Dome Kits: The Adoption of Dome Homes

After the design of the geodesic dome back in 1926 by R. Buckminster Fuller, people began experimenting with how they transform these domes into greenhouses, homes, planetariums, and anything else they could think of. A series of vacation homes began to erect, as stated by Rita Reif of the New York Times, “The dome boom is just beginning in the East. Vacation homes have been spotted on Fire Island and in Montauk.” (1971). The geodesic dome became the perfect vacation home. Soon as the size of the dome greenhouses being built began to expand they eventually turned into entire biomes made to house entire ecosystems. Domes have become commercialized and dome kits can now be bought and set up extraordinarily easily. This has made them become increasingly popular because someone can set up their entire home by themselves in just a few days. There aren’t many other alternatives with the same ease and low price out there. All of the contents of a single kit can be made to fit in the back of a common SUV and set up in any climate or area. A geodesic dome’s versatility is truly one of their best qualities and that’s why they have been able to be adopted by people all around the world.

Image credit: Inhabitat

Dome Kits: Building From Scratch Can Be A Lot

While geodesic domes are made to be super easy to build yourself when purchased from dome kits, the process can get quite complex when attempting to do it from scratch. Due to the rounded nature of the building, the measurements do not follow basic geometry, but rather spherical geometry. For example, in basic geometry, a triangle can have no more than 180 degrees inside of it and it is impossible for all three angles to add up to anything less than 180 degrees. However, in spherical geometry, this rule goes out the window due to the slightly curved nature of the triangles. If someone is inexperienced with building this way then it is highly recommended that they purchase dome kits instead of trying to do the entire thing from scratch, unless they are okay with operating on a trial-and-error basis. Not to mention that because of the unique shapes involved in the structure, if someone wanted to go out and buy all the materials themselves they wouldn’t get the full benefit of cheaper material cost because they would have a huge amount of excess materials left over after cutting out all of the unique shapes needed for the construction process. 

Luckily while making the specific measurements of all the individual shapes from scratch may be a little complicated, the setup from dome kits is way simpler than building other structures. Most geodesic domes don’t even require a base, but if someone wants to make one their home then they will probably want a floor. So after a base is set up all that is left to do is connect the struts (the frame), set up the door, windows, and fasten the cover over the whole thing. And that’s it! Any appliances or electricity can be set up the same way they would be in any other building, and your new dome will be done and ready to move in.

Dome Kits: Accessories

There is also a plethora ofdome kits to choose from and add to your dome. What the dome is being used for will of course determine what accessories should be applied. A greenhouse probably won’t need a stove vent to be attached to it. But there is also complete customization available when purchasing dome kits. Every dome will have exactly what the buyer wants it to have. There is no reason for anyone to feel like they need to settle when they can personally pick out every feature they are looking for.

Dome Kits: Let Us Help

One of the major downsides to building a dome home completely from scratch is the process is not as cost-efficient as buying a kit from a company. If someone is experienced and knows exactly what they are doing then they will not need to worry as much about messing up and needing to re-order materials, but because of the shapes required for this type of project, there are going to be a lot of excess materials left over after someone is done cutting out all the shapes. So if that is something that someone wants to do then they should keep in mind that they will need to purchase more materials and will have more waste. For companies, it is easy to keep all supplies for dome kits together and when buying them in bulk all the supplies are much cheaper. Because geodesic domes require fewer supplies than other structures to build, the consumers do not need to purchase as many supplies from companies when making their purchase, which is what makes geodesic domes so much more cost-efficient to build than other alternative structures. 

Image credit: biodomes

Conclusion

Deciding to purchase a building, no matter how large or small, is always a big decision. Understanding that this process usually takes months before someone feels comfortable enough to take the next step in their buying journey. For any questions or concerns, you can always feel free to ask us at . We’d be happy to talk with you and hear what you have to say or share what you’d like to know. Building a dome isn’t for everyone and at the end of the day it’s important to help thy fellow neighbor, and that’s what we are here to do. That was the entire reason geodesic domes were created in the first place, to create a cost-effective, energy-efficient, sustainable way for people to live and expand their horizons. And that is a mission worth working towards.

Writer : Alexander Carrillo