Importing Geodesic Dome Home Kits

This page covers importing geodesic dome home kits.  The Kits can be shipped in containers to any destination in the world.  International Buyers purchase the American Ingenuity dome and pay USA inland trucking costs & ocean shipping costs, because they know they cannot build or buy any conventional home as strong or fire resistant or energy efficient as an American Ingenuity concrete dome. Below are answers to our most frequently asked importing questions and info on what size containers are needed to ship each dome kit size. 

American Ingenuity Dome Being Built on Basement - North Of England

To date Ai has sold dome kits into 47 U.S.A states and fourteen foreign areas. American Ingenuity has exported domes into Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands-St. Kitts and St. Croix, the British Virgin Islands-Tortola, West Indies-Nieves, Canada, Israel, Jamaica, Trinidad, Bahrain, the Faroe Islands (between Iceland/Scotland/Norway) and Tasmania (near Australia). 

Please note the wooden 2×4 rib system is temporary, once all the panel seams/entryways/dormers receive two layers of on site fiber concrete and the entryways and dormers are framed in, the dome is self supporting and the wooden rib system is removed. Some of the wood can be used for interior framing & framing of second floor perimeter knee wall.  There is no wood in or on the American Ingenuity dome exterior walls to rot or to be eaten by termites or to burn.  There are no shingles to blow off in high winds.  No shingles to burn in a forest fire.  The exterior concrete is primed and painted.  The entryways and dormers are framed in with pressure treated wood to accept your locally purchased doors and windows.  To view our web site page that lists what comes in a kit, click on Kit Contents.  To view dome home plans for each size dome, click on Dome Home Plans.

Container With 34′ Dome Kit Inside -
ready for semi-truck to pick up and take to USA port for shipment to Tasmania

The following is a list of our most commonly asked importing questions with their answers. 

Q: Do you export the concrete dome kits?

A: Yes. Ai. domes have been exported outside the continental USA. Requests for shipment into your area are best handled by freight forwarders located at your local ports.  Call Ai and give us the receiving port name and names of freight forwarders you want Ai to call about shipping costs and Ai will call for quote.  The freight forwarder will give costs for inland trucking company to bring the container(s) to our factory to be loaded and returned to USA port and ocean shipping costs to your port.

To work with your freight forwarder and assist them with the international paperwork, there is a fee of $200.

Q: What is the most shipping cost paid by dome buyer to receive their Dome Building Kit?

A:  Ai had a buyer in Tasmania (near Australia) who paid $18,000 to ship one 34’ Dome kit with 7” EPS insulation in one 40′ high cube container.  He paid this shipping cost because he knew he could not build or buy any conventional home as strong or fire resistant or energy efficient as an American Ingenuity concrete dome.

The Ai dome is more energy efficient than a conventional house, because of the thick insulation, the reduced exterior surface area and because the exterior walls of Ai dome contain no wood to interrupt the insulation.

Q: Does American Ingenuity have an engineering statement about your dome panels?

A:  Yes, to view the statement click on Engineering.

Q: Please explain about the temporary wooden rib system which supports the panels during kit assembly:

A: American Ingenuity’s Dome Building Kits are erected using a wood rib system to temporarily hold the panels in place until the seam concrete, concrete on the entryways, dormers, cupola and link has cured and the entryways and dormers are framed in. The system is dismantled upon completion of the dome and the 2x4s are recycled as part of the interior framing. Shorter 2×4’s can be used to frame the second floor perimeter knee wall. Behind this knee wall, electrical, plumbing or ducting can be run or the second floor perimeter space can be used for storage.

The Rib System consists of using your own 2x4s, bolts/nuts/washers purchased from Ai and steel hubs purchased from America Ingenuity to assemble a free standing framework which matches the geometry of the dome.  Or Ai can cut, drill and paint the ribs and ship them in the container with your building kit.

Q: Isn’t shipping expensive to export your kit into my country?
A: Yes, but if you look at the low cost of the Ai building kits….usually the kits are one third to one half less in cost than the cost for materials to build the exterior walls and roof of a conventional house in your area….that savings can typically cover your shipping costs and more…hoisting mechanism,etc.  Plus you receive more from the Ai Dome, greater strength (225 mph & F4 tornado guarantee) and greater energy efficiency (insulation comparable to 11″ of fiberglass batting) than a conventional house can offer.

