It’s me again…
I’m like that unruly relative who keeps showing up at the front door because: “My wife threw me out again, because I didn’t do nothing wrong, except get really hammered… again… and then wreck the car… again…” 🙂
WAIT! That’s not it! Nuh-uh! I’d shoot that guy in the head. Twice!
I’M the guy building a home for his family, out of shipping containers and aircraft hangar parts. And, I’m teaching other people how to do it, too! And… some of them are actually listening to me… the rubes! 🙂
Seriously, we’re trying to demonstrate by example that you can build your own affordable, sustainable, energy efficient home without being a NASA scientist or tying yourself to a huge mortgage, or living a life fueled by “keeping up with the Joneses.”
And we’re doing just that. 7 of my families are building their own homes, as I type this. You could be too…
NO! Not “7 of my families” in the biblical sense! What are you, nuts? 🙂
Anyway…
In between fighting with Planning and Zoning Nazis and the State of Mississippi, and helping other families get their projects moving, I check my email. I don’t know WHY? Maybe I’m a glutton for punishment.
Every time I open my email… I get accused of being (a) stupid, (b) crazy, or (c) both.
But… you know what they say… “sticks and stones…”
I’m just going to have to change my email address so that my Mom doesn’t know what it is! 🙂
Lately, I’ve been getting a ton of flack over this whole “ISBU” thing…
Okay, so it’s not just “lately,” it’s been since Day ONE…
And, I get all kinds of people who send me stuff that starts out with:
“Forget that ISBU nonsense! I’ve read all about these polycarbonate domes on the market now, that are touted as being ‘the next big thing’…”
I keep having people ask me about the “domed shelter” idea… you know the ones I mean… that come in a 20′ diameter (314 square feet) configuration.
Of course, they’re talking about Intershelter’s Polycarbonate Dome system. And, I’ve gotta say that at first glance, they’re pretty enticing.
And okay, I’m warning you up front, that I’m going to have some fun, at Intershelter’s expense. And, I hope that they have a sense of humor.
Look, I’m well known because I say exactly what’s on my tiny little mind.
You don’t like it? Well… Tough Noogies…
I’m not a politician or a diplomat. If you have any doubts about what I’m talking about, read the disclaimer over there on the right side of your page. Capish?
In advance: I don’t hate their product at all. In fact, it’s kinda cool. But like every “shelter solution,” it has it’s potentials, and it’s pitfalls.
You want something that you can deliver by C-130 aircraft or military helicopter and slap up in a hurry, when you’re on an expedition into the Great White North, to document Sasquatch, or Bigfoot, or even a bevy of attractive Eskimo girls in seal fur… this may be the solution.
Wanna explore the Sahara looking for buried African treasure troves? Well, give a bunch of camel’s a humongous hernia… or parachute a bunch of these puppies into your base camp. Hey, all those Nigerian Internet scam artists had to hide the loot somewhere, right?
Wanna start a cult out in the middle of nowhere (that you can pack up and move at a moments notice)? You know… like when the trigger-happy guys from ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) and DHS (Department of Homeland Security) show up dressed in bulletproofs… after they figure out your “current” address? Okay, here ya go!
And, they can even interlock, to form big old “chemistry class bubbles!” Yahoo! 🙂
Wanna have a “Jewish Jamboree” in the land that Moses spent 40 years exploring? I bet you could even find a Kosher bunch of “half shells…” Um… maybe not. Shellfish ain’t never kosher! And… Probably not even plastic “half-shell – Jonah eating” shellfish. We’ll have to ask a Rabbi… Oy Vey! 🙂
Looking for a cool camping “tent” that ain’t a tent? One that’ll make your kids really mad at you, when you make them haul it out of the truck, piece by piece, to erect in the clearing of your choice? Okay! This will do the trick!
