The Yorkie Dome

Named for what?

Yorkshire Terriers – the playful, frisky, cute pups Glenna Crockett raises in her Monolithic Dome home in Mesa, Arizona!

“But that’s okay,” Glenna said. “It’s actually very fitting because my Yorkies helped me pay for my dome.”

Built in 2007, that dome has a diameter of 42 feet, a height of 25 feet, a living area of 2067 square feet, and three levels topped by a cupola.

Fascination spurs determination

Glenna said that her interest in Monolithic Domes began in 1993 with a casual tour of Xanadu, a colorful, 9-dome Monolithic complex in Sedona, Arizona. “I walked in and was immediately fascinated,” Glenna said. “The good feeling was just unbelievable. I loved the safeness of the stone walls.”

Glenna contacted Monolithic and began attending its Conferences. Glenna said, "I attended three conferences, went to all the classes, gathered all the literature and everything I could about domes, especially Monolithic Domes. It led to a determination to one day live in a Monolithic Dome home.

“I became committed and totally focused,” she continued. “I covered a large, round table top with plastic and laid out my plans for my dome-home – including the placement of furniture. But years went by before I had the money to buy the land and build.”

New role: General Contractor

At one of Monolithic’s Conferences, Glenna met Dan Sutterfield, an independent dome-shell builder.

“We actually had lunch together,” Glenna said. “The restaurant was very crowded. The only vacant chair was at Dan’s table and he invited me to sit down. So we began talking. Years later when I had the land and money, I called him. He remembered me and I sent him my blueprints.” She also sent those blueprints to two other builders, but she felt most comfortable with Dan.

Glenna said, “I didn’t have a lot of money, so I knew that I had to be my own general contractor. That was the only way I could do it. I thought I could yell at those guys and keep them in line just as good as anyone.”

But it wasn’t quite that easy, once the dome shell was completed and Glenna had to find other professionals for all the finish work. She said, “The guys doing the finishing had never done any dome work. And they wouldn’t listen to me – not even when I passed on information from Dan. They wouldn’t take my instructions. They wouldn’t believe that I had been studying domes for 13 years and knew what I was talking about.”

Poor workmanship got corrected only after Glenna contacted state licensing bureaus and got them to back her up. “But I did save $17,000 by being my own general contractor. If you have the determination, you can do it – even if you’re a single woman.” she said.

Yorkie Dome

It’s located on what is designated as a county island in a semi-rural area just outside of Mesa. Glenna’s home, one of just five, is the only dome and acts as a landmark for first-time visitors to her or her neighbors’ homes. She said, “My neighbors just tell people to look for the dome. Of course they all like it. I don’t have any problems. They have all toured the inside and been wowed.”

Glenna is pleased with her utility bills. She described her 5-ton HVAC unit as “an overkill for my dome” but got it when it became available through a friend for a bargain price. “I’m very frugal,” she said. “I unplug everything that doesn’t have to be plugged in 24/7. The lowest power bill I ever had in the dome was $36 but they usually run about $121.”

A room of their own

Glenna said she is both pleased and happy with her dome. So are her Yorkies – and why shouldn’t they be? At Yorkie Dome, they have a room of their own, complete with upper and lower levels, staircases, toys and a door to their own big play yard.