US Green Living .com
Simply put, monolithic dome homes are houses with domes. It’s a type of roof to consider using instead of using tiles for roofs. This dome has a reinforced steel inside which is also super insulated at the same time. It works the same way with the regular roof but only stronger since it’s being supported with reinforced steel. The insulation is guaranteed since it will be using airform on the outside. This will basically block the heat from the outside
and keeping the coldness inside is the concreted underneath the airform. Add a strong ring beam footing and rebar to keep the structure from falling and bending into other shapes, you’ll have perfectly made dome.
There are many advantages in opting to use monolithic dome homes. It’s cheaper compared to regular homes with the same size and capacity. Another advantage is that when it’s done, there’s virtually no maintenance needed. For tiled roof, the tiles will wither after years of weather changes. Although domes need to have more than normal care to complete the process; once it’s built, you can leave it as it is. The strength of dome is also guaranteed as long as proper materials are used. Hurricanes, tornadoes and strong winds will not move the dome one bit.
There are two types of domes to choose from: hemisphere or oblate sphere. Comparing the two domes, the only difference between them is the curve. Hemisphere will have a deeper curve compared to the oblate. For their practical use, the hemisphere is rarely used since it could cost more and it’s difficult to make floor adjustments. With hemisphere, the house could be confined in a strict square shape. On the other hand the oblate provides wider surface area since it could be stretched to accommodate the planned space.
Before you go ahead and start building your monolithic dome house, consult first a professional to test the soil. If you just build on a monolithic dome house without testing the soil, there’s a great possibility the foundation of the house will not work as planned. Remember that your roof will be made of heavy concrete. Proper testing should be done on the soil if it could withstand the pressure of a concrete roof.
Even though it’s a very practical house design, this type of house was not generally accepted in by most home owners association. It was still an unconventional design that can’t just be approved by most home owner’s association. That is why most of these designs are not found in gated communities but they are mostly found in the country side where the ownership of the lot could extend to acres and zoning is virtually non-existent.
But monolithic dome homes are slowly accepted in various parts of the country. Although the real estate industry is really low, there is still a market for the owners of this type of homes. Owners of this type of homes have meticulously planned and explained their concept to gated communities. Zoning was also addressed so that they can build their homes as they wish.
