If your looking for basic shelter with a very limited budget. Check out World Shelters U-Dome. a 200 sq ft 12 feet tall dome structure. This may be just what you are looking for to get started in a tiny house living structure.

The U-Dome is a versatile, all-weather shelter that can withstand extreme heat and cold, significant wind, and light snow loads with proper installation. They are made with materials that resist rot and mildew, patterns that can easily incorporate local materials, and they are re-usable. Joist floor plans, included with purchase.

Options include pre-hung screen and aluminum double door. Windows and vents. Use a highly efficient electric or propane heater. Off-grid options such as solar and wind, water collection and cistern and composting toilets, allow you to place this just about anywhere.

At $1545 plus options and your floor how can you beat this price?

To learn more visit the World Shelter site.

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CalEarth’s Eco-Dome can be built out of nothing more than dirt, barbed wire, and the same kind of polyethylene bags used to make sandbags to contain floods. The house will probably last longer if you mix some cement with the dirt, but it’s not absolutely necessary.

The bags come in the form of a continuous tube, and the house is constructed of layers of dirt-filled “snakes,” with barbed wire laid between them to keep them from moving. This 400 sq. ft. home is one of CalEarth’s plans that can be built from the dirt on your land.

It’s 21st-century adobe: faster and easier than traditional adobe construction, because you don’t have to make and dry individual bricks. This construction technique can be learned quickly by anyone, and is about the cheapest possible way to build lasting shelter. But these are by no means temporary buildings; they are so robust that they meet California building codes.

Plans and a DVD and bags are available at the CalEarth’s Eco-Dome web site.

Eco-Dome video of the construction:

Eco-Dome pictures of the structure.

I like the unusual which you may have noticed by some of the tiny houses represented in the tiny house blog. I also would like to spread our wings and include tiny houses from around the world. The DomeSpace originates in France but also has an office in the U.S. This is there smallest dome and they also make much larger sizes.

Domespace produce spruce, pine and oak wooden domes for tiny house living (above is their Transit 4,35 model) with the added bonus that it is largely hurricane resistant. According to the brochure, the whole thing is rotatable (using a remote control from inside, the movement is not noticeable), light, warm, has good humidity, and is spacious with cork insulation. Options include solar panels.

If your French is a bit rusty try the Solaleya site, the US distributor but the best photos are at the French site.

The above article was written by Alex of the ShedWorking site in the UK.

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