American Ingenuity’s manufacturing costs in Florida are well below the national average, which offsets any long distance shipping expenses. Ai can actually manufacture a kit in Florida and ship it to countries cheaper than we could manufacture it there.

PRICING COMPARISONS: When you research other building kit pricing, generally you will find that Ai’s kit pricing is about one third to one half less than conventional building kits. The reason Ai’s kits have a better price is not magic.

• The primary reason is the design concept. It is far more practical to build a dome with concrete than wood and applying the concrete to rigid foam insulation produces a component panel that provides structure, exterior finish, the insulation and the shell wall board.
• Our philosophy of each person paying for only what they need; results in a lower kit price as our literature prices are based on their printing costs and only our clients who need an engineering seal, energy report, engineering calculations, etc. pay for those items.
• Ai’s staff is not on commission.
• Due to lower labor costs in Florida, Ai can manufacture in Florida and ship to any other location cheaper than it would cost to manufacture in that area.

Remember to compare apples to apples when pricing each company’s building kit. Ai’s panels include all the R-28 insulation already installed, 80% of the dome’s prefinished concrete exterior reinforced with fibers and galvanized steel mesh and all the interior 1/2″ DensArmor shell drywall. In conventional houses you will likely have to purchase the roof trusses, exterior walls, insulation, roofing and ceiling wall drywall and pay for the installation of the trusses, exterior walls, insulation, roofing and drywall. With Ai’s kit the assembly process is placing panels on a temporary wooden rib system, cementing entryways, dormers and the seams between the panels and filling the shell interior wall board seams with joint compound and tape.

Q: What size containers are required to ship American Ingenuity Dome Building Kits?
A: Until we see the floor plan that you select for your dome(s) we cannot quote the exact number of 20′ high cube container or 40′ high cube container(s) or 45′ high cube container(s) that will be needed.   Your floor plan selection determines the type and number of building options (entryways, dormers, link, cupola, additional risers, etc.) that will be included with your Building Kit.  The following number of containers could increase if all the building options for that size dome are purchased.

To save space Ai usually ships most of the same size items together. So until we can add up each size panel for your floor plan, we do not know the number of containers that will be needed for your order.  Due to the large size triangles of a 40′, 45′ and 48′ domes, the triangle shaped H panels will not fit in the container.  American Ingenuity trims the EPS/wallboard tips off the H panels so that the remaining H panel will fit in the container.  On site during assembly, the tips are reattached with expanding foam supplied with the kit at no cost.

The following info about riser height is explained, because the height of the riser panels effects how many containers are needed for shipment.

A: American Ingenuity includes a four foot tall riser panels in the building kit at no extra cost.

The four foot tall riser panels allow for more vertical space near the perimeter of the first floor.  Because of the spherical dome shape, usually 30% to 50% of the first floor is left open so that the living room and dining room are located under high vaulted ceilings.  This allows for a partial second floor to be installed.  The first floor ceiling height in the 22′, 27′, 30′, 34′  & 36′ domes that have a second floor above them is 7 1/2 feet.  The first floor ceiling height in the 40′ and larger domes that have a second floor built above them is 8′.

Q: Can the first floor ceiling height in rooms that have a second floor built above them be taller than 7 1/2′ or 8′?

A:  Yes.  Custom Two Foot Tall Riser Panels can be  installed above standard four foot tall risers. To achieve a taller ceiling height in first floor rooms not under high vaulted ceilings purchase a 2′ tall riser to be installed above the standard 4′ riser.  This results in the first floor ceiling height of rooms not under high vaulted areas

• 9’6″ for 27′, 30, 34, 36′ (with second floor door dormer)
• 10′ for 36′ dome with out second floor door dormer
• 10′ for 40′, 45′ and 48′ domes.

Possible Containers needed to ship American Ingenuity dome building kits.  Because a container has sides, Ai has to rent a telescopic forklift boom to load the container.  Call for current equipment rental costs.

The Ai dome building kits 30′ thru 48′ come with a standard 4′ tall vertical riser panels.  The 15′ & 18′ kits come with 4′ riser panels & 2′ riser panels. The 15′ & 18′ kits can be purchased with 3 1/2″ EPS instead of standard 7″ EPS.  The 22′ & 27′ kits come with either four foot riser or five foot riser panels.

