
The Frameless Geodesic Dome I currently live in - brucehauman
http://rigsomelight.com/2013/09/09/frameless-geodesic-dome.html
======
finnh
If you want to live in a city, it's not the cost of the house that kills you:
it's the dirt.

In Seattle, where I live, my property tax statement tells me that my (large,
nice) house is worth roughly half as much as the land it sits on.

Given that these domes don't float, you still need a place to put 'em. If your
goal is to opt out of the cost of housing - an evil which this blog post
expounds upon at length - your first order of business isn't so much "what to
live in" but "where is it going to be".

~~~
outworlder
True, to an extent. But considering that some people still live in unkempt
shacks, there is some room for improvement.

Mass producing the dome parts seem like a nice proposition. Might not even be
for housing at first but as an addon for a existing house. Say you wanted to
clear your garage and store your stuff somewhere else in the property. Maybe
for government-sponsored housing programs.

Or, I don't know, Africa? There are places where shelter is more important
than the land.

~~~
bargl
Africa would be an awesome idea, but you'd have to do a lot of work with the
locals to get them to see this as a viable shelter.

I worked on a project that tried to bring new types of homes to Haiti. This
was a HUGE problem because if the locals don't like it (no matter how cool)
your idea won't take off.

The fact is that most Haitians thought that wood and corrugated metal were
what a "house" was (assuming you couldn't afford a concrete home).

This isn't only African's. You could look at forward swept wings in a similar
manner (I'm oversimplifying some of the technical difficulties there though).

~~~
3838
i remember someone who did a lot of aid work in africa said something similar
- various ngo's would come to a village and build stuff and the locals weren't
interested - have heard similar in the amazon.

for instance someone had built communal latrines which were unused.

his starting point was asking the villagers what they wanted to do

they said "the chiefs house is a mess" \- so they worked on that first, then
built individual latrines for each house and made other improvements - they
were able to do this by finding out what the locals wanted and working on
that, if he'd just gone and built a bunch of stuff that he wanted to he would
have been much less successful.

------
brudgers
As an architect, I appreciate many of the ideas expressed via the design - in
particular seeking a reduced footprint.

However, while many US jurisdictions might not require a building permit for
this structure due to its size, it would typically not be exempt from building
codes and as a habitable structure and more importantly as a dwelling, the
design does not meet fundamental principles embodied in modern building codes.

While the principle of occupant safety is fairly obvious and its
susceptibility to liberatarian objections predicable, the code embodies a
further less obvious principle, that of first responder safety. Doors and
windows have size and operational requirements to allow fire-fighters to get
in and back out. Structural systems have structural requirements and
combustibility limits for the same reason. Buildings need to be anchored to
keep them from blowing into neighboring structures in a storm.

Most people are urbanized, and the structural problems of housing is harder
than can be solved by tents in the wilderness. Anyplace that this is a viable
alternative for long term dwelling, it is likely that so is a used trailer or
a building of recycled and scavenged materials.

Again, I appreciate the design and the aesthetic effort and the ideas it
expresses. I just can't get carried away over an academic exercise.

~~~
tjic
> While the principle of occupant safety is fairly obvious and its
> susceptibility to liberatarian objections predicable

As an extreme libertarian (an anarcho capitalist) and as a pretty experienced
builder, I'd like to say that no libertarian I've met is against the concept
of occupant safety. We are, however, fairly likely to be against the assertion
that government regulations are the only way to achieve this, or the best way.

Underwriter's Labs is an example many libertarians invoke: a private free-
market safety licensing firm that other firms voluntarily pay for, so that
they can advertise to consumers the safety of their products.

I note that government regulation is subject to regulatory capture: one-pipe
urinals (non flushing) are made illegal because it would result in less work
for plumbers, efficient PEX pipes are delayed again because of concerns that
it would lower housing costs, engineered lumber that is approved in one area
is not approved in others, etc.

I build to code (and well above code, sometimes) because I care about safety
and I care about craftsmanship, but there is a LOT that's stupid in government
regulation.

~~~
mpyne
Regulatory stupidity is hardly limited to the government though. Have you
never tried to implement a Microsoft "standard"?

While UL is certainly nice enough, how many people know to look for it when
they buy appliances? And how does this avoid in general the problem that if UL
becomes too onerous, the affected appliance makers simply start their own
voluntary licensing firm with better results?

"Oh, but people would never fall for that!" Sure they would, that was the
whole point to the "Intel Inside" marketing campaign.

So while I deeply appreciate the types of examples you point out (getting to
see them every day from within the bowels of Mount DoD), I worry that when
people talk about the problems with "government _______" that they focus on
'government' and don't pay attention at all to the inherent problems with
_______.

But just as government can't fix the issues inherent in problems, they are not
always the inherent problem themselves.

(P.S. guess who is the only entity to _ever_ tell me to 'look for UL'?... the
government, that's who, during our yearly fire safety briefs).

~~~
tjic
> Regulatory stupidity is hardly limited to the government though. Have you
> never tried to implement a Microsoft "standard"?

Indeed, regulations can suck no matter who creates them.

The great thing about the non-governmental world is that there are CHOICES. I
vote with my feet (and my dollars, and my contributions). I switch from MSFT
to Red Hat, from Red Hat to Debian, from Debian to Ubuntu.

~~~
enraged_camel
>>The great thing about the non-governmental world is that there are CHOICES.

I don't know about that. Where I live, the only Internet provider available is
Comcast. I would guess that many people here have the exact same problem.

Sometimes regulation can eliminate choices, but at other times it can enable
them. For example, when the government forces cab companies (via regulation)
to not discriminate based on neighborhood income, what it is doing is creating
more choices for areas people can live in comfortably without worrying about
whether they will have a fairly essential service (i.e. transportation).

Tell me: how would libertarianism solve that problem?

