Are dome homes difficult to maintain?

Answer 1

Dome homes are generally much easier to maintain than most "conventional" structures. The reason being is that the domes require less roofing to enclose the same amount of square footage as a rectangular structure and the roofing is subjected to much less stress from prolonged heat. The entire roof is never exposed to direct sunlight at the same time, therefore, the sun will "move across" the dome allowing the triangles to cool off as it does, thus preventing as much heat buildup as is prevelant in a flat or panel pitched roof. Also, the lack of an attic space greatly cuts down on convection heating of the exterior of the roof and the interior of the dome itself, not to mention that you get more useable space inside the home. The exterior walls are also easier to maintain because they are generally shorter and require less materials to cover, again, to incorporate the same square footage of space. Domes in general only require about 60% of the materials to build as compared to a rectangular structure of the same square footage. I have been involved with designing and building domes for over 30 years and people are constantly reporting to me that the maintenance costs are much less for the domes than for the home that they had before....and we aren't even considering the energy savings, which can be as much as 70%. Many have reported that the 30 year roofing that they purchased is actually lasting 30 years, or more. If a dome is properly constructed and roofed, then the maintenance costs will be considerably less than most homes being built today.