Legacy Content: Dome Home Feature Stories from Monolithic.org
The Case Of The Disappearing Dome. This dream-come-true home in Manitowoc, Wisconsin is a Monolithic Dome with a diameter of 55 feet and three stories. It overlooks Lake Michigan, and it’s almost invisible on foggy days.
We’re in the process of migrating content from our previous website, Monolithic.org, to this website.
You will find new and recently updated profiles of Monolithic Dome homes by going to our List of Home Projects and current Feature Stories.
While the transition is underway, the content on Monolithic.org remains a valuable resource. To make it easier to find what you need, this post is a curated list of links to Monolithic Dome Home feature articles that haven’t yet been migrated and updated.
That is what the following list is—links to all the legacy dome home feature articles from Monolithic.org.
List of legacy dome home feature articles from Monolithic.org:
A Big Mom-and-Pop Project: The Pember Dome Home—Wisconsin—Chippewa Falls, where Ida and Dale Pember built their Monolithic Dome home, describes itself as the “gateway to the Northwoods and a nice place to live and visit.” The Pembers agree.
A Monolithic Dome Home and Lessons Learned—Missouri—A nearly 2,000-square-foot home with a loft overlooking a great room with a kitchen, dining and family areas; a home theater; 2 bedrooms; 2 bathrooms; an office; a spa room with a portable spa; and a laundry area.
A Monolithic Dome Home With A Texas Motif—Texas—Can the innocuous armadillo inspire the building of a Monolithic Dome?
A Monolithic Dome Home with a WOW Factor—Arizona—In 2004, work began on a Monolithic Dome home with a 60-foot diameter and a 35-foot height.
A Monolithic Dome Home with Brick Walls!—Virginia—In 2006, Joel and his dad, two master masons, began to build a brick, circular stemwall, 52 feet in diameter and 12 feet high.
Located on a an extinct volcano in Idaho, Randy and Karen South’s house blends beautifully with its surroundings.
A New Look for Randy South’s Monolithic Dome Home—Idaho—In 2003, Randy and Karen decided on a “stucco look” for their home’s exterior. “Just to make it look even nicer,” Randy said.
A Rock Covered Dome—Utah—Brigham City, population 18,000, is home to Lori Hunsaker, editor of the Box Elder News Journal and owner of a beautiful 32′ ×18′ elliptical Monolithic Dome home.
A Solar Equipped Monolithic Dome in Illinois—Illinois—“All great projects start with a spouse!” That was Robin Miller’s reply when asked how and why he got interested in a Monolithic Dome home.
A Unique Addition—Michigan—A dome, particularly a concrete dome, isn’t for everyone. But if you like open spaces, room flexibility, low utility bills, and strength you can count on…
Along The Yellow Brick Road—Kansas—The Stewarts are the original and only owners of this 50′ ×20′ dome, built in 1979. This was the 2nd Monolithic Dome home ever built.
Ananur’s Monolithic Dome Home—Colorado—This is a 35′ ×15′ sphere. Exterior is elastomeric Elray stucco. Eyebrows are hand-formed out of expanded steel lathe filled with straw.
Antelope Springs Ranch: Combining old and new—Texas—The McLeods like combining significant, aged articles with the technologically new to create a rustic, old-timey, southwestern flavor.
At Home in Jasper, Arkansas—Arkansas—After many weather delays, Don Pass and Ron Boswell completed this 50′ ×20′ Monolithic Dome home. They finished the dome interior in just 6 weeks, including all cabinet work, floor coverings and sheet rock.
Bob Warden may call it “Eagle’s Eye.” But his new Monolithic Dome home suggests a castle. It even has a tower that looks medieval and a balcony on which you can easily picture a princess awaiting her knight in shining armor.
A Dome Fit for a King—Ohio—Bob Warden may call it “Eagle’s Eye.” But his new Monolithic Dome home suggests a castle. It even has a tower that looks medieval and a balcony on which you can easily picture a princess awaiting her knight in shining armor.
