Live in an underground dome home
August 15, 2007 1:04 PM Subscribe
This post was deleted for the following reason: Poster's Request -- frimble
ENVY!!!! So cool- I've always wanted a dome home, and a semi-submerged dome home... holy cow, I think I'm gonna be hard for a week! I don't think leaking is any more of a problem than in an ordinary house, C.K.- probably less so. And the hobbit-like rounded walls, efficiencies, and "nesting" feel would more than make up for minor inconveniences.
Sadly, as a city dweller, virtually any single-occupancy home is out of my financial reach, much less something like this.
Le sigh!
posted by hincandenza at 1:20 PM on August 15, 2007
Sadly, as a city dweller, virtually any single-occupancy home is out of my financial reach, much less something like this.
Le sigh!
posted by hincandenza at 1:20 PM on August 15, 2007
I was about to go waste some time with friends picking up some power converters when I clicked on the first link and it reminded me of home.
posted by Muddler at 1:26 PM on August 15, 2007 [2 favorites]
posted by Muddler at 1:26 PM on August 15, 2007 [2 favorites]
Muddler: you'd better have those units in the South Ridge repaired by midday, or there'll be hell to pay.
good to be reminded of mike oehler's book again. I think i could swing building a place like his a little easier than the spray-concrete ones.
posted by dubold at 2:09 PM on August 15, 2007
good to be reminded of mike oehler's book again. I think i could swing building a place like his a little easier than the spray-concrete ones.
posted by dubold at 2:09 PM on August 15, 2007
They covered the metal frame
And the children were on the roof playing
And the morning lasted all day,
All day
Hey na ma ma ma
Hey na ma ma ma
Hey yaa na na na
Life in an underground dome home
posted by hodyoaten at 2:10 PM on August 15, 2007
And the children were on the roof playing
And the morning lasted all day,
All day
Hey na ma ma ma
Hey na ma ma ma
Hey yaa na na na
Life in an underground dome home
posted by hodyoaten at 2:10 PM on August 15, 2007
... and Ann designed a unique curtain system for the circular-shaped windows.
Later, Ann proudly showed us her collection of writings by one Dr. Freud.
posted by whatnotever at 2:42 PM on August 15, 2007 [2 favorites]
Later, Ann proudly showed us her collection of writings by one Dr. Freud.
posted by whatnotever at 2:42 PM on August 15, 2007 [2 favorites]
The walk-through video (via first link) sorta recapitulates THX 1138.
posted by dontoine at 2:43 PM on August 15, 2007
posted by dontoine at 2:43 PM on August 15, 2007
Slightly more vulnerable to natural disasters, but they look so freakin' awesome, it would be worth it.
posted by tehloki at 2:43 PM on August 15, 2007
posted by tehloki at 2:43 PM on August 15, 2007
I'm really surprised more people don't consider moving underground. It's much safer, it's cheaper to heat and cool, and with things like ducted skylights and HD-TVs (to replace a windowed view) it's not like you are going to be staring at blank grey walls.
posted by quin at 2:58 PM on August 15, 2007
posted by quin at 2:58 PM on August 15, 2007
Slightly more vulnerable to earthquakes and flooding (if you are low enough), but really, really secure in a tornado or a lightning storm.
posted by quin at 3:03 PM on August 15, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by quin at 3:03 PM on August 15, 2007 [1 favorite]
quin, the skylights you mention are one of the reasons more people don't move underground. Last I checked, they're prone to leakage and need to be fixed nearly every year, as water pools around them and ruins the support structures. Then you have a leaky roof in a structure where drainage is going to be an issue.
posted by lekvar at 3:06 PM on August 15, 2007
posted by lekvar at 3:06 PM on August 15, 2007
Really? That's weird. I just figured it wouldn't be any harder to make them work underground than it would be to make them work on a normal roof.
Perhaps that's where I will finally make my millions: developing a practical skylight for underground homes.
posted by quin at 3:22 PM on August 15, 2007
Perhaps that's where I will finally make my millions: developing a practical skylight for underground homes.
posted by quin at 3:22 PM on August 15, 2007
Perfect moment to link to Javier Senosiain's BioArchitecture work. Some more photos, and an article called "In the belly of the beast." Cool post, Burhanistan.
posted by micayetoca at 3:28 PM on August 15, 2007
posted by micayetoca at 3:28 PM on August 15, 2007
Actually, I was referring to normal skylights. I know a contractor who eagerly looks forward to the rainy season because he gets to fix all the skylights that have developed leaks over the summer months.
posted by lekvar at 3:36 PM on August 15, 2007
posted by lekvar at 3:36 PM on August 15, 2007
Do they have any hardened versions of the bunker variety?
posted by blue_beetle at 3:41 PM on August 15, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by blue_beetle at 3:41 PM on August 15, 2007 [1 favorite]
These people appear to have lots of dome homes for sale. Just don't go for a pyramid or you will anger the neighbors.
posted by misha at 4:17 PM on August 15, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by misha at 4:17 PM on August 15, 2007 [1 favorite]
The 'in' and 'an' links - wtf is up with the awful mural experiments?
