Emergency Dome fm 12 4x8 Plywood Sheets

This is a Dome that could be pre-cut and stored in a small space to be assembled quickly when needed.    !2 Ft Diameter and 7 Ft Tall
see pics

This partly depends on what the emergency is, so here are my thoughts:
1. It has to be stored somewhere, where you can be sure you can get to it in that emergency.
2. That "somewhere" needs to be where it won't deteriorate from the elements just sitting there.
3. One would need to make sure the hardware and tools were kept with it. (also, don't underestimate the quantity or cost of the hardware.)
4. They do mention using a tarp, or other options for waterproofing the outside. This is my biggest concern with this style of dome. They have a reputation for springing leaks.

In my ecosystem, I think I'd be happier building a proper storm shelter that doubled as storage of the things one might need in that emergency, such as sleeping bags, fresh water, and food storage. Dome shapes do stand up well in storms, but there are some systems such as blown concrete which is monolithic and thus more resistant to water infiltration.  

This plywood plan seems to me like something volunteers would procure parts and pre-cut, load on a truck and drive into the zone of the emergency and erect for the victims as first-in-place help.

You might be interested in the patterns here: https://www.appropedia.org/Hexayurt_project/Master_List_of_Designs

How long did it take you to build that building?

How cost?

This is an interesting design--reminds me a lot of a wigwam, similar but made from different more natural materials, i.e. tree bark. It might be helpful to have the topmost panel be made slanted so that rain sheds from it outward instead of soaking in. It seems like an excellent thing for if you're caught unprepared in a disaster.

To me, I'd not want to live in it long term ideally... seems to me best to use natural materials (or make your plywood from cheese glue!) I'd want to set up a thatched hut, wigwam, or if I had the materials, a tipi or Mongolian yurt, things made from natural materials that have stood the test of time in harsh climates and inclement weather.

Also, you might want to make some kind of a scaffolding to keep it strong and sturdy in case a branch falls on it or something of the sort--maybe arch some saplings over the top to secure it in place, or frame it from the inside.

I found these DOME plans over fifteen years ago and was impressed such that I held on to them in case I ever needed them.  I have looked at and thought a lot about domes,  .... I really like this plan set but I wonder what the best sequence of assembly is if you had all the pieces and part.  How would one person  ( or two ) screw all the parts together.  I like the photo of the finished product but there is no frame onto which you add pieces
like other domes.....  So how would you get started ?

This kit could be assembled by one person with only one temporary brace. The ground ring is self-supporting as soon as you fasten two panels together, and it would be easy to hold the first two in alignment. The first angled panel would require a 6-8' pole to brace it in place, but once the second angled panel is attached, the assembly is self-supporting.

Oh! Another idea.

What if the sheets, boards, were overlapped like shingles instead of screwed end to end? Maybe that would help to better shed rain. (If you kept adding them on top of each other it might give some insulative value in the end.)

The $100 price is a little outdated. More like $300 now with similar materials. Maybe $500 with the better grade materials that withstand the weather without swelling.

Otherwise, I like it as a pack in shelter that fits in a pickup bed. Build it before you head to your new land, then set it up like a permanent camp.

A roll of zip tape or similar window tape will waterproof the seams. Using the newer osb with weather barrier like zip ( the green or brown or blue sheeting you see when they are building apartments etc) would make it last years in the weather.

The fine print in the instructions you posted says, "it uses ripped 2x4s as edge connectors".

These angles are shown somewhere, but I would suggest a good marking system would be helpful. Choosing the incorrect angle for the wrong connection could make a mess of things quickly.

Would it help if one side of those pieces were attached to the panels before hand? It might make erecting easier, but it would make storage/transport more difficult.

The 3D diagram also pictures the lowest pieces as shorter than in the photograph of the complete structure.

In a storm, a natural disaster, there might be lots of fallen pine trees or other trees.


What if one were to build a frame, then debarked the fallen trees and stapled the bark together with a big stapler, overlapping like shingles?

I notice that, aside from the unavoidable waste from panel geometry, the panels could all be made a couple inches bigger from the 4x8 sheets, making the whole structure maybe 6" bigger in diameter.

I do think that in terms of usable space beyond raw floor square footage, you could get pretty close to the same with ten sheets of plywood making an 8' x 8' cubish structure with a gable roof and 6' eaves and 8' ridge. The parts would be much easier to make and quicker to assemble, and very easy to waterproof. With 12 sheets, you could make an 8' x 10'-8" structure with 6' minimum walls.

Glenn Herbert wrote:I notice that, aside from the unavoidable waste from panel geometry, the panels could all be made a couple inches bigger from the 4x8 sheets, making the whole structure maybe 6" bigger in diameter.

I do think that in terms of usable space beyond raw floor square footage, you could get pretty close to the same with ten sheets of plywood making an 8' x 8' cubish structure with a gable roof and 6' eaves and 8' ridge. The parts would be much easier to make and quicker to assemble, and very easy to waterproof. With 12 sheets, you could make an 8' x 10'-8" structure with 6' minimum walls.

Absolutely. The advantage of the dome is in wind resistance, like in a desert environment. Any other environment, a square box is better.

R Scott wrote:The advantage of the dome is in wind resistance, like in a desert environment. Any other environment, a square box is better.

And tornado and hurricane country. But if high winds are a risk, strapping and stakes or those twist in ground stakes are really important.

If you don't know for sure where you will be building, take a selection of tiedown options. We have a car shelter. It's got a twist in stake, in one location and on two sides, we drilled and screwed a large eyehook into a tree to hold guy wires. We have a lot of rocks, so the twist in stakes are hit and miss. They are very strong in the right ground, but frequently, I simply can't get them to twist in.

And our winds are no where near what can happen in a tornado or hurricane.

The question is whether the emergency shelter is to ride out an extreme event, or shelter after the event. If it has to survive the extreme event, it probably has to be already up and secured, not temporary. The structure described would need much more construction to be even semi-permanently up and in the weather.