(And, it’ll keep the little buggers out of your hair all weekend, because they’ll be so mad at you for making them do chores! And, they can’t kill you by sneaking up and burning it down… that burning insulation will make a terrific popping sound as it combusts! ) 😉
Hey all this talk about “popping sounds” is making me hungry… Time out while I make a batch of popcorn! 🙂
Okay, where was I? Oh yeah…
Does the dome system have some really cool “Military Applications?” Probably, if you can find a way to insure that it’s capable of being transformed into something “anti-ballistic.”
Nothing screws up “a nice dream about home…” like getting shot in the butt… while it’s still in your rack.
But is it really an affordable housing solution? I’m not so sure…
Let’s run it up the flagpole, and see who salutes… okay? 😉
The domes we’re talking about are made of a very cool polycarbonate panel system (that you can insulate for $2,500 extra) that costs about US$12,000+ for the base structure. (This figure is based on the most recent pricing data I’ve seen – as of November 10th, 2009)
So… that’s $14,500.00 plus crating and shipping, for an empty, non-floored, non-foundationed, insulated 20′ beer cooler/dome. And that shipping and handling is going to add at least another $500 bucks…
(I’m being generous here, it will probably cost substantially more.)
But hey… they gotta be cool, because they (somebody overheard one of the manufacturers reps say it, repeatedly…) claim that Brad Pitt bought some of them, right?
So what? That’s almost $48 per square foot! WTF? Are you absolutely freakin’ nuts?
Sorry… lost it there for a moment… Let me just take several deep cleansing breaths… ah… that’s much better! 🙂
Evidently… my suspicions have been confirmed. Even if Brad was “mondo cool enough” to get Angelina… (sigh! excuse me a moment while I pleasure myself with a little daydream about “Angie baby“)…
How can you not love this face? (sigh!)
… if Mr. Pitt thinks that these domes will work as “affordable permanent housing,” well… Brad Pitt is a complete whacko! He’s “Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs” crazy… His “bats” have bats… in his belfrey.
But; “wait a minute…” you say… “domes have some good things going for them!”
They look really cool!
Yeah, I agree. They DO look cool. IF… you’re an Eskimo! Otherwise, you live in a house that looks like it fell out of a seagull’s butt…
And hey! I mean… NO corners – So… No place for the wind to grab, during a “big storm event.” No wind shearing!
Okay, I’ll give you that one…
“They’ll withstand a Category 5 hurricane direct hit! I know it’s true ‘cuz they said it on their website! I think… “
Uh huh… Sure it will. Prove it. THEY haven’t. Give me the address of the house. I’m POSITIVE that they didn’t say that. That would be incredibly stupid. Not even an idiot would say that.
And… because it has NO corners… floodwater goes around them without knocking them down… right? Well Ronin? What you gotta say now, Mr Smarty Pants? Huh?
Um… Jeez, you are one gullible sap, aren’t you? You honestly believe that a wall of hurricane driven water won’t knock down a plastic dome that weighs nearly nothing, in comparison… Uh huh… again… PROVE IT!!
Well, okay… you gotta admit that they’re easy to wash… Just start hosing off the top, and it’ll all come running down, and wash the sides.
Seriously, when’s the last time you washed the outside of your house? Me? Like NEVER. That’s what G-D made “rain” for… duh! 🙂
And when they’re all shiny clean? Those domes will still look like great big bird droppings. 🙂
So, when the poop hits the fan… there’s gonna be a line for them at Walmart, huh? Just whip out that GoldCard, and “Kerblammo!”
Instant shelter…
Well, “bull-hoo-hoo-hoo-freakin-hooey!”
First, who is their right mind would live in a plastic dome, without any insulation? And, what Planning and Zoning Nazi would let them, even if they wanted to?
That said, why does the insulation cost extra? Hmmm? Why didn’t they just include it in the first place?
That’s just kinda STUPID, with a “capital” STUPE! But, I could be wrong. It could happen… some day. 😉
And, I could go on about the polycarbonate shell, but I’m trying not to make you feel like a complete imbecile… sort of…
I mean, it IS kinda fun… ya big dope! 🙂
Here’s the one big problem with a dome…
Ever tried to live in a round room?
