The Mushroom Dome Cabin in Aptos, California is rated as the number one listing on airbnb.com and consists of a semi-rustic cabin under a geodesic dome surrounded by oak, redwood and madrone trees. The cabin has a double bed located in the loft, an LCD screen with DVD player, a small deck, a couch, a small hot plate, refrigerator, toaster oven, blender and other kitchen supplies. The cabin has a tiny bathroom and shower. The owners provide clean linens and soap. Depending on the time of year, length of stay and amount of people, prices for the Mushroom Dome are about $90 per night and about $600 per week.

Photos courtesy of airbnb and Mushroom Dome Cabin

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

After many moons slipped into oblivion, I decided to study and design a new system. I bypassed the traditional Yurt design, because I felt the lattice walls were too weak and cumbersome to make. Instead, I went with the Geodesic design which is vastly stronger and offers more versatile space and comfort.

Lodge Tech now manufacture some of strongest and most economically priced Domes and Yurts around. These can be made into homes if one is far enough off the beaten path and knows how to work around zoning ordinances etc. Or if you need a great farm building, or to rent them out to hikers or campers.

The Domes and Yurts can be insulated with any common materials and can withstand huge snow load and wind force. We also make Greenhouses in this same design, and a few other accessories like our low cost Compost Toilet (humanure method). www.lodge-tech.net

Their Pacific Dome is attached to a temporary insulated foundation and the entire structure took about four days to erect. Currently the dome does not have insulation, but they plan to order a special cover to be used in the winter. A solar fan is attached to the outside to provide air circulation during the summer. So far the structure has been very sturdy…even in our area’s notorious winds and heavy snows. Unfortunately, a few neighbors reported the dome to the local building department and the department now wants a set of structural calculations about the dome which will be supplied by the engineer at Pacific Domes.

Pacific Domes, located in Ashland, Oregon has been designing and building domes since 1980. They use the sacred geometry of R. Buckminster Fuller to create spacious, yet structurally sound domes of all sizes. Pacific Domes have been used for special events, weddings, meditation, yoga and healing spaces, schools, emergency shelters, eco-living, camping, and a large dome without the cover is even used for the infamous “Thunderdome” at Burning Man. Pacific Domes have also been used in Haiti and after Hurricane Katrina for temporary shelters and hospitals.

Many Pacific Dome customers purchase their domes to live in. The company offers different cover materials to allow for use in any climate. They have insulation packages available that, in conjunction with a wood stove or other heating system, make the dome a comfortable space in cold weather. They also recommend radiant heat in the dome floor. Larger domes can accommodate lofts, walls, and other partitions to create separate rooms. All interior construction should be free standing and self supported.

YouTube Video: Erecting a Pacific Dome

YouTube Video: Very elegant and liveable dome at Pacific Domes

The dome frames are made from galvanized steel. The steel, in conjunction with the geodesic design, creates an amazingly strong structure using a minimal amount of material. Geodesic domes are world-renowned for their strength and integrity. Depending on your situation and needs, they offer “heavy duty” 1.31”, through “extreme” 1.9”, frames in addition to the “standard” .92” frame. The dome covers are made of SunLite fabric or Tropical fabric. Insulation can be a liner with Reflectix or a thermoshield painted on the inside of the dome.

Three floor plans are offered and several foundation options. The roof, door, round windows and portions of the sidewalls can be replaced with screens for ventilation if needed. A solar fan is recommended to aid in ventilation, especially in damp areas.

Photos Courtesy of Christina Nellemann and Pacific Domes

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

The university’s student housing department said the Domes are not up to code, are not Americans With Disabilities Act-compliant, and not worth spending money on to salvage. Supporters of the Domes claim the university administration has neglected these issues for decades and is trying to make a land grab, motivated by budget cuts and pressure to squeeze every last dollar out of campus real estate.

Sacramento News & Review Article on Baggins End

Sacramento Public Radio Story on Baggins End

The Domes have been on the campus since 1972 and are constructed of three to four inches of polyurethane foam surrounded by a fiberglass shell. A few of the Domes are beginning to delaminate. Baggins End (named after the home of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins from The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy) is comprised of 14 domes housing 28 students where they emphasize cooperation and sustainability. The students grow a lot of their own food and raise chickens and a rooster named Chamomile. The Domes are around 450 square feet and contain a kitchen, living room, two bedrooms or a sleeping loft, heating and skylights. The students are allowed to perform their own construction projects and have access to the community’s free materials yard, fire pit,  garden and tool shed, compost pile, greenhouse and the weekly potluck dinners. Each resident pays $2,712 for a year long lease.

A company that inspected the Domes estimated that it would take more than $600,000 – or $43,000 per dome – to resolve problems with the structures’ delamination. Chris Adamson, a state-certified access specialist in UC Davis’ Design and Construction Management unit, estimated that it would cost an additional $300,000 to make the ADA improvements.

As a self-supporting unit, the Davis student housing department does not receive state or campus funding, and each housing area must operate as a self-supporting unit. A plan is in place to rebuild the Domes, but that could take up to five years. In the meantime, student residents are looking for alternative solutions to keep their inexpensive housing in a creative and supportive community.

