Comments on: Styrofoam dome houses

By: dave

dave — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 06:21:22 +0000

Mold some chicken wire into the styrofoam and tie it down to the concrete base, probably stronger than your wood house..!! And who cares, if it blows away, just build another one – this could be done for far less than $30k, especially if the owner plasters and stuccos it.

By: Panther

Panther — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 14:56:00 +0000

Interesting stuff, this. I doubt this would catch on in a place like SG, there is no space for these. Unless they can build high-rise apartments out of these, but that would be at least another 20 years before fruition probably.

By: BZou

BZou — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 13:52:48 +0000

@Cammy – You are correct it does seem to be very cheap and the Insurance companies would jump at something like this, I mean not every state has problems such as tornadoes. I have also read that these styrofoam domes tend to be highly resistant to earthquakes (Not sure if it is completely true). So perhaps it maybe a feasible move to use them in areas known for earthquakes?

@Fariz – Yeah thats a good question….lol, in fact I wonder how they do all the wiring….

By: Fariz Asuka

Fariz Asuka — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 11:22:42 +0000

I wonder how do they install air-conditioning inside those Styrofoam houses..

By: cammy

cammy — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 03:30:24 +0000

Honestly, I live in an area of the country were tornadoes are abundant and the chance of your house getting hit is still slim. But if you think about it, these houses are better here too. If a tornado hits a regular house it will destroy it, and you’d better hope your insurance will cover everything in your house that you just lost, costs will be high and the insurance company will do everything in their power to rip you off. Were as if it hits a dome house it still destroys it but these houses are a lot more affordable and quicker and easier to replace. I could easily see insurance companies jumping on the bandwagon. And if you live in a regular house with or without a basement the debris from the house could potentially kill you in a tornado, but if you get a dome house with a proper storm shelter, I think it would be more safe, and certainly safer than living in a trailer.

By: BZou

BZou — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 18:24:17 +0000

Yeah that’s what I am thinking about. I guess in certain parts of the US, the weather just does not allow for such a nice styrofoam house.

By: Coma

Coma — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 13:56:10 +0000

Wait till you get a tornado!

By: BZou

BZou — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 07:11:32 +0000

I also want one so badly man!!! Ahh but I doubt the US will allow it. They don’t even allow this (I forgot what it is called) thing which is made from hemp extract.

Its used as a concrete replacement, it is just as strong for uses in home construction as bases and foundation. Not to mention it is also a good natural insulator. Cheap too! In France they have already started using it in development of some new homes. But the US did not approve such a thing…..sadly….

By: Persocom-san

Persocom-san — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 06:51:18 +0000

That is very intriguing. I’d give it a shot if they did ever do this in the US and kept the price around $30,000. That’s super cheap for the states these days. It looks cool, sounds a lot more safe than what I’m living in right now, and I always wanted to build my own house, well… this would be fun and easy! I do wonder about how safe Styrofoam would be to live in, but I’m sure if this catches on and gets popular, we’ll learn more about it. As for right now at this moment, if I could afford one and they were available, you bet I’d do it!