Testimonials American Ingenuity dome owner quotes and pictures
15 year old - 34′ Dome on full basement in Colorado
Colorado 34′ Dome’s kitchen & partial view of second floor
34′ Dome on full basement in Colorado which is 15 years old: Toni told us: “I built the American Ingenuity dome for my retirement home and now that I am retired I am so glad that did. I love my dome. In 2014 we experienced a hail storm that beat the paint off part of their dome & damaged a vent. There was no damage to the concreted panels. To warm the dome in the winter I designed the windows to face south to let the sun in, I installed baseboard heaters that are heated with hot water and I use propane to heat the water in the boiler. For back up I have a small gas stove.” Above are two pictures of her dome.
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Oliver 45′ Dome on full basement in Missouri - 21 year old dome
Dome Sold in 2011
Building the dome was a labor of love. We had visited your offices and researched every model and floor plans of every kit manufacturer in the US and, as you know, chose American Ingenuity’s kit. It was a wonderful experience constructing it. We appreciate all the guidance and support we received from you folks. We are available for testimonials and recommendations to any and all interested parties. Ralph Oliver. To view more pictures of their dome, please click on Oliver dome.
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Charles 40ft Dome
Charles 40′ Dome in Pennsylvania
One of American Ingenuity’s Pennsylvania Dome Owners Roger & Jeanne Charles installed radiant floor system in their basement and dome first floor. To view pictures of their dome, please click on Charles Dome
This a quote from them and above are two pictures.
“We live in the mountains of PA. The winters up here can be brutal. Our Ai Dome is a 40ft with Link on a 9” livable basement. {Den, Office/Computer room, Kitchenette} The entire interior, to include the mechanical room, is heated and cooled by a GeoThermal, Water furnace, Radiant floor system.
Our zone controllers are set on 74 degrees winter and summer. Our sole power source, at present, is the grid. Our costs per month range from $99 to a high of $120. We were amazed that our cost now are less than when we lived in a 14 by 73 ft mobile home while building the Dome.
Our decision to build an American Ingenuity Dome home was the best decision we have ever made.”
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Whaley 34′ dome kitchen view.
From R. Whaley, Florida: “Once the dome is initially heated or cooled, the temperature remains constant. Just think of when you take your soda pop to the beach on the hottest day of the year in an inch thick foam cooler. Once the house gets cool or hot as desired, it retains that temperature and stays constant.” In 2004 their dome went through two hurricanes. The following is their comments on the storms: “We live in a 34′ dome one block from the ocean. Our domes went through Hurricane Frances and the exit winds of Hurricane Charley. During the hurricane we could hear things hitting the domes. In the morning we walked around the yard and picked up shingles and soffits from other people’s houses and washed off our driveway. It was as if nothing had happened at all.” (34′ dome home and 27′ dome garage)
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From the Mathes, Florida: Their 34′ dome home with 30′ garage dome utilize a solar water heater and photovoltaic panels to power their lights and refrigerator. Although, their A/C, washer, well pump and TV are still connected to the meter, their total electric bill was less than $150.00 for the year. The owner/builder also states, “This has been a wonderful experience that I would not trade for ANYTHING!”
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34′ dome linked to 22′ one car garage dome - 12 year old domes.
34′ dome kitchen built on entryway wall
From G. Busick, Florida: “During the hot summer months (May thru August), we can cool a 1,075 sq.ft. dome for less than $27 a month. We maintain an interior temperature of 76 degrees when home and 79 degrees when not. To view electric bills & other 34 dome pics, click on Energy Efficient.
During Hurricane Jeanne, our neighborhood had 80 mph winds. The Ai domes had no damage, but a neighbor across the street lost her roof.. The entire interior of her house had to be replaced due to water damage.” (34′ dome home and 22′ garage dome) See info on Hurricanes.
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40′ dome linked to 30′ Garage Dome - 30 year old domes.
From M. Ferral, Florida: dining room in 40′ dome. All electric home. Three bedroom two bath 40′ dome average summer AC costs is less than $50. I-95 abuts the back of this property. When sliding doors are closed cannot hear traffic. These domes won the award for “Most Energy Efficient Residence in the Southeastern USA.”
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48 foot diameter (48 Delta 22 floor plan) approximately 2,600 sq. ft.
three bedroom, two bath American Ingenuity two story,
steel reinforced concrete dome home in Edgewater Florida.
Per Eric, “The Dome is very efficient and strong. It has been hit by several hurricanes and tropical storms with no damage at all. My neighbor’s conventional house was severely damaged by the storms. I keep the house at 72 degrees in the summer and warmer in winter. My electric bill is around $100 a month with no water/sewer bill because I’m on well/septic. The house is designed for very little maintenance.”
Features of the dome:
1. 3 ton 13 seer central AC system.
2. All windows are 7/8 low e argon filled dual pane glass.
3. The 10 foot sliding door is 1 inch low e argon filled.
4. The concrete exterior is painted with elastomeric paint.
5. Has 4 skylights and a transom window…all low e.
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From the Sparrows, Florida Keys: “We call our home ‘Sparrows’ Nest’…it’s pretty strong. It may look small from the outside, but…there’s a lot of room. The house is a rock.” (30′)
From the Clarks and Sayles, Ft Pierce Florida: “The eye wall of Hurricane Frances sat on us for two hours so the category 2 hurricane did category 3 damage. We experienced 120 to 130 mph winds with no dome damage while the house across the street lost most of its shingles.”