Ever tried to lay one out so that you could use decent “off the shelf” materials to finish it out?
Ever tried to do it without being a Master Carpenter? Ever tried to cut exactly correct complex curves, into every single piece of wood in the freakin’ place? Huh? Well?
Ever tried to squeeze every wasted part of a circle into something usable?
Well, have ya, punk? 🙂
There’s a better way… if you’re not stupid.
You’re not, right? Cuz’… I mean.. If ya are, you better stop reading now… and head on over to “Google Games” or something… 🙂
Now where was I? Oh yeah… and pay attention, because there’s a “pop quiz” at the end….
I need an insulated shell with an area of approximately 310 square feet, right? One that I can haul in by myself, without any heavy equipment…
Here’s how I’D do it;
(Now remember, Ronin don’t have a team of NASA engineers, or a plastics lab, or a manufacturing facility, or a million dollars in start-up money. He’s flyin’ solo…)
Start with 1″x 4′ x 8′ sheets of plywood. Exterior grade, about (16) of them will do. Match that with (12) 4′ x 12′ x 1/2″ sheetrock panels. Get the mold resistant ones, huh? Condensation is a real pain in the butt…
Put that all together with some spray-on closed-cell foam insulation, and you’ll get pre-Insulated and Interlocking 4′ x 8′ “sandwich” panels, that paired up… will form (8) 8′ x 8′ Wall assembly sections of your octagon.
NO! Not “Octomom…” If she’s gonna live there, you’re gonna need a LOT more room… and medication. A truckload of med’s….
2″ of sprayed on closed-cell foam would provide approximately r14 walls. You’ll need that much insulation at LEAST.
But, just for the sake of holding you up to public ridicule, we’re just gonna go “cheap…” 😉
Precast steel corner pieces will adjust each wall assembly to the “right” angle, and that will allow assembly of the “octagon.” These pieces already exist, off-the-shelf, so why make them, when you can buy ’em already? Look ’em up in a catalog on-line… that’s what I did.
Buy em LONG. At least 10′. We want at least 18″ up over the top of that wall. Why? Well, if we extend the supports up past the top of the insulated panels we just made, we can put thick clear plastic sheeting in there to “daylight” the center of that octagon.
And, if you keep following this post series, you’ll see what else you can do with an 8’x9’6″ opening.
But for now;
Several different “panel component” assemblies will allow for window insertion or door insertion, etc…
(16) panels would create an (8) sided, 310 square foot housing unit, with (2) 36″ entry doors and (4) 32″ windows.
Of course, you could always install a set of 8′ sliding glass doors, too. Just replace one wall assembly with the door set. That’d bring in a ton of light, and even help you heat the home, if you used a thermal mass floor… like maybe concrete. And you could do it for the price as one of the wall assemblies, if you used a “salvaged set” from a scrapyard or salvage supplier.
The octagonal roof would simply be (8) interlocking SIPs (Structural Insulated Panels) approximately 10″ thick. Each panel would be light enough to be handled by (2) men. The assembled roof would require no “support.”
In the center of the roof would be a “draft inducer assembly” built into an 8 sided SIPs “receiver” to complete the roof.
This inducer would allow a wood stove or other heating device to be placed in the center of the housing module, to heat the unit. Or… forget the draft inducer, and install a skylight.
This entire housing module would “flat-pack…” enabling it to be transported by a pickup truck or small flatbed trailer..
Assembly onto a pre-built wooden “foundation” platform would take approximately 3-4 hours, with 2 able-bodied men.
Yield: (1) Small (approx 310 square foot) family unit with a 12′ roof, includes sleeping loft, kitchen, bathroom, living area, and additional sleeping quarters for Ma and Pa Kettle.
Cost for shell:
Note: I’m just talking about the empty structure (just like the dome shell quote), the foundation is extra.
