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RE: Tower got its Dome!
How does your home perform? Pros/ cons?
The earth-rammed tires allow the cost for the foundations to be transferred from $ to labor, so doing all the work myself, this structure has cost about $150 so far
I could write a book about all the pros/cons, but basically, it retains temperature very well and is slow to change. I don't have a/c as the house never gets above 78 in the summer, no matter how hot it is outside. One thing I was sure to do was install a PEX radiant floor heating system in the floor before pouring the slab. I built an outdoor wood boiler that powers it in the winter. It takes a few days to "charge up" the floor with heat and then it's golden.
Cons - It can get musty. It's sorta like a living in a basement so good water proofing and drainage is essential. My house is very large with interior rooms, so light only penetrates the front of the house. It stays very dark in the back. I have added "sun tunnels" to help bring in more light back there.
Very cool, some familiar issues for me, living in an earthship-esque structure, minus the light issues. I wish I had the radiant floor heating... But everything I've built so far has basically been on minimalist budget and largely recycled materials
I'm hooked!
I repurposed materials from other projects or salvaged goods to build all my other structures on the property. Mostly animal shelters and runs, also a really cool outhouse.