~~~
NegativeK
While I disagree with its premises (which makes me a devil's advocate, I
suppose,) the response to something like Comcast is that the government is
involved in setting up ISP monopolies/duopolies.

~~~
mpyne
Just like government setup Standard Oil?

Government is involved in _regulating_ Comcast, for sure. But as far as I can
tell the issues that make telecommunications hard for new entrants has more to
do with the sheer cost of building-out a suitable network than any amount of
government regulation.

~~~
brianpgordon
No, usually the local government actually grants a literal monopoly to a
single telecom for a period of time. Their justification is that the telecom
is making a big investment in building infrastructure, and there's no way a
company would take that risk without some assurances of profit.

------
mattjaynes
This is awesome. I especially love his focus on reducing the complex down to
the very simple. He put a lot of work into simplifying the design and the
payoff was huge - only 3 shapes make up the whole thing!

From the article: "The three shapes we derived above amount to a remarkable
simplification in fabrication and construction. We have decimated the
complexity of the dome."

"Decimated" is the perfect word for it.

Here's a related gratuitous simplicity quote from Rich Hickey (of Clojure
fame):

"Simplicity is hard work. But, there's a huge payoff. The person who has a
genuinely simpler system - a system made out of genuinely simple parts, is
going to be able to affect the greatest change with the least work. He's going
to kick your ass. He's gonna spend more time simplifying things up front and
in the long haul he's gonna wipe the plate with you because he'll have that
ability to change things when you're struggling to push elephants around."

[http://devopsu.com/blog/simplicity-is-
key/](http://devopsu.com/blog/simplicity-is-key/)

~~~
finnh
Actually, "decimated" is not the perfect word for it. He's done much better
than mere decimation!

(Decimated means "reduced by 1/10th" ... not, as is popularly believed,
"reduced to 1/10th")

~~~
gamegoblin
While that is the origin of the word, to pretend it still only means that is
pretty delusional.

Words change meaning based on usage.

~~~
finnh
sure, I'm being pedantic. But, if it's called out as "the perfect word" I
assume the OP would want to know (just like I welcomed the correction when I
first learned it).

~~~
monkeynotes
If we are going to be pedantic I will point out an accepted dictionary
definition of 'decimate' is as follows:

> to destroy a great number or proportion of: The population was decimated by
> a plague.

If the acceptance criteria of for use as 'the perfect word' is that it matches
as precisely as possible to its definition then I think the OP was on track.

I think it is interesting trivia that the origins of the word come from the
violence of the Roman army, but to assert that is the only way the word is
used in modern English is wrong. I blame Dan Carlin's Hardcore History podcast
for the recent surge in smug people 'correcting' the use of this word.

~~~
sillysaurus2
Such as "the value of this conversation has been decimated by pedants"?

------
johnnyg
Loved this post.

I think my favorite part was "I have iterated on this idea a bit." where you
post the fails.

It can get discouraging looking at all the beautiful stuff posted and thinking
it just sprang out of nothing. Clearly this is neat because you put a lot of
work into making it so.

Thanks for taking the time to write it up and share it.

~~~
wehadfun
My favorite line was "Housing is a major expense that is ripe for pruning."

------
deletes
How does it fair again strong winds in a storm and occasional hail? Is the
isolation good enough to provide comfort in environment ranging from 35°C to
-15°C ?

What is your solution for a bathroom? Where do you shower?

~~~
aclevername
This. I'm curious as to how the bathroom is laid out, where you go for any and
all of those purposes.

This "house" is missing a lot of viable (standard) infrastructure to be
considered what we usually call a house in North America. It's closer to that
of a very small travel trailer, or a tent. All in all I still love the idea.

~~~
nobodysfool
This doesn't have a bathroom, it's just a place to sleep and work. Think of it
like a workroom, or greenhouse. It was built on a foundation of masonry blocks
and 2x4s If you wanted plumbing, you could certainly add it. That's the idea,
you build it yourself.

~~~
dsuth
I wonder at what point the structure would become non self-supporting though,
in terms of scaling up the size.

------
sequoia
What land is this put on? Did you buy it or is it a friend's? Maybe I missed
that part, I didn't read the whole article closely; it's kind of an important
question because it may change your project price from $2,100 to $302,100
depending on your location.

A search for "toilet" "bathroom" and "poop" yielded no results however, as did
searches for "kitchen" "cook" "stove" and "range." Assuming OP eats food
(hackers still do that, no?) and poops, it seems there is more to this living
arrangement than is described in this article.

I don't know the situation but put a gun to my head and force me to speculate
and I'll say "This guy is living on a friend's land & relying on the resources
in his friend's house." There's no shame in that but it's disingenuous to
sweep it under the rug and pretend your abode is an "alternative" to a house
when it in fact relies on a house.

~~~
graue
The author comments elsewhere that there's no plumbing[1], and that this is in
the mountains of North Carolina[2] (presumably near Asheville, which his
twitter bio lists as a location).

[1]
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6355787](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6355787)

[2]
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6355875](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6355875)

------
sopooneo
My little backwater hometown in Maine raged with ideas like this in the
seventies, just before I entered the world. One or two families still live in
buildings of similar feel. But most got normal walls with plumbing and lots of
TV's once the children outnumbered.

