Dome Home Second Floor Support

Summary: Dome Homes are extremely delicate structures and require careful, professional engineering for specific structural loads. David Moore, AIA

Hi David

I am designing a 50 ft diameter dome with second floor.

My questions are about supporting the second level floor.

What kind of system offers the largest span?

Since the dome offers a 50 ft free span, I hate to break up the first floor with a lot of pillars or walls.

I will have a 16ft wide master suite on the first floor, and laundry and guest bath.

All will be on the outside walls, with great room/kitchen on the other side and in the middle.

Would a couple of pillars work OK in conjunction with the bearing wall of the bedrooms?

What would you recommend?

Thank you,

Michael


Michael,

The second floor could be suspended from the dome if the structure is designed to support it. Otherwise, plywood web joists can span 50'.

The dome must also be engineered to support the edge of the second floor, or you will need a ring of columns around the perimeter.

Domes are extremely delicate structures and require careful, professional engineering for your specific structural loads. Try this Wikipedia link for an informative article about loads.

You should not construct a dome without an engineer.

Good luck with your project,

David Moore, AIA
originalhome.com

Dear Readers,

Do you have a question for David?

Click here to Ask the Architect.

Carl

Modifying Home Plans Made Easy

Here’s a fun home plan site. You can actually play with, and make small modifications to a few of the plans on the web site Original Home Plans...Read the rest of the article HERE.


Photo Courtesy of Original Home Plans

Great site…Beautiful Homes!
Carl
Tip: Read my article "How to Read House Plans"

Complicated House Design

Carl,

I hired an architect who designed a rather complicated house.

It has 1887 sq. ft. but has over 1200 sq. ft. of glass--much of it 11'-14' tall.

The house has 18 corners.

The floors are designed as steel with lightweight concrete and the roof is steel with lightweight concrete.

The walls of the house are split-faced concrete block with wood studs on the inside to hold the insulation and wiring.

The inside ceiling is fire-proof plaster.

Is this type of building out of the skill range of me, as the owner-builder?

Should I be afraid and run for my life or can I find skilled craftsmen who
can complete this house without me knowing these somewhat specialized skills?

Thanks

Richard

Hi Richard,

You have good reason to worry and are wise to do so.

Your home design is not what I would consider a home building project for a novice General Contractor.

Here is a complicated house that sort of matches your description. I wanted my readers to get an idea of what I think you are talking about. Photo courtesy of NeatHome.net

You should plan on hiring your architect to oversee construction whether or not you act as the General Contractor or hire one.

You could hire a “Site Supervisor” or “Construction Manager” to assist you in being your own General Contractor.

A company called UBuildIt has a ready made program you should look into.

It is a home building program whereby you remain the General Contractor while a UBuildIt professional (and licensed) General Contractor provides, schedules, and supervises the subcontractors (skilled professionals).

According to UBuildIt, they also have numerous lenders who will loan construction money to UBuildIt clients…a definite plus in the current lending environment.

You might also want to consider hiring a General Contractor (builder) to build the home under a “Fixed Price Contract”. This is the most expensive way to go. Your architect should be able to recommend a General Contractor (builder) …choose wisely.

Good luck,

Carl

A House Should be Designed for the Lot

Carl,

We have a 3 bedroom side split house.

We have an outside walk-in to the basement at the back of house. You walk off the back patio past the kitchen window go down 5 steps, and on your left is the basement. There is a bathroom window above and to the left of the basement entry area

This basement entry area has an end wall and a side wall of cement with iron railing going around the edges.

In the bottom of the basement entry area is a drain for water.

This works great until we get a really hard rain that comes fast, sometimes the water can not get away fast enough and I have water in the recreation room.

We would like to put a roof over this walk-in but we are not sure how to go about this. We are looking for ideas.

Carol

Hi Carol,

I would guess you have been living with this problem since you moved into the house. The problem has probably existed since the house was built, as the problem basically, is a result of the builder and/or the developer not planning or designing the right house for the right lot.

Typical Split Level Home

A split level home (side split) should always be built so that any entry is above finished grade level. Having the lower level entry above grade is easiest to accomplish by building the one story level into the side of a hill. (See above) This is one of the reasons for the design of a split level, to accommodate hills.

So now, keeping the water away from your house has become your responsibility.

Keeping the water away from any house is the NUMBER 1 rule of stopping all water problems in any house.

I assume (it’s dangerous to assume) that you have taken care of (eliminated) water run off from roofs, sidewalks, and the back yard with (operational) gutters with extended downspouts, and grading the yard and walkways to drain away from the foundation.

Your idea for a roof may work if you have taken care of the above.

Ideally, you would want a roof that does not block out light yet can do the job.

Sounds like a job for a glass roof.

Here is an example I found. It’s not a split level home, but it looks like the owner may have had the same problem as you.

Photo Courtesy of Sun Design

You can find other examples I’m sure, but you will probably have to have your roof custom made as this one was.

Perhaps a design similar to the shed roof over the front door in the 1st (top) photo above might work. (You might even be able to build one yourself).

Either way, you’ll have to design it with that bathroom window in mind. That shouldn’t be a big problem.