$108.00 (12) 4′ x 12′ x 1/2″ Sheetrock @ $9.00 each
$ 40.00 (16) 104″ 2x4s – for bottom and top plates at $ 2.50 each
$850.00 (10) Blank 4′ x 8′ x 3.5″ Insulated Panel at approximately $85.00 per to fabricate
$770.00 (4) Window 4′ x 8′ x 3.5″ Insulated Panel at $192.50 each
We used “good” Dual Pane insulated glass 32″ x 60″ windows.
$390.00 (2) Door 4′ x 8′ x 3/5″ Insulated Panel at $195.00 each
We used decent – contractor grade 6-panel 36″ steel – (foam insulated) doors.
$ 80.00 (8) Panel Interlocks – Straight at $10.00 each
$ 96.00 (8) Panel Interlocks – Angled at $12.00 each
$680.00 (8) SIP Interlocking 10″ Roof Segments at approximately $85.00 each to fabricate
$ 85.00 (1) Draft Inducer Roof Crown at $85.00 to fabricate
$100.00 (1) Hardware/Sealer Kit full of nuts, bolts, screws, silicone caulking, flashing, and other stuff…
Grand total:
$6,199.00 OR $19.99 per square foot.
Now… you have a complete shell with r15 (actual) walls that perform like r19, and r41 (actual) roof that performs like r62.
What? What’s this “actual/perform” crap?
Because air-tightness, moisture resistance, and thermal mass are properties that are inherent with closed-cell foam and SIPS, so they will out-perform their given R-Values in comparison to fiberglass batts. That’s why! Don’t you READ the blog? Well? Huh? 🙂
Not feeling silly enough yet? Okay, let’s pave the road to “Dufasberg” further… 🙂
Now… just add (on your own dime, because we’re just trying to compare “likey-likey”) a concrete foundation or an elevated wood deck platform, maybe a solar panel to help with domestic hot water production, and even a photovoltaic panel or two, to bump that utility meter backwards a little bit… plus the necessary electrical and plumbing.
Back to “spendy-spendy…”:
Waterproof it (just in case, even though that closed-cell insulation forms both a water AND a vapor barrier), side it, and slap some felt and shingles on the roof.
Roofing material for that 325+ square foot roof is going to cost you about $600.00
After all that, you still have about $8,200.00 to play with.
Put some kind of siding on the outside of the house.
I’ll give you a grand to do that with…
Now, you’re down to $7,200.00.
Figure a kitchen at (let’s be generous, okay?) about $3,000.00;
$500 36″ Stove
$500 Refrigerator
$250 Sink (double) and fixtures
$200 Microwave (?) Or your wife will kill you…
$900 Cabinets – Home Depot or Lowe’s – El Cheapo’s
$165 Countertops (I’ll make them outta stained concrete)
That’s $2,515 bucks… So, you can afford a new set of pots and pans…
… and a decent bathroom runs right at $2000.00;
$725 60″ x 42″ Tub/Tub Surround/Shower Access
$250 Toilet
$150 Sink and fixtures
$250 Lavatory Cabinet
$250 Tile for flooring
$500 Hot Water Heater (40 gallon at least…)
$2,125.00 IF you bought everything at retail. Oops… My bad…
But, we did have a few bucks left over from the kitchen, so we’re okay…
And you’ll need a heat source…I’d buy a wood stove, if I wanted to stay in budget. Can you say “Craigslist?”
But… Here’s what I’d actually do… even if I had to cut out my kid’s allowance to pay for it;
I’d go out and get a 1.5 ton Heat-A/C unit like this one…
And, yes… even the “Dome nuts” agree with me that it uses 50% less energy than other existing HVAC units.
If you’re “careful shoppers,” and you “google” your brains out… that HVAC system is gonna cost you about $3,000.00 to $3,500.00. I know it sounds steep, but you’ll thank me later…
Now, you have a home that can be heated to 72 degrees year round – summer heat or winter snow… for just pennies a day. Plus, it has a built in battery back up system that will operate it for up to 12 hours, if the power fails.