A few of my generation picked up the torch in the nineties, and I happen to
know of one off-the-grid dome lived in by a classmate of mine. Though he's
married now and no matter how much "Little House" she has read, I find it's a
rare wife that wouldn't prefer a conventional stove by year five or so.

So when I see these posts I smile for my own parents' optimism and naivete.
And I also feel desperately, overwhelmingly homesick. That garden reads as
Eden to my eye. So props to the builder. I hope you make lots of great
memories there.

------
robododo
So... plastic + blue foam + blue foam + plastic.

This sounds extremely flammable. Are any of your materials actually code-rated
for a living structure (as you're using them)? Last I checked, stuff like blue
foam board needs to be used in specific ways, such as behind fire-rated walls.
You cannot leave any of it exposed, or it's a fire hazard.

~~~
dugmartin
Flame retardant corrugated plastic sheets do exist (my brother used several
hundred of them for an event inside a hotel). I'm not sure if it would be
enough of a firewall for blueboard though.

------
michaelt
In my country I'm not sure what the legal situation would be - as I understand
it you can't just throw up a trailer park where you want. And a plot of land
with permission for a permanent residence is worth about half the cost of a
house. What's the legal situation in your country?

Have you ever invited girls home, and if so how did they react? I think your
dome looks awesome and fascinating, but I don't know if everyone would be so
enthusiastic?

~~~
scotty79
> Have you ever invited girls home, and if so how did they react?

Some standup comediant joked that if women agreed to have sex in cardboard
boxes, men wouldn't buy houses.

~~~
cgag
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZRflz-93JA#t=0m35s](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZRflz-93JA#t=0m35s)

------
adaml_623
I like geodesics but I don't think they are any more practical than a Yurt.

This link is written by somebody with quite a lot of experience with domes.
[http://www.shelterpub.com/_shelter/domebuilders_blues.html](http://www.shelterpub.com/_shelter/domebuilders_blues.html)

~~~
brucehauman
Please read the post. My post is essentially a response to the many problems
of building domes.

~~~
wffurr
You ignored the vast majority of the practical problems pointed out in the
parent link. Plumbing, roof pitch, acoustics, privacy, ventilation,
insulation, etc.

~~~
grannyg00se
I think plumbing was solved by not including it. Acoustics can be solved by
not having a loud child living in there with you as can privacy. Ventilation,
insulation, etc, all easy to deal with if you don't concern yourself with
building codes.

~~~
fusiongyro
You and the author are free to ignore these problems (at least, until the
government evicts you from your own residence) but don't conflate ignoring a
problem with solving it.

~~~
grannyg00se
Does that happen with non permanent structures? I don't count the problems as
ignored. They're actually not relevant for the intended use case.

~~~
fusiongyro
From the article:

> If I want to spend my time writing blog posts, exploring new programming
> languages, and other things that I want to do but I am unlikely to get paid
> for, it’s helpful to opt out of certain common expenses. Housing is a major
> expense that is ripe for pruning.

I'd say "the intended use case" here is clearly to replace your primary
residence, which is both what makes the project interesting and what casts the
ignored topics in sharp relief.

~~~
grannyg00se
You can replace your primary residence and at the same time change your
lifestyle expectation.

From the article: "If you are considering a canvas dome, teepee, or yurt you
should consider building a frameless dome as well."

I'd say that if you're considering replacing your primary residence with a
teepee, you're looking at certain lifestyle expectation that don't necessarily
include building codes.

~~~
nathan_long
You're probably also looking at a lifestyle that makes it difficult to
"explore new programming languages." For that, you'll need to live in a city,
so you can go poop and charge your laptop somewhere nearby, in which case
building codes are relevant.

------
micro_cam
My parent's moved to the rural north west in the early 70's and knew people
who attempted the dome lifestyle. By the time I was born in 1981 they had all
moved on and built traditional houses.

There are issues with domes that aren't apparent to the novice builder.
Besides questions about if being an efficient use of space the numerous angled
joints make them very difficult to weather seal/roof so they tend to leak.

A simple, passive solar rectangular design from sips (structured insulating
panels) is much more efficient and quicker to put up. You order the panels pre
built and routed for doors/windows/plumbing. Rectangular panels means you need
to bolt them together in fewer places.

I think david wright's high sierra cabin is a great example of what is
possible using this construction method:

[http://davidwrightarchitect.com/cabins/](http://davidwrightarchitect.com/cabins/)

THough i have also seen simpler plans more in line with this dome.

------
jdnier
Any concerns about living surrounded by all that polystyrene blueboard? Either
indoor air quality or flammability?
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polystyrene#Fire_hazards](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polystyrene#Fire_hazards)

~~~
brucehauman
This is definitely a consideration and a trade off. I don't advocate having a
wood stove in this structure. I haven't done any tests for air quality. The
polystrene isn't exposed that much on the interior.

But this is a really good question which applys to all structures that use
this material.

------
eksith
I love it! I especially like that it is in fact a closer to a proper dome
rather than a flat faceted solid since the panels are flexible. It reminds me
of an igloo.

We get a fair amount of snow, so if I went about this, there would probably be
a frame underneath. There are plenty of tutorials on the web for the assembly
of geodesic structures.

This touches on another project that didn't quite take off called the "Icopod"
[http://eksith.wordpress.com/2010/01/06/icopod](http://eksith.wordpress.com/2010/01/06/icopod)

The idea was very similar, but I think the original designer became
disinterested and moved onto other things. The fact that you provided exact
shapes and sizes makes me more hopeful.

