Crestone Domes

Yesterday, we just closed on a beautiful piece of land, so when spring really comes, we’ll be ready to get started! The next thing we have to do is to prepare our building plans to get them approved by the local POA board. I’ll take a picture of the land the next time I go by there.

Yesterday, it was snowing all day, and a winter storm warning was in effect. Today, the sun is melting the snow, and the mountains look fantastic! I don’t know why, but the sky looks bluer here than anywhere else! This place is pure magic!

If you make a tight monolithic dome in a cold place, you’ll have a condensation problem in the winter time. When it is super cold outside at night, the air inside the dome will hit the cold windows and create condensation that has to be wiped away in the morning. This problem can be solved by installing insulated curtains and also by using a de-humidifier after taking baths and showers. But the very best solution is to buy windows with a bigger than normal gap between them.

The bigger the air gap, the less the amount of condensation you will get. We have tried wooden windows as well as vinyl ones, and even though the wooden ones look nice, they require a lot of up keep in harsh temperatures. The vinyl windows are light weight, affordable and requires no up keep.

Don’t buy tinted windows – they don’t let through any sun light or heat, and your house will be dark and dingy inside. You should even be careful when buying low-e windows. Low-e protects your furniture and curtains, and it reduces heat loss at night, but it doesn’t let you take advantage of the heat from the sun coming through your windows. The ideal would be directional low-e, something that lets the heat in and keeps it in the house.
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Tags: Dome, dome planning tips, Monolithic Dome

Now that you know some electrical code basics, it is time to plan out what electrical lines that go through the walls of your dome shell. Basically, you only have one shot at getting this right, so plan it well and don’t make mistakes!!!

When we made our first dome, we used smurf tubing because it is very easy to work with. NOTE: This blue, flexible tubing doesn’t fit normal blue plastic boxes. It either needs plastic boxes specially made for smurf tubing, or you can fit it into metal boxes. We used 1/2″ smurf tubing.

If you wish, you can use regular gray electrical conduit in metal or plastic, but unless you have a bender of some sort, you are just going to get yourself in trouble.

After the foam has been sprayed on the inside of the balloon, all the walls, floors and windows have to be marked, and the electrical boxes for lights and receptacles has to be screwed into the foam. If you use metal boxes, make sure you put a ground screw into each box. Then, you have to plan out the run for every circuit on paper. You have to know exactly where the wires are coming from, and going to, and that every box has power to it.

We made the dome with a 3′ crawlspace, so all the wires were coming from under the floors, and then going up the walls. Make sure you connect the switch boxes by the exterior doors with smurf tubing that goes to the outside lights, and don’t forget your outside receptacles!

Once you are done putting all the boxes and smurf tubes on your wall, you need the inspector to have a look at it, even though you have to pay for an extra inspection. He won’t like the fact that you haven’t pulled your wires through, but if you explain that the concrete will mess up the wires, and that you just want him to see what is in the walls before you shoot the concrete, he’ll probably reluctantly agree. So this is not a rough in inspection – it is a pre-rough in. Keep your drawings and electrical plans handy, so he can go over it in detail – you’ll most likely be glad you did.

After the domeshell is finished and the other walls are in place, you’ll be happy if you invest in a good fishing tape. Pushing wire through the smurf tubing is a nightmare without one.
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Tags: electrical layout, Monolithic Dome, Monolithic Dome Planning Tips

Your monolithic dome’s electrical system has to be planned out accurately even before making the domeshell. The most important thing is to know the electrical code basics well. (If in doubt, call your inspector and ask before it is “set in stone.”)

According to the Colorado Electrical Code, you need to have an outside light above each of your entrance doors. You are also required to have two GFCI protected receptacles with waterproof covers on the outside walls, preferably one on each side of the house.

On the inside, you must have light switches by the doors. You must also have a receptacle every 12 feet (no further than 6 feet from any given point on the wall), starting no further than 2′ from any door. This is really a minimum requirement, so I usually put the receptacles a bit closer together than that.