It runs on DC voltage, too. Couple that baby with a dedicated photovoltaic panel array, and you’d have a killer heat/cooling system, that didn’t cost you a dime to operate. Ever.
Okay… ‘cept maintenance. Sheesh… everybody’s a critic! 🙂
It’s not like I’ve actually thought this out or anything, but…
Do all that, and then throw in some nice patio furniture (because it’s cheap, durable, washable, easy to haul up there in your pick-up, and it’s probably on sale right now, at a Walmart near you!) and voila!
Instant “BOB” (“Bug-Out-Box”) easily assembled in a week.
A WEEK. TWO weeks… TOPS.
And, if you’re careful, you’ll probably have spent that $15,000+ that those dome guys were trying to “bamboozle” you out of… but you’ll have AN ENTIRE HOUSE, filled with BRAND SPANKING NEW appliances and fixtures.
Okay, they’re not really trying to bamboozle you!! Those domes cost money! They put some serious work into producing them. They’re worth every penny that you spend for them, in the right conditions and circumstances.
If I was faced with ANY of the scenario’s that I described up at the top of this post… (especially that “cult one…”) I’d buy one, myself… or maybe 12! 😉
But, for that kinda money, or maybe a little bit more (if you buy the “super deluxe” HVAC unit I showed you) you can have an entire house that will last for years… that any idiot can build… all by themselves in just a few weekends….
AFTER they built the foundation, and installed the septic tank. Duh! 😉
So what if it’s not an ISBU! I don’t care, as long as your family is safe. That’s the ONLY thing I care about…
And… it’ll be complete and ready to move into at a moment’s notice.
For a few bucks more, you can turn that same box into an eco-friendly completely off-grid home (simply by adding some more photovoltaic panels to your array), perfect for weekends in the mountains, or even as an emergency shelter, when things go nuts.
Brad Pitt… what a moron… lucky… but a moron if he thinks these domes are the answer to “permanent housing”… IMHO.
I hope he doesn’t. Angelina deserves better… 😉
(Picture Ronin rolling his eyes, and waving his finger in a circle around his ear…)
Now, if I build one of these little houses… (again… Shhhh!)… I’m gonna come in WAY under that…
… because I’m going to use salvaged cabinets from a “Habitat for Humanity” store, recycled “appliances and fixtures,” and anything else I can get “recycled,” like doors and windows.
And, I’ll do almost ALL of the labor myself.
I’ll spend about $10-12,000 to do it, all the way through. And, you’ll never be able to tell the difference.
Wait… yes you will… Mine will be the one surrounded with barbed wire… and “Border Buddy” landmines. 😉
YOU could do it too. This ain’t rocket science…
In conclusion (I bet you thought that this would never end, huh?);
Those polycarbonate domes would be terrific as “fast-set” Emergency Housing, or a FEMA alternative. Any idiot (myself included) can see that! And, they’d also be great for temporary quarters for a homeless population while permanent structures were being prepared.
But as a “permanent” solution? No, I’m not convinced.
But wouldn’t they make a cool “camping” alternative?
“I’m sleeping in that camo speedbump, right over yonder…”
(I know… I’m gonna get “hate mail,” and probably even a letter from Intershelter’s lawyers…)
But Ronin… I have 8 kids…
I bet you’re wondering WHY I chose to build 8′ x 8′ wall segments, right?
How big is the business end of a shipping container? Hmmm?
POP QUIZ: Do the math.
C’mon… you knew I was gonna slip a container or two in there somewhere, now didn’t you? 😉
Stay tuned.
Okay, you all know what’s going on with my family, so I’m not going to beat you up with that…
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Tags: affordable housing, alternative construction, alternative housing, alternative power, Angelina Jolie, architecture, Brad Pitt, Clint Eastwood, construction, Dome Homes, Environment, green, green building, Green Design, house design, housing, housing crisis, HowTo, ISBU, personal, power, real estate, recycling, shipping container, Shipping Containers, solar power, Survival
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