What is Ai's Largest Size Dome?

Remember Ai knows of a Kit Assembly Consultant that can supervise your laborers or your contractor's laborers to get the dome shell kit assembled.  Click on Consultant to learn more.

The 60’ in diameter dome has a interior center height of 26’ and can have 5,180 sq.ft. of space.  If you need a larger dome than this, contact Monolithic Dome in Italy Texas.

• First Floor square footage:  2,552
• Second Floor square footage:  2,004  (If you max out the second floor - meaning leave only 1/5 of the second floor open to the first floor.)
• Loft square footage:  624  (If you purchase the cupola and install a third floor loft.)

American Ingenuity 60' Dome Building Kit Pricing

The Ai Dome Kit consists of all the triangular and riser component panels for the dome shell and panels for one entryway. Your Floor plan selection determines how many more entryways, dormers, skylights, cupola, etc. you will need.

Dome Finished Costs:
The finished costs on the domes depends so much on where you live, what the labor costs are in your area and what price points you select for your windows, doors, cabinetry, flooring, lighting fixtures, etc. You can ask at your local hardware store or a local contractor, what the finished price per square foot is running for a conventional house. That is what it will cost to finish the domes (if you do no labor yourselves), because everything in the interior is standard whether it is a conventional or dome house....plumbing, electrical, lighting fixtures, bathroom fixtures, flooring, kitchen cabinets, windows and doors, etc. is the same. Basically you end up with a super-energy efficient, super-strong home for about the same price as a conventional house.  To view our web site file that covers finished cost, click on Cost.

What are builders charging per square foot to finish a conventional house in your neighborhood? For example a 60' dome can have as much as 5,000 sq ft. The building kit with options is approx. $68,000. Here locally in central Florida a conventional house can be built for around $80 to $100 per sq.ft. So 5,000 sq.ft home would cost about $400,000 to $500,000 to finish without the land cost and cost of utility hookups. Lenders typically want 25% to 35% down of the finished price of the dome. That means $100,000 to $175,000 down. Lenders will accept some equity you have in the land towards the down payment amount. How does that fit in with your budget? So much of the price of the house depends on how much work you do (free labor) and the costs of the interior items that you select.

Shipping: The 60' dome requires at least two semi-trucks for delivery.  If you purchase the thicker insulation and max out the number of building options, then your delivery will require three trucks.

As far as floor plan design, what Ai has found works best is for you to sketch out your ideas on a blank piece of paper or on the 60'  floor planner page in the stock floor plan booklet (or provided in the 60' DXF formated CD) and email them to us by clicking on Contact Us or fax them to 321-639-8778. If you fax your sketch, please call our office to assure that we received your fax...correct number of pages and that it is legible.  Please include your name, address, telephone number and best time(s) to contact you. Our Plans Coordinator will review your sketch and call you with questions and email you a price quote. Once we receive payment in full for the Building Plans and the price quote signed, Ai schedules your plans for production.

Once we start the design of your plans, you will generally receive two rough drafts that you review and make changes on.  After you approve the final draft, Ai designs your structural blue prints and completes your plans. Once we start the design, your 60' custom plans could take 10 weeks or more to complete.......usually most of the time is taken up between when we send you the draft and when you return it to us.

Engineer Seal on the Building Plans: Because Ai sells domes through out the USA and many of our clients do not require engineer sealed plans. The engineer seal is a separate cost with a commercial building usually costing more than a residential structure.  If you are utilizing the 60' dome for commercial purposes, you will need engineer sealed building plans.  Click on Building Permit to learn more.

Lift instead of an Elevator: Because of the shape of the dome a second floor is a natural. To access the second and third floors instead of an elevator, install an electric winch powered lift in a 4’x4’ area or an elevator or a stair railing chair. Also you could design all your living space and master bedroom and bath on the first floor and put a guest bedroom and bath on the second floor and use the rooms for guests or for storage.  Click on Lift to learn more.

Frequency: The 22’ & 27” Domes are two frequency, ½ sphere on a 4’ vertical riser wall. The 30’ 34’, 36', 40', 45’, & 48’ Domes are three frequency, 3/8 sphere on a 4’ vertical riser wall. The 60’ Dome is a four frequency, 3/8 sphere on a 4’ vertical riser wall. Frequency is the number of segments between the centers of the pentagons.

Ai limits four frequency use to our 60 dome because if we used that geometry for the smaller domes we would end up with too many panels and panels of too small a size.

Commercial Dome Buildings: Ai's dome building kits are ideal for a church. However obtaining a building permit on a commercial structure, especially a church where people gather is not easy. The building departments tend to be more stringent on commercial buildings. For example, they may require you to hire a licensed builder and hire licensed subcontractors to finish a commercial structure.  The building department may require a thicker interior wallboard on the interior E.P.S. and will probably require a sprinkler system. All this can be done in the dome, it just increases your cost.