All the bedrooms have to be protected by a special breaker called an ARC breaker. These are extremely sensitive to changes in the current, and they are also unbelievably expensive, unfortunately. The receptacles in the bathrooms have to be on separate circuits and be protected with GFCI. If you have a whirl tub, you need to run a separate circuit to the bath, too. Make sure you know which side the motor is on, before you put the wire in!

In the kitchen there are lots of circuits. If you have an electric stove, you need to run a 10 guage 3 wire on a separate 240 v circuit. Or, if you are going to use a gas stove, you just need a regular 110v 12 guage wire. The last time we built a house, the inspector also wanted a separate circuit for the fan above the stove. This is because some people like to put a microwave there instead, which does need a separate circuit.

In addition, you also need 2-3 small appliance circuits on your kitchen counters. You can put 2-3 receptacles on each circuit, and they have to be no more than 4′ apart (2′ from any given point on the wall). Small appliance circuits also need to be protected by GFCI. Don’t forget to run circuits to your dishwasher and garbage disposal as well.

The fridge also needs a separate circuit, but it should never be GFCI protected! This is because you don’t want the switch to flip off the electricity unnessesarily because that can cause all your food to go bad.

In the laundry room, you need one circuit for the washer and one for the drier.

In the boiler room, don’t forget to run a separate circuit to a box for the boiler switch.

If you have electricity in a garage or wet room (green house), the circuit needs GFCI protection.

If you have a kitchen table that is attached to the floor or wall, you need to have at least one receptacle close to that table.

This should give you at least a clue what you have to put on your dome plans.
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Tags: Colorado electrical code, electrical code, electrical code basics, Monolithic Dome Planning Tips

Do you love beautiful faucet and shower fixtures? Do you have your eye on that really awesome $600.00 kitchen sink? After all, if your monolithic dome is going to be your dream house, you want what you want, it is as simple as that. But what if it is going to cost way more money than you can really afford? What do you do? Take out another mortgage, or surrender your standards to a more affordable level?

You may not have to do either, because there is another option. It is called ebay! You may not have thought about searching ebay for plumbing supplies, but if you do, the prices you can actually get things for will blow you away.

You might find that gorgeous $600.00 sink for $250.00, or that $139.00 delta faucet for $52.00 including shipping! By searching ebay for all the plumbing fixtures you need for your house, you might end up with a house that looks like a million dollars, but didn’t cost you more than the framed house with walmart fixtures next door.

Now that we have discovered that taking out another mortgage is not the solution to our problems, we have to start shopping in a different way to get what we want. Don’t spend more than you can afford, just find new ways to streeeeeetch the dollars you already have!
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Tags: Dome, dome planning tips, Monolithic Dome

Everybody wants the most money for the least amount of effort. Unfortunate, as it may be, this is just human nature. However, when building a house, it is important not to be taken for a ride by the contractor who is building your house for you. If you have enough knowledge and experience to build it yourself, there is no problem. You are in control of the whole process, including how much money is going out. But what if you have to hire someone?

My first experience hiring a carpenter to build me a house was very eye opening. First he wanted to know how much money I had in the bank. Then he told me that he needed pretty much everything I had as a retainer before he could start the project. I may look like a dum girl, but I’m not THAT dum! I just told him “No Way!” If you work for me, you work on my terms, which are “by the hour.” I’ll buy the materials, you do the work. He was extremely unhappy about this arrangement, and I found out why, later on.

Many months later, I overheard the same carpenter talk about how he had bought all his expensive tools with retainer money from different jobs he had done in the past, and he also bragged about how he always bought a few extra windows, a few extra boards, or a little extra sheet rock with each job, and that he almost had enough materials saved up that he could start a house of his own!

Now I understand why he was unhappy with my arrangement!!!
So always ask for specified bills from your contractors, and don’t pay anyone in advance. If materials are needed for the job, open your own account with the lumber company and make sure all material bills come directly to you. Unless you have a money tree growing in your garden, beware, or you’ll get yourself in trouble!

