Wonderful News....Ai dome home kits can now be built in the California Counties of San Diego, San Bernardino, Trinity, Solona, Shasta and Riverside.  Ai has a  video that includes film showing the prefabricated concrete panel being manufactured. To view, click on Video & then click on the triangle.  To view a report Inside Edition aired on the Ai dome, click on Inside Edition & then scroll down & click on the second video. An American Ingenuity dome  won the award for Most Energy Efficient Residence in the Southeastern United States....beating out a home sponsored by the utility company Florida Power & Light.  20% Discount off Concrete Dome Home Kits* Save $3,408 to $8,946 50% off Residential Building Plans Kit with one entryway Sale: take delivery by September 15, 2015 with Buyer & Ai selecting month of delivery (June, July, August or September 2015) and Ai selecting week/day of delivery. Make deposit & order by June 1, 2015 to take advantage of this offer. To learn more click on Cost Savings.   *Excludes small homes: Eco Custom Cottage Kit.      American Ingenuity designs the building plans and manufactures eight concrete building kit sizes from 370 sq.ft. to over 3,000 sq.ft.  Kits consist of component panels which when assembled make the dome's exterior walls. The Prefab Panels include 3/4" steel reinforced concrete exterior, 7" EPS R-28 insulation (not styrofoam) & half inch special Georgia Pacific DensArmor gypsum drywall.  Once kit is assembled, seam areas between panels contain steel reinforced concrete approx. 3" deep by 5" wide.  The concrete/steel/eps/drywall contain no food source for mold growth. To view Kit Sizes & square footages, click on Specs.  It is Ai's philosophy that each client pay for only what they need.  Building Plans are needed  3 months to 1 1/2 years prior to the kit shipment.  About 50% of our client's building departments require engineer sealed plans & an Energy Report to issue a permit. As a result the Plans, Seal & Energy Report are separate costs. Click on Plans to learn more. Ai is not a lender nor a construction company. The home owner obtains their own financing and purchases the dome kit. The most successful dome kit assembly is accomplished when the home owner or the home owner's builder hires the independent Consultant to supervise their workers during kit assembly. Then the exterior and interior is finished by the homeowner or utilizing conventional subcontractors; plumbers, electricians, framers, etc. For Consultant info click on Specialist. To learn about concrete house finished cost, click on Finished Cost.   ADVANTAGES OF AMERICAN INGENUITY CONCRETE DOME HOMES *****************************************************  ENVIRONMENTALLY SAFE  The Expanded Polystyrene Insulation (EPS)  Utilized in the Ai Dome Building Kit Does NOT Contain:  HBCD (hexabromocyclododecane) or TCPP (1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate  or Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) or Formaldehyde.  **************************************************************
Click Here for Email Address 321-639-8777

The State of Florida requires Insurance Companies to offer reduced rates to homes that have high wind mitigation features.  The American Ingenuity dome meets and exceeds these requirements.  One of Ai's client's hurricane insurance premium went from $850 to $90 after he had his dome & windows/doors/shutters inspected and a Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form was completed by a Qualified Inspector.

Would you like to live in a super-strong, super-energy efficient concrete dome home instead of an inefficient box shaped conventional house? To view a 12 page color brochure that illustrates Ai's component panel, kit assembly process, and finished dome pictures, please click on Color Brochure.  The component panels consist of a center core of 7" of rigid expanded polystyrene (EPS)  insulation NOT styrofoam. On the exterior of the EPS is 3/4" concrete reinforced with galvanized steel mesh. On the interior of the EPS is 1/2" Georgia Pacific DensArmor mold resistant and water resistant gypsum wallboard.  The seam areas between the panels, once filled with on-site concrete are about 3" deep by 5" wide.  Engineers tell us the steel reinforced concreted seams act like steel beams.  To learn about the prefabricated panel's composition, click on Composition. 

