The most complicated issue requiring the most vigorous exertion of mental energy was the heating/cooling system in the dome. Our overall design utilizes solar energy, geo-thermal energy and the 500 tons of thermal mass inherent in the shell that acts as an energy battery. Because of the intense humidity on the beach, the duct work in our previous home was a constant source of mold and mildew. Wanting to avoid that dilemma again, we researched and found the Hydro-Air System. Unlike conventional systems that heat or cool by forcing air through large, bulky ducting, hydronic air systems deliver total comfort without any ducting whatsoever. Instead of ducting, insulated Pex plumbing pipe delivers 42 degree chilled water to our 9 individual Hydro-Air units. Hydro-Air utilizes small, efficient hydronic fan coil wall units in each room that distributes cooling energy from a geo-thermal unit or a standard outdoor air conditioning unit. Hydro-Air’s owner, Tom, was very helpful in our unusual endeavor in marrying the Hydro-Air units with a geo-thermal system. Loren, Hydro-Air’s engineer, calculated what would be the most efficient tonnage (4 tons) for the dome. It will be interesting how often we actually need to use the system. www.bio-radiant.com



For its energy saving qualities, we chose to use a Florida Heat Pump geo-thermal unit. Florida Heat Pump was founded in 1969 with the goal of producing the finest water source heat pumps to conserve the Earth’s energy and to protect the environment. Florida Heat Pumps can reduce your heating and cooling costs by 30% to 60%. Unlike other systems that have to create heat to warm the pool, this system takes the same excess energy from the house or earth and transfers it to the pool. A thermostat regulates the temperature of the pool, making this one of the most efficient and effective ways to heat a swimming pool.



In the nine years we have lived on Pensacola Beach, we have bought 4 air-conditioning units. Storm surges and salt air reduce an outdoor unit’s lifetime significantly. The system we are installing has the unit’s components in the ground or inside the house. Adverse environmental conditions will no longer affect the longevity of the unit to such a dramatic extent. The design also reduces outdoor noise and air pollution – always a plus!

Florida Heat Pump developed the Vertical Energy System (Closed Loop) that we used. www.fhp-mfg.com This system utilizes the natural thermal properties of the earth by circulating water or an antifreeze solution through a closed loop network of plastic pipe that is inserted into vertical wells. The loops cool the freon in the Florida Heat Pump. The Florida Heat Pump then chills the air that is run through the Hydro Air units. We required 7 wells at a depth of 250’ to run the nine-loop Hydro-Air units. The nine Hydro-Air units cool using 6 zoned thermostats. The ground at 250’ is a fairly constant temperature of 70 degrees. Conventional air units use a fan to move ambient temperature air across the condenser coils of the air-conditioner to cool the freon from a hot gas to a cool liquid. Alternatively, geo-thermal units use the constant ground temperature to bring water or antifreeze across the condensing coils to change the freon from a hot gas to a cool liquid. Because air temperature can exceed 105 degrees and ground temperature remains a fairly constant 70 degrees, GEO-THERMAL IS 300 TIMES AS EFFICIENT THAN THE CONVENTIONAL AIR UNITS .



Dave Phillips, President of Energy Design Corporation, provided the geo-thermal design , the Florida Heat Pump and AquaCal equipment needed for our home and pool. The Florida Heat Pump provided the cooling unit for the home, while the AquaCal equipment will be used to heat the swimming pool when necessary. With commercial and residential experience, Dave Phillips was prepared when he realized that Mark wanted to combine a geo-thermal system with the Hydro-Air units. He recommended we contact Bob Blythe, owner and engineer of Blythe Engineering, to help design and coordinate the systems. Mr. Blythe was familiar with hydronic systems and said this choice would be the most efficient, least expensive, and best choice for this particular application. After Dave Phillips had our wells prepared, Gary Mooneyham, owner of Mooneyham Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc. will complete the installation between the geothermal and hydronic units.

Another significant advantage of each room having its own Hydro-Air unit is the reduction in humidity. Instead of having one unit removing the humidity from a single source, each room has its own unit that will be reducing the ever present humidity. A wonderful solution for homes built in humid environments.