I heard a saying that really fits this post: When a man with money meets a man with experience, the man with experience gets the money, and the man with money gets the experience.
Don’t forget this piece of wisdom…
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Tags: intelligence, money sense

It is always good to get different quotes from people who can do the digging, since the price can vary greatly from company to company. You also need to know very clearly if the numbers they are presenting you are quite firm, like a bid, or just loose estimates.

When we made our first dome, we learned this the hard way. The guy who dug the lot gave us an estimate for $9.000.00 and ended up charging us about $12,000.00 after the job was done, and we were extremely unhappy about it. In my opinion, it is sneaky, underhanded and deceitful to charge someone 30% more than the estimate at the end of the job, so we’ll never hire or recommend that company again.

Usually, if you ask for an estimate, the numbers will be fairly low so that they will get the job. What they are NOT telling you, is that they are planning from the very start to charge you a lot more at completion, which is extremely misleading and unfortunate, especially if you have limited funds. However, if you ask for a firm bid, it is not unusual for someone to estimate the cost of the job, and then add 30% to the price, just to make sure they won’t lose out, since that is what they are planning to charge you anyway! So, what you want to do is ask for a firm bid, and tell the different companies that you will go with the most reasonable bid, and make it clear that you are NOT willing to pay any more than the numbers they gave you at the end of the job. This should eliminate any unreasonable pricing practises before you even start the project. And if a company is not happy about your request, go with a different company, it is as simple as that.

NOTE: If there is a planning comission in your area, beware that you should not do anything to the land or the trees until all your plans are approved. The only thing you are allowed to do is mark the property lines and the house with stakes, and then you have to wait patiently until you get your stamp of approval before you can keep going. So, no unapproved digging or tree cutting, even though it is your land!
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Tags: Hiring companies, Hiring people

While waiting for the closing on the land, we can start preparing the plans that have to be approved by the Environmental and Architechtural committee.

First, the land has to be drawn to scale on a large piece of paper. The direction of the slope has to be marked. Major waterways and gulleys have to be drawn in. The house and garage have to be placed, also to scale, as well as the trees that are going to be cut and the diameters of the tree trunks.

In addition, they also need drawings of the house from different angles. They need to know what material you are going to use for the construction, and what colors you are planning on the outside, as well as samples of these colors.

It is a good idea to also draw in proposed garden areas, sun rooms, green house buildings, outhouses or fences, if any. The more you can get appoved the first time you present your plans, the better. That way, you don’t have to go back and ask for more permissions over and over. Just keep in mind that you are not allowed to disturb more than 30% of the lot.

The planning commission also wants to know where your driveway and parking area is going to be. Necessary culverts have to be marked on the drawings, and also water and sewer lines, and phone and electrical cables. The guy who digs the land will be able to tell you where they have to go so you can draw them correctly on your plans.
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Tags: Getting Plans Approved, House plans

Yesterday we put a bid in on a piece of land, which is very exciting. We found a lot on the same street as the last dome we made. It is a beautiful lot with lots of trees and a view of the mountains.

Before we decided to buy this piece, we had a digger over to see if he could do it (since it is a difficult lot to build on). Then we checked the slope with a laser level to see how much we have to dig down, and if the sewer pipes are going to have enough fall. We walked the lot, looking for the corner markers, and found that one is missing. This will have to be surveyed before the closing.

We were also told that the water tap fee has been paid, but because mistakes happen, we still made a call to the local water district to make sure that the tap fee was indeed paid. If it wasn’t, it would cost us $7,500.00, so it was well worth making a quick call, just to make sure.

In this area, we also have to deal with the local property owner’s association. Since they require that no more than 30% of the lot is disturbed during the building process, we had to make a drawing of the lot and mark the placement of the house and the area that has to be disturbed and make sure it was under 30%. In addition, we made a call to find out if the Environmental & Architectural Committee would have a problem with two domes on the same street. Luckily, they didn’t, so we went ahead and put a bid in on the lot. The closing happens at the end of March.
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Tags: Tips for Buying Land