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SUPER-ENERGY EFFICIENT DOME HOMES......Save 50% to 60% on your heating & cooling costs

Ai domes protect your wallet by saving you 50% to 60% off your heating and cooling costs. The major reasons for low utility bills are reduced surface area of the dome and its thick insulation uninterrupted by wood. The insulation consists of a seven inch block of rigid R-28 expanded polystyrene (E.P.S.) which is comparable to 11 inches of fiberglass batting. This means the walls of a conventional house would need to be built with 2x10's and still not have as much insulation as is in the Ai wall.

For example American Ingenuity's Florida dome offices are a 45' dome connected to a 34' dome of 3,700 sq.ft. utilizing all electric power.  In the hot Florida summer months, Ai's offices can be cooled to 76 degrees for less than $55 a month. To view annual charts and 2013 electric bills for Ai's offices, click on Office AC Costs. A 34' Ai dome home of 1,200 sq.ft. located in Melbourne Florida can be cooled to 76 degrees for less than $22 a month in the hot Florida summer months. To view the home's annual charts and 2013 electric bills, click on 34' AC Costs.  In colder climates your dome will be even more energy efficient.   

The insulation is not interrupted by wood and there is no wood in the home's exterior walls to rot or burn or be eaten by termites. During the panel assembly a temporary wooden rib system is used.  Once all the seams between the panels & the entryways & dormers are concreted, the wooden rib system is removed with most wood recycled for interior framing & second floor knee wall perimeter framing.  The dome is self supporting with no need for walls to support its shell. The exterior of the dome is steel reinforced concrete with no shingles to blow off in high winds.  Paint the exterior concrete with concrete primer & paint.  

An American Ingenuity dome won the award for the Most Energy Efficient Residence as judged by the Southeast Builders Conference, a division of the National Home Builder's Association.  The Home also won the Grand Award for all energy efficient categories...beating out a passive solar home designed for one of Florida's utility company, Florida Power and Light.

Klaus Kolb's South Carolina Ai concrete dome house earned EPA's Energy Star.  Home Energy Partners certified his home used 61% less energy than in comparably-size housing.  To lean more, click Energy Star.  He installed a geothermal cooling & heating system.  Klaus's 2003 total monthly average energy bill was $49. This includes the electricity and propane costs for his entire 1,600 sq.ft. - 40 ft. dome.

Jim Collar's Utah Ai concrete dome buildings operate off the grid by using photovoltaic's, masonry heater fireplace and passive solar water tubes. To learn more, click on OFF The Grid.

To view a  fantastic YouTube Video of American Ingenuity 48' dome with 34' garage in Albuquerque, New Mexico, click on Gorgeous Dome.

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LOW EXTERIOR MAINTENANCE

Ai Concrete Houses protect and lower your maintenance budget because their concrete roofs contain no shingles and no wood to rot, or to burn or to be eaten by termites. To learn more, view the Advantages menu item above. To view a YouTube 55 second video featuring Ai's dome, click on Green Living.  To view a CBS Sunday Morning news show YouTube video featuring Ai's geodesic dome and Buckminster Fuller, click on Geodesic Dome.

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SPECIAL ECO CUSTOM COTTAGE -  22 FT CONCRETE DOME KIT PRICING

ECO Custom Cottage Dome Building Kit with five foot risers, 7" EPS, 1/2" Georgia Pacific gypsum drywall. This Customized 22’ in diameter dome kit has 371 sq. ft. of living space and an optional storage attic of 127 sq. ft. making it the perfect small home.  Ai has increased the riser wall height from four feet to five feet.  The additional one foot in height increases the optional attic square footage 46 sq. ft. (up to 127 sq. ft.), over the basic 22’  dome building kit. To view more info, click on Eco Custom Cottage.

 This kit includes two sets of building plans, Assembly Manual & misc parts. To view construction pictures, please click on video to the right named Brief Video. Great for Special Hideaway, vacation cabin, mother-in-law quaters, hunting refuge, tiny home, micro home or starter home.  The Ai dome is much stronger & more insulated than a tent or yurt.  To learn about 22' dome with 7" EPS insulation & 1/2" gypsum drywall and five foot tall risers, click on Eco Custom Cottage. 