• One 15’ – kit with 3 ½” EPS (4’ risers plus 2’ risers) (with 2×4’s) and one 22’ with 7” EPS, ½” drywall (4’ risers) (with 2×4’s) can fit in one 40’ high cube container. H panel tips are not trimmed.
• One 15’ kit with 3 ½” EPS (4’ risers plus 2’ risers) (with 2×4’s) (no link) (can have ½” drywall) can fit in one 20’ standard container
• One 18’ kit with 3 1/2 “ EPS (4’ risers plus 2’ risers) (with 2×4’s) (no link) (can have ½” drywall) will fit in one 20’ standard container.
• Two 15’ kits with 3 ½” EPS with one entryway on each kit (4’ risers plus 2’ risers) (can have ½” drywall) (no 2×4’s) (no link) will fit in one 20’ standard container.
• One 15’ kit and one 18’ kit each with 3 ½” EPS with one entryway on each kit (4’ risers plus 2’ risers) (no ½” drywall) (no 2×4’s) (no link) is a real tight fit in one 20’ standard container.
• Four 15′ kits with 7″ EPS, 1/2″ drywall, standard 4′ risers & 2′ risers & two sets of 2×4 ribs can fit in one 45′ high cube container.
• Eight 15′ kits with 3 1/2″ EPS, no drywall, standard 4′ risers & 2′ risers & two sets of 2×4 ribs can fit in one 45′ high cube container.
• Two 18′ kits with 7″ EPS, 1/2″ drywall, standard 4′ risers & 2′ risers & one set of 2×4 ribs can fit in one 45′ high cube container.
• Four 18′ kits with 3 1/2″ EPS, no drywall, standard 4′ risers & 2′ risers & one set of 2×4 ribs can fit in one 45′ high cube container.
• One 22′ kit with standard 4′ risers will fit into two 20′ high cube containers.  2×4’s for temporary rib system will fit. Link can fit.
• Two 22′ kits with 4′ or 5′ risers can fit on one 40′ flat rack or one 40′ high cube container. 2×4’s for rib system will fit. Link will not fit.
  
• One 27′ kit with 4′ or 5′ risers can fit in one 40′ high cube container.  Link and 2×4’s for rib system will fit.
• One 22′ kit with  4′ risers and one 27′ kit with 4′ risers require one 45′ high cube container.
• Two 27′ kits will not fit in one container or on one semi truck.
• One 22′ kit with 4′ risers and one 27′ kit with 4′ risers can possibly fit in one 40′ high cube container and possibly one 20′ container.
  
• One 30′ kit with 4′ risers requires one 40′ high cube container. Link will not fit. 2×4’s for rib system will fit.
  
• One 34′ kit with 4′ risers  requires one 40′ high cube container.
  
• One 36′ kit with 4′ risers requires one 40′ high cube containers.  2×4’s for rib system will fit. Link will not fit.
  
• One 40′ kit with 4′ risers and additional 2′ risers requires  one 40′ high cube container. 2×4’s for rib system will fit. Link will not fit. H panel tips may need to be trimmed
  
• One 40′ kit 4′ risers can be shipped in three 20′ high cube containers. H panel tips may need to be trimmed.  2×4’s for rib system will fit.  If a link is included may need one other 20′ high cube container. (due to shape of triangles and size of 20′ container there is wasted space in the 20′ container versus shipping in 40′ high cube containers)
• One 45’ kit with 4′ riser and additional 2′ risers requires one 40′ high cube container and one 20′ high cube container.  H panels will need to be trimmed. A link will fit.  2×4’s for rib system will fit.
  
• One 48′ kit with 4′ risers requires one 40′ high cube containers and one 20′ container. H panel tips will need to be trimmed to fit in the container.
  
• One 60′ kit with 4′ risers requires two to three 40′ high cube containers.  Number of containers depends on the number of entryways and dormers.  Once we see your floor plan layout, we can be precise.

Q: Do you have freight forwarder who can estimate the shipping cost on the containers?
A: Yes.  SR International Logistics, Inc. is a full service international freight forwarder.  David Ross at SR International Logistics Inc. info is www.SRInternational.com 2525 16th Street #208 Denver CO Tel: 1-720-855-3115 Fax: 1-720-855-6464  email: [email protected]  

Q: Do you have any information on shipping one 40′ high cube container to Port of Spain, Trinidad Tobago?