------
staunch
I wonder how many people could make money putting a couple of these in their
backyards and renting them out on Airbnb.

~~~
fusiongyro
I say try it. The televised court proceedings will make excellent low-cost
entertainment for me.

------
Zarathust
I really like having hot running water and a shower in my home. Lets say that
I'm willing to pay extra for this.

------
peller
@brucehauman Truly exceptional work. This post literally made my day; I can't
thank you enough for spending the time to write and share it. I especially
like the smart utilization of 4x8 panels with minimal waste and the tiny BOM
required for construction. As someone with a fair amount of construction
experience myself, the amount of engineering thought you've put into this
project clearly shines through.

It's innovators like you who make this world a better place; keep up the great
work and don't ever let the critics get under your skin!!

------
kpennell
For those who want to work on their projects and live cheap, I've seen:

Live in your car and have a hackerspace and gym membership:
[http://www.quora.com/Would-becoming-homeless-be-a-good-
strat...](http://www.quora.com/Would-becoming-homeless-be-a-good-strategy-to-
cut-costs-1)

Hide out at AOL office

Be homeless in Swedish forest

Move to foreign country where it's cheaper to live

Move to a dome

Added it to the list!

~~~
jquery
I love how manufactured homes aren't on this list.

Oh wait, I forgot this whole thing was about status and "conspicuous
authenticity", not about actually living cheaply.

~~~
dalke
I noticed that "get roommates" also wasn't on the list.

~~~
graue
Literal roommates — who share a sleeping room? Or flatmates who just share an
apartment living room, kitchen, etc?

I've never _not_ lived with the second kind of roommates (as an adult), but in
a city like NYC or SF, that still is much more expensive than the stuff on the
list.

~~~
dalke
Either would be appropriate, though I did mean flatmates.

In college I and many other adults had literal roommate, including some who
lived in off-campus apartments. My father tells a story, back in the 1960s, of
a place he lived for a few months where there were more people than beds. They
used hot-bunking, since some worked nights.

In any case, if your reference is living in a city like NYC or SF then the
item "Move to foreign country where it's cheaper to live" should be changed to
the more generic "Move to a place where it's cheaper to live."

The emphasis on "foreign country" is why I agree with jquery's comment that
the list is 'about status and "conspicuous authenticity", not about actually
living cheaply.'

If you can work in a forest in Sweden, then you can also work in Buffalo,
where the cost of living is about 1/2 of that NYC. Or for that matter, you can
work from a forest in New York State, and save the price of airfare.

~~~
graue
I'd definitely prefer the forest to Buffalo, but point made. :)

------
osivertsson
Beautiful and inspiring. Posts like this is what makes HN great.

~~~
brucehauman
Thanks man, I really appreciate that.

------
ctdonath
Bravo! Fantastic attempt (thinking way outside the box), with interesting
results (low cost, rapid construction). Great step in the tiny house concept.

Not sure how to reconcile the shape with societal expectations, as we're
trained to expect 3+ rooms with rectangular layout (even "tiny homes" adhere).
Does look a bit tight inside, at least for usable floorspace juxtaposed with
headroom. Cost is impressive (low), but might need something of a sales pitch
to motivate living in the 4-digit expense.

I'm most impressed that you _did it_. Would love the opportunity to try it
myself (alas, priorities).

~~~
umsm
One issue with deviating from the standard rectangular construction is that
furniture is designed to fit in square spaces.

Beds, tables, chairs, etc. are mostly rectangular.

------
xradionut
I live in tornado alley in a area with extremely summer temps and the
occasional wild fire. These are the domes we recommend:

[http://www.monolithic.com/](http://www.monolithic.com/)

~~~
stcredzero
Monolithic domes are a wonder and a seeming paradox. You get an earthquake-
proof, tornado-proof, bullet-proof, bomb-proof, collision-with-a-barrelling-
semi-proof reinforced concrete structure that goes up almost instantly. But if
you get a pin-prick in the vinyl airform, you have to deal with vapor-drive of
water into the polyurethane foam, and your structure gets damaged.

[http://www.monolithic.com/stories/vapor-
drive](http://www.monolithic.com/stories/vapor-drive)

That said, there are ways of protecting your air-form, and if you do that,
these things look to be nigh indestructible.

------
zzzeek
what's the story on kitchen / food ? (oh right and plumbing, bathrooms, etc).

for this to scale up, we are looking to replace having a traditional house
right nearby, right?

are you doing all takeout or something like a camping stove outdoors ?

------
erikig
I enjoyed his write-up, his discussions on motivations, as well as the
pictures of his early attempts.

I'm a big fan of thinking outside the box (pun intended).

Somewhat related to his thoughts on home structures is the shipping container
home movement that has been gradually picking up steam. Insulated shipping
containers make great home frames and it would be nice to see similar
grassroots discussions on the challenges of setting them up as well as success
stories.

------
jquery
The efficient-home problem has already been solved. We call them manufactured
homes. They're cheap, and are actually up-to-code for long-term living.

~~~
RyJones
they're cheap to acquire, but long-term, not so good. They're also very
flimsy, so everything sort-of goes at once.

Yes, you can spend a lot more on one and get nicer finishes, but the end state
is the floor sags and none of the doors shut.

~~~
jquery
It depends on what you mean by long-term and probably how well you take care
of it. Growing up, I lived in one for years with no issues. So did my best
friend, for even longer (at least a decade, no issues with sagging or
warping). And this was in the rainy, wet Pacific Northwest.

I dare say they are better built than the flimsy plastic tent we saw linked in
the OP.

~~~
teeja
$36,000 / 120 months = $300/mo. If it lasts 10 years, that's a pretty good
ROI.

