Below is information about
Concrete Geodesic Dome Home finished cost
vs wood dome and photos of Ai dome house interiors.

(To view more dome home photos, see the left hand menu bar with fourteen photo items.)

Kitchen in California 45′ Dome Home

Is the American Ingenuity steel reinforced concrete geodesic dome kit (meaning dome exterior walls) less expensive than the materials cost for the exterior walls and roof of a conventional house or wood dome?   Yes.   American Ingenuity’s dome shell kit sale price (not the finished home cost) is about one third to one half less in cost than what the materials cost for the exterior walls and roof of a wood dome, gunited concrete dome or conventional house (exterior walls, roof trusses, plywood, tar paper, shingles, 3 1/2″ thick insulation, siding, soffits, gutters, drywall for exterior walls & the ceiling, etc.).

However when you build Ai’s concrete house, there is no wood in the exterior walls to burn, no wood to rot, no wood for termites to eat and no wood to interrupt the insulation. (Prior to panel assembly a temporary wooden rib system put up to support the panels; but it comes down after the seam areas are concreted and the entryways and dormer panels are concreted. Most of the rib system wood can be recycled for interior framing.)

 

 

 

 

All the money you save by purchasing the Ai Dome Shell Kit can go towards the costs for shipping, fork lift rental to unload the truck, temporary supports to hold the panels during assembly, the renting of a hoisting mechanism to lift the panels into place,etc. 

To view pictures: select Ai Exteriors and Ai Interiors and Connecticut 40′ dome pics plus check out the left hand menu bar that has fourteen menu items showing  various dome home pictures.

Q: Do you have an engineering statement about your dome panels that can be reviewed.   A:  Yes, to view the statement click on Engineering.

A LENDER YOU CAN CALL FOR DOME FINANCING

FINANCING UPDATE – Sovann Kang has moved back to Wells Fargo Bank and can now offer construction loans on domes, new home loans on domes, buyouts and refinancing on existing domes for those who qualify. Sovann told us that Wells Fargo will now accept appraisals on comparables based on square footage, bedrooms and interior finishing qualities. Comparables no longer have to be based on domes  being built in that area! This is a huge advantage when trying to obtain any form of dome financing.

To qualify your credit score has to be 680 or better.  If your credit score is 680 they require 25% down with 10% Post Closing Liquidity (PCL). If your credit score is 700+ they will require 20% down with 15% PCL. He is a Home Mortgage Consultant and a Construction/Perm Specialist - NMLS #  275454. His contact info is:  Sovann Kang: Cell:  253-376-0991;   [email protected]

Why do you not see hundreds of Ai domes in your area?  Financing is the single biggest hurdle to owning a dome.  Lenders want 25% to 40% down based on the finished price of the house.  If the square foot cost to build a conventional house in your neighborhood is $85 and you want to build a 36′ dome (two bedroom, two bath) with about 1,500 sq.ft. then your finished cost is $127,500.  (This price does not include the land or utilities hook ups.)  The lender will want $32,000 to $51,000 down.  They will accept some of the equity you have in your land towards the down payment….but they want a large cash down payment. 

As a result of this financing issue, many of Ai’s clients purchase a smaller piece of land and build a small 22′ or 27′ dome and live on their property in a super energy efficient, super strong home…saving money and later add on a larger dome and convert the smaller dome to a garage or bedroom suite or study or work area.

To view a web site where your can enter your zip code to learn what the estimated per square foot cost is to complete a 2,500 sq.ft. house in your area, please view Square Foot Cost.

To learn more view:

Financing Booklet

Financing Overview

Construction Overview

Kit Assembly Consultant  

Dome Kit Assembly

Materials Cost-Finished Cost

Total Materials Cost:  If you select standard items to finish the interior of your dome, the materials cost for your dome might be $50 or more per square foot. So the minimum materials cost (no labor costs) for a 40′ dome of 2,000 sq.ft. could be $100,000 (this includes the kit cost of $47,000).

