Our Pacific Dome home came in a kit, several large boxes, which fit into our van. If we really wanted to, we could disassemble the dome, pack it up and take it with us. It could be re-erected just about anywhere, either on a frame or just on the ground for temporary use.

Foundation

We chose to build our dome home on a raised platform with a riser wall. We made this decision for several reasons. Being up off the ground leaves some of the sand & dirt outside when we come and go, we did not have to pour a permanent and expensive foundation in ground that would have been very difficult to excavate, wiring and plumbing is easier to do under the platform, and the raised height of the dome allowes us to build a loft inside to have a second floor of 250 additional sq. ft.

Jonathan built the platform and riser wall in about eight weeks. We erected the frame on top of the riser wall. The first course of bars was the hardest as getting it to stay put and not flop in or out required us to brace and hold it up all around the bottom. Once the second course of bars went on, it became much easier.

Frame

The whole family participated in putting up the dome. The kids fetched and carried and helped sort out the poles into their lettered stacks. Kevin came to help and his wife Donna joined us the second day to help with the canvas skin.

We built the frame all in one day during Thanksgiving weekend. The frame poles of various lengths with angles on their flat fastening ends, are marked with letters. The assembly instructions indicate which poles to use in each course of of the frame erection. The poles are bolted to each other through holes in the flat angled ends.

The center of the dome is 18 feet off the platform floor, and even further off the uneven ground outside, so we did not have a ladder tall enough. We had to build a platform to put the tall ladder on in order to complete the top two courses of bars.

Skin

The second day of Thanksgiving weekend we put the skin on the dome. The canvas came folded cleverly. We pulled the canvas up the inside of the dome and then out through the bars. We unfolded two layers of canvas on the East side of the dome, then grabbed the bottom edge of the canvas on the East side and pulled it up and over the top of the dome to unfold on the West side. All of this was made more difficult due to the chill weather. The marine vinyl bay window and canvas were stiff and inflexible in the cold.

The ceiling portion of the dome canvas zips into place. We had difficult getting the tension right and zipping it in in the cold of the evening. The next day we had a terrible wind storm followed by heavy snow. The partly installed ceiling portion was ripped off its zippers and damaged. The inside of the dome was a skating rink! We had to return the ceiling piece for repair which Pacific Dome very kindly did quickly.

Finishing

Once the interior dried out, Jonathan built the loft inside the dome, ran the water piping, and worked on insulating and finishing the interior of the riser wall. We also decided to try installing a standard front door which turned out to be tricky as the canvas had to be cut for the door frame. It still lets more snow melt moisture in around the door than we would prefer. The porch platform up to the door was finished off with steps.

Our interior floor is just particle board. We haven't done anything beyond painting it white to finish or improve it. Vinyl tiles we installed in the kitchen haven't held up well as sun coming in through the window and baking them. They will have to be entirely redone. The bathroom tiles which remain shaded by two walls have held up quite nicely.

The bathroom has the only real walls. It occupies the NE corner of the dome. One wall defines the kitchen area in the SE corner and a hallway down the center. We re-arrange books shelves and desks inside based on the season to block or allow sunlight into the children's room. The kids share the space in the North side of the dome under the loft except for the small slice taken up by the bathroom. The adult bedroom is in the loft. The living room / study takes up the SW area of the dome.