A recent post here that discussed a foamed house called safedome got me to thinking about a home concept I saw many, many years ago.  I wonder if any of you older folks remember anything about it.

The basic concept was steel posts set vertically, with steel cables going off at different angles and directions.  These were covered with a chicken wire type mesh that was formed to shape the various 'rooms'.  Doors and windows were blocked out, and then the floors, walls, and roof were made by spraying expanding foam onto the mesh.  The end result looked like a giant igloo.

I saw this thing in an article in (I believe) LIFE magazine, probably in the late 60's.  I have not heard anything about this concept since.  Anybody out there remember this, or did I dream the whole thing?

Now I know that I am asking you to reveal your advancing years by answering this, so if you would feel more comfortable, you can PM me with any info you might have. LOL

In the 1980's my wife and I toured the Xanadu house in Wisconsin Dells.  Not a very liveable design.  Wikipedia has a good article on Xanadu houses.

While at The Dells we also toured an earthsheltered home with a vaulted ceiling.  Most impressive with a 6' round skylight in the center of the vault radiating light downward from the tall ceiling.  Once inside with all of the light from the front windows and skylight, it was hard to imagine that there was 6' of dirt on the roof.  Also very quiet.

Buck,

I hear you.  I do not believe that people expect different results by building the same way.  I think that most people are so excited about building a new home that they do not take the time to research the best way to build.  Therefore, they do not have any way to compare different building systems.  I truly think it is a lack of educating themselves for the most expensive purchase they will ever make.  As an educator for years at a major university for design and building, I continued to be surprised by how difficult it was for my colleagues to change their thinking about how to build.  So if the profession has that much trouble adopting new ways, then the lay person (homeowner) does not stand much of a chance.

By the way, the next time I am in Lecanto to visit my sister-in-law and niece, I would like to see your dome.  I remember that Lecanto and Inverness is fairly close together.