From the Woods, Florida: “We were in the direct path of Hurricane Charley. We had winds greater than 145 mph and our dome had no problems. One widow got a crack from debris. Most of our town was destroyed and all three area hospitals had roof damage. Thank you for our dome.” (40′ dome and 27′ garage dome)
From the Vandebergs and Delongs, North Ft. Meyers Florida: “Thank you for our dome. The eye of Hurricane Charley passed only 15 miles from our dome. We had 117 mph sustained winds. Our domes stood strong. The only vulnerable part was our garage door. We used 2×4’s, plywood and sandbags to keep it from blowing in.” (34′ dome and 27′ garage dome)
From the Drybolas, Milton Florida: “Our neighborhood looked like a war zone. We were in the direct path of Hurricane Ivan and had the full blast of the winds plus there was a tornado in our area. Our concrete domes were wonderful and suffered no damage, despite winds of over 135 mph. Pine trees were stripped of bark and needles and many were lying on a 45 degree angle. Firefighters came by our dome and told us ‘You have the right house for this storm.’ We’ve had over 200 people stop by and see our dome. Believe me your product has never been shown off as good! Wish more people by the beaches, who lost everything would come by, sure wouldn’t have to worry anymore.” (45′ and 30′ with 34′ screen dome)
From the Hendersons, Santa Rosa Beach Florida: “We had over 135 mph winds from Hurricane Ivan and our domes suffered no damage. Our domes are close to the Gulf and sit about 56′ above sea level. This is higher than the surrounding houses so we received the maximum of any wind force, yet we received no damage. (48′ and 34′)
From L. Sawh, Florida: “It’s hard to believe, but we finally finished this house of ours! It’s taken us a good year and a half but its all been worth the hard work and challenges. We began with some designs on paper, added some features of our own, took a few suggestions from other dome owners and with a lot of sweat and pain, not forgetting our subs and the folks at the bank, here we are!!!” (40′ and 27′ Garage dome)
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From R. Napolitan, Idaho: “The dome is snug and warm. We heat it mostly with a woodstove that’s in the basement. Our staircases are open so the heat rises. It stays about 68 degrees without much effort, with our lowest outside temp…5-6 degrees. (2,000+ sq.ft. with basement, 34′)
From B. Gates, Illinois: “I’ve never been too much of a conventional person. I thought this was a pretty neat design, very energy-efficient. I like to keep things environmentally nice. It’s almost an organic feeling, being surrounded by curves instead of by rectangles. It seems to be a more relaxing environment to be in.” (48′)
From D. Partlow, Indiana: “The dome is ‘awesome’, ‘beautiful’ and ‘breathtaking’. At least that’s what visitors say. It is and it’s also a very comfortable home to live in. Our June electric bill was $107, we are total electric! We still love the house and the great savings on energy!!!” (2,400+ sq.ft.; 48′)
From S. Mumphrey, Louisiana: “We’re three years in our dome…we still pinch ourselves every morning thinking its a dream. But, it’s REAL and we love it.” (45′)
From L. Gillis, Michigan: “I don’t see how a city can ignore one of the great architectural breakthroughs of the 20th Century. A city without geodesic domes, is not thinking about progress. It’s thinking about replicating the past. A city cannot be a world-class city, unless it has some geodesic domes.” (45′)
From H. Willis, Mississippi: “I like the openness. You can see the kitchen, dining room, living room and bedroom loft when you walk in the front door.” (34′ with 25′ screen dome)
From L. Covington, North Carolina: “Doing everything on my own, not too bad when I think that it will save me $25,000 in labor costs for doing everything outside and inside….The folks that ride by are trying to break their necks gawking at the dome. A curiosity for folks I guess and a few have stopped for more info and a lot come back from time to time to check the progress….” (30′)
From J. Chang: “Thank you again for being the great company that you are! Keep us in the loop with information on finishing touches.” (48′)
From K. Millar, South Carolina: “What this house is about is alternatives. We decorated it with an Oriental theme, even painting the floor with an Asian motif and we surrounded the house with a Japanese garden.” (40′)
From R. Scripps, Texas: “I like to thank you again for the advice you have given me and Dale.” (Two 45′ domes on full basements)
From J. Holden, Texas: “We just love our four domes, even after 15 years!” (40′)
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Utah 45′ Dome Home linked to 30′ Garage Dome
Utah 45′ Dome Home Living Room
From J. Collar, Utah: “My wife, Mary, devoured articles and books about straw bale, rammed earth, poured adobe, earthships, log, and any other unconventional building systems. Finally, Mary announced to me that she had found our house; a precast concrete and eps geodesic dome kit! Although I wasn’t wild about the look of a dome house, as an engineer I was excited about the sheer practicality. I quickly ran some heat loss calculations and found that at -20 degrees F, we could expect to keep the 2700 sq.ft. of living space at 70 degrees F using little more than 30,000 btuh, about 1/3 the size of a conventional home furnace. With judicious use of a large solar window and a masonry heater fireplace, we could limit our use of propane for backup heating.” (45′ and 30′ Garage 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.
