many are familiar with domes in your area or domes in general.

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