Good luck,
Carl

Home & Landscape Design Software Sale

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You SAVE $1,300!! WOW!

52 Featured Home Plans with Video Tours!

Dear Readers,

Thinking about building a new home?

HousePlanCentral.com has been providing online house plans since 2003.

They are a small, family owned and operated business that provides superior customer service.

HousePlanCentral.com is available to receive your phone calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

The site even features a modification tool that enables you to draw changes you might wish to make to a home plan…WOW!

You’ll find great tips, articles and resources on everything from designs to mortgages.

And, there are 52 Featured Plans with Video Tours...another WOW!

Visit them today why don’t you,

Carl

Building a Small House

Hi Carl,
We were told we could build a 800 sq ft home on our property and were wondering
how much it would cost and what it includes…the total package.

We would use subcontractors like you mentioned, but are wondering about things like septic, electrical, plumbing, etc. and what you get when building a small house.

This would be for our children and grandson…or else they will leave the state.
Lawnie

Hi Lawnie,

I hope that you were told you could build a second residence on your property by the “right” people.

The right people would be the building inspection department and the zoning department for your locale.

As for the house, the small size would cost a little more per sq. ft. just as home additions do. I have mentioned this on several articles on room additions. (See Cost of Home Additions)

But, if you hire good subcontractors the quality and thoroughness of their work would be no different than if building a big house.

COOL House Plan ID: chp-26434

Number of Bedrooms: 2
Number of Bathrooms: 1.0
Width of House: 30 feet Depth of House: 36 feet
Total Living Area: 800 sq. ft.
Foundation Types available for this plan: Slab or Crawlspace

COOL House Plan ID: chp-26434

I don’t know where you are located so I picked Bowling Green KY to calculate a rough estimate.

Using the Cost to Build Calculator found on my Getting Started page this attractive and functional 800 sq ft house came in at $68,112 or $85 per sq ft.

Here is a breakdown of the building costs. Click on the image to enlarge.

Click on the image to enlarge

It includes the General Contractor markup in case you decide to go that route.

I chose the least expensive “Quality Class” for this initial estimate.

Keep in mind this just a rough estimate of the cost to build.

Until you get your actual subcontractor bids and material estimates or a Total Fixed Price Contract with a General Contractor you won’t have a more accurate total cost.

I think that what you are planning on doing for your children and grandchildren is wonderful.

Good luck,

Carl

Home Design and Trees

Carl, do you have any ideas for building a house with an eastern oak tree in the
middle of the property…like a U shaped house?

The Oak Tree towers over a 1 story house right now and, because it’s only an 820 sq. ft home and I want to add on, I think a U shape house can be built around the tree.

Do you have any other suggestions? (I do not want to cut the tree down.)

Nazly

Hi Nazly

As much as I love trees, I would never (again) design a house around a tree!

Sooner or later the tree will die, or become a hazard.

Home Design

Becomes a Hazard

Even with extreme care, the construction activity around the oak tree may (probably will) weaken the tree's root structure and cause or contribute to its early demise.

Consult with a landscape architect for advice on how to utilize the beauty of your tree without creating a future problem.

Then, hire a local home designer to implement your scheme.

A local home designer can and should visit your property to properly envision this scheme.

A U shaped home is just one of many ways to utilize the beauty of the oak tree while the tree is still alive.

My motto is, “It doesn’t cost much more to do it right”.

Remember, I learned everything the hard way so that you (all of you) would not have to.

Carl

10 Foot Ceilings Add more Than Height

Dear Carl,

We are undertaking a new home building project.

Our first floor walls are 10' high and our second story is 9' high with a 9' high basement. We have been told that for a house with these ceiling heights a 2 x 6 system would be preferable but not required and certainly more expensive.

Some issues I've seen discussed are twisting of the studs and an overall sturdier "feel" to the house.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Alex

Hi Alex,

Ten foot ceilings are used today for aesthetic reasons and they are without a doubt striking.

You or your builder should check with your local building inspection department as to whether or not code requires 2 x 6 stud walls.

However, the twisting, bowing, cupping, warping, or “kicking out” of studs is caused by the stud(s) drying and shrinking and is not eliminated by using 2 x 6 studs.

No matter where you (or your contractors) buy lumber, studs will either contain moisture when they arrive at the job site or will absorb moisture during construction, or both…this is a fact.

Drawing courtesy of Renovation Headquarters

To prevent, or at least control the above stud maladies, we always use “blocking” (see drawing) to control the movement of the studs as they dry. Actually, we "double block", that is, use 2 rows of blocking...and 3 rows on 10 foot walls!...we are GOOD!

Drying can take over a year and doesn’t even start until after the house is finished. Nail pops and drywall cracks are the major consequences of the drying process.

Whether there is a sturdier “feel” for 2 x 6 walls or not, I don’t know as I have never felt it…except in my wallet.

Besides their initial extra cost, 2 x 6 walls require extra deep window and door jambs and extra wall insulation, and, believe it or not, an actual loss of floor space.

