Importing Ai Domes into your Country

To date Ai has sold dome kits into 46 U.S.A states and twelve foreign areas. American Ingenuity has exported domes into Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands-St. Kitts and St. Crois, the British Virgin Islands-Tortola, West Indies-Nieves, Canada, Israel, Jamaica, Bahrain and the Faroe Islands (between Iceland/Scotland/Norway).

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

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.  Ai is unable to provide the time required acquiring shipping quotes or arranging for the shipping. Someone at the receiving port would best know which ship lines and which freight trucking companies service your port and would be in a better position to acquire the best pricing. By contacting a freight forwarder at your importing port, they would know the USA port which receives the best service, the most economical ship to use, and they can arrange for an inland trucking company to bring the containers to our factory to be loaded, etc.  Although, below we do list the names of a few freight forwarders.

Because American Ingenuity has to rent a telescoping forklift to load each container, there is a fee of $800 per container to cover this rental cost.  Within the United States, all the building kits are shipped on semi-trucks.  When we load semi-trucks our standard fork lifts can move around all sides of the truck to allow for easy loading.  When loading containers, we can only access the container through its back door so we have to use a telescoping forklift.

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 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 get more from the Ai Dome, greater strength and greater energy efficiency 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 most 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 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 pay for one, etc.

• Ai does not make a profit on the Building Plans.  We provide the Building Plans as a service so that each client can obtain a floor plan to fit their lifestyle.

·         Also Ai maintains a lower advertising cost and concentrates more on improving the design than pushing sales.

·         Our staff is not on commission.

·         Due to lower labor costs in Florida, Ai can manufacture in Florida and ship to almost any other location cheaper than it would cost to manufacture there.

Remember to compare apples to apples when pricing each company's building kit. Ai's panels include all the R-28 insulation, most of the exterior finish and all the interior shell wall board. In conventional houses you will likely have to purchase the roof trusses, exterior walls, insulation, roofing and ceiling wall board and pay for the installation of the trusses, exterior walls, insulation, roofing and wall board. With Ai's kit the assembly mainly consists of 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 needed for your building kits?
A: Until we see the floor plan that you select for your dome(s) we cannot quote how many containers you will need.   Your floor plan determines the type and number of building options (entryways, dormers, link, cupola, 9" thick insulation, etc.) that will be included with your Building Kit.  The following number of containers will increase if you purchase all the building options available for that size dome.  For example, thicker insulation makes the panels taller so the panels take up more room. 

To save space Ai usually ships most of the same size items together. So until we can add up each size panel,  we do not know the number of containers that will be needed for your order.

Possible Containers needed:

• A 22' dome kit and a 27' dome kit may fit in one 45' high cube container.
• A 34' or smaller dome shell kit each needs one 40' container for each dome.
• A 40’ requires one 40' container and one 20' container.
• A 45’ kit takes two 40' containers.
• A 48' kit takes two 40' containers
• A 60’ kit takes three or more 40' containers.

Q: Do you have some names of freight forwarders who can estimate the shipping cost on the containers?
A: Yes, we know of some companies that expedite/export out of the USA:

Q: How do I go about setting up a factory in my country to manufacture your component panels?
A: To see if our dome would sell in your country, you would need to purchase one kit and build it to use as your personal home and or model. If you receive sells then you might want to consider manufacturing in your country.   First you would purchase the American Ingenuity Dealer/Builder rights for a territory (possibly your country).  If that was successful then American Ingenuity may consider a manufacturing license whereby you would use our technology to manufacture American Ingenuity domes in your country.  For further information on securing a Dealer/Builder or Manufacturing license please contact our office at 321-639-8777.

Q: Do you have any information on shipping to Hawaii?
A: Yes, shipping to Hawaii involves: containers being delivered to our factory to be loaded; once loaded the containers are transported by truck to a port in California. Then the containers are loaded onto a ship. The company that delivered the containers to our factory was Falcon Transport, Inc. at POBox 411 , Bird-In-Hand, Penna 17505-0411; their phone number is 717-687-0471.

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 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it at 415-957-4000 handled the boat shipping to Hawaii.

A 45’ kit will require 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 needed three 40' containers.

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 we could. We have exported into the Middle East but not into any European countries.

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 probably 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 Canada. A Canadian seal could cost from $1,500 to $3,000.