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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:

June 21, 2005
As you know from past updates a seemingly small screw up by someone can cause long delay's in the process. Since underground housing is concrete there are some significant processes that have to be adhered to. Electricity wiring is imbeded in the walls and under the floor as is the plumbing and items such as central vaccum etc. In the latest photos you can see myself and Alex grinding off the male seams left from the forms. This is natural and common on all concrete forms but already we have come up with ideas that will leave a female seam that does not have to be ground off for the plastering contractor.
This simple proceedure will save about 5 hrs grinding on each module and speed up the time to inhabit the new home, not to mention the dust and physical effort just to hold the grinders. I will be using this system when I start to construct these energy saving homes. If you wish to build underground or even conventional stick house you can save a lot of money if you visit eBay for some items such as plumbing fixtures, sinks, bath tubs , hardware, and much more. We got our interior oak doors from ebay and they are solid and fire rated plus they look great. We will refinish of course and may add some decorative trim but we saved over a thousand and got a better door. Most of our fixtures came from ebay as well as kitchen cook top and down draft vent. Another place to save is building salvage depot such as habitant for humanity, salvage yards etc. Lots of good quality items sometimes new and never used. I got all my laminate flooring attending an auction and paid between .55 cents per sq. ft. and $1.25 for a saving of 50 to 70 %. Only problem with this system is you need a place to store your goodies while the house is under construction but there are lots of storage spaces for rent if needed. Will be back real soon with more great info on world class underground housing. I HOPE TO ADD A FEATURE THAT ALLOWS YOU TO SEND THIS WEB SITE TO A FRIEND JUST BY CLICKING A BUTTON SO YOU CAN INCLUDE YOUR FRIENDS IN THE WORLD OF UNDERGROUND HOUSING. BYE FOR NOW ROYCE/TATIANA

June 20, 2005
What a week we have in store if all works out. To-day I met with the septic tank people and we are getting a state of the art enviromentaly safe system that emits a near drinking quality water. Lots more on this system as I get full details so that I can write accurately. I finished spraying the Aquaseal second coat and I must say that spraying is the way to go. Although my sprayer was a tad light for this material I was able to do the job in about 4 hrs (roof only) but I was able to spray the material into all the crooks and crannies to eliminate any possible leaks.
This week we are expecting the windows to be installed, the septic to be delivered and excavated, the back filling on the roof and the plastering contractor to start. I do hope it all happens because I need the plaster done in order to get the interior partitions erected and the wiring finished for inspection. I had a drop in visit from hydro inspector this PM and he will be back as soon as we get ready. We are getting some fantastic drainage material to handle any water that makes it's way to the roof and this material is also used in the weeping bed since it can handle up to 10 times the water of plastic pipe and stone plus it can handle a lot of weight.
Please take the time to check out my partners since they all have top quality products at a reasonable price and are all excited about being part of this great underground home project. Each and every one has been chosen on quality and durability for years of trouble free service. Bye for now. Royce/Tatiana

June 17, 2005
Moving ahead slowly, but moving ahead. The windows were delayed a week due to company that seals the two panes of glass and adds the argon gas. We started grinding the seams using scaffolding but it was a no win situation climbing up and down and moving a foot or two; plus in the high part it was unsafe so I ordered a sizzor lift from rental company to make job go faster. They delivered it last night and the driver left it on the soft ground outside the garage stuck in the mud. With nothing but a few years experience as a millwright and two 120 lb. Russians for assistance, we managed to use leverage to raise it up and get planks under the wheels and move it inside. Sometimes you just have to wonder what people are thinking. The lift was delivered on a tilt and all they had to do was to unload it into the garage. On top of that, they delivered it early when we were not on site to direct and assist.
We are applying the final layer of sealer to the cold seams and part of my problem is the prime contractor left straw in the joint allowing water to flow freely. With the cloth membrane and several layers of a quality sealer I will be able to back fill soon.
Big news: I have agreed to a septic system and more details real soon. This unit is not an ordinary septic system but a aerobic digester that leaves a clear liquid (water) of near drinking water quallity but not quite. I will give you all the information and access to their web site early next week. Have to go to work now so keep well. Royce / Tatiana

June 13, 2005
There are lots of things going on at this time. For the balance of this week Tatiana and I will be grindiing off the seams left from forming the walls in order to get ready for the plastering contractor. As you can see the floor is done and an excellent job thanks to Paul Schnarr Construction. See him at e-mail paulschnarrconst@yahoo.ca. Very professional man and much appreciated. After we clean up the walls the plastering will be completed and we will have the interior dividing walls installed and get ready for the final wiring and inspection. This week we will have the windows (patio doors) completed with custom built side lights, it should look great. I hope to have the front door installed at the same time. Bathroom and kitchen floor tile is being selected as I write and we have a group out to tour the site on Wednesday from Toronto. I am working with several septic tank contractors at this time and hope to install a state-of-art digester that leaves only a clear liquid of near drinking water quality for the enviroment.
Last week I took delivery of the Niagara Flapperless Toilets and you should give these units a careful consideration. They have a unique design of low water usage but they actually work on one flush and can handle more material in every test conducted. Every one that I know and have discussed the merrits of standard low flush toilets have the same comments ("They do not work well"). What is the use of a low flush toilet if you have to flush at lease two times and maybe three? Niagara works and it is that simple so take a look at their site for full details. I paid more but quality always has more value.
As you know we are way behind schedule for various reasons but rolling ahead every week. Sometimes, you have to leave one job in order to make it easier and lower cost for another and this is what we are coping with now. Instead of doing interior walls we are leaving each module open so that we can move the scaffolding around easier for the grinding and plastering contractors. This will save them time and me money but will delay completion somewhat. I purchased a pump for spraying the final coat of Aquaseal and tested it on the skylight wells, which worked very well. I was able to blast the Aquaseal into all the air holes and make sure the area was sealed. I will spend a few hours on the roof then be ready for backfill of the earth on the top after we lay down the 3" of styrofoam insulation. I will get some more photos soon since we are taking delivery of a steel fence for the front of the property on Tuesday and I will have photos of the cement finishing as we progress. Have the best day of your life every day. Royce/Tatiana

June 9, 2005
We just got back from Florida and back to work. I have photos of floor and window frames in our Photo Gallery. Trying to get framer in to do interior dividing walls so I can get electrical installed. Trench has been dug for well pipe and hope to have that done in a day or so. Plumber should be installing the toilets and tubs then we will wait for vanities to to the sinks and showers. It took longer to do windows since they had to add a 5 inch spacer above actual window and this changed the shape of the side lights. Stay in touch and more photos to come very quickly. Royce/Tatiana

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