------
dalke
Steward Brand, in "How Buildings Learn: What Happens After They’re Built",
"asserts that the best buildings are made from low-cost, standard designs that
people are familiar with, and easy to modify. In this way people can gradually
change their buildings to meet their needs." (Quoting Wikipedia.)

One example was living in a trailer in New Mexico, which can be winterized by
surrounding it by straw bales, then turned into walls, and expanded as needed.
Another was living in an old wooden boat, on land, where it was trivial to cut
a hole if you wanted it.

That's much in line with the philosophy behind this dome, which several others
here agree with.

However, Brand also specifically dislikes domes, because they are difficult to
expand, or to add internal divisions. For a single person, who does not need
partitions or extra space, this is not a problem. (Nor would it be a problem
if it were cheap to tear down and rebuild an entirely new structure.)

For a family or group of people, it is less tenable, as others here have also
pointed out.

------
nathanbatson
What kind of rvalue are you able to get from the structure? I'm wondering if
this would be viable for colder climates.

~~~
brucehauman
The R value for two layers of blueboard foam is 7.5 plus the r value of the
corrugated plastic. But the structure is pretty darn tight and the shape tends
hold heat much better than I expected.

You can always add more insulation layers and get more R value.

------
state
What's really refreshing about this is that it opens up something we think of
as completely static (housing) to the possibility of continuous improvement. I
really appreciate the effort to refine the structure. Our concept of improving
our immediate environment almost never extends to the walls themselves.

Clearly your approach is not for everyone, but it's great that you have taken
the time to share your experience since it will likely push likeminded others
towards experimenting as well.

As an aside, I have some limited experience with these: [http://shelter-
systems.com/](http://shelter-systems.com/) and it has been a fun and simple
place to start. Since they're without a foundation I think they're considered
'temporary structures' in California so they don't require any permits.

Great work!

------
VikingCoder
Can we get a PDF that's 164 pages long, that has each part on its own page
that we could print on 8.5x11 paper (centering it, since you used 4x8 sheets)?

Then we could print out own version of what you created, and use some kind of
fastener (tape? glue?) to put it together...

~~~
brucehauman
Actually I think this is a wonderful idea.

------
codezero
Cheap housing is good, but isn't a bigger problem the lack of property? OK, I
can afford to build one of these, but where do I put it?

~~~
ctdonath
Seems we need a study considering the juxtaposition of property costs,
property size, housing cost, housing size, and (oh, how to say this tactfully)
social strata.

------
ChrisNorstrom
You know what would be awesome.

If everyone on Hacker News pitched into a fund, bought some land out in the
middle a beautiful but isolated place in the rockies and created a weekend
getaway for coders using something similar to these little Geodesic Dome
houses.

~~~
LAMike
Hacker paradise... with farming powered by Aurdiuno robots and a mini
hyperloop that takes you anywhre on the property in a second haha

------
bwooce
Dome houses are initially appealing but ultimately and practically have too
many flaws to be useful. Single room houses may be an exception.

Read this
[http://www.shelterpub.com/_shelter/domebuilder's_blues.html](http://www.shelterpub.com/_shelter/domebuilder's_blues.html)
and see how many of the concerns are addressed in this design.

Lloyd was passionate about domes, but came to realize their flaws. Most of
these are applicable today despite the materials improvements over the last
30+ years.

------
sliverstorm
I don't follow the opining for the "handcrafted" houses of yore, presumably
ones that have been around for the aforementioned 5 generations. Have you
lived in such houses? They are generally pretty crappy. Nothing is a standard
size (making maintenance a nightmare), any and all building materials have
started to break down, and the owners have almost always completely neglect
updating the house. For example, replacing their old plate-glass single-pane
windows.

------
leokun
Does it have plumbing?

~~~
brucehauman
No plumbing but it's certainly possible.

~~~
mrgoldenbrown
So do you live in this or is it just a workspace? EDIT: Duh, the title says
"live in", so I guess you do :) Maybe I read too fast but I didn't see
anything about cooking, bathroom needs, and showering, so I got confused.

------
wholeo
Having lived in a 16' dome based on Fuller's bamboo dome for two years, my
main interest in your Frameless Dome was how the bolt holes and seams were
waterproofed. Also, how did you reach the outer panels for replacement? And
how did that affect the waterproofing. You said it was easy. But how exactly.

------
lazyant
Love to see people building and trying out things.

Some architect correct me but isn't a spherical-shaped house the worst case
scenario for insulation? you have the biggest volume of air to heat/cool down
with the largest surface to insulate and for heat to come in or go out, plus a
pretty small surface footprint.

~~~
sp332
A sphere gives the most internal volume for the _least_ surface area.

------
GDieken
The reason geodesic homes didn't make it out of the 70s (except at Burning Man
and radar installations) is that you can't build a structure more prone to
leaking in the rain or even a heavy dew. Solve that problem and domes become a
meaningful option. Otherwise they're a mental exercise.

~~~
Pitarou
Shingling.

And if you check the post carefully, you'll see that it is carefully designed
so the pieces overlap like shingles.

------
quadlock
I like how the plastic panels overlap to prevent leaking as framed geodesic
domes often have leaking problems.

------
Ratso
I really like this. I live in the country and I'm currently in a 2400 square
foot house but I want to downsize. I could see having one of these as well as
something else like a shipping container or Quonset hut (I live in a hurricane
area so I'd need to have something I could ride one out in if necessary --
though I wonder if your design would have similar functionality to the
geodesic radar domes in the far north). Do you have more pictures from when
you constructed it? I'd like to see the individual shapes comprised of the
corrugated polystyrene and foam insulation and a close up of how the bolts
work. Where did you buy the large pieces of polystyrene? I have similar
motivations as you, I want to live cheaply and learn new programming.

