Domesteading – Settling into a New Eco Lifestyle (Part 1)

Welcome Urban Homesteaders… oops, I mean Domesteaders! In case you’re wondering, “What’s up with the term domesteading?” you’ve come to the right place to find out. Domesteading is more than a play on words. It’s about building a sustainable ecoliving lifestyle for you and your loved ones.

Just like homesteading, domesteading is very much a part of the off-grid back-to-the-land movement. The plus side of domesteading is that you don’t have to start entirely from scratch. You can get a jump-start with a prefab Dome Home building system, thus affording yourself time to focus on what matters most: setting up your off-grid urban homestead.

Geodesic Dome Homes
20′ and 36′ dome homes with solar panels

You’ll love spending time in your Dome Home, doing what inspires, empowers and invigorates your Spirit. It doesn’t seem like work when you’re doing what you love to do!

Prefab DIY Dome Home Kits
If you yearn to live a peaceful, simple life and feel connected to Nature, Dome Homes offer a rewarding, self-sufficient eco lifestyle. Here are a few practical reasons why ecoliving Dome Home kits might be the perfect solution for you as you settle into your new domesteading life.

Organic Ecoliving Design ― Nature’s building blocks are based in mathematics and the fundamentals of form, known as Sacred Geometry. Found everywhere in Nature, the basic principles of Sacred Geometry extend from sound, light and form to complex mathematical ratios, harmonics and proportions found in geodesic design.

Geodesic refers to the shortest possible line between two points of a sphere or curvilinear surface.  Sacred Geometry has five possible Platonic solid configurations comprised of chords (straight lines) that connect these points to form a sphere.

36ft Dome with kitchen and winter liner
Custom built kitchen in a 24′ dome home

The principles of Sacred Geometry used in dome construction lend Dome Homes their inherent capacity to withstand the extreme forces of Nature, such as temperature and climate fluctuations, hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes. 

Go Anywhere ― No matter what part of the world you live in, portable ecoliving Dome Homes are a widely popular alt-housing option. Off-grid Dome Homes have been built around the world in all types of terrains and climates.

Portability ― Shipped right to your building site, prefab kits go up quickly with simple ratcheting tools. Considered temporary structures, domes can be relocated or retrofitted to create semi-permanent or permanent structures. (see below)

Geodesic-Engineered StrengthThe American Institute of Architects calls the geodesic dome “the strongest, lightest and most efficient means of enclosing space known to man.” The geodesic dome shelter is the design genius of R. Buckminster Fuller, whose lifetime pursuit was to make the world work for 100% of humanity.

Dome Homes are composed of inter-connected triangles that lend superior structural strength. Buckminster ‘Bucky’ Fuller, demonstrated the difference in strength between rectangles and triangles by applying pressure to both structures.  The triangle proved to be twice as strong and remained rigid, while the unstable rectangle collapsed.

Save on Construction Costs ― Driven by consumer demand for economical housing, the trend towards prefab modular construction offers an affordable ecoliving solution to skyrocketing building costs and house payments. When it comes to alt-housing, a DIY Dome Home kit simplifies building decisions and saves you money in materials and construction.

Saving on materials and cost, eco home building dome kits utilize Bucky Fuller’s ‘doing more with less’ principle, in that they enclose the largest volume of interior space with the least amount of surface area.  When a dome’s diameter is doubled, it quadruples its square footage, producing eight times its volume.

Energy Efficiency ― One big economical advantage is the dome’s superb energy efficiency. Dome studies have shown a 30% and higher energy savings over comparable-size traditional homes. Due to unobstructed interior and exterior air-flow, geodesic domes enhance ambient air and prevailing breezes, making them naturally energy efficient.

24ft Geodesic Dome Home
24′ dome home with bay window, sky light and pre-hung door.

Specifically, a Dome Home is energy efficient for the following reasons:

  • Its decreased, spherical surface area requires less building materials that obstruct air flow. This means that exposure to cold in winter and heat in summer is decreased, due to less surface area per unit of volume.
  • Extreme wind turbulence is lessened because winds contributing to heat loss flow evenly around the dome.
  • The concave interior, with the help of return air ducts, creates a natural airflow, allowing hot or cool air to flow evenly throughout the dome. The dome’s surface acts like a giant downward reflector that concentrates interior heat, preventing radiant heat loss.

Save on Heating & Cooling Costs ― Even in the harshest summer or winter conditions, there are several options for dome dwellers to transform their dome into a cozy refuge. When designing, planning and prepping your site, you’ll want to position your Dome Home to maximize the sun’s energy and keep your shelter warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

Ventilation: In moderate temperatures, strategically placed removable window screens around the dome keep the dome comfortable. Window fabric roll-ups and screens at the base of the dome allow for cross ventilation.  The screened zip off roof option can be added for additional ventilation as well.

Solar Fan: Powered by the sun, solar fans are an environmentally friendly solution that optimizes air-flow, while controlling temperature and humidity.

Winter Liners: Winter liners are designed to be flame-proof and resistant to mold and mildew. Detachable velcro window panels provide insulation from the outside cold.

Wood Stove: Maintaining comfy temperatures in the midst of a snow storm is easy with a cozy wood-burning stove. Dome Homes come with an optional stove vent flashing and cap for wood stove installation.

Going from Semi-Permanent to Permanent ― Even though Dome Homes are considered temporary or semi-permanent structures, the galvanized steel frames last indefinitely, while the covers have upwards of a 20-year lifespan. It’s good to keep in mind that Dome Homes can be converted from semi-permanent to permanent structures at any point along your domesteading journey.

When re-thinking what it means to create a sustainable future for yourself and your loved ones, even if you can afford a mansion, you might discover that ecoliving Dome Homes offer a much more fulfilling, sustainable and self-sufficient eco lifestyle, designed to thrive alongside nature, rather than just survive in spite of it.

As nature’s perfect structure, ecoliving off-grid Dome Homes are the most efficient human shelter known to man… however, there’s something much larger and more complex to be found in their design. Research has found that much like a finely tuned musical instrument, the harmonic frequencies created by a dome’s sacred geometrical patterns resonate with unseen, soothing fields of energy that nourish the soul. Pacific Domes created a brochure where you can earn more about the Energetic Qualities of the various size domes.

But wait, that’s not all! Join us for Domesteading – Part 2, where we touch upon living during times of extremes.