Holographic fireplaces are the source of heat in the dome. Each room has its own fireplace, capable of heat and flames or just romantic flames in warmer weather.

Utilizing knowledge from the last home he remodeled, Mark designed the openings in the dome according to the movement of the sun across the heavens. The openings and windows in the dome are designed to receive solar gain during the winter. But, during the summer months there is no direct sunlight in contact with the windows to introduce unnecessary heat into the dome.

With the tremendous amount of human energy exerted to design this system, we are glad it will be saving energy on another realm.

With great enthusiasm, I applaud the genius of being able to adjust the temperature in each room separately. I only heat and cool the rooms we are using; I don't have to freeze in my room if someone else in the house is having hot flashes. I love the Hydro-Air Systems. I can really feel the reduced humidity level in the Dome. Since each Hydro-Air System unit removes humidity from air, I essentially have a dehumidifier in each room. The air is much easier to breathe in the dome than it was in our previous house.

The geo thermal system that chills the water for the Hydro-Air System has been a pain. With limited service experience in the area, we have to wait for repairs longer than for a conventional unit. Same is true when we need parts. After the hurricanes, we had to replace all of the pumps because damage in the line allowed sand to enter the system. And the list goes on, but overall, I think we would use this system again.

With the Hydro-Air system, we did not have to use ducting throughout the house. It's another favorite home for the mold and mildew. Without having to use space for the duct work, we had more options for interesting angles and ceilings. Duct work is a challenge to incorporate into the dome because there are limited options for hiding it. Hydro-Air units use chilled water, so we only had plumbing pipe to contend with.

Since the building of the dome has started, we have received very supportive visitors from various government agencies. Dave Thomas, the regional FEMA director from Atlanta, visited the home and stated, "This structure should become the standard for coastal building." (Paraphrased) We recently had Gerald Waytowich, the Regional General Adjuster for the National Flood Insurance Program, visit the dome with his federal counterpart from DC. They were extremely interested in how the dome will mitigate further flood damage from occurring. With this type of support, it would seem that the time is ripe for making changes within the lending and insurance institutions.



Every week, we give numerous tours through the dome. Without fail, people are amazed and curious as to how it is possible to build one of these homes.

I receive frequent emails from people who want to know how to get financing for a dome. Obviously, this presents a challenge when there aren't two comparables that have sold within a limited mileage range in the last couple of years. The key to overcoming this challenge lies in educating the industry and having FEMA’s help in establishing a separate classification that conventional lenders will recognize.

When Mark and his brothers developed porcelain veneers for teeth, it would prove to revolutionize dentistry. Mark recognized that although this was an incredible product, if the insurance companies wouldn't pay for them, the market was very limited. Their company pursued the insurance industry until the veneers received an insurance code that could be entered on the forms.

That is an example for what needs to happen in the dome industry.

Great idea! Great structure! But, until it is "mainstreamed" into the lending institutions and insurance industry, the market will be limited.

We are interested in any contacts, information, or guidance anyone has in this area. Is there already a forum established that is working to accomplish this goal? Maybe we can all collaborate to gain the attention of the appropriate "movers and shakers" in the insurance and lending institutions.

You can email us at domeofahome@aol.com or better yet, share your knowledge with everyone on our message board.


Although you may find it difficult to get a mortgage loan through traditional mortgage brokers, we are finding individual banks are sometimes willing to create a relationship as a "Private Client" and loan you money that will stay as an "in house" loan and will not be sold.

Foam is an integral part of the dome structure. We chose to also use foam in between the walls of the home for its energy conservation; structural; sound deadening; and water resistant qualities. The interior walls’ 3.5” metal studs were foamed with 1” of 2# foam. The exterior walls’ 6” metal studs were foamed with 4” of 3# foam. Unlike fiberglass insulation, this foam will not absorb moisture and become a petri dish for mold and mildew. When we bulldozed our previous home, some areas of the insulation were literally black. We have devoted a tremendous amount of energy to avoid some of the pitfalls we experienced with our conventional home.

The major adjustments we made were:

· Eliminate the duct system needed for conventional air conditioning.
· Eliminate insulation that would not maintain its R-value after absorbing humidity. Mold and mildew would then begin to grow in the moist environment.

