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This is a copy of the email with the requested dome descriptions that I sent to Wendy for the engineers at Monolithic Constructors. Hi Wendy ... here's my attempt to provide some hint of what is lurking in my furry little mind about the dome. I've not sure what kind of information or further explanations your staff might need - please let me know what else they need before they can get started. Many thanks!!! Biddie About the First Floor Layout: 1. The ceiling heights are 10 feet high; the 2nd floor supports and decking are about 1 ft. thick. Question: can support ledges be built into the dome shell to help support the 2nd floor? 2. The stairs to the 2nd floor could be either the standard construction -or- an 8 ft. circular staircase. 3. The toilet and sinks in the master bathroom can be rearranged to better match up with the same in the 2nd floor bathroom. 4. The augment in the M-Bath is high enough to also allow standing room in the 2nd floor shower. 5. The vent in the center top of the dome needs to be reinforced; also to serve a double purpose - both for the chimney smoke tubes with some additional space around them for hot air to escape in the summer. I want to put some kind of crazy-type ceramic over the vent to disguise the chimney function but also allow screened protection against insects getting into the air-vent ... (to see somewhat of this dual purpose, click on the Hodge Podge Lodge TOC link, then click on the Vent-i-Lite link. 6. Would like radiant heating in the bathroom floor - covering also the shower. Maybe some radiant heating in other areas of the dome floor. 7. All doors to the outside to be 4 ft. wide. Inside doors are either 3 or 4 ft. wide. Pocket doors into M-Bath and by the Side Door into the Dining Area. 8. Haven't decided as to gas or electric stove and TANKLESS water heater(s). Would also like to have solar panels to minimize dependence on the power grid. 9. The "rock wall" by the wood stove is about 5 ft. wide and 4 - 5 ft high. 10. Would like the back porch augment to be tall enough so that you can easily see out it from the balcony. About the Second Floor Layout: 1. Want a 2nd bedroom/bath/closet/storage area over the master setup below it. Want the augment in the shower area to be high enough to easily stand in the shower. 2. The rest of the area is open to the Living Room. 3. Could the augments for the side and front doors be high enough to allow windows on the 2nd floor? About the Dome's Shell: 1. Want more and thicker rebar than I've seen in other domes being built. (need good protection from hurricanes and tornados here) 2. Want extra thickness of insulation. Question: what is the life expectancy of the material before it starts breaking down? What about toxic out-gassing? What about fire hazards? Does some kind of ventilation holes have to be provided for the foam's long term behavior? 3. Want chemical hardeners and "oxygen-grabbers" in the inside (and outside) cement walls. Want it to be a little thicker (and more carefully / thoroughly) sprayed without gaps. 4. Want more rebar and chainlink fencing on the outside of shell with special fire resistant chemicals added to the covering cement ( as found in extreme fire place mixes - lot of danger of forest fires here). 5. The shell will be painted .... 6. Want the 4 augments added to the shell - the largest is to give a nice-sized back porch. 7. Build hinge tabs into the augments so that storm-proof doors can be put up for hurricanes, etc.. 8. All augments have built in "rain-gutters" so that water runoff doesn't run off the edges of the augments but is channeled to the sides. 9. Build in some kind of supports for a railing system at the top of the dome for a roof-top deck. Notice the dome is flatter than a perfect half-sphere at the top. The railing must be able to be taken down during severe storms. 10. Build in some kind of supports in the augments for the various door/window treatments. 11. Have some little arched openings in the sides of the large augment for the back porch to increase visibility to the sides. 12. Build in some kind of supports for steps leading up the back side of the dome to the dome-top deck. The steps and the railing must also be able to be taken down for a severe storm. 13. The chosen location for the dome is on a slight slope - about 3 ft over the 50 ft. diameter. The foundation has to accommodate for this. Also, I would like to have the foundation go down into the ground at least 2 - 3 ft. in order to have the inside of the dome inner shell's thermal mass have more access to the Earth's constant thermal levels. 14. The ground floor needs to be at least 6 inches above the ground level (on the high side of the slope - this faces the front entrance) to prevent rain water run-off from affecting the front of the dome. I also plan to build some small earth berms to help direct the flow of run-off away from the front and around the sides of the dome. 15. Build a storm shelter under the living room area with access from under the back porch area via a door way thru the foundation wall. 16. TBD: the back porch to be built of either reinforced cement -or- traditional wood construction ?? |