If the Smiths were a music station, the dial would stop on alternative. They wanted a dome for their new home, but the funky shape brought a few common concerns about the floor plan.
Designing with a PurposeThe outside walls of a geodesic dome are self-supported, so you can fill the interior with whatever you want in that space. There is a lot of choice because of that, but when it came time to put rooms in...things got cramped for Gary and Andra Smith. They decided to move their master bedroom to the loft for practical reasons (figure A). Andra, a nurse, sometimes works overnight hours and needs to sleep during the day. She needed separation from the rest of the home’s noise. Their son, who has yet to leave the nest, is going to have a bedroom in the basement (figure B). In the design process, the Smiths brought their love of nature indoors by adding a bay window to their plans. For their dog, they added a dog tub in the garage. Everything seemed out of this world at first, but the Smiths designed a dwelling that they could really settle in to (figure C).
The Smith’s acreage is on Oregon forest land and permitting for the property became a problem (figure D). Requirements for clearing trees and underbrush added up to thousands more than they had budgeted. It is common for states to require structural calculations such as snow load, wind speed and soil bearing capacity. After months, those roadblocks became a thing of the past and Oregon Dome, Inc. was given the green light to begin construction on the Smith’s dome home. The company began lying concrete for Gary and Andra’s 10-sided foundation (figure E).
While the concrete was pouring, the panel shop experts hit the cutting stations. The Oregon Dome shop uses kiln dried Douglas fir lumber for its panels (figure F). Panelization is the most widely used form of system-built or prefab homes (figure G). Panelized dome homes are known to use a third less lumber and almost a third less man hours than stick-built homes. The dome craftsmen construct all the pieces to the geodesic puzzle including the triangle panels, skylights, dormers and the riser walls (figure H) – an integral feature for maximizing space.
RESOURCES :
Oregon Dome, Inc.
Roger Boothe, founder and dome-raising supervisor
Linda Boothe, designer and general contractor
25331 Jeans Rd.
Veneta, OR 97487
Toll Free: 800-572-8943
Phone: 541-935-5444
Fax: 541-935-5812
E-mail: Oregon@domes.com
The Buckminster Fuller Institute
Website: www.bfi.org
Building Systems Council
National Association of Home Builders
Website: www.nahb.com
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