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SINCE 1976 AMERICAN INGENUITY HAS BEEN MANUFACTURING

American Ingenuity, Inc. (Ai), located in Rockledge, Florida, (about one hour east of Orlando) has been business since 1976.  Ai manufactures concrete building kits in diameters 22 ft, 27ft, 30ft, 34ft, 36ft, 40ft, 45ft and 48ft which range from 370 sq.ft. to over 3,000 sq.ft......from one bedroom/one bath to four/five bedroom/three bath homes.   The diameter measurement is in feet and is measured to the inside surface of the 1/2" wallboard NOT to the outside of the panel. To learn about the 12 foot in diameter Pod - Utility Dome Kit to use for children's playo house, storage shed, well pump cover or for a hunting shelter, click on 110 sq.ft. Pod.  To view info on square footages by dome size, click on Specs.  To view stock floor plans, click on Plans and scroll down the page for the blue hyperlinks. To view the regular and sale pricing of the stock plans and the regular and sale pricing of the Dome Building Kit with Building Options for each plan, please click on Plan & Kit Pricing.   Call 321-639-8777 or email to receive other stock plans via email. If you want the plans mailed, call for printing and mailing costs. American Ingenuity's Building Plans are new and improved.  An Expanded Assembly Manual is now available with each new dome order!

The American Ingenuity Dome and its inventor, Michael Busick, were written about on page 100 in the October 2010 issue of Popular Science Magazine.  The issue's theme was  "The Future of the Home, LIFE ON THE EDGE, Extreme Habitats for a Changing World".  The article about Ai showed a reprint of the front page cover story that Popular Science ran on the American Ingenuity Dome in 1987.  This October 2010 article on Ai was named, "THE FUTURE THEN.....FROM THE POPULAR SCIENCE ARCHIVES". If you would like to receive via email a pdf of the orginal Popular Science 1987 Cover Story which featured the American Ingenuity dome and its founders and the 2010 article featuring the Ai dome, click on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

What Do The 22' - 48' Prefab Triangle & Riser Panels Consist Of?

Prefabricated panels include a center core of R28 - 7" rigid Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) insulation {NOT Styrofoam} with 1/2" Georgia Pacific DensArmor gypsum wallboard on the interior and 3/4" steel reinforced concrete on the exterior.  After the panels are assembled the steel mesh from adjacent panels overlaps each other & is locked with C rings. On site special fiber/admixture concrete is applied in the seams using bonding agent between the two layers of concrete. The concrete in the seam areas ends up being about three inches deep and five inches wide. Engineers tell us the seams act like steel beams.  To learn more about the prefabricated panel composition, please click on Composition.  The 1/2" wallboard is moisture resistant, mold resistant gypsum wallboard that contains silicon in the gypsum and fiberglass matting instead of paper.  The wallboard is not conventional sheet rock that will crumble and mold when it gets wet.

 What Does The Dome Kit Consist Of?

The Ai Dome Building Kit (22'-48') consists of all the component panels for the dome's exterior shell and one entryway. Your floor plan selection determines how many more entryways or dormers your kit contains.  Entryways and dormers are structural awnings that extend out from the dome.  Under them a 2x4 or 2x6 framed wall is built on site to accept your locally purchased windows and doors. To view Kit Contents, click on Kit.  To learn more about the entryways and dormers, click on Building Options. The kit does not include any doors or windows or interior items other than the interior wallboard on each triangle and riser panel. Ai believes you should not pay shipping on standard items that you can purchase locally from Lowes or Home Depot or off Craigs List, or eBay, etc..  To view items not included in the kit, click on Not Included.

How Is the Kit Assembled?

Assemble a temporatry wooden rib system. Using some type of hoisting mechanism place the panels one row at time, overlap and lock the steel mesh between the panels with "C" rings, concrete the seams between the panels (an area about 5" wide and 3" deep), concrete the entryways/dormers, frame in entryway/dormers and remove rib system.  The interior shell wall board is finished similar to conventional sheetrock. Most wood from the rib system is recycled for interior framing.  To view Ai's new dome video, click on Dome Video.  The standard foundation for the Ai dome is an on grade concrete slab.  However the dome can be built on columns or pilings or a basement. Call Ai for more info, 321-639-8777.

