[Domesteading 00218] Re: query

[Nolan Scheid]

Hello John,
You are not stepping on toes but you are limiting yourself by keeping your path limited
to building with the materials you have always used.
Yes, concrete cracks but so do the 2x4's used to build domes. Do you expect your raw materials to
keep out the elements? NO.
Just like with studs and crud, concrete shells need a roof or a layer of sealant to keep out the
weather.
Right now I am restoring an underground concrete home. It is a group of connected domes. It leaked 
terribly from the beginning of its life 20+ years ago. Was it the concrete's fault? NO, The owner 
builder covered the structure with a couple layers of plastic and expected it to be a good roof. we 
have removed the dirt and applied a fresh layer of shotcrete with a chemical to grow crystals in any 
cracks. I am not planning on that being my 'roof', it is just an extra layer of insurance. with just 
this new layer we have a watertight structure. For the roof, we are adding a polyurethane roof 
coating.
The reason I tired of studs and crud domes was the limiting factors of shapes. With concrete I can 
have domes, arches and free flowing shapes that feel much more pleasant than trying to fit a 
shelter/home in a bunch of triangles.

Best regards,
Nolan Scheid


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "John E. Johnson" <newageco at dbtech.net>
To: "'A forum for the discussion of aspects of independent,off-the-grid living'"
<domesteading at sculptors.com>
Sent: Sunday, May 13, 2007 4:45 AM
Subject: [Domesteading 00217] Re: query


> You guys should know a few things about concrete domes from 36 years
> experience perspective. Yeah, it's seemingly a good marriage between a great
> shape and a strong product but the darn things have a tendency to crack and
> seep in the most hard to find locations.
> Any concrete man I know will tell you concrete inevitably cracks.
> I know I'm stepping on a few toes with this statement, but as in the case
> of this wonderful concrete dome church they built in Bham Al, I met a local
> roofing company who had been called in to find and fix leaks already. This
> dome fell once during construction and is full of leaks. It may not be the
> domes fault. It may be the contractor's or the foundation. I haven't been
> called in on this one but I do know one of the people who have tried to fix
> it. No permanent luck so far.
>  With that said, I realize there probably have been improvements made in
> the product.  I was "invited" to the very next AI dome school to disprove my
> observations on repairs made during my years of experience. The "invitation"
> was made 3 years ago. Do you suppose they have had any of these classes yet?
> Give me a good wooden framed kit with a good grade of fiberglass shingle
> (We use ELK almost exclusively) any day. If part of it gets damaged in a
> hurricane or the neighbor's house comes apart and impacts it, you can always
> replace the shingles. Plus you don't have to glue on your drywall...channel
> out for wires...or have to drill through to the exterior to hang a dadblamed
> ceiling fan with the corresponding nut and washer on the EXTERIOR of the
> dome. We had one concrete dome here in Alabama which had the foam
> insulation.( not sure who's kit it is) Fire ants started building their
> homes up in the foam and NOTHING would kill them or drive them out. Seems
> like they would open up new tunnels and drop in unannounced on the
> occupants. Imagine getting a ice restful sleep in your vacation home and
> wake up to find yourself covered with biting ants.
> The owner had to abandon the home. It happened folks... I do not
> exaggerate.
> John E. Johnson
> newagedomeconstruction.com