I really appreciate all the responses to my last question about where to buy cheap land. Tennessee seems to be a popular choice. I'm also wondering if anyone has an opinon as to whether alternative housing such as domes or yurts compare favorably to something more conventional like a mobile home which would cost about the same. That is, in terms of staying in good condition, ability to withstand rough weather and so forth. I'm also curious about how much maintenance a dome home or yurt requires compared to a regular home. I found a website for a company called Pacific Domes in Ashland, OR. They have attractive looking domes that range in price from about 5 to $10,000 for the basic structure. Anyone have experience with this company? Thanks. I happened to find this forum while browsing and it's a great source for information!

-- Lleu Christopher (lleuc@earthlink.net), April 15, 2001

Answers

Lleu,

there is also a site called "Pacific Yurts" and they list some of their customers. I wrote to the ones who use them in Colorado and they are very pleased with them. Had them for up to ten years and still going strong. The fabric they are made with are quaranteed for 15 years. I've been looking at the same things...plan on moving to WA and was looking at alternative housing. Actually I like the domes a lot and there are several sites that sell shell packages at very reasonable prices. You put the dome together and then do the finish work. Check those too. A lot depends on where you end up. Good luck, & enjoy your life.

-- Deborah (bearwaoman@Yahoo.com), April 15, 2001.

A neighbor recently built a 30' Pacific Yurt, (Cottage Grove OR.)and tho I have not been up to see it she says it is great, so far. My nephew went to a boarding school in New Hampshire 30 years ago and they lived in Yurts. the state of Oregon uses them for rentals in the state parks here. They have been around a long time in all kinds of climates.

-- Hendo (OR) (redgate@echoweb.net), April 16, 2001.

Two of my neighbors have built domes from kits. The shells went up really fast, but the roofing, and most everything inside takes a lot longer. The roofing is especially tricky for the home builder, and even for many professional roofers (each of them found this out independently--lots of leaks the first try).

I've been in the Pacific Yurts lots of times, at the Oregon Country Faire, where they always have one set up on exhibit. They are pretty cool! They used to be very poorly insulated, though; you should check.

I'd look real close at how well insulated any structure was going to be, both for comfort, and for how much money you want to pay the power company, oil company, gas company, etc. or how many zillions of cords of wood you want to deal with every year.

Just out of curiousity, I found this website: www.yurt.com which is Pacific Yurts. They still look pretty much the way I remembered, and the caveat still applies re insulation. In fact, they say themselves, "Not recommended for hot unshaded areas or where full insulation is required."

JOJ

-- jumpoff joe (jumpoff@ecoweb.net), April 16, 2001.

here are some thoughts about domes and yurts. iv'e had a wood shop in a big dome -- lots of leaks and lots of wasted space because it curves two ways. built and lived in a hogan--(a permanet navajo yurt) same problem of wasted space -- the walls are round your furniture is not. neat buildings to be in but i ended up in a rectangular straw house --love it , we built it for about $20 sq ft. easy to heat and cool -- have more info if your interested

-- granpaw (bill pepperridge@ aol.com), April 16, 2001.

At least one of us is interested, granpa!

You've probably already heard these questions a lot of times already, but you volunteered, so here goes:

What did you use to finish off the inside and outside? Where do you live, and if it's humid did you have a concern/have you had a problem with/ moisture causing mold, mildew, etc in the walls?

Did you use a bond beam on top of the walls, or how did you secure the roof to the walls? Did you put any kind of posts down through the walls to tie everything together, e.g. concrete, rebar, wood, etc?

Thanks, I'd love to see a straw built house someday.

JOJ

-- jumpoff joe (jumpoff@ecoweb.net), April 17, 2001.

JOJ-- our house is a straw infill post and beam " barn" kit --no bond beam -- outside covered mostly with the metal barn siding and some stucco -- inside we did wainscoating with stucco above and a drywall ceiling there are horizontal "ladders" above and below the windows and rebar in the bales plus the bales are sewn together and to the posts granpaw

-- granpaw (bill pepperridge @ aol .com), April 17, 2001.

