Jan 112013
 

Many are unfairly branded with the “hippie” label for wanting to build a geodesic dome. Some call dome homes “mushroom houses”, even real estate and insurance companies sometimes don’t know how to deal with financing or insuring a dome home. The shame befalling a geodesic worshiper grows when referred to as a “strut lover”. But worse is how critics are always pointing and asking: “What’s your angle?” and not being able to answer to 7 decimal places.

This has caused much distress and we here at the Domerama Geodesics Pentagonial Church of our Lady of Tensegrity, do not discriminate on the basis of your personal tastes and beliefs(but we do look down on those who believe the moon landings were filmed on a stage in New Mexico).

Please support our awareness campaign to show that being geodesic does not automatically make you a hippie.

geodesic_hippie_syndrome_smaller

 

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Jan 112013
 

people_of_burning_man

Right after the holidays, people who are planning to attend Burning Man begin to put their ideas together. And for someone like me at Domerama it’s like Christmas in August!

I recently became aware of something very interesting: visit this website: thepeopleofburningman.com.  You got to watch the video. And a book of the same name is available.

 

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The People of Burning Man book is offered on the website. This is the kind of book which everyone will find interesting in one way or the other. And it won’t leave you indifferent!
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Jan 102013
 

Here at Domerama Labs We are seriously considering incorporating this new technology from Chrysler. Powerful technology,  easy to understand and operate, we believe it to be the next generation of automation in geodesic dome technology.

Chrysler Turbo Encabulator

 

The technology was initially developed by Rockwell International. Here is their promotional video below

Rockwell Retro Encabulator

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Jan 102013
 

diy_geodesic_greenhouse_5670

Many visitors to Domerama are interested in building an inexpensive greenhouse that will last, be practical and nice to look at. This geodesic dome greenhouse project below is a must-see.

See how George decided to build a geodesic dome greenhouse last March 2012, and follow him every step along the way by reading his detailed observations and through more than 90 images taken during the project. It’s one of the most detailed geodesic dome greenhouse project we have found up to now.

diy_geodesic_greenhouse_5404   diy_geodesic_greenhouse_5408   diy_geodesic_greenhouse_5687  diy_geodesic_greenhouse_5887  diy_geodesic_greenhouse_5636

  Click here to see George’s geodesic greenhouse project

 

In the next few weeks we will offer dozens of free plans, as well as a selection at a modest cost. Come back soon!

 

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Jan 072013
 

This could be your new floor for the geodesic dome, geodesic greenhouse, maybe even your yurt. Why? Because it’s almost free, it’s surprisingly sturdy and it will last for a very long time.

ppile

Wood pallets make an inexpensive floor or deck. Some are free, others are not. But many pallets being given away are more than acceptable for your geodesic dome or yurt flooring. They may not look pretty sometimes, but once you cover them with plywood, OSB or aspenite, even paint them, no one will know.  The pallets serve as a frame under the actual floor and their shape makes the ideal to lay 4′X 8′ sheets over them.

wplt

Assembling the pallets together is quite simple: line up similar pallets and drill or nail them together. One of the best part of using pallets is that they have much of the hard work done, so no cutting or measuring; just attach them to each other.

 

Preparation is key to a solid base

Your surface under the pallets should be graded and flat. Then you may need to tamp the soil. This may not be required. In the back of our house the ground contains pit run, a combination of various sizes of rocks mixed in with sand, clay and soil, making the surface hard as concrete. All we needed to do was to fill out some spots to make the surface evenly flat; for those areas we did take soil from around the property and then tamped it.

Next we lay down a layer of poly film, commonly found in hardware and garden centers. This will serve to stop growth of plants. Ideally a black plastic film is preferred.

The final step is to lay down a layer of sand over the surface. The thickness is up to you, though we recommend at least 2 inches (5cm). This layer should also be tamped to even it out.

geodesic_wood_pallet_floor

 

Covering the wood pallets with flooring

  • For cost reasons, OSB (used in roofing as an alternative to plywood) is about half the cost of plywood and very resistant to weather conditions. If you cut parts off an OSB sheet, remember to seal the cut with an appropriate paint or sealant because humidity could leak into the sheet over time.
  • Plywood or OSB, it is a good idea to paint the sheets if you do not cover your surface with anything else. A good quality preservative is also a good idea
  • If you do cover your plywood or OSB surface with a floating floor for example, a layer of insulation is recommended (as in a regular floor covering).
  • If you do not not cover the pallets at all, consider using a thicker layer of poly film as water spilled from above may form puddles under the pallets. Your best option is to create natural drains  in the sand layer (a series of small ditches running from the center to the outer edge).  You should also consider adding a second layer of poly film above the sand layer.

 

What results can you expect?

Watch the video below to see how Mike used wood pallets to make a backyard deck.

 

pallet decks

 

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