Protecting the delicate balance of the barrier island while building structures is the ultimate goal when selecting the various products to use. The dome of a home is not only unique in its outward appearance. Throughout the construction of the home, from the pilings to the skylight, many of the products being used are unprecedented in their application.



In keeping with the Siglers' desire to use new technologies that are more energy efficient and environmentally benign than their predecessors, the pilings they chose were the Seaward's Seapile Pilings.

With a home designed to physically last centuries, using wood or concrete pilings was impractical. With a viability of decades, wood and concrete pilings would severely shorten the lifespan of the home. Seaward International's SEAPILE pilings compliment the dome structure by their longevity and environmentally-friendly characteristics.



SEAPILE pilings are made of recycled and recycle-able composite materials. The SEAPILE composite piling is made of plastic that has been structurally reinforced with fiberglass rebar, making them impervious to corrosion, termites, and borers. Unlike chemically treated wood, the SEAPILE piling does not leech chemicals into our environmentally sensitive beach. And unlike concrete pilings, the SEAPILE does not begin to pit, allowing the rebar to corrode.



The SEAPILE piling is placed into the ground by conventional methods. Davis Marine Construction jetted the sixteen pilings several feet into the ground and drove the pilings to grade level outlining the perimeter for the future dome structure.

Alan Potts from Seaward International was extremely supportive and excited about the latest venture for the use of the SEAPILE piling. Mr. Potts and the Siglers hope to expand the publics' awareness of this advanced alternative.

Seaward International, Inc. is a manufacturer of high performance foam-filled marine fenders, buoys and floats, and composite marine pilings and timbers. Using the same technology, Seaward International is also developing an environmentally-friendly railroad tie. More information about these pilings can be found on Seaward's website: www.seaward.com

After the pilings were placed in an oval shape, a concrete ring beam was created. Steel rebar is placed vertically around the ring beam footing and then the concrete is poured. Later in the process, the embedded bars are used to join the concrete shell with the concrete ring beam.

The Monolithic Dome Institute, ( www.monolithicdome.com ) fabricated the airform that becomes the home's shell or frame. The Airframe is made of a very heavy PVC vinyl fabric whose seams are sealed with microwaves. Five men for five days worked to complete the airform. After being attached to the ring beam, the airform requires less than thirty minutes for the fans to inflate it. The fans will run continually throughout the construction of the shell of the dome.

Once inside the inflated airform, the world becomes surreal. Sounds echo and reverberate. Listening to music in the empty airform is a unique experience as it surrounds and reverberates through you. In some parts of the dome, a whisper is easily heard. In other areas, raised voices barely carry. Being inside the inflated airform is somewhat overwhelming. The expansiveness is belied by the exterior appearance. Inflation day was joyous and touching. How often is one's home framed in a matter of minutes? Now, if they could only discover an inflation method for the complete product.

Without a doubt, choosing Seaward's composite pilings was a genius move on my husband's part. When Hurricane Ivan hit, our yard became a virtual quicksand pit. The entire house was gently rocking, as evidenced by the tapping of pictures on my interior walls. Instead of cracking or splitting like concrete or wood pilings might have done, the composite pilings easily handled the stress and dispersed it.

Our mission is to help reduce the suffering associated with the destruction and loss of one's home in a natural disaster. We want to help promote awareness of the superior building technologies that can alleviate unnecessary losses. Many of the new technologies are more energy efficient and environmentally friendly than their predecessors allowing the construction of structures while protecting and preserving the delicate balance of nature.

Our home is available for rent and we participate in annual house tours allowing others the opportunity to personally experience the benefits of monolithic domes.


In the six years since we wrote this mission statement, many hurricanes have devastated the Gulf Coast. The Dome of a Home withstood these storms admirably, receiving no structural damage. We have had numerous guests from the affected areas visit and discuss the attributes of building a dome building in the coastal environment. The Dome of a Home allows them to actually see one that has looked into the face of Mother Nature's fury and survive.

The Dome of a Home's notoriety soared during Hurricane Ivan's reign upon the Gulf. Three days before landfall, the Travel Channel aired an AMAZING VACATION HOMES episode featuring the Dome of a Home. They had been to the house to film in May and less than four months later the Dome of a Home is making global news because she is facing "the Storm of the Century" with the MSNBC news crew inside of her. The news crew placed incredible faith in her and we are grateful she proved herself worthy.

Because of the recent inundation of tropical systems along the coast, the media coverage has been overwhelming. The Dome of a Home has been featured on National Geographic's HURRICANE SUMMER; UK's IS THIS THE WORST WEATHER EVER?; Discover Channel's EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HURRICANES; ABC's GOOD MORNING AMERICA; several news programs and more newspapers than I could keep count.

In our original mission statement we wanted to promote awareness of superior building technologies. This has happened beyond our wildest expectation -- the silver lining behind Ivan, the Terrible's storm clouds.