Well , I hate to vote for an old mobile home but that is what I would do. This does not apply in areas of the south where I have been because the quality of mobiles that I have seen there is just a step above a cardboard box. We have purchased 4 used single wides for from 5 to 10 thousand dollars. They were quality units that were in decent shape and were all done depreciating. Included were plumbing, kitchens, etc, much more than walls and a roof. If at a later date,if you decide you like an area and your property, you might sell the mobile for what you paid and procede to build whatever you decide on. If you start out with an alternative style of building and decide that is not your final landing spot i would predict you would lose a great part of your investment and labor. At this time there is a very limited market for used non conventional housing. I have a friend not far from here who has lived in a yurt for years and now has a few straw bale buildings on his property. Works for him but I don't thik too many people would find it right for them. Luck Lleu

-- jz (oz49us@yahoo.com), April 18, 2001.

I've gotten some useful feedback about domes, such as the fact that they can leak. JZ, I might end up going with a mobile home for some of the reasons you mentioned. I think in the future when I'm more sure I want to settle somewhere for a long time I might try something experimental. But for now I basically want something cheap and simple that will give me as few problems as possible.

-- Lleu Christopher (lleuc@earthlink.net), April 18, 2001.

Check out the Monolithic Dome Homes, web site is www.monolithic.com (I think). We have looked at them in person and they are well made. They offer workshops for owners wanting to build themselves.

-- Viv in TX (kudzu1@webtv.net), April 19, 2001.

Check out www.aidomes.com

-- John Fritz (aeon30@hotmail.com), April 19, 2001.

i have a dome from pacific domes. it leaks. so i had to put up a tarp over it. also the windows are a hassle to remove and put in everytime. but i like the airiness of it. it does get hot inside in the a.m. if windows are on. also i feel the 10 oz.cotton canvas is too flimsy. i'd rather have the thicker synthetic canvas of the yurts. if i had a another chance i would build the solid sandbag and barbed wire secured domes that calearth.org designs. next would be a yurt coz it's more comfy and secure. last would be a mobile rv if you plan on nomading it for a few years.

jo veno

-- jo veno (joveno@hotmail.com), April 20, 2001.

Hi! We have a 30' dome. It is for sale. It is a great idea but not for our family of 5. The beams are oak, the interior is worm-eaten chestnut. The floors are marble. The exterior is a spray on foam stuff that is the same stuff that was sprayed on the space shuttle to insulate it. I hope to find this foam again if we ever build-it's incredible! We only use 2 cords of wood every winter to heat the house (South Central PA)and I will miss our little powerhouse of a woodstove. Steps curve along the main inside wall that lead up to the sleeping areas. All around the edges of the upstairs floor is a space about 8 inches wide that is open for more even heat distribution. Ceiling fan helps too. Someone else commented about the wasted space and I have to agree. The house is round but the furniture is not. One other big thing is leaking. If you don't have a hard outer coating on the dome, it will leak. There is a product called Cemix that is like stucco with fiberglass particles to bond it together. We've got 7 windows downstairs and I would like to have more (we're in the woods). 2 big windows upstairs, 1 in each room that is in a dormer. Oh, and 1 skylight too. I could handle a couple more of those too. All in all, it is really neat but it just doesn't suit our needs anymore. I yearn for flat wall space. HTH.

-- Penny in PA (drewbange@pa.net), October 30, 2001.

As Viv in TX suggested, the Monolithic Dome Institute technology is a great way to go. More expensive, comperable to a conventional home, but superior technology. I visited their site in TX, met a lot of the architects and contractors, and looked through a lot of their plans.

Maintenance involves resealing the exterior surface every 15 to 25 or less years depending on where you build (climate and vegetation). Except for *maybe* replacing the windows every 25 to 45 years as you should in a conventional home, that's about it. This rebar frame and seamless, sprayed dome technology is getting better every year.

These structures can be either very aesthetically pleasing, or they can be the ugliest thing you've ever seen. Dormers and protruding elements tend to destroy their appearance, and complicate the maintenance schedule. Insetting doors and windows enhances their appearance (IMO). Insets with propper sloping will also minimize leaks.

Standing up to harsh conditions? The Monolithic Dome Institute was working with NASA for a Mars project two years ago. You tell me.

Trailers withstanding harsh weather? Build me a tin shack with a 2X2 frame and 6 penny nails. I love raising squirrels, mice, birds and hornets, and paying my entire income to heating costs. I need a new tent anyway. >:/

-- radiationman (bunk14@hotmail.com), December 29, 2001.