------
tonyarkles
This is super fascinating! You mention snow, but I didn't notice what part of
the world you're living in. I'd be curious about building something like this,
but I'm in a part of Canada where -40 and LOTS of snow is a real possibility.

~~~
brucehauman
If you have lots of snow, then I would advise a sparse frame , imagine an
outline of octagons and pentagons but not the internal triangles, more
insulation would also be required.

~~~
brucehauman
I live in the mountains of North Carolina: A temperate but very wet area.

------
ChuckMcM
Excellent article, love the simplification. I recall reading about a guy who
was building houses out of burlap bags and dirt and trying to get them
approved as acceptable habitable structures in California and was running into
all sorts of roadblocks.

------
num3ric
This homebuilt dome might interest you:
[http://youtu.be/OQu_FaTKkiE?t=4m46s](http://youtu.be/OQu_FaTKkiE?t=4m46s)

This guy's a classic: "My name is Jamie, and I have decided to build a giant
robot damnit!"

------
zacjszewczyk
Absolutely loved this article. Very impressive! I really hope you go on to
write more about this dome. I would be very, very interesting in reading more
about its construction and some of the challenges you faced along the way.

------
saalweachter
Is this significantly cheaper than a standard frame structure with comparable
amenities?

I priced out the materials for building a small "office shed" with no
electricity or running water, and came up with a price tag of something like
$2000 for a 10x10 structure, assuming completely conventional 2x4's,
fiberglass insulation, and off-the-shelf doors and windows. I've not yet
followed through on it, but I feel pretty confident that you could build a
pretty serviceable pretty conventional structure for not-too-much-money in
not-too-much-time.

~~~
sp332
10x10 is half the floor space of this dome.

~~~
saalweachter
Yes. The structure I priced out was also only 8 feet tall.

About half the cost -- if I recall -- was doors, windows, and skylights, and
the other half was the walls, ceiling, and floor. So you'd expect a structure
with roughly double the surface area to be roughly $3000 instead of $2000.
Depending on material choices, you would probably end up with a cost of
between $2000 and $4000 by the time you put the last coat of paint on it.
Again, having not actually followed through I don't have a final bill of
materials. I could have over-estimated the cost of something, or forgotten
something else entirely.

But the point is the same. Is $2100 really that cheap, when compared to a
$4000 stick-frame structure with comparable function, or is it only cheap when
compared to a $40,000 house with a bathroom, kitchen, furnace, water heater,
and appliances?

~~~
contingencies
You can't plan, receive approval for, build, receive inspections on, and move
in to a house for anywhere near as little as $40,000. Try double or triple for
a bad one. Perhaps with the exception of a kit-home in nowheresville, NO.

~~~
saalweachter
You're more or less right, but I can weasel a technical victory.

The cost to build a house is essentially per square foot. In my area, about
$140 / square foot for decent quality. Not the best quality, but good enough.
So a small house (1000 sq ft) costs about $140,000 to build, and a large house
(4000 sq ft) costs about $560,000 to build. That's parts, labor, permits.

But if you're willing to build what amounts to a studio apartment, you can
totally build it for next to nothing. The smallest standard set of plans I
found online was 213 square feet. Even adding in the $2500 they're wanting for
that one (most standard plans are around $500), that still gives you a price
tag of $32,500, which gives you a $7500 margin between the estimated budget
and the stated $40,000, for cost overruns and furnishings.

Of course, the point wasn't "You can build a house for $40,000, that's totally
cheap", it was "Now, a $2100 dome is 20x cheaper than even a minimal house,
which is fantastic, but it's nearly half the price of a $4000 stick-frame
structure with identical functionality. Is that cheaper-enough to declare
domes the way forward on price alone?"

------
S4M
It's really cool, but how do you deal with the problem of burglary?

------
marknowotarski
As I look at the dome versus the trees I wonder: Why do animals seek to
isolate themselves from the environment and plants seek to permeate it? No
judgement, just curious.

~~~
Goladus
I wouldn't say that's an accurate generalization for all plants.

But to the extent it's true, my theory is because most plants are by nature
immobile. Sunlight is everywhere so moving much would be a waste of energy. So
plants grow, shrink, open, close, turn, hibernate, but they can not move to a
more sheltered location. They must stay where their roots are and face
whatever hostile conditions they might encounter (winds, cold, snow, rain,
predators, etc.). Mobile, food-hunting animals, on the other hand tend to have
fewer natural defenses against harsh environmental conditions and predators.
So they rely on shelters (found or built) for protection instead. Mammals
adapted to a particular type of harsh conditions are less likely to seek
shelter from them. (eg American Bison, for example, are adapted to handle cold
and snow.) Cold-blooded reptiles may use shelters but at times environment may
compel them to leave the shelter in order to bask in the sun to increase their
body temperature.

It's also partly a semantic issue. "Environment" tends to imply a background
that contains mobile actors. Stationary plants thus are environment, moreso
than animals.

