Interior Work
Although the outside of a dome attracts a lot of attention,
it's the inside that required the most attention to detail. Although the dome
does not require any interior supports, we needed to frame the interior for separate levels and rooms.
When the framing was complete, the electrical wiring (involving two
separate panels with an external disconnect), the rough plumbing, and the
ductwork for the three furnaces were installed. Also installed were the
speaker wires, TV cables, and phone lines (shown above).
In climates with cold winters, it can be a challenge to
provide sufficient insulation in the dome skin (which has only about 6 inches
of available space). We decided to go with spray foam insulation, which
provides more than enough insulating power, and in addition, provides a built-in
vapor barrier (especially useful because of the indoor pool).
The foam is very rigid, and in fact adds considerably to
the strength of the structure. The excess had to be cut back before drywall could
be installed. We found sturdy bread knives particularly useful for this job.
Hanging the drywall turned out to be a challenge of
trigonometric proportions, reintroducing many concepts that had been encountered
many years before in plane geometry class. Although we ended up trying several,
the yellow plastic protractor shown in the picture turned out to be the most
useful. (G.G. provided moral support.)
In the picture above, Edgar is attaching the last piece of
drywall, a triangle less than 12 inches to a side.
Although we did do some of the taping, it became clear that
it would delay the completion of the house if we were to try to do it all. We
hired a very competent family of tapers, who finished the job in a few weekends.
Much of the floor on the first level was to be ceramic tile,
the installation of which required careful measuring.
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