To view assembly and finished pictures of a 45' Ai dome built on a basement, click on Stroupe Dome.  A temporary wooden rib system is installed to support the panels until the seams/entryways/dormers are concreted.  Once all concrete work is finished and the entryways and dormers are framed in, the rib system can be removed.  Depending on your size dome, some of the wood can be used for interior framing & perimeter second floor knee wall framing.  Once all the panels are installed with seams, entryways, dormers, etc. concreted,  the dome is self supporting. To view info about the rib system, click on Rib System.  To view a video showing panel assembly, click on Ulm 40' Dome on Superior Wall Precast Concrete basement.

To learn about the kit assembly and to view pictures of the panel placement, click on Assembly.  To learn what the finished cost (turn key cost) of your dome home could be, please click on Finished Cost.  An Expanded Assembly Manual is now available with each new dome order!

Once your foundation is in place,  Ai knows of an independent Kit Assembly Specialist who travels world-wide and supervises your kit assembly and supervises the application of the first layer of concrete into the panel seams and onto the entryways and dormers.  Then either you and your family members complete the second layer of concrete or your Contractor hires a finish stucco crew to apply the second layer of seam concrete & the finish concrete to the entryways and dormers.  For interior finishing complete yourself or hire local subcontractors to complete the plumbing, electrical, framing, window/door installation, wall board finishing, cabinetry, etc.  

The Ai prefab concrete dome home building kits are especially designed for do-it-yourselfers or the diy owner builder.  All the panels come marked with numbers and letters to match the building plans and the Assembly Manual. However, the most successful dome kit assembly occurs when the independent Specialist is hired to supervise the workers.

HOW IS THE Ai DOME FINANCED?

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 view his contact info, click on Kang.

Financing is the single biggest hurdle to owning a dome home.  Because most of the Ai domes are built as retirement homes, they are not sold by the home owner.  Lenders do not like this as they want resale numbers.  As a result, lenders want a 25% to 35% cash down payment based on the finished price of the dome. To learn more, click on Finished Cost.

How Can I View Ai Domes?

American Ingenuity's Florida office domes (45' & 34' of 3,700 sq.ft.) are open for viewing by APPOINTMENT ONLY Tuesday and Thursday 11 am - 1 pm. Once a month  a Saturday tour is available. Call 321-639-8777 for details. Click on Tour for info.  The domes sold by Ai become private homes.  If Ai had models throughout the world the price of the dome kit would double.  As a result Ai is thankful that a few dome owners allow us to give out their name and number.  Usually the closest dome you can view will be four to six states away from your location. To view free info, click on Info.  To view pictures of different America Ingenuity dome homes, click on Ai Dome Pics and then click on the link you want to view.

For $7 includes mailing costs, purchase a DVD.  It shows panel manufacturing, domes under construction and finished domes.  Order the DVD by clicking on Online Store.  To view this new DVD, click on New DVD.  To view stock floor plans, click on Stock Plans and scroll down the page to click on the hyperlinks. At no cost to you, Ai will email other stock plans that are not on our web site.  If you want stock plans mailed, call Ai at  321-639-8777 for printing cost and mailing cost.  

To view a youtube video showing the interior and exterior of an Ai two dome complex for sale in Albuguerque New Mexico, click on Domes.  To view a visual tour of an Ai dome in Illinois, click on 40' Home.   To YouTube view slide show of 45' dome home with 40' dome garage, click on Florida Dome Home. 

 Where are Ai Domes Located?

To date American Ingenuity has sold kits into 47 U.S.A. states and thirteen foreign areas.  To view info about Ai's Florida Dome Offices, click on Offices.  The domes sold by Ai become private homes.  If Ai had models throughout the world the price of the dome kit would double.  As a result Ai is thankful that a few dome owners allow us to give out their name and number.  Usually the closest dome you can view will be four to six states away from your location.

Ai has exported domes to Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands-St. Kitts and St. Croix, the British Virgin Islands-Tortola, West Indies-Nieves, Canada, Israel, Jamaica, Bahrain, Tasmania and the Faroe Islands (between Iceland/Scotland/Norway). To learn more about importing Ai domes, click on Importing.