This is a brief overview of building a geodesic home house that I plan to live in.
The shell comes as a "kit" that a third company @NaturalSpacesDomes78 made, all we needed to do is assemble it. That part was the easiest.
What we didn't know is that pretty much everything else was harder: Foundation was a huge blow in the budget (being made up of so many segments), carpentry was also a challenge. Most carpenters are just plainly used to building squares, so you really need to find someone creative, who sees his job as an art and would dedicate to do it properly and in good taste.
Also you need to have a separate architect. Although NSD (@NaturalSpacesDomes78 ) gives you some partial plans to use for permitting, you also need to add the electrical, mechanical and engineering, general and trade-specific notes, and everything else you might want to add. The pre-made plans don't come with any elevations, any materials schedules, any cross-section views (although I actually chose that as an option, but allegedly they lost their CAD person) etc. You need an architect to complete the plans and guide you through the process. You will likely want to make changes (asking NSD for any changes will take much longer), so an architect will make that possible.
Also the windows are a pain to deal with. I opted to do mostly square windows and build the openings , vs going with a lot of skylights (which are very expensive). I only went with a few skylights on upper parts of the domes.
All of these cost more by quite a bit and it is my opinion that these trades higher costs (foundation, carpentry, flooring, walls and ceiling interiors, roofing etc - both in materials and labor) offset the lower cost of the shell itself. While one part of the system is cheaper, four other parts of the same system are more expensive. The dome house will therefore be more expensive than a conventional built house. Proven fact.
BUT, it does leave you with a stunning two-floor high living area, and a majestic interior and exterior geometry, that will likely leave you breathless . This type of construction is also very energy-efficient and insanely strong, both in windy and snow-loads situations. The hail damage is like any other house, and is mostly a function of the shingles, not the house.
In short, I believe there's a sort of magic around this type of house, and for me it was worth trying it out. But it is painful, and you will need to learn a lot, if you want to have a level of control over the way it will end up look like.
I bought the land in 2020 and worked on this project ever since.
Planning and permiting took almost a year, and the construction up to this point another one. Hopefully another year to finish.
Good luck with your dome project (if you're involved in one) and if you need any advice, just ask and I would be happy to give it. But take it on your own risk; even though I work in the trades, I am kind of a newbie when it comes to being your own GC.
Thank you.
23 дек 2022
