ABOUT DOME HOMES

Dome homes are homes made from one or more hemispherical structures. Dome homes may be constructed out of rigid triangular panels, or by spraying concrete onto a foam structure. Dome homes produce rooms whose floors are in the shape of a circle or a section of a circle. This produces spaces which are interesting and somewhat unusual. Dome homes made from rigid triangular panels are known as geodesic domes; a technique invented by Buckminster Fuller. The dome home panels are grouped into hexagons or pentagons, and windows usually take the form of triangles, hexagons or pentagons.

Concrete dome homes are highly resistant to extreme weather conditions. They may be partially or wholly built into the ground, with earth laid over the domes, producing highly energy efficient underground homes.

LEADING DOME HOME MANUFACTURERS

Leitgeb Industries: Dome Homes. Leitgeb Industries, based in Toccoa, Georgia, is a constructor of concrete dome homes. Run by Lawrence Leitgeb, the company specializes in the construction of concrete sprayed concrete (shotcrete) dome homes. The company can also supply domed shops, sheds, storage facilities, and airplane hangars. Other spray concrete projects include fences, artistic sculptures, and waterfalls. Leitget dome homes are constructed on two layers of foam. A shotcrete layer is applied to the inside of the dome, and an exterior coating is applied to the outside of the dome.

Lawrence Leitgeb argues that dome homes have several advantages compared to conventional houses. The shape of dome homes, being curved like an aircraft cockpit, makes them impervious to wind, making hurricanes and tornadoes virtually meaningless. Dome homes offer reduced heating and cooling costs, are fire proof, termite proof, and earthquake resistant.

Timberline Geodesic Domes: Dome Homes. Timberline Geodesic Domes has been manufacturing dome homes since 1975. Timberline has constructed dome homes in all 50 states and many foreign countries. Timberline's dome homes are supplied as pre-cut, pre-drilled color coded lumber. There is an easy to follow illustrated Assembly Manual. Timberline dome homes offer high energy efficiency. This is partly because dome homes use 30% less surface area to enclose the same volume as a box-like structure. This means the dome home has less surface area through which heat can escape. Also cold air blows around the curved surface of the home, instead of penetrating the house after hitting a flat wall.

The Timberline website has a Scrapbook page, with photos from many happy owners of dome homes. There is a section on Frequently Asked Questions about dome homes, covering geodesic structures, pre-planning, architectural options, construction, and finishing.

OTHER PRODUCTS RELATED TO DOME HOMES

You may also like to visit our USA product guides on: Modular Buildings, and Portable Buildings.

CONSTRUCTION PRODUCT DIRECTORIES

We recommend the following professional construction directories, which include standard specifications, manufacturers' specs, and CAD details: 4Specs at www.4specs.com, Arcat at www.arcat.com, Arcom at www.arcomnet.com, Reed at www.reedfirstsource.com, Sweets at www.sweets.construction.com.

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Roofing Product Guides: Asphalt Shingles, Cedar Shingles, Copper Gutters, Copper Roofing, Corrugated Roofing, Dome Homes, Dome Houses, Flat Roofs & Roofing, Foam Roofing, Geodesic Domes, Green Roofs, Gutters, Gutter Guards, Living Roofs, Metal Roofs & Roofing, Metal Shingles, Modular Buildings, Portable Buildings, Residential Roofing, Roll Roofing, Roof Drains, Roof Flashing, Roof Insulation, Roof Shingles, Roof Vents, Roofing Materials, Roofing Shingles, Roofing Tiles, Rubber Roofing, Seamless Gutters, Slate Roofing, Solar Shingles, Steel Roofing.

Other recommended portals: Archbone, Building Design, Homeone Australia, Lighting Directory, Sapling, Stone Network.

Publisher: Abacus Construction Index is a professionally edited directory of recommended construction websites, published by Extonet Ltd. It is financed only by Google advertising; no payment is received from included websites.