Bob Buchmeier’s, owner of Triple B Coatings & Insulation, Inc., crew did a thorough job of spraying inside the walls of the dome. His next task is to spray the exterior of the dome. www.hometown.aol.com/foameee1 email: foameee1@aol.com



The foam was such a vital part of the plan to build a home that could withstand our coastal environment. And it performed beautifully in Hurricane Ivan, 2004. Ordinarily, the leaks around the windows and doors would have created huge issues with mold and mildew. Fiberglass insulation is useless after it becomes moist and even worse, serves as a growth medium for the mold and mildew. When we bulldozed our previous home to build the Dome, I was nauseated by the black mold covering our fiberglass insulation. Then, I knew why we were suffering sinus complications.

With the foam insulation, Georgia Pacific's mildew resistant DENS Technology sheetrock, and metal studs, we eliminated a huge coastal concern: hidden mold and mildew in the walls.

We also sprayed foam on the garage's ceiling, covering the exposed floor pan and structural beams. It has worked beautifully by increasing the efficiency of the heating/cooling in the dome and reducing noise reverberation. And --- no more rust to contend with.

The moment we have been waiting for has arrived: Walls are up! Unlike Mark, it is very difficult for me to visualize rooms with chalk lines on the concrete floor. Now, that the walls are up on both sides of the metal studs, I have one thing to say: “WOW! WOW! WOW!” The home truly exceeds my wildest imagination. The curved walls throughout the house create an ambiance that cannot be expressed with mere words. Although I will make an attempt, you really need to see it for yourselves. Pictures and words cannot bring justice to the experience.



Every time I walk into Serenity by the Sea, I am overwhelmed with awe at her beauty. I love the curves that lure you along to the next alcove. It is an amazing house built by amazing men.
In my humble opinion, Mark is the genius behind the amazing men.

Deciding what product to use when covering the balloon’s exterior has proven to be the major challenge of a dome’s aesthetic appeal. We wanted something durable and easy to clean. The domes we have seen seem to have a mildew growth problem that diminishes the cosmetic appearance greatly. After several months of research, we decided to hire Bob Buchmeier, owner of Ameri-Foam to spray the exterior shell with a urethane based product liner, similar to a truck bed liner, 50mls thick. A ceramic additive, offered by Hy-Tech Thermal Solutions, www.ceramicadditive.com, will be added to the clear topcoat.



The ceramic additive is composed of tiny microspheres that reflect and dissipate heat. These ceramic beads insulate the dome and acoustically dampen the inherent echo plaguing domes. The ceramic beads were mixed in the Metal Shield paint, www.metalshield.com, we used in the garage area. The results were amazing! Immediately noticeable is the absence of the constant echo that is the bane of the dome structure. The 2000 SF space found under the home has been transformed into a wonderful area that is acoustically pleasant. Gone is the hollow reverberation that belied the solid nature of the dome. The home now sounds as solid as the structure truly is.



A more detailed article on the wonderful products created by Hy-Tech Thermal Solutions, www.ceramicadditive.com, is forthcoming. Please take the time to peruse their website. It is extremely informative and provides products for every possible situation where coatings are desirable.



Within weeks, rust was bleeding through the Metal Shield paint. We do live in a very harsh environment, and the product was definitely not able to withstand constant salt air permeation. We eventually sprayed the underside of the floor pan with poly urethane foam. This resulted in more heating/cooling efficiency of the dome's interior, solved the constant rust problem occurring on the beams and floor pan, and it definitely reduced the noise factor in the garage area. I think we can safely say, the foam was the treatment of choice down there.

Hurricane Ivan, 2004, caused some cosmetic damage on the exterior of the dome. We made the repairs to the shell with foam and plaster. Then, on top of the Urethane liner, we had stucco applied. We kept the liner because it makes a great vapor barrier. The stucco covered up the imperfections in the dome's repairs and gave it a "softer" look and feel to it. We love the new exterior. If we were building again, we would still coat the dome with the urethane liner and then choose your exterior coating to be applied on top of it.