~~~
contingencies
Neither of you mentioned fungi, which we are closer to than plants, and which
_truly_ permeate.

~~~
Goladus
Heh I thought of fungi (and bacteria and fish and plankton) but post was
already too long and complicated for the point I wanted to make.

------
tedsy
Brilliant! And smooth abd clean. Saw it on Boing. I helped build a dome in the
late 60's. I think it ended up like your total utter failure - but I was gone
by then. I like the idea of using such a thing as a (flat) roof-top shelter on
a garage or something (me downtowner). And I'm highly amused that all the
commentary I had the stamina to scan was about housing prices and nothing
about structure. cheers, Good Luck, Tedsy

------
Pitarou
I just want to highlight what's important about this design:

IT'S FRAMELESS

This drastically brings down the costs.

There are still disadvantages, of course -- the inflexible shape and lack of
large, flat, vertical surfaces is a problem for most applications -- but the
dome is now so much cheaper that, in some niches, they're worth a second look.
I can well imagine, for instance, mass-produced geodesic haybarns based on
this design.

------
wolfv
Thanks for the post Bruce.

Have you considered applying aluminum foil to the outer shell with contact
cement, to eliminate solar gain and plastic breakdown?

------
jacob_smith
I would love to see some more of the blog concerning windows/doors/electricity
-- any showers or water running to the dome?

------
ajmurmann
It would be very interesting to see the door. Anything I can think off would
easier break the structure of the dome or be awkward.

~~~
brucehauman
The door is in the last photo at the top of the post. It is essentially a
round door that functions much the way cooler lid functions. There is a wood
frame to support the opening in the structure.

------
krmmalik
I'm really interested in ideas like this.

There isn't enough innovation in alternative housing. The cost of buying a
house in the UK is astronomical. Even a flat-pack build is still very
expensive although a fair bit cheaper than brick and mortar, but you still
have to buy land and deal with regulatory policies with regards to
construction.

~~~
contingencies
There's loads of info out there on websites and torrents, which I've spent the
last year or two devouring. The main thing is to understand where you might
like to live and find a technique that's suitable. If you're happy to move
somewhat outside of a city, I'd recommend checking out information around
straw building in particular... it's pretty impressive in terms of cost,
longevity, seismic, audio and thermal insulation properties and is well
proven, and suits a surprising range of climates.

~~~
krmmalik
Thanks!

I may come back to you personally for some more information at some point .

The biggest challenge in the UK for any kind of alternative construction is
still the price of the land. Have you discovered any ways to overcome this
challenge?

~~~
contingencies
The UK is almost (bar perhaps Singapore) a worst case scenario: huge land
holdings by a small number of established parties, all jobs in essentially one
area, and a culture of huge numbers of people living in cramped housing which
reduces the demand for proper living space. I lived there for a year and have
visited a few other times myself, plus I have a friend from there with a
strong interest in alternative construction techniques who is presently
searching for a solution to this issue himself. According to him, getting
permits to build pretty much anything is really expensive and difficult, which
represents an even greater hurdle than the cost of land. On the plus side, a
subset of the out-of-town transit links are quite OK if your work in some
parts of London or remote.

If I were you I would look about 40min or 1hr commute out by train for special
situations (long term land minding, basic groundskeeping on estates for free
accomodation, etc.) and/or try to ingratiate yourself with someone with
significant landholdings who wouldn't mind carving off a portion to a friend
at an agreeable price. Honestly though, why not just leave the UK? It's not
really that exciting. France is far cheaper, you get brilliant food, and the
people are less football thug slash coke-snortin' bankerish. If you really
want to go to London, you can live in Brittany and get a ferry back now and
then for not that much money.

~~~
krmmalik
Yes. This is what I am up against at the moment. You are right though. I
should consider moving abroad. My worry with somewhere like France is - being
Muslim - I don't know how I would be treated and to what extent the problems
shown on TV are representative of what it's actually like on the ground.

That said. I do know someone with some land in France . Maybe I could have a
chat with him!

~~~
contingencies
My partner's Muslim. There's plenty of Muslims in France. Everyone in London
told me French and Parisians in particular were rude and horrible, but I found
them far nicer than the English and have never had a bad experience! I'd say
they're more likely to get snooty if you fail to drink with them, which, if
you're a little on the conservative side of Islam, might be the case. I have a
theory, though, that what most of them are really after is animated
conversationalists and philosophical arguments! If true, drink is optional.

~~~
krmmalik
You've inspired me. Is there a place you know of in South France that is
economical to live in where i could rent for a while. I've started my
freelance career not so long ago so surviving on savings till i can build it
up - but if there's a place that's quite affordable then i'd jump at the
chance of moving out for some nicer weather and nicer people.

Let me know if you have any ideas.

------
seansoutpost
Tis is really awesome.

If it's cool with you, I'm going to build one of these to house homeless is
Satoshi Forest ([http://bitcoinmagazine.com/6939/seans-outpost-announces-
sato...](http://bitcoinmagazine.com/6939/seans-outpost-announces-satoshi-
forest/)).

Seems like a rather elegant solution.

------
baddox
Just yesterday I found this fellow Paul Elkins via YouTube. He makes some cool
(smaller) shelters as well. Like this:

[http://www.elkinsdiy.com/survival/rapid-
coroshelter/](http://www.elkinsdiy.com/survival/rapid-coroshelter/)

------
prawn
Wonder if there'd be interest in a smaller, clear version of this as a
greenhouse. Something that could be laser cut and packed down to a postable
package. Light enough that you could lift and place it over your seedlings.

~~~
contingencies
That degree of structural integrity is overkill for a greenhouse. Just get
some bamboo poles with a sheet of transparent plastic and you're done: instant
greenhouse.

~~~
prawn
You should see my effort at doing that previously. Ugly stuff! Had problems
with even a light wind and the plastic staying in place, sagging, etc.

What I had in mind with the dome of plates was something that would almost
stand out as a feature in the garden.