Finished Cost of the house:  This price is more than the materials cost because it includes the labor costs plus the materials cost. So how does dome finishing costs compare to conventional house finishing costs?  If the finished price per square foot to build a conventional house in your area is $100 per square foot and you desire a 2,000 square foot house then the finished price for the conventional house would be about $200,000, if you do no labor yourself.  The finished price of the dome would be the same about $200,000 less the savings on the dome shell materials….. But you end up with more with the American Ingenuity dome. You receive a super-insulated, super-strong house whose exterior dome walls have 225 mph wind and F4 Tornado warranty. The warranty covers the dome shell not exterior doors, windows, contents or life; so if you are asked to evacuate then do so.  To view info on cooling costs on 34′ dome home, please click on 1,200 sq.ft. home.

Your interior materials cost varies depending on your selection of locally purchased interior items such as:

• Formica counter tops versus granite
• Oak kitchen cabinets versus cherry or mahogany
• Vinyl flooring versus ceramic tile versus hard wood floors
• Ceramic tile versus marble
• Plastic shower stalls versus tiled showers
• Plastic tubs versus Jacuzzi tubs
• Vinyl clad windows versus Pella or Anderson windows
• Standard light fixtures versus speciality
• Standard kitchen appliances versus Thermador or Dacor appliances
• Standard bathroom fixtures versus Aquaware or Boffi

A helpful web site is rsmeans.com It has construction manuals, construction estimating CD’s, etc.

Estimating Costs

The following information came from the book, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Building Your Own Home by Dan Ramsey.  

Can you afford to build the house you want? In Chapter 9 it states:  I’ll help you get a comprehensive estimate of your construction costs. For now, though, let’s make a rough estimate.  First, understand that whatever house you build will probably cost as much or more than that of your neighbors — unless you plan to do it all yourself. Based on this fact, let’s look at your neighbor’s houses.

As mentioned in Chapter 1, the typical house built today is about 2,300 square feet in size, and sells for around $225,000 depending on where you live. The actual price in your area may be half of that or 10 times that amount.

So, how can you get a good rule-of-thumb for your area? Of course, you can talk with contractors who will throw out numbers like $100 or $200 per square foot. That’s a wide range. What does it include? House only? House and land? Landscaping, too?

It’s smarter for you to get your own local building costs. Here’s how. Talk with a local real estate agent about new construction. It’s best if you can compare apples to apples, so ask about new homes and lots in the area you want to build. The agent should be able to tell you the lot cost, the asking price, and the square foot size of a few comparable homes. You can figure things from there.

For example, a $250,000 new home (comparable to what you want) on a lot costing $60,000 means the house is valued at $190,000. It’s a 2,200 sq.ft. home, so you calculate the value at just over $86 sq.ft. You do calculations on a few other comparable new homes and come up with a local rule of thumb of $90 sq.ft.

You now have a base from which to guesstimate the approximate cost of your new house. Then you can factor in the following:

• If you want a nicer view lot, add to the land costs.
• If you will be your own general contractor, reduce the total by 10 to 20 percent.
• If you will be a subcontractor, reduce the total by the sub’s fees.
• If you want to enhance the design, tack on the additional costs or get a square-footage cost for better quality homes.

  In Summary, Price for A Turn Key Dome (FINISHED DOME)

The Ai Dome Shell Kit consists of triangular and riser panels that contain a core of seven inch thick expanded bead polystyrene insulation (E.P.S.) with steel reinforced concrete on the exterior of the insulation and wall board on the interior of the insulation and all the panels for one entryway.  Your floor plan selection determines how many more entryways, dormers, etc. you will need to complete the shell for that floor plan.

By placing the component panels, locking the steel mesh, and concreting the seams you complete the structural framework, the exterior finish, the insulation and most of the interior shell wall board for your home’s shell.

Normally most people do not know how to set roof trusses, install shingles, etc. the American Ingenuity Dome Shell Kit was specifically designed for the do-it-yourselfer to assemble; thus, if you assemble the shell you save additional money.

Once the dome kit is assembled, your local framers, plumbers, electricians, etc. finish the interior of the dome per the building plans which show your room arrangements.

The following are some general appearance and construction questions with their answers.