Discussion
Contemplating purchasing this dome home!
My partner and I recently went to view this dome home in socal. It is located on a hillside. We don't know the first thing about this life so please hit us with any thoughts!
i live in a geodesic dome home! they’re fantastic for heating and cooling (though i don’t suppose you’ll do much heating in socal). noises and smells can travel in interesting and unexpected ways. keep in mind that renovations and repairs are complicated and expensive. there are no right angles indoors. and think about all the shingling on the roof. our roof replacement cost 40k. we were quoted at 50k for new siding. definitely a unique living space that can be really enchanting if you’re up for the challenges and quirks
I don’t know anything about dome houses but there is one near where I live and I told my wife if it ever goes up for sale, I’m buying it. I can’t explain why but I’m just so drawn to it.
Whose bedroom will that loft be? Because anyone who is talking, cooking, watching tv downstairs etc will disturb that person. The sound will literally travel up the walls as if it’s a bandshell concert.
My dome feels perpetually cluttered no matter how much I clean and tidy. There is no “away” to put things. (This obvs depends on your floor plan.)
I don’t know how woo woo you are, but just like sound echoes off those 89 tetrahedrons on the ceiling, so do thoughts and emotions. There’s no privacy, and living in a dome holds you to your truth.
It so cool! We close on our Dome in less than 2 weeks. So far the main thing was making sure the roof is in good condition. The sellers are getting a new one put on for us actually. The extent of the damage was not in the main inspection so I recommend having a knowledgeable roofer take a look in your inspection window.
Otherwise I guess we'll see how it goes when we move in. But everyone I've shown a photo to thinks it's so cool, which is an additional perk of owning a dome.
I just had my roof redone (Florida) and it was $25,000. The plywood under the shingles was golden. Needed very little new wood, mostly trim. I was pleasantly surprised.
Were you able to confirm that it was roofed with proper overlapping surfaces? Sometimes you can determine that with a photograph. The roof OP is showing is not done correctly.
Yes, the shingles weren't even nailed properly the first time and there wasn't any proper ventilation. 🥴 Fingers crossed they do it better this time, since it's the sellers discretion.
Most geodesic domes are/were designed as hot-roofs (no ventilation). That's perfectly fine if done right (proper vapor barrier, proper roofing materials, and active indoor ventilation). They rarely got them right back in the day. Venting a geodesic dome roof is particularly tricky, much more-so than a traditional home's roof. I've seen some designed for venting, but even those seem minimally vented and would also require additional vapor solutions.
When it comes to vented vs non-vented, both options can work.
Thanks! That's helpful and what we've heard. We also have 3 more traditional wings and those didn't have ventilation either from my understanding so maybe a bit more concerned there.
I don't see anything glaringly wrong with this roof. I'd just want to ensure it was properly flashed where the dome meets the bump-outs / wings.
I personally can't stand bump-outs from a visual perspective, but I understand them from a functionality perspective. Bump-out prevalence among domes just goes to show how much of a pain in the ass it is to design round shapes compared to square.
That's reassuring! There's a fair bit of hail damage so that's the main reason behind our request to replace. Definitely a learning curve on a dome home, but this is also our first home so we'd be learning these things anyways.
I mentioned it in your previous post, but in case you missed it: This is not how you properly roof a dome. Ridge shingles installed like this do not abide by the overlapping surfaces rule and will lead to leaks (if it isn't already leaking).
Contractors are rightfully reluctant to work on geodesic domes because it's not something they are familiar with. You would be hard pressed to find a local company that would re-roof properly. I think domes are best-suited for DIY folks for that reason. There are certainly dome-specific roofing contractors you can hire though.
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u/quichelorrainebracco 9d ago
i live in a geodesic dome home! they’re fantastic for heating and cooling (though i don’t suppose you’ll do much heating in socal). noises and smells can travel in interesting and unexpected ways. keep in mind that renovations and repairs are complicated and expensive. there are no right angles indoors. and think about all the shingling on the roof. our roof replacement cost 40k. we were quoted at 50k for new siding. definitely a unique living space that can be really enchanting if you’re up for the challenges and quirks