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The Frameless Geodesic Dome I currently live in

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Re: The Frameless Geodesic Dome I currently live in

#171

Post by flovec »

effbott wrote: post #156
flovec wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not true! I purchased 5 acres in Southwestern CO (with mountain views!) for 2 grand in cash. I built a small cabin, and program out of it. But, it lacks luxuries for my many "projects", so now I'm building a house. http://frank.lovecch.io/projects/walden-ranch.html

Wow.. this is amazing. I'm kind of blown away by how cheap it is. Is this your permanent residence or a vacation home? Does it feel weird to not have neighbors?

As of this month, the cabin has become my permanent residence while I build the house throughout the rest of the fall/winter/spring.

I actually have neighbors...sort of. There is a permanent resident of _extremely_ poor individuals 1.5 miles from me (they're quite nice when I've run into them), and next to them is a vacation residence put up years ago inhabited by a retiree on occasion.

This land is "open range", and there is a large cattle farm I can see about ~5 miles away whose cows occasionally wander out this way and graze.

Re: The Frameless Geodesic Dome I currently live in

#172

Post by ChrisNorstrom »

flovec wrote: post #132
molsongolden wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The SLV! I am strongly considering buying a plot there but the lack of water is the trade off. Can you provide a ballpark for your construction costs? Are you drilling a well, burying a tank and hauling water, or something else? What's the nearest town? Have you had trouble with burglars/vandals while leaving your cabin unattended for long periods of time?

The finite numbers I have are thus: Land: I purchased 5 acres for $2,000 of Craigslist. It's worth about 5-6 getting it from a real-estate company. Slab: 4" deep, 8" deep around a 1' perimeter..1100 sq ft total - 18 yards concrete, $2200 - Bobcat rental (days w/ gas), $450 - Rented tools (concrete blankets for cold, et), $150 - Rebar/tongue-groove insulation: $1000 Solar: Currently, I run off a generator, which was a…

I truly honestly envy you. To be out there free from all the drama and crime of the cities. I dream of escaping to the country side myself one day.

Re: The Frameless Geodesic Dome I currently live in

#173

Post by ChrisNorstrom »

You know what would be awesome.

If everyone on Hacker News pitched into a fund, bought some land out in the middle a beautiful but isolated place in the rockies and created a weekend getaway for coders using something similar to these little Geodesic Dome houses.

Re: The Frameless Geodesic Dome I currently live in

#174

Post by flovec »

effbott wrote: post #156
flovec wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not true! I purchased 5 acres in Southwestern CO (with mountain views!) for 2 grand in cash. I built a small cabin, and program out of it. But, it lacks luxuries for my many "projects", so now I'm building a house. http://frank.lovecch.io/projects/walden-ranch.html

Wow.. this is amazing. I'm kind of blown away by how cheap it is. Is this your permanent residence or a vacation home? Does it feel weird to not have neighbors?

And the land is pretty cheap! But, costs anywhere in the mountains _do_ increase even the shittiest of goods, including labor, which is why it's as much DIY as I can.

Living out here means monthly trips to larger cities to visit friends, check in with work HQ in Denver, and pickup all the decent food I can (I can't stand the markup at Whole Foods, but they have the best bulk foods of anywhere I've been).

Re: The Frameless Geodesic Dome I currently live in

#175

Post by flovec »

monkeynotes wrote: post #144
flovec wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not true! I purchased 5 acres in Southwestern CO (with mountain views!) for 2 grand in cash. I built a small cabin, and program out of it. But, it lacks luxuries for my many "projects", so now I'm building a house. http://frank.lovecch.io/projects/walden-ranch.html

You obviously do not have the requirement of living close to Vancouver BC in order to maintain an income. As said elsewhere if one is willing to move out into a remote area you can definitely pick up land for less money ($2k cash for your own land with mountain views is blowing my mind and making me cry on the inside). Unfortunately, so much IT work is centred around metro areas and property is very expensive.

Yea, you're absolutely correct on this one! I do drive to Denver (3 hours there) a couple times a month, though, and I work at my company's HQ while visiting/staying with friends, etc.

