The Whiteacre Residence—An Elegant Paradise

The beauty of Whiteacre’s Monolithic Dome Home and the surrounding curvature of the landscape invite guests in for a unique and memorable visit. Most importantly, however, is the well thought out design that always welcomes the Whiteacre family home to their dome.

Matthew and Jari Whiteacre dreamed about building a Monolithic Dome Home for a long time before their dreams became plans. In September 2013, after transforming 1.93 acres of scrub brush, grass and trees into an elegant paradise, the Whiteacres realized their dream and moved into their gorgeous new Monolithic Dome home in College Station, Texas. Graceful curves echoing the curves of the Monolithic Dome are the hallmark of this estate. Read more about this stunning Monolithic Dome Home and view gorgeous photos of the Whiteacre’s home in this article.

Upscale Monolithic Dome Home in Montana

The beautiful exterior of the 5,000 sq. ft. Monolithic Dome Home near Flathead Lake  houses stunning interior spaces like this living room.

This gorgeous Monolithic Dome sits next to Flathead Lake and has a spectacular view of the Mission Mountains. The property includes 4.5 acres of prime Montana real estate and a pond with a waterfall in front of the house. The view and the home are truly amazing.

The Whiteacre Dome Home Building Experience from Start to Finish

An elevation drawing of the Whiteacre’s home.  This dream home in College Station, Texas is comprised of three domes—two 34-ft and one 44-ft diameter Monolithic Domes. Two more domes are also near, one being the garage and the other a pool house, each 30-ft in diameter.

Have you ever wondered what exactly it takes to build a Monolithic Dome home? Matthew and Jari Whiteacre built a gorgeous three-dome home in College Station, Texas and chronicled their journey with beautiful photographs and careful details on their blog.

The South Sawmill Lodge: A Monolithic Family Project

Please note the exterior: What looks like rough sawn wood is acutally concrete.  In the winter, transportation is arranged by a large snowcat pulling a schoolbus on skies.  The facility can easily handle 200 or 300 people.

Randy South, Director of South Industries, and his family have decided to build a special, family reunion dome and name it South Sawmill Lodge. It’s located just a half-mile south of the sawmill site that Randy’s dad and granddad owned.

The Strube Dome: Provides Shelter Before Completion

In Marlow, Oklahoma, retirees Darrell and Jerrilyn Strube own this 50-foot-diameter, two-story Monolithic Dome home.

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 Yorkie Dome

The Yorkie Dome: Owner Glenna Crockett said she named her Monolithic Dome home after the Yorkshire Terriers she raises.

Named for what? Yorkshire Terriers – the playful, frisky, cute pups Glenna Crockett raises in her Monolithic Dome home in Mesa, Arizona! “But that’s okay,” Glenna said. “It’s actually very fitting because my Yorkies helped me pay for my dome.” Built in 2007, that 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.

Xanadu of Sedona Continues Attracting Attention

Xanadu is easily seen entering Sedona on Arizona Highway 179.

The Arizona Department of Transportation says that State Highway 179, leading into Sedona, “carries millions of tourists each year through one of the most pristine and unique areas of the world.” And Xanadu, the home of Nina Joy and Bracken Cherry and their three daughters, is one point of interest those tourists are bound to see.

A Rock Covered Dome

800-square-foot, spectacular, small home in Brigham, Utah. No A/C needed. Open windows at night to cool it. It stays cool all day. Owner Lori Hunsaker did the rock cover on the exterior herself.

Brigham City, located in Box Elder County, Utah, 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.

The McWilliams’ Monolithic Dome Home: Tragedy and Triumph

After the October 2007 fire in Santiago Canyon, a hilly, wooded area of Orange County, California, burned their home, Melody and Phil McWilliams decided to build a fire-resistant Monolithic Dome.

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.

Spotlight Back on Hobbit House

The wonderland that Steve and Christine Michaels have created around their Monolithic Dome home is once again making headlines. This time it’s the hometown newspaper, the Billings Gazette, that is putting the spotlight on the unusual property. As we’ve reported, the New York Times and MTV Extreme Homes have also come calling.