Photos Courtesy of the Domes at Baggins End

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

Their smallest design is the Garden/Backyard Dome which is approximately 12 feet in diameter, provides 100 square feet of floor space and can be built on a small stem wall to provide additional height. The advantage of this size dome is that it falls under building permit requirements and yet provides a spacious and calm ambience. Curved by Design also features two small designs: the 24 Foot Open Plan dome which is ideal as a relaxing yoga studio, a spacious conference room, or a guest house and the 24 Foot One Bedroom dome which can accomodate one spacious bedroom, a full bath and kitchen, a cozy living room and plenty of storage.

Curved by Design uses prefabricated wood panels in their designs. These panels have been created in a controlled environment with a high degree of quality, repeatability and consistency so they allow for fast and efficient on-site set-up and assembly that requires minimal labor. In fact, a typical structure can be assembled on site and ready for siding and shingle application in less than a week. The company also uses natural and renewable wood materials in the manufacturing of the curved panels, most notably the use of two-foot mill trim ends that continue to be considered as industry “wood waste”. They are categorized in this way due to the fact that the construction industry does not use shorter lengths of wood. Short pieces of solid wood (typically spruce, fir and pine) are an essential component in the formation of the panels.

From both the wood panel design and construction techniques these domes have been proven to withstand extreme seismic and load forces through testing that was completed at the University of British Columbia’s Earthquake Research Facility. The structures also have a complete open span interior since no truss or interior load bearing walls are required. This allows complete adaptability to the end use purpose and functionality of the building. The domes themselves are also relatively light and do not need special foundations. Typically domes are built on a concrete slab, crawl space or full foundation. Small domes with a stiffened floor system can also be placed on pad foundations.

Several advantages to building dome structures for any type of home or building is:

• The sphere is nature’s most efficient shape, and a dome covers the most living area with the least amount of surface area. When compared with a similar-sized rectangular-shaped house, a dome home will have 30% less surface area and use at least 1/3 less lumber.
• As domes have less surface area, they reduce the amount of energy required to heat or cool the interior space; less heat is transferred to and from its surroundings.
• Though a dome uses less material, it is unquestionably stronger than a rectangular-shaped house using stick-frame manufacturing. Dome structures have unparalleled strength and a natural ability to withstand immense earthquake, hurricane and snow load forces.
• A dome’s more compact footprint saves perimeter shell and foundation materials.

Curved by Design’s website says that the cost to build a dome is comparable to a stick-frame building, and in some cases can be less. The cost depends on the size and complexity of the dome’s shape as well as the level of completion the customer requires. Some people choose to do some or all of the finishing themselves. Others require a completely finished product – ready to move-in. Curved By Design Inc. finishes all projects to a minimum level of lock-up.

Photos courtesy of Curved by Design, Inc.

By Christina Nellemann for the (Tiny House Blog)

Japanese Dome House Website

The company is located in Japan, but the dome segments are made in their factory in South Korea. Several small “villages” of various sizes of the dome houses have been built in Japan, where the design has been approved by the Japanese Ministry of Land and Transport. This building system can also be adapted for small businesses, storage areas or bathhouses.

However, the website says that this type of construction is “semi-permanent”. I asked Dome House International what they meant by that statement and the company said that their product’s structural material, expanded polystyrene, lasts semi-permanently because it could be affected by UV light, chemicals or heat. The material is covered with a special coating that protects it from damage. The Dome Houses have not been experimented on, but Dome House International claims that they can last for 300 years. They also said that there has been several cases where expanded polystyrene has been used for decades, and when the buildings were renovated, the material had not been damaged at all.

The Dome House can be built by assembling separate dome pieces. Each dome piece weighs about 175 pounds. It will take three to four people about a week to complete a Dome House. The basic model is about 22 feet in diameter, but separate domes can be added together to make larger buildings. Since expanded polystyrene is made only from carbon and hydrogen, casting of expanded polystyrene is extremely clean. Construction of the Dome House does not produce any waste, nor does it involve any deforestation.

The Dome Houses have beautiful, simple interiors with lots of light. They have no corners, so each dome is open for interpretation and interior design. The Dome House is simple, since it is a prefabricated building with a small number of parts. Because the construction of the Dome House requires only minimal manpower and a very short period of time, it is possible to reduce the substantial amount of labor costs. Prices on the U.S. website will be available soon. However, the prices on the Japanese website for the basic dome are about 3 million yen or about $33,000, not including shipping. The prices and specifications for domes in other countries will be different.

Benefits of the International Dome House

• Ultra-thermal insulating
• Semi-permanent durability
• Wind resistant
• Earthquake resistant
• Short assembly time
• Low cost
• Good for people with chemical sensitivities

By Christina Nellemann for the (Tiny House Blog)

Peter’s inspiration came from throwing giant pots. Peter was throwing large pots, and they became architectural, it prompted him to investigate ceramic houses, this led to the masonry system you see in these pictures.

