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Welcome to DomeHome Canada

The interest in unconventional homes is very high due to many factors. The high cost of conventional homes is driving some to look at attractive alternatives. We have seen homes made from a variety of materials, some interesting and some so abstract as to question sanity of the builder. Depending on location there are homes build from STRAW, RAMMED EARTH, TIRES, SHORT LOGS, BOTTLES ETC. However the most practical and most efficient as well as the longest life home is the properly constructed underground home. Made from poured concrete life expectance is in excess on 1000 years and coupled with efficiency and low maintenance these homes have a large following. The demographics of interest are in our favor since the younger people have through education a greater degree of understanding of energy conservation and environmental factors. They are in tune with everything that is available in an underground home. Also it appears that they are able to think out side of the box in most cases. We invite you to read further about our unique project.

Latest News and Announcements:

TUESDAY DECEMBER 13,2005
As you can see Alex got the latest photos installed showing the insulation around the skylights. This was done to finish the insulating on all the above ground portion of the skylight wells. I extended the insulation out two feet in order to make sure that any rain water would hit the earth two feet away from the skylight well ensuring that no water could drain onto the roof portion between the layers of styrofoam sheets we installed. This will ensure a dry roof since 1 meter of clay soil should prevent any seeping down to the concrete. On another matter not discussed was the fact that I was using a lot of propane with out getting the benefit of lots of heat. We spent several weeks sealing and foaming all cracks and suspect areas with no real results. There never were any drafts just we could not seem to get the heat up above 65 F but in this time I used almost three tanks of propane. I did some calculations and determined that my boiler would have to run full potential for 24 days to use this much gas yet I could hear it cycle on and off so it was not running full time. I asked the contractors to look into this matter since I was not turning propane into interior heat and calculations showed that this could be possible even with a door left open. Jeremy my contractor did a thorough check and found a gas valve venting 100 % of the time out the exhaust vent. this is where my gas was going and at the same time we increased the temp and the home is heating up quite properly. As you could imagine I was in quite a delema knowing that I spent much money on exceeding all requirements for energy effiency then having the gas tank run dry on one occasion when it should have been safe until February or March. I wasted some time looking for a problem that did not exist but am now very satisfied that we will not have a high heating bill in the future. This is something to keep an eye on even in a conventional home since all gas appliances like my boiler must vent due to over pressure to the outside but they should never vent 100% of the time. Keep in touch and have a great Christmas and I hope to have some more photos before the end of the year. Royce/Tatiana

Sunday Dec 4,2005
Sorry about the photos but today is first day that I was able to get internet working properly enough to even do this article. I am sending photos to Alex today ahd I hope he can get them on site quickly. We were able to trim up the main entrance door to living room module as well as the octagon window and start on the built in closet in master bath. Laundry room is ready to hook up plumbing and I need my electrician but she is swamped with work for few weeks. I had the spray foam installed on skylights and after some foolish work we got it done properly. I wish I could stay around when contractors are on site but I have to go to work to keep cash flow where I want it. No matter what you show them when they start they always to some thing different with the most lame brained excuses that you can imagine. We have some painting to do in master bedroom then I hope to move into it permantly but now we are comfortable in guest bed room. The house is very cosy at this time even though we have to have the boiler adjusted for higher temperature and adjust the flow rates to different zones in floor to distribute the heat more to our liking. Floor heat is great and you never have the draft that you get with forced air and the hot and cold cycles. Hope you like the photos and bye for now Royce/Tatiana

Wednesday Nov 23.05
What a busy week, carpenter is in trimming the base boards and all the floors are now laid, Tatiana did the last room by herself and a great job. We spent most of today adjusting the big patio doors to stop the leaks, original contractor was deficient in his work leaving a very poor job with lots of air leaks. With help from Inline Fiberglass the manufacturer we have them adjusted up perfect and no air loss or draft is evident. We are adding some trim to outside of windows and will spray on eurothane foam 2 inches thick around all windows for perfect seal. then we will go up on roof and spray on foam around all skylights to seal and insulate as well we will come out from the skylight two feet to prevent any moisture from entering into the roof area. My next major task is to make up a open ditch lined with plastic pipe to prevent water from seeping into overhang and parapet wall and hope to clean up this problem once and for all. I will have photos installed this weekend so keep in touch for futher updates. Hope to have a clean house for Christmas season. Wish me well. Royce/Tatiana

Wednesday Novenber 16.2005
Not a lot to report to-day but I will get photos of interior being completed including the doors, trim and closets being added to the master bathroom and in the laundry room and middle bathroom. This should happen this weekend since Alex is back form Moscow and St. Petersburg where he became engaged to a beautiful smart young lady named Yana. Back to the house. I will have 30 feet paved in front of the garage doors this week or early next and this will help in eliminating dirt being transported into the house. When it stops raining I will get up on the roof and have eurothane foam applied around the skylights to insulate and direct the water away from the concrete wells that are a source of concern due to some leaking caused by my foolish contractors that do not know how to pour concrete. I will provide more information on this later since they are unwilling to assist in correcting their shoddy work. I hope they never get another job in Canada. Stay tuned for some photos and pass on this site to any interested associates. So far I am very happy with the house but I still have a way to go to get it in pristine shape but it is moving ahead and we are comfortable. I have had inquiries concerning this type of home and one item that keeps repeating it self is getting off the grid (electrical) this is always a dream and possible but keep in mind that most lending institutions will not finance a home that is not using conventional electricity and heading system. They feel that it limits the number of customers should the home be sold.There are some great systems out there and one is a German generator /boiler by a company called Senertec, you may find it on the internet. very interesting. Bye for now and keep in touch Royce/Tatiana

Sunday October 30/2005
Hope you liked some of the new photos showing some special features. The furnace is a wall mount boiler not much bigger than a suitcase but a bit thicker. It is propane fired and rated at 93% efficient. It is very quiet and special feature is that it can modulate down to under 25000btu which is very important in an ultra effecient home. Most furnaces have to run at high btu in order to be efficient but some on the market such as this one are effecient at lower btu as well as higher demands. The water tank is indirect heated meaning the boiler sends hot water to coils at the bottom and this heats the water in the tank making tank life near indefinite and providing a useful resevor for high demand situations. We are making good use of space in utility room by mounting some utilities on the wall such as boiler and pressure tank from well thus freeing up floor space for other things. Still to be installed is the heat exchanger and laundry tub or sink. We added some windows from master bedroom to the back room that is my office for more natural light at rear of house and from the hall way to Tatiana's music room. We just had 5 doors hung with three more to follow to finish. This week I hope to have a 30x30 cement pad poured in front of garage and this will help keep the sand and mud out of the home. See next page
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