A: Yes, here is container trucking info and ocean shipping quote to Port of Spain Trinidad as of October 2015.  One 40′ kit can fit in one 40′ high cube container. (H panel tips are cut off to fit in the container and reattached with Enerfoam on site.)

A past rate to have a 40 foot container spotted at our factory here in Rockledge, Fl 32955 and shipped through to Port Hilo, Hi was $6,500. Matson Navigation [email protected] at 415-957-4000 handled the boat shipping to Hawaii.

A 45’ kit will requires two containers and cost about $13,000, a 34’ kit requires one container or a shipping of about $6,500.

For example a 45′ kit and a 27′ kit requires two 40′ high cube containers and one 20′ high cube container.

Q: Do you have any information on shipping to Nieves in the West Indies?
A: Yes, a past rate to have a 40 foot container spotted at our factory here in Rockledge, Fl 32955 and shipped through to Nieves was $8,812.

Q: Do you have any information on shipping to Puerto Rico?
A: Yes, one of our clients in Puerto Rico purchased two domes, a 34′ and a 45′. Our client used two flat racks and one container that were shipped on Sea Star from the Jacksonville port to San Juan. The shipping was $2,612 for each 40′ flat rack or $5,224. The shipping on the 40′ Standard Container was $2,412, plus the following fees: delivery fee to Aguas Buenas $585, paperwork $140 for a total shipping cost of $8,361 for a 34′ and a 45′ dome.

The Sea Star contact was Jim Stoshak at 904-751-2110.

A Trucking Company that deliveries containers and flat racks to factories to be loaded for export to Puerto Rico: is Magic Transport Miami Fl 305-887-2424 or 888-693-7312, fax 305-887-0320.

Q: Have you exported into Europe?
A: No but Ai can ship to Europe. We have exported into the Middle East but not into any European countries.

Q: Do you export to the Virgin Islands?

A: Yes. We have shipped two 40′ domes to St. Kitts. MVC Transportation Corporation brought the two 40′ Standard Containers and 40′ flat rack to our factory to be loaded. MVC’s mailing address is POBox 653808, Miami Fl 33265 phone 305-888-4MVC, fax 305-888-8011. The Consignor was Crowley Port Everglades Ft Lauderdale Fl. The Freight Forwarder was Caribbean Freight Systems, Inc. The Port of Loading was the Port Everglades. Port of unloading was St Kitts. Each container cost $5,200 for inland trucking costs and shipping from Port Everglades to Virgin Islands.

Q: Do you export to Mexico?
A: We can.  Contact a Mexican importing person who can answer your border questions, such as “What are the duties? What paperwork is involved.” The kit is shipped on a semi truck from our Rockledge Florida factory. Your border person may know of Mexican trucking companies that carry loads into Florida. Once that truck’s Florida merchandise is unloaded, it would drive to our factory and be loaded with your kit. Brownsville Texas is about 1,200 miles from our factory. Shipping to that point would be about $2,650 US Dollars at $2.20 per mile estimated shipping costs.

Q: Do you export to the Middle East?
A: Yes. In 2004 we got an approximate shipping quote from Transgroup Worldwide Logistics on two 40’ containers being trucked from Miami to our factory, then delivered back to Miami and then shipped to Dubai, UAE for about $5,225. 42 days transit time. This pricing included two hours no charge for each container to be loaded and an additional loading time of two hours per container at $45 per hour ($180). Two drivers at $725 each to bring the container to our factory and take it back to Miami after loading ($1,450). Ocean freight of $1,750 per container from Miami to Dubai UAE ($3,500). And $95 for Documents and forwarding. This does not include any duties or documents for the Dubai port. This quote was from Transgroup Worldwide Logistics/Stephen Brown in Ocean Quoting at 321-868-2230.

Q: Do you export to Canada?
A: Yes. We have shipped domes into Canada.  But none of our clients allow us to give out their name and numbers for referrals.  

The Canadian broker for L.M. Clark Broker is Steve Martonino, (905-673-8650 ext 224) who did the customs work for Donkers Harris LTD for one of our clients.

In Canada the building department will require the building plans to be engineer sealed prior to giving you a building permit. Ai knows of an engineer licensed to seal our building plans for most areas of Canada. A Canadian seal could cost from $900 to $1,500 to $3,000….depends on the size dome and the foundation type.