A Colorado company leads DIY dome home workshops around the world
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A dome home complete through a Domegaia workshop. Photo: Steve Areen
More people are talking about dome homes and disaster-proof designs as a solution to climate threats and natural disasters.
Why it matters: Experts say increasing extreme weather could give mass-market appeal to dome structures, which are relatively cheap to build and resilient against strong winds, Axios' Cuneyt Dil writes.
- The need to harden homes against fire is a particularly potent topic after the devastating Marshall Fire in Boulder County.
Zoom in: Joel Haggar is the co-founder of Domegaia. The Erie-based company, founded in 2016, sells dome-building equipment and hosts DIY workshops all over the world — from Costa Rica to Nebraska.
- Dome home demand is driven by three things: uniqueness, cost-savings and environmental resilience, Haggar says.
The big picture: With fewer flat walls and its round shape, domes can weather severe winds and heavier snowfall while using less heating and cooling energy than a conventional house, Johnson says.
- Also, the entire exterior can be built with fire-resistant material.
How it works: A landowner will host a workshop and groups build the dome home together.
The intrigue: Typically, dome homeowners are using them as Airbnbs or vacation homes. Workshop students are also interested in alternative types of affordable housing, Haggar says.
- "What people actually want is a nice house, with a unique factor to it and affordable," he says.
- For context, building materials for a 250-square-foot glamping structure start around $25,000, Haggar says. (Of note: Project costs vary wildly.)
What they're saying: Natural Spaces Domes, a Minnesota-based company with customers across the country, has seen demand surge in recent years. Owner Dennis Odin Johnson tells Axios he's doubled his staff and expects to sell around 40 domes this year, up from 20 last year.
- "Our clients are looking for something different, and they're attuned to climate change," Johnson says.
By the numbers: A completed dome is generally 5-15% less expensive to build, requiring 60% less lumber than a standard house of the same size, according to Johnson.
- For an average-size dome, completed building costs range from $350,000 to $450,000 in rural areas, with costs up to 50% higher in cities and suburbs, he says.
