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Project: Petra, owned by David and Andrea Holmes, Fosston, Minnesota
All Aspects of the job being done by our family
Excavation of our site began 2 years before
construction began so the ground was well
settled when we began to build. We began with a
46’ diameter by 26’ high fabric form. We
propped it up and sprayed in the coating with the
blower on to ventilated the fumes (solvent based
urethane coating). When we reached the top pf
the fabric form, the structure inflated. We re-
coated and made sure that the fabric form was
completely sealed over the next couple days
allowing time for a complete cure. After spraying
the foam, we proceeded on to the other 46’
diameter dome. We attached an inflation tube
from the first dome to inflate the second one.
We followed the same procedure on the second
dome as the first one. We then unhooked both
air locks and and inflated the last dome between
the other two. After foaming the center dome,
we laid out all the openings, installing some of
the window and door bucks on the first floor.
Click thumbnail to enlarge
Click thumbnail to enlarge
Click thumbnail to enlarge
We screwed Styrofoam strips for temporary
termination lines where cutting out openings
and installation of dormers or others types of
overhangs with walls for windows. We installed
the re bar hangers on the outside of the foam
and sprayed the first layer of shotcrete (3/4
inch for the first 16 feet and 1/2 inch thich up
top. Over some of the larger openings, we
installed some re bar into the first coat to
build strength for carrying the heavy load
overhead when we would embed the re bar in 1
pass. We finished with this process of the first
coat at the beginning of winter. We turned off
the blowers after 1 1/2 days; we were set for
winter. That winter we hung all the re bar. It
actually was another 1 1/2 years til we had the
money to spray in the re bar. The structure
showed no signs of settling or stress cracking
from end to end. On the outside we added a lot
of foam where the domes joined and ended up
cutting up into it to gain more clearance
for our hallway on the second floor. We added
up to 24 inches of foam on the outside at the
joint , sanding out the exterior, then applying a
urethane base coat. The pictures are not in
exact sequence as we sprayed 2 1/2 inches of
foam onto a gravel base outside to protect the
footing from frost before we sprayed in the re
bar. We sealed it well to the dome with urethane
caulk then encapsulated it all with shotcrete to
protect it from rodents. We backfilled over it
with about a foot of dirt. Before this we
roughed in our conduits and pipes for power and
sewer. We sprayed in the re bar with shotcrete
in the fall of 09, unhooked the air lock, installed
one entrance door. We are set for winter! We
won’t need the air lock any more to spray the
finish coat that we will trowel and sponge float.
We built molds and cast window and door
overhangs for windows and doors. We still
need 3 more molds to cast 5 dormers. After
installing these and tying them into the
structure, spraying in the ledge (corbels) and
spraying the finish coat, it will really start
looking like a house. Watch for the sumer of
2010 to see some good progress!
Here it is in April of 2010 and we finished out
some more window overhangs and started
mounting them on the domes. We initially
stuck them up with some lower density closed
cell foam. Later we will spray a large fillet
weld of 3# foam and sand it all out.
Project: Petra, Owned by David and Andrea Holmes, Fosston, Minnesota
All aspects of the job done by the Holmes Family
Click thumbnail to enlarge
We seem to be throwing up more
overhangs these days. don’t mind that
the foam looks a little rough. We
attached with some 1.8# foam until we
could get a set of 3# foam in. We’ll
spray a wide pass of 3# foam and sand it
out later. It’s starting to look like a
house! My wife is getting excited! Notice
the interior shot ready for the ledge
with the plywood top ready to be
sprayed in. This is where the floor joists
will sit for the second story. When we
have all the overhangs and dormers
attached we’ll bend the re bar out into
them (the ones that need walls) and tie
them into the structure with concrete.