Beautiful Monolithic Dome Home in the Texas Hill Country—Texas—In 1999, Kim and Robert Reynolds designed and built a Monolithic Dome dream-home, a 5/8th sphere with a diameter of 50 feet, a height of nearly 29 feet, two stories and 3500 square feet of living space.
Beautiful Monolithic Dome Home in the Netherlands—In the years since Hans van der Sman attended a Monolithic Dome Builders Workshop, Hans moved from Denmark to the Netherlands where he designed and constructed a beautiful Monolithic Dome home.
Canadian Dome Builders Greet 400 Visitors during 2004 Dome Home Tour—Canada—Southampton, Ontario is famous for its beautiful sunsets. And now Rebecca and Sunny Cushnie share that fame because of their Monolithic Dome home.
Charca Casa: House by the Pond—Texas—Designed as a duplex, Charca Casa has two connected forty-foot-diameter domes.
Cliffdome—Then and Now—Idaho—In 1978, Monolithic’s president David B. South and Judy, his wife, built Cliffdome. The home is perched on the cliff of the South Menan Butte in Menan, Idaho overlooking the Snake River.
This gorgeous Monolithic Dome home in Pensacola Beach, Florida, is famous for withstanding several hurricanes. Things got scary In 2004 when an MSNBC news crew was allowed to ride out Hurricane Ivan inside the home with its owners, Mark and Valerie Sigler.
Dome of a Home—Florida—This famous Monolithic Dome home couldn’t be built until the Siglers provided written confirmation of its acceptance by neighbors. An overwhelming 97% responded favorably.
Compromise or the Best of Two Worlds?—Idaho—Built on a 2-acre lot in Menan, Idaho, this home is 4200-square-feet on two floors. There are twelve rooms, a center court, an atrium with a waterfall, and a decorative concrete tree.
Curlew Keep—Hard To Get To But Easy To Appreciate—Washington—Despite its small size, Republic, Washington has some unusual features—including Curlew Keep, the 2800-square-foot Monolithic Dome home that the Bremners planned and built.
Downsizing Has Advantages—Missouri—Theresa and Patrick O’Dell have always been interested in energy-efficient structures, but their interest peaked in 2000 when they saw an ad for Monolithic Domes in Mother Earth News.
Due Sorelle: Two Sisters Design a Monolithic Dome Home—Texas—In 2004, with the help of Judy South, their mom, Melinda and Sarah South designed and planned the construction of a 32-foot-diameter Monolithic Dome home that they named Due Sorelle.
Earth-Bermed, Nature-Friendly, Energy-Efficient Monolithic Dome Home—Idaho—Dome builders Barry and Randy South wanted this home to look like it naturally belonged here…They wanted the structure to minimize its effect on the landscape.
First Monolithic Dome Home in Moscow, Russia—Russia—Sviet Raikov, a native Russian, built this Monolithic Dome home, 36′ ×18′ , after learning the technology at a Monolithic Dome Builder’s Workshop.
Going Small, Cozy and Safe!—Missouri—Jerri Hudson named her 1000-square-foot Monolithic Dome home “Irie,” which means “alright” in Jamaican.
Life Above the Treetops at Cloud Hidden—North Carolina—It’s a Monolithic Dome dream-home that’s 85′ long, 46′ wide and 37′ tall, set in the hills of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Parkway. Back to top ↩︎
Insurance Rates: Shop Until They Drop—Texas—In 2000, Shirley and Don Tuttle moved into their just-completed, four-dome home.
Keeping Up With the Joneses—Colorado—This Jones Family, Scott, Luann and their children Gregory, David, Melissa and Jeffrey, completed much of the work for their two-story, 46′ ×23′ dome as a do-it-yourself project.
Mission Style Monolithic Dome Home The owners of this mission-style dome home have asked us not to publish their names or their dome’s exact location. However, we have permission to share these photos with our readers.