Peter graduated from the NYS College of Ceramics at Alfred University with a degree in Masonry Science.  Peter combined his experiences in Fine Art and Ceramic Engineering.  This masonry system was identified as a Cutting Edge Technology by the American Concrete Institute.  These blocks can be made on any production block machine, either Besser or Columbia.

Peter has also worked with the Vocational School of Masonry at Alfred State College, located in Wellsville, NY.

These are some details of a masonry cupola Peter is building atop a concrete block dome.  The cupola will have a glass block dome on top of it.  The cupola weighs over 6 tons, indicating the strength of the concrete block dome.

Here’s an interior view of the block dome, with cupola being built in center.

Interior view of one of the domes.  Loft is arranged as a yin yang between loft and negative space, keeps a sense of openness.

These domes are in the forest, and Peter get lots of wildlife.  One night a bear tried to enter, you can see what he did to the door.

Energy efficient Eco-pod Home

Rene just sent this to me and I really think it is cool, what do you think?

An ‘eco-pod’ home, which promises to be more energy efficient than standard houses, has been shown at this year’s Grand Designs show at London’s ExCel Centre.

Eco Hab is committed to dramatically reduce our carbon footprint, by building a range of the highest performing energy efficient Eco friendly Homes.

Every step has been taken during the design and construction of our Eco Pods, to minimise the Homes demand and dependency of fossil fuels.

This has been achieved by incorporating the following features into the Eco Pod:

• High level of thermal insulation giving an overall U value
of up to .18 for the 4m pod and .16 for the 6m pod
• Sealed Envelope (no air leakage)
• Hot air recovery ventilation
• Wood/ solid fuel burning stove
• Under floor heating
• Full recycling facility (5 separate waste shoots)
• Factory built (controlled work environment)

Optional extras:

• Solar Panels – PV Panels /Wind Turbine /Thermal storage tank
• Backup Generator – dry toilet – rain water harvesting

To learn more visit the Eco Hab website.

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Sarah wrote me about the new Monolithic Cabin and wanted me to share it with everyone. I had seen it in it’s early design stage but wanted to wait tell they had photographs to show you this unique cabin. It is not going to win a beauty contest but portability and durability will rank high for this tiny home. Here are some details about this cabin.

The Monolithic Cabin is a modified Monolithic Dome – like a tunnel with rounded ends. These domes all have a diameter (width) of 12 feet, but their total length and interior space depends on the model.

Model 15 has a length of 15 feet and a living area of 150 square feet. Model 18 is 18 feet long and 201 square feet. Model 24 is 24 feet long and 266 square feet. All models are a nominal 10 feet high, from bottom of crossbeams to top of roof.

David South, President of Monolithic, sees the Monolithic Cabin as “one of the most versatile, small domes we have ever designed. It’s really an all-purpose unit!

“We manufacture these cabins here, at our headquarters in Italy, Texas and load one or two of them on a truck for transport to the client’s site,” David says. “They weigh about 9 to 14 tons, are definitely shippable and require only a small amount of land.”

The Monolithic Cabin can be used as a rental unit, eco-housing or granny flat, disaster shelter, workshop, office or studio, game room, vacation dome, exercise room, temporary housing for work crews or home builders, guest house or storage. They can be designed as single living units or combined with others. The list goes on and on!

To learn more go to the Monolithic Cabin site. They are quite reasonable price wise,  you can get a completely furnished unit for less than $40,000. A unique home worth looking into.

Monolithic Dome rentals are now available! Built on private country real estate giving you the small-town environment. Most units include a bathroom with shower, basin and toilet; a kitchen with stove, refrigerator, table and chairs; a furnished sleeping area; heating and air conditioning. You can find out more at the  Monolithic Dome rentals site.

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I was planning on writing a couple of book reviews today but discovered this on materialicious and really liked it and wanted to share it with you. The design is so simple but it looks so cool, it reminds me of a wine barrel or a boat flipped upside down for a tiny living space.

The Pod, what is it? Well it’s a rather well built, insulated wooden hut that provides basic accommodation much in the way of a tent.

The POD is designed to be comfortable – the roofing material is designed to cut down the noise of heavy rain. The window and lockable French doors are double glazed to reduce condensation and provide sound insulation. The wood used in the construction is a naturally ‘warm’ material but to provide extra winter warmth we have installed sheep’s wool insulation inside the walls while a special foil layer under the roof helps keep summer temperatures in check. There is a small, high level window in the back wall this not only provide light but will help keep the living space well ventilated and aid ‘through draft’ on hot summer days.

The Pod is wonderfully enigmatic – it is many things to many people. It has real presence but does not impose. It is a complex shape, but is beautiful in its simplicity. It is a blank canvas which can be a basic shelter or soft-furnished to be as sumptuous and elegant as you like. It seems to occupy a curious niche in our psyche that takes us back to the very roots of civilization on earth.

It is the cave dwelling, the Romany caravan, the meditation cell, the primitive hut that our instincts inform us is the comfort zone that our ancestors knew well!

Built in the UK and available all over the country to rent, at this time you will have to go to the UK to test them out. I’d sure like to see them brought to the states. Visit The POD website to see more pictures and learn more about this great little shelter.

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