| Stage 2 |
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| Scaffolding was becoming an issue. |
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| Heights don't bother me. |
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| View from the east, October 1997 |
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| Fastening pointed light gauge metal shields to holes at the vertexes. These pieces are shingled in just like the plywood, and resulted in a waterproof structure as soon as they were installed. |
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| November, 1997 Installing metal ventilator. I had to be decisive here. Winter was coming in quickly, and I was drawn to a design that was simple, strong, and would make snow slide off. |
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| The ventilator (shown with metal chimney) proved to be the surprise in this undertaking. It is steep and slippery. Snow slides off and has difficulty staying on the rest of the dome. The ventilator catches most of the sun radiation in the summer. Underneath the cone shaped ventilator is a trap door which gives me access to the top from inside (how did you think I got up there?). It is opened and shut from below with a simple rope actuated mechanism. The pointed metal parasol eliminated the sealing problems often encountered on the tops of domes. |
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| December, 1997 Work progressed quickly enough that by this time I was inside installing the 5/16" thick Reflectix insulation. We installed the heater in November. |
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| Stage 3 |
January, 1998 On a warm January 5th I am about to cut a 5 ft. round hole into which to push the south facing plate glass window. The glass is set into a 16" deep cylinder frame made of layers of 1/4" plywood.
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Installing the south window. This was a morale booster: we had a beautiful day and the heavy window went in smoothly without falling out the hole. The interior of the upstairs dome changed dramatically.
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May, 1998. We're home! All metabolics are in working order.
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Summer, 1999 Our dome has been dubbed the Pumpkin House by the folk of Calais. The mudroom frame is in place. |
Zometool model of 2x4 framing of Sphere Cottage. |
Wire mesh on mudroom.
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Canvas ceiling and round window are visible.
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November, 2000. Too late to do any more with concrete.
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