Monolithic dome homes offer a unique approach to tiny house construction using reinforced concrete shells. These structures can be built small enough for single occupancy or scaled up for larger applications. Beyond housing, the same construction method works for vacation rentals, affordable housing developments, micro villages, storage facilities, manufacturing buildings, churches, schools, and garages.
Monolithic Dome Tiny Home Exterior
Images via Monolithic.org
Interior Floor Plan
Kitchenette and Entry
Bedroom with Window Unit
Images via Monolithic.org
Design Details
- Builder: Monolithic Dome Institute
- Type: Concrete dome structure
- Construction: Reinforced concrete shell over inflated airform
- Kitchen: Compact kitchenette
- Bedroom: Separate bedroom with window
- Climate: Window air conditioning unit
- Scalability: Can be built as single units, duplexes, or fourplexes
- Durability: Concrete construction resistant to fire, wind, and pests
- Applications: Homes, rentals, affordable housing, storage, commercial buildings
Lessons from This Design
- Dome Shapes Maximize Interior Volume: The curved walls create usable headroom throughout the structure without wasted attic space
- Concrete Construction Offers Durability: Monolithic domes resist fire, high winds, and pest damage better than traditional wood-frame construction
- Modular Designs Enable Multi-Family Housing: The same dome construction method scales to duplexes and fourplexes for affordable housing developments
- Thermal Mass Reduces Energy Costs: Concrete walls store and release heat slowly, moderating interior temperatures
- Alternative Construction Methods Expand Options: Dome homes demonstrate that tiny houses don’t have to follow traditional building approaches
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Alex
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OMG!! I am in love with this! This is the cutest thing! Domes always seemed to large, but this is fantastic!! ~Kat
I so agree, Kat. I’ve always seen them as too big, but this is perfect and probably very affordable just not “normal”.
This is the answer to housing all over the world. It is definitely the answer to homelessness! And a great answer for people after a major natural disaster. But also, it would be great for retirement housing. Better than mobile homes. I really like monolithic domes, large or small!
Thank you, Mary, glad that you liked it. I’m impressed by domes too, especially these small ones. I’m all for affordable housing that makes sense.. I love Habitat for Humanity but lots of times, they put families into homes where they end up struggling. Smaller makes so much sense for those in poverty, etc. Makes for a happier, richer life most times.
This is Exactly what I was hoping to do. So COOL!
Glad you liked it Scott! Thanks!
can you email me info on how your houseing has done in northern spaces? as i work above the 53 par. in manitoba canada and we could use this size houseing all over the north so more info please
Can you advise what insulation these have if any?
Also how much do they cost?
Thanks
Not sure Andrew, but I did find this over at their site which you can look through to learn about the unique way they’re insulated:
http://www.monolithic.org/stories/r-value-fairy-tale-the-myth-of-insulation-values
http://www.monolithic.org/stories/can-ecoshells-be-insulated
Very interesting! Alex, thank you for bringing us such a wide variety of housing options.
We are from Texas and you can go to the city of Italy (you will be corrected if you don’t pronounce it It-lee) and see a big monolithic community there with homes just like in this photo. Also years ago they advertised a way to own your own community and have a business with these homes. I was amazed to see their community the last time I was in TX and they have nice streets, paved walkways, etc. I believe these are or were being used for affordable rentals but the uses are endless! Loved the look of that community when we last saw it which has been a few years. Going back to live in TX in 2015 and hopefully it will be in a tiny house. Yahoo! You can see and read about these at http://www.monolithic.org. I didn’t realize how many cities this program is in and all the uses. Really worth a look. Thanks Alex for letting me think about things that once were close to home and will be again. Love Tiny House Talk.
Hey Alex,
These kind of remind me of a building I saw erected once by inflating a (wet-not set) concrete type fabric…so the idea was to inflate it ,let it harden then cut holes and windows,,,Would have been (and May HAVE been ) quite a boon in Haiti or other troubled natural disaster areas…this makes me think of those structures…
How much are these monolithic homes?
I have daydreamed for years about building an oval monolthic home. However now that I am older and widowed I started looking at tiny houses to help beat the utility, taxes, and maintenance thief. I am currently living in about 400 sq ft of a 2200 home. Then it dawned om that I could do a tiny dome. Ihave began looking for resources to get designed. Wish me luck.
Kay, how is your dome home construction coming along? Alex, I think it would be a great endeavor for Habitat for Humanity to get into dome construction, which is supposed to be about the same cost for construction as a conventional home. The savings come later with energy efficiency and virtually no resources spent on repairs. Longevity is measured in centuries. This is mostly according to monolithic.org website.
I myself love these domes and have been studying them for over 20 years. If I had my way, I’d have a 40 ft dome for the kitchen/dining and living room, a 30 ft dome for garage/shop and 2 – 20 ft domes for separate bedrooms with bathrooms and all of them would be earth-bermed if not buried. At least with the house buried undeground, the Jehova’s Witless will have a hard time finding me. ( Sorry Mom ) 😉
I’m missing something. Can I buy a pre-made home like this and have it delivered? TY
Hi Rachel, We’ve had 2 domes since 2000, an AI and a monolythic. Some domes can be delivered but if you are anywhere with a need for heat or cooling you’d do far better (financially and for carbon footprint) with a standard monolithic built onsite. When I bought my 2nd, an oval monolithic, the heater went out. Our windchill at the time was -3 and we were completely comfortable for 19 days while our new soapstone wood stove was being built and shipped from NH. The dome is 2000 sf and we never had or needed AC in the NM desert! Our temp range was from single digits in winter to 100+ in summer. A monolithic can be built for about 1/2 of a conventional dwelling and we got by with a cord of wood for heat a year. Our utilities paid out were only for lights and gas to heat water and cook. Because concrete and steel domes are fireproof, our insurance was < $200 per year. We saved a bundle! We are now moving and will be building another.
These look great! I kind of wish that I’d come across this when I was looking for a dome home. I like the kit that I got from simpleterra.com, but I really like the looks of these.