FenixDome

[FenixDome]

Yes, I was really excited when the windows went in. I had to be at work that day so had one of Ray's workers take the pictures. He knew what kind of pictures I like to take. He's in enough of them! David got a surprise trip home last weekend (delivered in Kingman, AZ) and got the rest of the electrical boxes & smurf tube put in the upstairs inset walls so it's ready for foaming when Ray gets back from India. Hopefully we'll have the rest of the insurance money for him by the time he gets back. Banks move so slow.

Then I'll have to get the credit cards paid down before we can afford to do any of the work we will have to do. It may be another year or 2 before we can actually move in.

[jim & christine spurg]

Hi Suz-y,
I wanted to share some credit cards tips with you that I use to help pay for our dome projects. We have really used our Home Depot credit card for FREE interest specials. We have been able to purchase all the windows, doors and appliances interest free. They also send you many 10% off coupons in the mail with free interest throughout the year. We just make payments and never go over the year given. They also submit your payments in order of when they expire. I have been very pleased with them. They also price match and give an extra 10% off. I got a killer deal on appliances that way and they were having a free delivery special on top of that. I aslo try to use my 10% off coupons on things that are on sale already and really reap the benefits.

I also make any large purchases on a credit card that gives cash back. We have had some nice checks FROM the credit card company. The money goes right back into something for the dome. We do not let these items sit on the cards and pay for them off every month. We have been paying as we go throughout the whole process and everything has been worked out nicely so far. Living in the dome has saved us $1500 a month in not having a mortgage anymore. We are so thankful that our box house sold quickly.

You all are doing great work! Can you be your own contractor in Vegas? It sure helps that we can do our own work ,on our own schedule.
Blessings,
Christine

[GreginAlaska]

"Yes, it is exciting to see some progress. And one of these days we will be reading about your progress. Persistence does pay off."

Those just might be prophetic words Su-Z, the designer and engineer have come up with a way of reducing the materials while keeping the strength, I think they have put it in the range of doable for me. Gotta love people who will go the extra mile to make sure a project can work!

[FenixDome]

Building has resumed. I've uploaded the latest pictures but David hasn't put them on the website yet. He should do that tomorrow. Right now they are doing the efis coat on the outside of the front inset walls. Jan. 31st someone threw a hand-sized chunk of concrete through the bottom half of the guest room window. I've been working 15 hours a day since Jan 8 so haven't been home much. Today is my first day off with Jackson Hewitt since tax season started at our office (in the Wal-Mart I work at). I walk through the house every morning before going to work and every night when I get home. That's when I noticed the big hole in the window.

[angelofdodd]

Sorry to hear about the window.Thats plain rotten of some jerk to do such a thing.It might be worth getting a DSL line installed,and buying a CCD camera set up.A friend of mine bought a set for his tow yard that records to an SDcard,uses motion sensors,and can be monitered on his cell phone.It also notifys his cell when the motion sensor activates the camera.The whole set up cost under$500.Matt

[jim & christine spurg]

Su-z,
I am so sorry that someone broke your window. What is wrong with some people? I could see it in one of your pictures. I am glad that you were not in there.
The exterior work looks good. I had to tell my boys that it was not snowing on the worker.
Don't work yourself too hard. YUCK! tax season,
Christine

[GreginAlaska]

Bummer about your window, it would sure be nice to catch those scumbags at least once. sheesh

The house is looking good, I gotta say again, I love the door! I think something like that would go well with the building I am planning.

[FenixDome]

Yes, Greg, I think a rounded top version of our door would look great on your house. I like your design. It's sort of medieval-ish great hall-ish. All that stone work will look great. I want to put river rock somewhere on our dome but I haven't figured out where it would look the best. The neighbor 2 doors down from us did theirs and put it part way up. I was thinking about doing that on the 2 front columns or maybe on the front inset walls. But first I want to get it finished and start living in it before fancying it up!

David got the web pages caught up yesterday. He's sitting in Arkansas so it gives him something to do!

[angelofdodd]

My brother inlaw had his house re-stucco'd,and while it was still wet he pressed crushed coquina into it and then took an edge tool to cut out the rock shapes.When it was cured he sprayed it with a slightly tinted sealer.It looks really cool on his house,and would look awsome on an MD.It's way cheaper than buying stone,and looks really authentic.Matt

[GreginAlaska]

YA, if you get it in the right place, I bet river rock would look good. We'll be taking a three day class on stamped and stained concrete, a trainer from Flex-C-ment will be in Anchorage starting the 25th. I'll have to ask him if he thinks it will stick to an airform, I know it will stick to EPS foam.

http://www.flex-c-ment.com/index.htm

Doing the rasping on your foam board looks like a fun mess....I'll be getting to do a bunch of that I believe.

Really enjoying watching your dream house come together!

[GreginAlaska]

Sounds cool Matt, What is "coquina"?

[angelofdodd]

Greg,coquina is a rock made of naturally compressed shells.Alot of the earily spanish forts in the America's were built out of this material.The most famous is the fort at St.Augustine,Fl..Cannon balls would just bounce off the structures built out of blocks of the stuff.It's a very strong,durable,and weather resistant building material.The way my brother inlaw did it was only for looks though,and has to have a sealer sprayed on it every few years to keep it from flaking off.Matt

[GreginAlaska]

OK, ya I've been to that fort, I think I remember what you're talking about.

[BWARDEN]

Hey Greg,

Neat design for your house. I'm somewhat partial to homes with towers! I like your take on the tower config, and the widow walk. What kind of stair do you have planned to get up there?

Note on the round top windows: I love them and have them on all of my windows. Just be aware that the semi circle windows are quite pricey, and trimming them inside requires expensive milled wood, or special materials like FlexTrim, to match the curvature. I used FlexTrim, and it worked out great, and accepted stain well to match my other woodwork.

I'm looking forward to reading about your house in Domes In Progress!!!

Bob

[FenixDome]

I (Dave) stayed in townhouses on St. Simon's Island, GA when I was teaching at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. (Government "forced" us to live in beach front condos. It was terrible...NOT!) Most of the condos had a coquina facade. Frame buildings with a coquina layer put on like stucco. I can tell you for a fact that the stuff in thin layers is about useless. I can show you holes where a 9mm slug blew right through without being slowed. Yes, even Feds do stupid things at times. Good thing the wall faced the salt marshes and was on the second floor. (NOTE: Never assume a firearm is not loaded! Especially when it's a sub machine gun!!) Quite different from that used in Castillo de San Marcos. (the fort in St. Augustine) Somewhere we have some old photos of Su-z posing on a cannon on the wall. Used to go down there from St. Simon's just to eat at the "Columbia", a Cuban restaurant specializing in Paella.