Then we’ll be ready for the finish coat
that we’ll trowel and sponge float. The
last 4 pictures help us look forward to
spring and sumer during the long winters
up north (compliments of the web
builder software)
Where Portable and Permanent Meet
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Project: Petra, owned by David and Andrea Holmes, Fosston, Minnesota
All Aspects of the job being done by our family
Excavation of our site began 2 years before
construction began so the ground was well
settled when we began to build. We began with a
46’ diameter by 26’ high fabric form. We
propped it up and sprayed in the coating with the
blower on to ventilated the fumes (solvent based
urethane coating). When we reached the top pf
the fabric form, the structure inflated. We re-
coated and made sure that the fabric form was
completely sealed over the next couple days
allowing time for a complete cure. After spraying
the foam, we proceeded on to the other 46’
diameter dome. We attached an inflation tube
from the first dome to inflate the second one.
We followed the same procedure on the second
dome as the first one. We then unhooked both
air locks and and inflated the last dome between
the other two. After foaming the center dome,
we laid out all the openings, installing some of
the window and door bucks on the first floor.
Click thumbnail to enlarge
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
Click thumbnail to enlarge
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
Click thumbnail to enlarge
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
We screwed Styrofoam strips for temporary
termination lines where cutting out openings
and installation of dormers or others types of
overhangs with walls for windows. We installed
the re bar hangers on the outside of the foam
and sprayed the first layer of shotcrete (3/4
inch for the first 16 feet and 1/2 inch thich up
top. Over some of the larger openings, we
installed some re bar into the first coat to
build strength for carrying the heavy load
overhead when we would embed the re bar in 1
pass. We finished with this process of the first
coat at the beginning of winter. We turned off
the blowers after 1 1/2 days; we were set for
winter. That winter we hung all the re bar. It
actually was another 1 1/2 years til we had the
money to spray in the re bar. The structure
showed no signs of settling or stress cracking
from end to end. On the outside we added a lot
of foam where the domes joined and ended up
cutting up into it to gain more clearance
for our hallway on the second floor. We added
up to 24 inches of foam on the outside at the
joint , sanding out the exterior, then applying a
urethane base coat. The pictures are not in
exact sequence as we sprayed 2 1/2 inches of
foam onto a gravel base outside to protect the
footing from frost before we sprayed in the re
bar. We sealed it well to the dome with urethane
caulk then encapsulated it all with shotcrete to
protect it from rodents. We backfilled over it
with about a foot of dirt. Before this we
roughed in our conduits and pipes for power and
sewer. We sprayed in the re bar with shotcrete
in the fall of 09, unhooked the air lock, installed
one entrance door. We are set for winter! We
won’t need the air lock any more to spray the
finish coat that we will trowel and sponge float.
We built molds and cast window and door
overhangs for windows and doors. We still
need 3 more molds to cast 5 dormers. After
installing these and tying them into the
structure, spraying in the ledge (corbels) and
spraying the finish coat, it will really start
looking like a house. Watch for the sumer of
2010 to see some good progress!
Here it is in April of 2010 and we finished out
some more window overhangs and started
mounting them on the domes. We initially
stuck them up with some lower density closed
cell foam. Later we will spray a large fillet
weld of 3# foam and sand it all out.
Project: Petra, Owned by David and Andrea Holmes, Fosston, Minnesota
All aspects of the job done by the Holmes Family
)
)
)
)
)
)
Click thumbnail to enlarge
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
We seem to be throwing up more
overhangs these days. don’t mind that
the foam looks a little rough. We
attached with some 1.8# foam until we
could get a set of 3# foam in. We’ll
spray a wide pass of 3# foam and sand it
out later. It’s starting to look like a
house! My wife is getting excited! Notice
the interior shot ready for the ledge
with the plywood top ready to be
sprayed in. This is where the floor joists
will sit for the second story. When we
have all the overhangs and dormers
attached we’ll bend the re bar out into
them (the ones that need walls) and tie
them into the structure with concrete.
Then we’ll be ready for the finish coat
that we’ll trowel and sponge float. The
last 4 pictures help us look forward to
spring and sumer during the long winters
up north (compliments of the web
builder software)