I guess an issue with the dome approach that'd need solving was making it
fairly airtight so warm air and moisture would be retained.

~~~
contingencies
I've seen very large amounts of these things in high wind areas of China. (The
Chinese have been very good at transferring the fruits of academic
agricultural research to farmers.) The ones I've seen have been very long
(say, 20M per structure), usually but not exclusively curved-top, and the
plastic has been held down under pressure. Occasionally, depending upon the
prevailing environmental conditions, one of the long sides of the structure
has its plastic rolled back and pinned up half way, similar to the mechanisms
you see on commercially produced tents. Likewise, sometimes the ends are left
opened, other times they are closed to minimise air exchange.

------
jwallaceparker
Looks great!

Key question: do the ladies like it?

------
Goladus
The main question I have is not how hard it would be to stack these as with an
apartment building, but how hard would it be to connect a small network of
these into a single-floor house with rooms for different purposes?

------
tootie
Where does the electricity come from and where does his bodily effluence go?

------
jostmey
Where's the bathroom?

------
hardworkisfun
Wow awesome, love your writing and thinking Bruce. Would love to hear more
about your thoughts on doing what you want, despite not getting paid for it
and minimizing your lifestyle.

------
batemanesque
given that so many people don't have any access to housing at all it seems
somewhat myopic to criticize the fact that construction generally aims for
efficiency rather than beauty.

the dome looks nice but is stuff like this really a viable alternative for
anyone other than a small well-off slice of the population? how does the cost
of not having a kitchen compare to what you save in building materials?

------
boofitz
When I saw this, my 1st thought was how useful these would be in refugee
camps: much more humane housing than tents!

------
zwieback
I like it for what it is and enoyed reading the post a lot but it's really not
a housing alternative.

------
alex_doom
I wonder how long it takes to assemble/disassemble. Might be a interesting
structure at Burning Man.

------
FriedPickles
First acceptable use of the word "synergy" I've seen in a long time!

------
umsm
This particular post presents a very interesting structure / design. But I
don't see this solving any major issue. There seem to be better alternatives
to this that solve "housing issues".

Why wouldn't you build a log cabin instead of something like this?

------
crb002
Only the shell remains in Montreal. The dome plastic burned.
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_Biosph%C3%A8re](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_Biosph%C3%A8re)

------
dalanmiller
Where is the toilet.

------
stevewilhelm
Ah, what's old is new again.
[http://www.bagginsend.net/](http://www.bagginsend.net/)

------
shadowOfShadow
Where's the geodesic toilet?

------
SamBoogie
Dope. All hail Bucky!

------
hippich
Where is restroom?

------
fakename
paging @FalseMedium

------
justnope
Charlatan.

------
ebbv
While neat this seems to offer zero advantages in reality vs. traditional
housing, unless you're a lone hermit living away from everyone else.

Assuming you have 10-20 people to house, each person having their own dome
seems less efficient than building a more traditional house with shared
kitchen, bathroom, etc. facilities, since the dome cannot contain those, at
least without scaling up significantly at which point its utilization of space
becomes really inefficient.

EDIT:

To clarify I'm assuming that:

A) He's living a commune with this, and sharing cooking/bathroom facilities
with others. Thus my comment abotu 10-20 people to house.

B) The point is efficiency/ease of housing people. I don't think a bunch of
individual (or 2-3 person domes) is any more efficient than one or two
traditional houses to hold everyone and all the facilities needed.

~~~
grannyg00se
How are two traditional houses going to house 20 people?

~~~
sp332
I've stayed in this house
[http://i.imgur.com/EgZRY9g.jpg](http://i.imgur.com/EgZRY9g.jpg) It easily
held 30 people. There was a large upstairs room with many beds side-by-side,
and 5 other small rooms with one or two bunk beds each. This left the
downstairs mostly open with a big kitchen, two medium-sized meeting/dining
rooms, and a big classroom.

~~~
grannyg00se
Wow, that's a huge looking house. How is that more efficient though?

~~~
sp332
Well for starters, the surface area per person is a lot lower. Even with
framing and siding, it's probably less material per person than building a
little bubble around each person. Certainly running 20 little air conditioners
is less efficient than central air. Maintenance over time is probably lower.
The big deal is that it uses way less land per person, partly by using a two-
story design which a dome can't do.

------
kingmanaz
Corrugated steel is an often overlooked building material, particularly for
tiny houses:

[http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Z4MwyfNR-
Ek/TbNYZHvul_I/AAAAAAAAY5...](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Z4MwyfNR-
Ek/TbNYZHvul_I/AAAAAAAAY50/6lPgfLMFfUs/s1600/P1000286+%255B1024x768%255D.JPG)

Photo taken in Chloride, AZ. Many of the small homes in the town have their
original iron siding and are well over 100 years old.

This book has more information: [http://www.amazon.com/Corrugated-Iron-Simon-
Holloway-Morneme...](http://www.amazon.com/Corrugated-Iron-Simon-Holloway-
Mornement/dp/0711226547/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1378773939&sr=8-1&keywords=corrugated+iron)

------
ommunist
In the UK materials cost goes roughly the same nominal, only in GBP. Makes
such projects more expensive, but does not make them less attractive. Thank
you for sharing.

------
volokoumphetico
it would be nice if you could carry this in your pocket and you add water to
the tiny pocket sized cylinder labelled "Capsule Corp." and yell "HOY POY" and
it will spring to life, complete with furnitures, your computer and
everything.

~~~
BrandonMarc
Arthur Weasley had something a lot like that ...

~~~
volokoumphetico
guess nobody got the Dragonball reference. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