But I think a few extra costs you may not be aware of are that ten foot ceilings aesthetically require 8 foot doors, jambs and casings, and taller windows, jambs and casings, …at least that’s what I’m used to seeing. This creates considerable extra costs as you will be buying "non standard" items.

Another extra cost you will incur with 10 foot ceilings is an increase in HVAC system(s) requirements...think cubic feet, not square feet.

I always price, or have priced, all my options before making any decisions.

That’s my advice.

Good luck,

Carl

American Housing Survey Data Just Released

I found this HUD report quite interesting.

Some of the information should be useful to you in planning and designing your new home, renovation, or addition.

Enjoy,
Carl

By Jann Swanson, mortgagenewsdaily.com, July 6, 2010

• There are 130,112 million residential housing units in the U.S. and 86 percent of those are occupied…Only 68 percent are owner-occupied!

• The median (1/2 larger, ½ smaller) size of an occupied home is 1,800 square feet. Newer Homes are usually larger, with a median size of 2,300 square feet.

• Yards are shrinking! Median lot size for single-family homes is 0.27 acres.

• Three bedrooms are becoming more and more common.

• About half of homes (48 percent) have a separate dining room.

• 35 percent have a functioning fireplace.

• Read the complete summary report…here

Landscaping Doesn’t Have To Be Expensive, Just Well Planned

Dear Readers, This is Really Cool!...Carl

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Resale Value

We are building our own home that we may resell.

Can we expect more money from installing natural gas utilities or by just pointing out that natural gas is available?

Henry

Henry,

No, you can’t expect more money for installing natural gas utilities (utilities = heating, hot water, & cooking, etc.). Nor can you expect more money for installing electric utilities.

Utilities of one kind or the other are expected by a potential buyer and an appraiser gives no plus or minus $ adjustment for one or the other when comparing prior sales in the area.

What you can expect if you do resell and you “picked” the utility that is popular at the time as well as for the area in which you built, is potentially a quicker sale.

You are wise to wonder in the planning stage if something will later affect resale value.

Check with a Realtor who specializes in the area in which you are building and find out which is more popular.

If you still aren’t sure which is more popular, gas or electric, or you want one or the other for your own personal use, install one and prep the house for the other…not too costly to do during construction.

Good Luck,
Carl

Concrete Block and Stucco - CBS Homes

Hi Carl,

I enjoy your web site a great deal.

I’m in carpentry school (in Seattle) because I would like to build my own house.

The problem I am concerned about is that carpentry school teaches wood framing.

Will my skills as a carpenter be applicable in Port St. Lucie, Florida, an area where CBS is the standard method of construction?

Thanks much,

Barry

Note to Readers: CBS Stands for Concrete Block and Stucco or Concrete Block Structure. Because of hurricane resistant building codes, there are many CBS homes in FL... Carl

Hi Barry,

Yes, your skills as a carpenter will be applicable. There is much more to a CBS home than the concrete block.

Courtesy of the Tamure Corporation

CBS uses concrete blocks for the exterior walls and there is more to building a house and to carpentry than putting up stud walls as everyone can see from this cutaway of a CBS home.

Your carpentry skills will be invaluable throughout any home building project including CBS homes, steel frame homes, log homes, etc.

Besides all the actual carpentry such as roofs, furring out the block walls for drywall, interior and exterior trim, stairs, etc., a good carpenter has “vision”…vision to imagine 2 dimensional in 3-D, vision to see the completed house throughout every stage and step of construction, vision to make things “work out” when the home designer “screwed up”…and much, much more.

In my opinion, a good carpenter who knows many (if not all) the “tricks of the trade”) is the most important person in any home building process.

Carl

Post Frame Construction

Carl,

I am considering building a home using Post Frame construction on a basement, similar to what Morton Buildings uses. The vertical posts are attached to the top of the foundation wall using metal anchor brackets. What are the drawbacks, if any, to this type of construction?

Thank you,

Ahrens

Hi Ahrens,
For those unfamiliar with the term Post Frame Construction, Post Frame, or Timber framed, construction involves using large posts and beams to form the structure of the home. The frame of these homes is usually self-supporting and doesn't need load bearing interior walls thus allowing large open spaces within the structure.

A few of the advantages of PFC (Post Frame Construction) are large open spaces & striking design.

Courtesy of Vermont Timber Works

The few disadvantages are:

1. The building’s design must be an “engineered design”. Your building inspection department will require this to be so…as should you.

(Before any reader writes and says that’s BS, that farmers have been building barns using PFC for centuries without an engineer involved, let me say this; barns have been know to collapse and most barns are built without getting a building inspection department involved.)

2. It takes a more experienced (with PFC) carpentry crew to build a PFC home, just like it takes a more experienced crew to build a log home, steel framed home, etc...This translates into more money.

3. Electricians also need to have more experience, PFC or Log home experience would help, because the wiring in the exterior walls will not be conventional.

4. Insulation will be more expensive (thicker), BUT more energy efficient. You can even use Structured Insulated Panels (SIPs).

"The vertical posts are attached to the top of the foundation wall using metal anchor brackets." 

Courtesy of Morton Buildings, Inc.

Here’s an excellent source of information from The American Wood Council on Post Frame construction.
Good luck,
Carl