Re: The Frameless Geodesic Dome I currently live in

#176

Post by micro_cam »

My parent's moved to the rural north west in the early 70's and knew people who attempted the dome lifestyle. By the time I was born in 1981 they had all moved on and built traditional houses.

There are issues with domes that aren't apparent to the novice builder. Besides questions about if being an efficient use of space the numerous angled joints make them very difficult to weather seal/roof so they tend to leak.

A simple, passive solar rectangular design from sips (structured insulating panels) is much more efficient and quicker to put up. You order the panels pre built and routed for doors/windows/plumbing. Rectangular panels means you need to bolt them together in fewer places.

I think david wright's high sierra cabin is a great example of what is possible using this construction method:

http://davidwrightarchitect.com/cabins/

THough i have also seen simpler plans more in line with this dome.

Re: The Frameless Geodesic Dome I currently live in

#177

Post by sopooneo »

My little backwater hometown in Maine raged with ideas like this in the seventies, just before I entered the world. One or two families still live in buildings of similar feel. But most got normal walls with plumbing and lots of TV's once the children outnumbered.

A few of my generation picked up the torch in the nineties, and I happen to know of one off-the-grid dome lived in by a classmate of mine. Though he's married now and no matter how much "Little House" she has read, I find it's a rare wife that wouldn't prefer a conventional stove by year five or so.

So when I see these posts I smile for my own parents' optimism and naivete. And I also feel desperately, overwhelmingly homesick. That garden reads as Eden to my eye. So props to the builder. I hope you make lots of great memories there.

Re: The Frameless Geodesic Dome I currently live in

#178

Post by brudgers »

jlgreco wrote: post #163
brudgers wrote: post #93

As an architect, I appreciate many of the ideas expressed via the design - in particular seeking a reduced footprint. However, while many US jurisdictions might not require a building permit for this structure due to its size, it would typically not be exempt from building codes and as a habitable structure and more importantly as a dwelling, the design does not meet fundamental principles embodied in modern building…

Could you just claim it isn't a building but rather a "ridged tent", and cite the quick disassemble/reassemble capability as evidence of that?

Claiming it's a tent is one thing, convincing the fire marshal is another. Plumbing and electrical service probably won't weigh in one's favor.

Re: The Frameless Geodesic Dome I currently live in

#179

Post by molsongolden »

jorgem wrote: post #158
flovec wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The finite numbers I have are thus: Land: I purchased 5 acres for $2,000 of Craigslist. It's worth about 5-6 getting it from a real-estate company. Slab: 4" deep, 8" deep around a 1' perimeter..1100 sq ft total - 18 yards concrete, $2200 - Bobcat rental (days w/ gas), $450 - Rented tools (concrete blankets for cold, et), $150 - Rebar/tongue-groove insulation: $1000 Solar: Currently, I run off a generator, which was a…

How deep is the water table? Is that why the land was so cheap?

There is a large aquifer in the valley so wells do pretty well but the water rights are tight. A residential well permit is for interior water use only. With 35 acres you get the right to irrigate one acre. You aren't supposed to recapture grey water or rain. There's a lot of potato farming in the valley and the old farmers have most of the good water rights, the rest of the water is owed to new Mexico and Texas and has to be left to flow downstream. Rainfall is very minimal, sub-9 inches per year IIRC. Weather easily hits double digit negatives in the winter but is mild in the summer. Some land has Limited road access and public service are minimal with few sheriffs to cover a large amount of land. Some of the land was sold to hopeful retirees sight unseen in the past and has been let go extra cheap once they realize it is a tougher living than expected. All of those things said, I personally think it is worth the money and will probably purchase a small parcel just as a getaway and play space.

Re: The Frameless Geodesic Dome I currently live in

#180

Post by jlgreco »

brudgers wrote: post #178
jlgreco wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Could you just claim it isn't a building but rather a "ridged tent", and cite the quick disassemble/reassemble capability as evidence of that?

Claiming it's a tent is one thing, convincing the fire marshal is another. Plumbing and electrical service probably won't weigh in one's favor.

Does it have plumbing? That wasn't clear to me from the article. Electrical might make it a bit problematic, but maybe you could have one of those RV-style electrical hookup posts?
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