Katie Hoehl

Thanks for the input. I figured there might be a reason I hadn't seen this particular type of building before, but I thought I'd get some advice anyhow.
I like that reciprocal roof, it makes me think of a rather flat teepee (lol)Does it work only for perfect circles, or are other shapes possible? (oval, ellipse, etc)

Ah, I had considered that the structure would need to be entirely waterproof, but it did not occur to me that all that water has to go somewhere...Which ends up right at the foundation.
I have seen geodesic domes built in very rainy areas--how are they dealing with the water flow directly to the base?

We're moving soon, probably to property with no house, and I'd like to make something with alternative methods (we don't have much cash, to be honest) Probably earthbags.
It looks to me that the most expensive part of building with natural methods is when you try to put a traditional roof on it. So, my thought is to cut out the need for traditional roofing by doing something like this:

Is there anything about this design that would present problems, either in building it or over time? Will earthbags be ok in this configuration? Or should I just do earthbags for the vertical walls, and perhaps cement bricks for the arches? I've heard some people say that traditional stucco is what they use for domes, so I imagine that's what I'd use for the entire exterior?
Location would be east Texas. Not sure particularly where, we're still hunting for that perfect plot of land.

I'm considering building a cob house with as little outside bought material as possible. Both for financial reasons, and I really like the idea of creating a home from materials that come from my own land. My husband, however, isn't convinced. He's worried about how tough and waterproof it will be.
Can you water-mop an earthen floor? If something really greasy and nasty ends up on the floor, could I use a scrub brush or would that dig into the floor? What sort of soap would you use? I currently use Murphy's oil soap on my antique wood floors, would that work?
If the floor is properly tamped down, will dog nails scratch the floor? What about doggie 'accidents'? Or if someone drags their feet or wears spike heels? I understand it is easy to repair yourself, but I don't want that to be a new daily job...