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The Project

The Dome Home Project is a DISPLAY HOME for the purpose of promoting this type of housing and for the promotion of HOME PRODUCTS that are of high quality and suitable for this type of home.

Our goal is to form relationships with manufacturers that will be an ongoing mutual benefit society. We will build homes that are energy efficient, good for the environment and pleasing to the surroundings. Our partners will be spotlighted with their products in our construction projects and all promotional ventures.

THE STRUCTURE

The structure is a 3136 sq. ft. residence including the two-vehicle garage. Situated on 4 acres of land north of Guelph Ontario in the Drayton area. The home will be constructed using modules of continuously poured concrete having a domed roof. Each module will be 28 feet square with straight 8 ft. walls and a dome roof with a total height of 12 feet. Each dome will have the optional 6x6 foot skylight giving more natural light than a conventional home.

Click here to view floor floor & dimension plans

The walls and roof are 8 inches thick with re-bar at 12 inch spacing. Each module can be poured in 2-3 days and 4 modules can be finished in 12 days maximum weather permitting. The walls, roof, overhangs and parapets as well as chimney forms are of continuous pour leaving no cold seams. All door and window openings as well as archways into adjoining modules are blanked out in the process.

The utility fixtures and all wiring are in the walls or under the floor and must be well planed for in advance. The home will use one size larger electrical conduit than normal for an extra wire to be used in home automation equipment and an extra conduit will be installed for future home entertainment system. This home will also be constructed with special attention to accessibility for handicapped persons. Since it is on one floor with level walkouts it could be an ideal home for anyone. The home automation can also be a benefit in this area.

A properly built underground home with good insulation and moisture proofing is at least 80% easier to heat than a conventional home and the cooling costs are nil. The earth is approx. 55F or 14C so all the heat required is to reach comfort zone of about 70F or 21C or about 16 degree F. You can leave an underground home for the winter with no heat and you will experience no damage from freezing.

The home will face a SW direction for the benefit of Passive Solar Heat in the winter and the overhangs will eliminate much of the summer sun for a cool interior. The passive solar feature can be enhanced with large dark colored interior items such as brick planters to absorb as much solar heat as possible to be given off after sundown. Proper glazing and insulating curtains will keep the heat in the house where it belongs. We will also have a wood-burning appliance in the house for additional heating benefit and the ambiance that one gets from this type of appliance.

Conventional heating will be in floor hot water piping using a conventional hot water system. This system will be integrated with our home automation system for maximum efficiency.

LIGHTING With the SW facing front and large windows as well as the 6x6 skylights this home will have more natural light than a conventional home. One must remember that the sun is high in the sky not at ground level. Good quality skylights in central location are ideal for this type of structure.

Promotional Features

This house will have numerous open house dates for interested parties. These will be published and promoted on a regular basis. The open house events are very important to dispel the myth of damp dark cave mentality. All products will be promoted during these events as well as on this web site and with links to the manufacturer.

Publications

THE ENTIRE CONSTRUCTION will be documented with photos and video production. Professional writers will be hired to do full length articles and we are discussing feature articles with numerous publications to promote this type of housing. I fully expect to have at least 6 magazines on hand as well as several newspapers and specialty publications. We have even had correspondence with TV to run a documentary on this construction and of course we have some interest from Waterloo University and Guelph University.