A Beautiful Monolithic Dome Home

At first glance, this Monolithic Dome looks more like a church than a home. Nevertheless, it is a single-family residence. The owner hand-applied the rock, that provides an extremely durable, lower cover for the home.

The owners of this grand dome-home have asked us not to publish their names or their dome’s exact location. We do, however, have permission to share these photos with our readers.

At Home in Sweet Dome Alabama

Sweet Dome Alabama  is the Monolithic Dome home of Beverly and Kenneth Garcia in New Hope, Alabama.

Back when their children were just kids and Beverly and Kenneth Garcia took family vacations, they discovered beautiful New Hope, Alabama. “We were then living in Mississippi, but we fell in love with the New Hope area,” Bev said. “It’s gorgeous up here – the mountains and the lake and we like to fly fish.” Then and there Ken and Bev decided that when they retired, they would relocate to New Hope.

Hobbit House in the Media Spotlight

It’s not often that a newsmaker captures the attention of the esteemed New York Times and the hip MTV in the same week, but that’s exactly what happened to Steve Michaels and his wife, Chris. They are the creative geniuses behind the Hobbit House of Montana, a guesthouse inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien’s book by the same name.

The Tassell Dome: Rocked by hand and beautiful

Stoned and beautiful – Karen and Dan Tassell’s Monolithic Dome home sits on six acres just outside of Magonolia, 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.

Stout Residence: Cool Dome in Hot Arizona

Garage – A rectangular, stucco 4-car garage is attached to the dome-home.

Roger describes their dome-home as “very energy efficient.” He said, “A couple of years ago, before the rates had gone up, 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.”

A Monolithic Dome Hobbit House

Roomy — Some people find it hard to believe that this Monolithic Dome is built into the side of a hill, under 35 feet of earth, so that it’s Mother Earth who keeps the occupants warm and cozy.

JRR Tolkien, best known for his authorship of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, once said, “I am in fact a hobbit in all but size. I like gardens, trees, and unmechanized farmlands …. I am fond of mushrooms (out of a field); have a very simple sense of humour; I go to bed late and get up late (when possible). I do not travel much.” Based on that description, it’s very likely that Tolkien would have loved the Hobbit House of Montana. It’s also equally likely that he would have been amazed to learn that this Hobbit House started as a Monolithic Dome.

The Orion

The Orion — The Orion has straight, outer walls, but they do not compromise this Monolithic Dome’s strength, disaster-resistance and energy-efficiency.

How would you like to be the first owner and occupant of a new kind of house? “It’s a real kick,” said Gary Clark of Italy, Texas. Gary, vice president of operations at MDI, had recently moved into the first Orion — the youngest, newest sibling in the Monolithic Dome family.

The Hobbit Dome

A Monolithic Dome Hobbit Home — The front entrance of this earth-bermed, Monolithic Dome home was designed to look like the entrance to a hobbit hole.

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.

Monolithic Dome’s Greenness Wins Neighborhood Approval

Deck & south windows.  — Fruit & veggie gardens go all around the dome.

Charlotte, Vermont is a traditional town. Its charter dates back to 1762, its name exalts Charlotte Sophia, the wife of King George III, and most of its residents live in very traditional, wood frame, New England homes. However, in 2007, construction began on Vermont’s first Monolithic Dome, the unique home of Trisa and Dennis Gay and their son.

The Mudd-Puddle Dome On The Prairie: A Sight To See!

A spacious, gracious home — It’s a multi-level dome with 4,900 square feet and has 6 bedrooms, 4 1/2 bathrooms, a large center room with living and dining areas, a kitchen, laundry, storage and maintenance areas.

Kay and Ernest Mudd moved into their 4900-square-foot, two-level Monolithic Dome home just about seven months ago, but they’ve already shown it to 1000 people. That number almost equals the population of their hometown: Dighton, Kansas. Located at the crossing of two state highways, K96 and K23, Dighton has about 1200 residents in its 0.9 square miles. So where did all the tourists come from?

A Monolithic Dome Home with Brick Walls!

Sty Manor — Joel Emerson and his dad, both creative, professional, master brick masons, designed this dome home encased in brick.

