Dome homes – good or bad idea?

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I was reading an article called dome builder blues. This guy seems to have a real downer on domes, most of which I didn''t agree with. He points out about seven issues that make domes unsuitable for homes; I think only about two points hold water: You get more waste cutting triangles than you do squares from plywood etc Domes can be difficult to weatherproof As for the rest, well I had to laugh when he was talking about adding dormer windows and chimneystacks. Why would you add that kind of stuff to a modern design like a geodesic dome and why on earth would you make it look like it''s got slates on it? It''s like making a sows ear out of a silk purse.

[ Comments 1 ]

posted by bobobolinsky	31/08/2009 12:27:24
Considering structural ply covered with a firestone membrane, chimney up through the centre of the dome and through the centre of the roof of a cupola. There are though other considerations for UK building regs like position of sewergas vent pipe though water tight penetrations are fairly simple with membrane. I already decided on a heat exchange system to recover heated air from the top of the dome and return it to the bottom, or external vent, I think that there are always ways around specific problems. I think I saw the article, and one thing that stuck, was wind/snow loading and the structural distortion of the dome. With a plyboard covered dome, nails would pull out. Thought of screws, but that makes construction more time consuming. I've been cracked on dome living since the sixties and now I am bringing a childhood dream to fruition