Monolithic Dome Home Survives Missouri Tornado—Missouri—“I heard a very loud sound like thunder that had no intermission. It was just continuous,” said Romain Morgan about her encounter with one of the many tornadoes that swept across Missouri and other states on May 4, 2003.
Monolithic Dome’s Greenness Wins Neighborhood Approval—Vermont—In 2007, construction began on Vermont’s first Monolithic Dome, the unique home of Trisa and Dennis Gay and their son.
Morrisett Dome Home in Alaska—Alaska—The Morrisetts built their home on a 2½-acre site in a forested area of Anchorage—the first Monolithic Dome home there.
The exterior of this underground Monolithic Dome house blends in with its surroundings. If you stumbled upon this house, you’d never be able to guess at what’s inside.
Robot Ranch: An earth-sheltered dome—Texas—An elaborate door welcomes visitors to this Monolithic Dome home built into the side of a hill. Its gross floor area of 4,144 square feet includes two bedrooms and bathrooms, a living area, a kitchen, a theater, and an office.
Off Grid Central Alberta Monolithic Dome—Canada—This 55-foot diameter Monolithic Dome is owned by Lynn Cain and Mike Forsyth.
Palo Pinto Dome: Eleven Years in the Making—Texas—In March 2008, Sharon and Terry Smith enjoyed such a euphoria when they moved into Palo Pinto, their new Monolithic Dome home.
Polish Entrepreneur Builds His Monolithic Dome Dream Home—Poland—Jan Pregowski, a 53-year-old native of Poland, first heard about Monolithic Domes in 1985. Since then, he has worked on more than a hundred dome projects in various countries, including many in the United States.
Reaching for the E-Stars—Colorado—Since a high E-Star rating has definite advantages in getting financing and in buying or selling a home, reaching those E-Stars may indeed be profitable.
Scared into Going Monolithic!—Florida—Harrilyn said, “We were in a camper. We had two tornadoes and nowhere to run, and then we built our shop and had another tornado. We decided then and there: it’s gonna hit us!”
Stout Residence: Cool Dome in Hot Arizona—Arizona—Roger describes their dome-home as “very energy efficient.” He said, “A couple of years ago, before the rates increased, I was happy to tell people that my highest (monthly electric) bill was $199. That was pretty amazing for a 3000-square-foot, all-electric house in Mesa.” Back to top ↩︎
The view from the dining room of this large luxury dome house is breathtaking. The interior is equally appealing with custom woodwork and a grand staircase.
The Case Of The Disappearing Dome—Wisconsin—Can a Monolithic Dome home that is three stories high and that has a diameter of 55 feet just disappear? Almost—if it’s built on a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan in Manitowoc, Wisconsin and if it’s painted a pale blue and if a fog creeps up that bluff.
Surrounded by Nature’s Antiquity—Colorado—The home has a living area of 4000 square feet that includes five bedrooms, four bathrooms, a reading room, living/dining area, kitchen and laundry. A master suite is the largest of the five bedrooms.
The Callisto: Perfect Design for an Active Family—Texas—In October 2006, Mike South, his wife Tessa and their four children moved into a Callisto with a diameter of 50 feet, a height of 16.5 feet and a living area of just 1964 square feet.
The Clarks’ Monolithic Dome: A House Built of Credit Cards—Michigan—The Clark’s two Monolithic Domes — house and garage — stand on 2.2 acres that used to be a cornfield, in a semi-rural suburb of Ann Arbor. The house is a 36’ half-sphere dome atop an 18’ stem wall.
Another Hobbit Dome—Tennessee—We wonder what Bilbo, Tolkien’s hero hobbit, would have thought about the earth-bermed, 1400-square-foot, Monolithic Dome home, completed in October 2004, in Flag Pond, Tennessee.