At one time, Joel Emerson, a professional, creative brick mason, jokingly told Debbie, his wife, that someday he would build her a brick igloo. In the years that followed, Joel learned about Monolithic Domes, and in 2003 he attended a Monolithic Workshop. So what started as a casual joke became a serious project – with a little modification: Joel’s original brick igloo became a Monolithic Dome enhanced with brick.

Xanadu— A Dome in Paradise

Xanadu Island Resort — Ivan Sheinbaum’s first completed Monolithic Dome has three fully furnished apartment suites at Xanadu Island Resort.

Xanadu – Samuel Taylor Coleridge coined that name for his imagined paradise in 1797. Some two hundred years later, Ivan and Judy Sheinbaum began creating their Xanadu – a Monolithic Dome tropical island resort on Ambergris Caye in the West Caribbean nation of Belize.

Very Small Town; Big Dome Home

The Simmons’ Dream Dome — Their retirement dome has a 50’ diameter, a height of 30’ and a living area of about 3400 square feet.

The town of Jay, in northwest Florida, has less than 600 residents in its 1.6 square miles. But this farming community, known for its peanuts, cotton, soybeans and hay, has a history of more than 100 years and an annual Peanut Festival. It’s got something else too: a technologically sophisticated Monolithic Dome home!

The Roundhouse Down Under — A First!

Anthony (Tony) Clarke is one busy Aussie. He runs a migration office that helps immigrants to his country with their necessary, complex paperwork, is involved with industrial hemp, markets music videos and DVDs and serves his community as Justice of the Peace and a Knight of the Order of St. John Hospitalier. Nevertheless in April 2001, he found the time to travel to Italy, Texas and take one of Monolithic’s dome-building Workshops.

Curlew Keep — Hard To Get To But Easy To Appreciate

Curlew Keep — The 2800-square-foot Monolithic Dome home that the Bremners planned and built.

For most Americans going to see a movie is no big deal! But what if you had to leave the country to do it? And what if you had to make sure you had valid, picture ID with you so you could re-enter the US? Believe it or not, that’s exactly what going to a movie entails for Dianne and Bryan Bremner, two sixty-something retirees who built a Monolithic Dome home in Republic, Washington, 25 miles south of a border crossing into Canada.

A Big Mom-and-Pop Project: The Pember Dome Home

The Pembers’ Monolithic Dome Dream Home — Ida and Dale combined know-how they gained in a Monolithic Workshop with years of  construction experience to personally do the shell construction and finishing. That grew into a 4-year project.

About ten years ago, the Pembers decided to build a new home, and, after investigating alternatives, decided to make that new home a Monolithic Dome. So Dale, a professional plumbing contractor, enrolled in the Spring 2001 Monolithic Workshop. What he learned, coupled with his years of experience in construction, convinced Dale that he and Ida – occasionally with help from friends – could build their dome home.

Scared into Going Monolithic!

The Watts Monolithic Dome Home — Harrilyn and Rudy built their dome home 21 miles south of Chipley, Florida in tornado country.

Most folks just don’t associate Florida with tornadoes. Most think of Florida as hurricane country. But Harrilyn and Rudy Watts know better. They live 21 miles south of Chipley. It has a population of about 3600, a motto that describes it as “A small town with a proud heritage and a bright future” – and tornadoes.

A Monolithic Dome Home with a WOW Factor

Monolithic Dome Home in Mohave Valley, Arizona — Built on a 10-foot stemwall that goes about 4 feet into the ground, this dome has a diameter of 60 feet, a height of 35 feet and three levels.

After retiring his position as an American Airlines’ flight dispatcher at DFW, Don Steelman enrolled in one of Monolithic’s hands-on Workshops. What he learned and did convinced him of the innate qualities of a Monolithic Dome home. Impressed by the dome’s longevity and energy efficiency, Don and wife decided to move to Mohave Valley, Arizona and build a Monolithic Dome home.

Insurance Rates: Shop Until They Drop

Monolithic Dome home in Shamrock, TX — In 2000, Shirley and Don Tuttle moved into their just-completed, four-dome home and began shopping for homeowners insurance that would take into account the durability and survivability of their Monolithic Domes. Their efforts netted a savings of more than $600.

Can the annual premium for homeowners insurance on the same Monolithic Dome structure for the same coverage drop? “Sure can, and did,” says Don Tuttle, who, with wife Shirley, built a Monolithic Dome home in Shamrock, Texas.

