Augments and Bracing — Here is a 20’ wide augment and bracing on the right to make form straight for 12’ high windows.
The Singer Dome: A Story of Perseverance
Making a new friend
I met William Singer in 1995, first by phone, then through the Monolithic Workshop he attended, and we have talked considerably since then. I am guessing that William was sixty plus when we first met, and, of course, the years piled on us all.
After graduating from that Workshop, William, one of those independent guys who makes things happen, built his own dome-home. He began at his home in Hale, Missouri by making his own equipment. While at the Workshop, he examined the equipment we were making and decided that, with his experience at John Deere Manufacturing, he could make a concrete pump. And he did!
He later told me that was a mistake because it took far too long. But he got it done, and he then decided to design and build his own fifty-foot-diameter dome-home.
A big family project
After getting the building up, purchasing a foam machine and spraying the polyurethane, William and Beverly, his wife, invited family to help tie the rebar and spray the concrete.
William said, "All were very willing. One grandson lifted every bag of cement into the mixer for the main dome. My oldest son ran the bobcat to load the mixer and was in charge of getting the mix correct. His wife then unloaded the mixer and ran the concrete pump.
“Another grandson ran the electric lift to move me around as I shot the concrete on the wall. We could not have done it without their help.”
Success
It often amazes me how many people, if they have something go wrong, just quit. They refuse to work hard. But not the Singers. They just got tough and finished it. And now they have something to be very proud of: their home.
Attached Dome — This smaller dome is 20′ × 13′ high and juts 13.5 feet out from main dome.
Large Augment — It is handy to have big openings.
Article — The New Madrid Earthquake Fault Zone is in the center of America. In 1812, the new Madrid earthquake was the worst earthquake America had seen. This is another excellent reason to build a Monolithic Dome home.
News Article — William Singer’s neighbors conventional home failed to protect from fire.
Almost done — Windows will go all around cupola
Web of steel — Windows in the floor of the top of the augment. A circular stair case will go in the round hole.