Posted 3:13 am Sunday, May 02, 2010
Henderson Couple's Curvaceous Abode Attracts The Eye, Conserves Energy
By KELLY GOOCH
Staff Writer
Staff Writer
HENDERSON -- Driving down County Road 409 in Henderson, one home stands out from the rest.
The home, constructed using inflatable Airform, steel-reinforced concrete and a polyurethane foam insulation, does not have a roof. And unlike a conventional home, the structure is round rather than square or rectangular.
It is the monolithic dome home of Jerry and Kathy Standley.
The couple has lived in the 16,000-square-foot, 36-foot-diameter house for about five years. They own Somebody's Tire -- a tire retail shop in Henderson.
"We like different stuff …," Mrs. Standley said. We wanted "safety, energy efficiency and low maintenance."
Even so, the decision to build a monolithic dome home did not come lightly.
Mrs. Standley said she and her husband researched the option for seven or eight years before construction began.
That included taking a trip to Italy, Texas, so they could see monolithic dome homes.
The Standleys eventually hired Davidson Contractors to build the outside of the home, with construction starting in 2004 and ending in 2005.
"It was a challenge at first. It was so different, the construction of the outside," Mrs. Standley said.
She said she and her husband did all the work inside the house, which consisted of pouring concrete countertops and building cabinets, among other things.
She said she loves her two- bed, two-bath house, which features two stories and a deck upstairs, because it is open and leaves plenty of space for her grandkids to play.
While the dome home cost about 10 percent more than a conventional house, she said that extra cost will pay for itself.
With the home's energy efficiency, Mrs. Standley estimated her monthly electric bill is about $100.
The inside of the dome home will stay at a certain temperature without having to continually move the thermostat, she said.
Additionally, "if the electricity goes off, it can stay off 24 hours or more before the temperature in the dome starts to change," Mrs. Standley said. "It's like living in an ice chest, other than the windows."
She said the house also provides an increased amount of safety in the event of a tornado, as tornadoes have gone over dome homes.
The couple's house also requires limited work, including a power wash once a year and repainting the outside about every five years.
"Jerry's has been a carpenter. He was thinking there has to be something where you don't have to constantly maintain it," Mrs. Standley said.
Overall, Jerry Standley said the couple has no regrets about building their house.
"We're totally happy with deciding to build it," he said. "It's exceeded all of our expectations. … We're totally pleased with the structure and the design. … To us, it's kind of like a vacation retreat every day."
And the Standleys aren't the only family in Texas with dome homes.
David South, president of the Monolithic Dome Institute, said there are 169 dome homes in the state, and probably half of them were built in the past six or seven years.
In the East Texas area, dome homes can be found in Athens, Tatum, Edom and Rusk, along with other places.
South said there are many reasons why people decide to build these homes.
"They realize they've got a tornado shelter they're living in, energy cost is one-third of a conventional home and its lifetime is measured in centuries. That means a lot to people," he said.
Monolithic domes is the subject matter at a workshop May 11 through 15 in Italy, Texas.
"It's to teach them all of the principals so they can build them themselves," South said. "Some make businesses out of them, and some go back and build their own home."
He said 60 percent of the workshop takes place in the classroom while 40 percent is out in the field.
Participants must be 18 or older and the cost is $975, which includes meals.