Polish Entrepreneur Builds His Monolithic Dome Dream Home

Pregowski Monolithic Dome Home — In 2000, Monolithic Construction of Poland built this two-story Monolithic Dome dream home that has a 50-foot diameter and a living area with 2500 square feet. In 2007, Jan cleaned the Airform and gave it a beautiful, new look with products available in Poland.

Jan Pregowski has three loves: God, his family, and – of all things, but to our delight – Monolithic Domes! Jan, 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 several in the United States.

Life Above the Treetops at Cloud Hidden

Cloud Hidden — 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.

Story time in the treetops? That’s the fantasylike environment four-year-old Meili Kaslik enjoys. When it’s Meili’s story time, she and her mom Melanie cuddle into comfy chairs in a cozy, glass-enclosed nook perching above the treetops at the Monolithic Dome home they call Cloud Hidden.

Morrisett Dome Home in Alaska

Morrisetts’ Monolithic Dome Dream Home — It’s on a 2-1/2-acre site in a forested area of Anchorage, Alaska.

If you visited the Morrisetts’ new Monolithic Dome home in Anchorage, Alaska and asked, “Is everybody happy?” you would probably get an enthusiastic “yes” from the three humans and an affirmative bark from their dog. The reason is simple: the Morrisetts — David, who is 42 and a computer programmer, April, who is 39 and an office manager for a vending machine company, Joshua, their almost-4-year-old son, and Chewbacca their dog— all love their new dome home.

Ananur’s Monolithic Dome Home

Ananur’s Home — This Monolithic Dome is a 35′ × 15′ sphere. Its exterior is elastomeric Elray stucco. The eyebrows are hand formed out of expanded steel lathe filled with straw.

This is a 35′ × 15′ sphere. Exterior is elastomeric Elray stucco. Eyebrows are hand formed out of expanded steel lathe filled with straw.

Palo Pinto Dome: Eleven Years in the Making

Palo Pinto Dome — By January 2008, this Monolithic Dome home was nearing completion.

Most of us have experienced it at least once — that wonderful feeling when something we’ve planned for a long time finally comes true. In March 2008, Sharon and Terry Smith enjoyed such a euphoria when they moved into Palo Pinto, their new Monolithic Dome home.

A Solar Equipped Monolithic Dome in Illinois

Solar Equipped in Illinois — Kati and Robin Millers’ Monolithic Dome home has 6 solar-thermal collectors that collect the sun’s heat and convert it into thermal energy. It heats water that circulates through the radiant heating system to heat the home.

“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. He went on to explain that Kati, his wife, had lived in several coastal states but never in the middle of the country until they married and moved to Illinois. When Kati realized that tornadoes occur in Illinois, she insisted on building a disaster-resistant home. So the Millers began researching and found Monolithic Domes.

A Unique Addition

Monolithic Dome addition — This 36’ diameter dome adds needed space with little increase in overall energy costs.

The night after our home addition was inflated, some of the neighbors thought a UFO had landed. A soft orange glow radiated from the elliptical bubble. It almost seemed alive. Sound like something from a science fiction movie? The foam and concrete dome has something to do with science, but there’s nothing fictional about it.

An Agrithermosphere

An agrithermosphere — This Monolithic Dome was designed as an indoor agriculture system.

What do you get when you combine an enclosed heated pool and indoor agriculture system? An Agrithermosphere — a building used entirely for agricultural purposes. That’s what Gregg Swiderski built in Marengo, Illinois on his 100-acre farm.

At Home in Jasper, Arkansas

Home at last! — 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.

We have finally come to a breathing place, and can write of our “Birthing” of the dome. We finished the dome interior in six weeks! All cabinet work, floor coverings, sheet rock, and appliances are in and done. By doing the electrical, plumbing, and carpentry, I was able to save a great deal of money as well as frustration. We are moved in and have been living in the dome for the past four weeks.

First Monolithic Dome Home in Moscow, Russia

Monolithic Dome in Mocow — Sviet Raikov, a native Russian, built this Monolithic Dome home, 36′ × 18′, after learning the technology in a Monolithic Workshop. An American flag flies from the dome’s top.

