I spent most of this week researching and designing a monolithic dome house. Most people have never heard of such a thing and the people I explain it to think I’ve lost my mind but the concept has been around for a long time and has grown in popularity in the last ten years or so. Ever since I was little I was fascinated by alternative houses, especially the kind in fairtales. Tales of little people living in hobbit-like mole holes, underwater bubble cities and little cottages dug out of the side of a mountain seemed fantastical. So over the years I’ve casually looked into alternative houseing but it wasn’t until recently when I realized our real life would be starting soon and after seeing the LOTR trilogy that I really got into it. There are actually quite a few groups out there who are building actual hobbit holes and even entire shires. It’s awesome.

But my desire to live in a big bubble is more than a kids fantasy, it’s practical too. Dome houses are not only much stronger than wood built houses, thier safer, more earth friendly, last longer and they’re cheaper in the long run. Plus they’re better for people with allergies and other medical issues than traditional housing. Think of it like this: Remember the story of the three little pigs? The straw house and the stick house didn’t stand a chance but the stone house was impenatrable. The only question that remains is above ground or below. There are advantages and disadvantages to both but you have to admit it’s pretty nifty to live underground like a Hobbit.

As soon as I get a chance I’ll post my floor plans for my ideal house. Right now it’s just a dream but I’m optomistic. If your interested in alternative housing some other things you might want to look into are : geodesic domes, hobbit holes, cob houses, strawbale houses, papercrete, ferrocement, earthships, cordwood homes, rammed earth, earthbags, adobe etc.

Song Of The Day: Snow Patrol – Run
Site Of The Day: Fairyland (free mmorpg)
Observation Of The Day – Either peoples heads are getting bigger or thier bodies are getting smaller. Watch any commercial and see what I mean. Almost every actor on tv looks like an alien.
5th wedding anniversary wishlist (July 24th): Tickets, T-shirts and AC.

P.S. I’m particularrly fond of the RFV and the piratemonkeyrobot shirts!.

This entry was posted on Friday, July 2nd, 2004 at 12:55 am and is filed under General Stuff. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.