And the environmental claims are somewhat muted by the fact that they're built out of pure concrete. And I expect really expensive.
But yeah they're cool. Not for me, but I'm glad there are some radical houses out there.
posted by wilful at 5:41 PM on August 15, 2007
And the environmental claims are somewhat muted by the fact that they're built out of pure concrete. And I expect really expensive.
But yeah they're cool. Not for me, but I'm glad there are some radical houses out there.
posted by wilful at 5:41 PM on August 15, 2007
So this would be a domeicile, eh? Yuk-yuk. Thanks folks, you've been great. I'll be here all week.
posted by Effigy2000 at 5:57 PM on August 15, 2007
posted by Effigy2000 at 5:57 PM on August 15, 2007
Silo home. Not living somewhere with awful winters, I'd want a semi-underground home looking like a gentle hill from W, S, and E, but with the entire northern end windows and sliding glass doors (and support pillars as needed).
posted by BrotherCaine at 7:24 PM on August 15, 2007
posted by BrotherCaine at 7:24 PM on August 15, 2007
I have never understood the human tendency to build homes out of paper when earth is a much better insulator. Timber is just about the stupidest thing to use to build a house. I'd rather a smaller house that wastes less energy, even if it costs more to build/excavate.
posted by Eideteker at 7:43 PM on August 15, 2007
posted by Eideteker at 7:43 PM on August 15, 2007
Wikipedia led me into the vortex of information again. I surface with a link to how to build ferrocement homes, which is written oddly but still interesting. I'd triple check the engineering though before trying one of his plans though..
posted by BrotherCaine at 7:55 PM on August 15, 2007
posted by BrotherCaine at 7:55 PM on August 15, 2007
Timber is just about the stupidest thing to use to build a house.
Bricks made of short-life radioactives would be stupider than that.
Or babies. Building houses out of babies would be dumb.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 10:33 PM on August 15, 2007
Bricks made of short-life radioactives would be stupider than that.
Or babies. Building houses out of babies would be dumb.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 10:33 PM on August 15, 2007
Especially popular among 19th-century settlers in the Great Plains and deserts of the West and Southwest, where trees and other building materials were scarce, dugouts were warmer in winter and cooler in summer than above-ground structures; just about anywhere in North America the ground temperature three feet down is 55 degrees regardless of the season.
posted by robot at 12:58 AM on August 16, 2007
posted by robot at 12:58 AM on August 16, 2007
Unerground or semi-submerged house with a ground source heat pump. Avoid use of concrete in the construction, it produces a tonne of CO2 emmisions for each tonne made.
Sky-lights and roof windows need not leak. I spent 25 years living in a house with sky-lights that never leaked despite wind, rain and snow.
No more time is spent staring at walls in an underground house than a normal house, why would it be? Most people don't stare out of their windows, do they?
The temperature under a couple of meters of earth stays almost constant throughout the year; cool in the summer and warm in the winter. It is a good place to live.
posted by asok at 3:15 AM on August 16, 2007
Sky-lights and roof windows need not leak. I spent 25 years living in a house with sky-lights that never leaked despite wind, rain and snow.
No more time is spent staring at walls in an underground house than a normal house, why would it be? Most people don't stare out of their windows, do they?
The temperature under a couple of meters of earth stays almost constant throughout the year; cool in the summer and warm in the winter. It is a good place to live.
posted by asok at 3:15 AM on August 16, 2007
Building houses out of babies would be dumb
No way, 'cause when they grow up your house has tripled in size! 27' ceilings, anyone?
posted by CynicalKnight at 12:01 PM on August 16, 2007 [1 favorite]
No way, 'cause when they grow up your house has tripled in size! 27' ceilings, anyone?
posted by CynicalKnight at 12:01 PM on August 16, 2007 [1 favorite]
« Older Real estate market data visualization | Chuck got it going on Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by CynicalKnight at 1:14 PM on August 15, 2007