The McWilliams’ Monolithic Dome Home: Tragedy and Triumph—California—On October 21, 2007, in Santiago Canyon, a hilly, wooded area of Orange County California, an arsonist and the dry, ferocious Santa Ana winds formed a devastating alliance. Together they created and quickly spread a blaze that forced 3000 residents out of their homes. The wood house of Melody and Phil McWilliams was one that was totally destroyed. “All of a sudden, there we were with no home!” Phil said.
The architect, Jonathan Zimmerman, designed this grand house on a mountainside in Colorado. The clean lines and massive windows give the home a modern-but-rustic look that fits nicely with the terrain.
The Garlock Residence—A Dream Dome—Colorado—Situated atop a ledge of the Colorado Rockies, the Garlocks’ home consists of two domes merged into a unique, kidney shape: a 32-foot diameter garage gently blends into the larger, 50-foot diameter shell placed nine feet below it. The home was designed by architect Jonathan Zimmerman, who designed several different dome homes nationwide.
The Mudd-Puddle Dome On The Prairie: A Sight To See!—Kansas—The Mudd-Puddle Dome On The Prairie is a beautiful and spacious 4900-square-foot home with a diameter of 66 feet and a height of 25.5 feet. It has six bedrooms, five bathrooms, an office, a living/family room, a dining area, a kitchen, a loft with a pool table, a laundry area and ample closets, storage and utility areas.
The Roundhouse Down Under—A First!—Australia—A Monolithic Dome Builders Workshop graduate builds his own home—the first Monolithic Dome house in Australia!
The Strube Dome: Provides Shelter Before Completion—Oklahoma—In Marlow, Oklahoma, retirees Darrell and Jerrilyn Strube own a 50-foot-diameter, two-story Monolithic Dome home, with a 3000-square-foot living area, that successfully survived a wildfire and provided shelter before it was even finished.
The Tassell Dome: Rocked by hand and beautiful—Texas—When Karen and Dan Tassell of Magnolia, Texas decided on a Monolithic Dome home, they agreed that Karen would do all the decorating, inside and out, and Dan would be in charge of construction details.
The Yorkie Dome—Arizona—Built in 2007, this dome has a diameter of 42 feet, a height of 25 feet, a living area of 2067 square feet, and three levels topped by a cupola.
This Dome Just Clicks—Texas—Two years ago, Click and his wife moved into their Monolithic Dome home in Bandera, Texas, located about fifty miles west of San Antonio.
It’s not just this Monolithic Dome home’s exterior that makes this hobbit home authentic, the interior feels like the shire as well. In addition, the property has several outbuildings and landscape features, adding to the mystique.
Steven and Chris Michael’s Hobbit House of Montana —Montana—The Hobbit House of Montana is a 1075-square-foot Monolithic Dome home with two bedrooms.
Trinity Dome—South Dakota—In the summer of 2005, Kevin, a Workshop graduate, began constructing his first Monolithic Dome—a home in Vermillion, South Dakota for Pat and Helen, his retired parents.
Triumphs and Trials: A First Monolithic Dome Construction—Virginia—The fall foliage creates a warm and inviting background to the Rosholdt’s three bedroom, one bathroom dome home in the hills of Mineral, Virginia.
Two Educators Retire: The Hanson’s Double Dome—Texas—The Hansons researched domes for about fifteen years before actually deciding on a specific type and builder.
Upscale Monolithic Dome Home—Montana—This gorgeous Monolithic Dome sits next to Flathead Lake and has a spectacular view of the Mission Mountains.
Very Small Town; Big Dome Home—Florida—In May 2008, South Industries Inc. of Menan, Idaho began constructing a retirement home for Margaret and Charlie Simmons, who took a very active part in the design of their three Monolithic Domes.
Workshop Graduate Builds His Dream Dome—Georgia—"Free Will" is a unique Monolithic Dome home, 42′ ×18′ , with 1585 square feet of living space.
NOTE: This list will shrink as we migrate and update the information from the legacy website. So, if a link disappears from this page, be assured the information about the home can still be found by searching this site.