Sviet Raikov, a native Russian, who attended a Monolithic Dome Workshop in 1994 and returned to Moscow with one of our Training Paks, reports the completion of a 36’ X 18’ dome home — the first of its kind in Russia!

There’s a Dome of a Home Going Up On Pensacola Beach!

Dome of a Home — Before constructing this fabulous Monolithic Dome, the Siglers had to provide written confirmation of its acceptance by neighbors. An overwhelming 97% responded favorably.

Although they have toured nine domes, the Siglers would have liked to have experienced life in a dome before making the major investment of actually building one. Seeing the Eye of the Storm on Sullivan’s Island was the decision maker. “That home was proof that domes could be built beautifully,” said Valerie Sigler.

Workshop Graduate Builds His Dream Dome

Free Will — It’s a unique Monolithic Dome home, 42′ × 18′, with 1585 square feet of living space.

If you said Joe Gora is a man who loves his dome home, you would be right. After completing two Monolithic Dome Workshops, Joe designed and built Free Will, a 42′ × 18′ dome with 1585 square feet of living space, on a double lot in Marietta, Georgia. That process took 18 months and culminated with Joe celebrating Christmas 2000 in his new dome. Since then, his delight with Free Will has not waned an iota.

The Eye of the Storm

Eye of the Storm — This Monolithic Dome home, on a beach site on Sullivans Island, South Carolina, is a prolate ellipse measuring 80′ × 57′ × 34′.

On a sunny morning in 1991, at a home site on Sullivans Island, South Carolina, George Paul, designer and builder of dome structures, anxiously watched an Airform inflating. Paul had watched many such inflations before — but never with this much anxiety.

Beautiful Monolithic Dome Home in the Texas Hill Country

A beautiful Monolithic Dome home — This dream home has a diameter of 50 feet, a height of nearly 29 feet, two stories and 3500 square feet of living space. The dome sits among shady trees on five wooded acres in gently rolling hills.

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. Shaded by more than 80 live oaks, the dome sits on five wooded acres among gently rolling hills, seven miles northwest of Bandera, Texas.

The Clarks’ Monolithic Dome: A House Built of Credit Cards

Living room — It’s on the main floor and includes a small, wood-burning stove. The owners are not expecting to use the stove. Instead, they rely on a hot water system running along the floor of each level.

You’ve probably heard of a house of cards — one built by stacking playing cards to make a structure. But have you heard of a house built of credit cards? Figuratively speaking, the Gary E. Clark family of Ann Arbor, Michigan did just that. They built a house of credit cards — or, more accurately, financed with credit cards.

This Dome Just Clicks

Thinking round! — Rounded windows reflect the shape of Bill Click’s domicile in Bandera, Texas.

“Confusion isn’t necessarily bad,” said Bill Click, referring to the confusion of tax appraisers and insurance agents. Two years ago, Click and his wife moved into their Monolithic Dome home in Bandera, Texas, located about fifty miles west of San Antonio. “We have five acres of land,” Click said. "We’re on a hill and we have a great view.

A New Look for Randy South’s Monolithic Dome Home

A spacious home — Randy South and his family enjoy living in three, interconnected Monolithic Domes, encompassing a living area of nearly 4,000 square feet and now sporting a beautiful, stucco-like, EIFS finish.

Karen and Randy South and their seven sons and two daughters have liked their Monolithic Dome home since they first moved into it in 1996. After all, what was there not to like? Their nearly 4,000-square-foot dome home adorns a 1,260-acre butte that overlooks the beautiful Snake River in Menan, Idaho and provides them with a unique area for observing and enjoying wildlife.

Surrounded by Nature’s Antiquity

What a Site! — The Wortman dome home is surrounded by Rocky Mountain Bristlecone Pines.

It was love at first sight when Sylvia and Keith Wortman found their 10-acre plot in Fairplay, Colorado. At an elevation of 9,953 feet, the area had an intriguing history dating back to the 1850’s Pike’s Peak Gold Rush, spectacular scenery and natural beauty that included Rocky Mountain Bristlecone Pines. Sylvia and Keith saw it as the perfect place for the Monolithic Dome dream home they had been envisioning and planning for many years.