Our Monolithic Dome Tour: October 16, 2010
Our Appreciation
Nationwide, about 1700 people walked through, inspected and got information about Monolithic Domes during this year’s Tour. That happened because dome owners willingly spent their time and energy making this Tour possible. Thank you very much!
WOW! 700+
Sylvia and Keith Wortman’s home in Fairplay, Colorado has set a new record for visitors to a Monolithic Dome during the annual Tour. Keith said that they had more than “700 people from every corner of Colorado, Wisconsin, Ohio, Wyoming, Montana and Europe.” Their visitors were gracious and grateful for the opportunity to actually spend time in and ask questions about a Monolithic Dome. “They all were totally awed by the house and said there was no way they could imagine they were going to see anything like this. This home opened their eyes to the possibilities,” Keith said. After the Denver Post ran a story on the Wortman dome, USA Today picked it up for its website.
More Results
Debbie and Joel Emerson of Hayes, Virginia said that they “had a great turnout. We had around 350 people and received $844.00 in donations for Children’s Hospital of Kings Daughters. One couple traveled four hours from North Carolina. We answered a lot of questions and really enjoyed ourselves.” Their “brick igloo” got another write-up – this time in the Sun Herald, Newport News, VA.
Joe Downer of Shipman, Illinois said, “We had about 150 visitors – less than last year, but the majority were knowledgeable about Monolithic Domes. We had a couple from as far as Utah and one person from Minnesota. Several had done a Monolithic Workshop. I feel confident that someone in this tour will become a client in the near future.”
Maddy and Chris Ecker in Galax, Virginia opened their dome home to more than 100 interested and curious folks from as far as Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Kentucky. They were impressed by the dome’s airiness, its comfortable interior temperature despite cool temps and gusty winds outdoors, and its sealed concrete floors. Many were also impressed to learn that the floor plan and the dome’s exterior can be personalized to taste. The Galax Gazette covered their place with an article titled, “Home Sweet Dome.”
Kay and Ernie Mudd opened their dome in Dighton, Kansas on both Saturday and Sunday and got 202 visitors and $97.00 in donations for the Lane County Hospital. Kay said, “Most comments we had were very good – complimentary and supportive of us building our dome here. Two people said it was very ugly and we were stupid for doing a project like this. Ninety-seven percent made the comment that it was much bigger inside than they thought it would be. All but the two grumblers said they liked everything about the house and especially the stairs and railings.”
Carol and Gerald Pulliam in Dayton, Washington said they “had 85 sign in and some got away. It was an enjoyable day and very busy.”
Su-Z and David Allen in Las Vegas, Nevada said they “had a beautiful day and about 60 visitors.” Their Small Paws Rescue donation jar netted $72.
In Brenhan, Texas at The Inn Place, a complex of Monolithic Dome rental units, Kevin McGuckin said he had a steady stream of about 40. “People were glad to see the last two domes which still had the airlock attached and only half the concrete, so they could still see the outline of the rebar and get a concept of what these buildings are.”
Charlie Simmons in Jay, Florida had 25 visitors, five of whom were serious about building a dome. “Three have already started by attending Monolithic training,” Charlie said.
In Mesa, Arizona, Carol and Roger Stout had 26 people and a TV news reporter from ABC15.com who did an article about energy/money saving Monolithic Domes in Mesa.
Glenna Crockett said that she had a very enjoyable time and about 20 visitors, including three single ladies, to her dome home in Mesa, Arizona.
Realtor Steve Travers, who has the listing for the Garlock dome in Conifer, Colorado, said that they had 21 parties come through. Owner Tom Garlock enjoyed talking with them about his home and what it is like to live in a dome.
Michael Otto and Vicki Hutchison in Julian, California had 16 visitors, including four firefighters.
Christine and Jim Spurgeon of Azle, Texas said, “We had 10 people. We had someone here almost the whole time we were open. Everyone was very nice and very interested in learning about domes and how we did it. The furthest travelers came from Canada.”
Joe Gora in Marietta, Georgia said that he had about a dozen, favorably impressed couples tour his dome.
Kathy and Jerry Standley of Henderson, Texas had only two visitors, but they were interested in energy-saving construction.
Mark Sweet had a visitor who came from Salt Lake City, Utah to see a dome home in Opal, Wyoming.
Randy South in Menan, Idaho had KIFI, a local TV news channel, interview him about his Monolithic Dome home.
A disappointed Don Steelman had no good news to report from Mohave Valley, Arizona. He said, “Out here they are buying newly built homes as foreclosed property and are not interested in starting a scratch-build home from the ground up.” He’s looking forward to next year’s Tour.
Monolithic Headquarters in Italy, Texas entertained and answered the questions of about 70 visitors to its offices, the dome homes, Bruco and the rental units.
