Geodesic Dome Build - Part 1

In this episode we build our brand new 6.7metre geodesic dome from TruDomes.
We finish the base and construct the framework which takes around 4 hours with 2 people. They recommend having 4 people but unfortunately we are in a national lockdown so can't call upon anyone!
If you have any questions please let us know in the comments!
Connect with us on Facebook and Instagram @tractorsandcream
#glamping #geodesicdome #geodome #selfbuild #trudomes #dome #domelife

[@TractorsandCream]

Watch part 2 here! kzbin.info/www/bejne/fJrNdY2vnJJ0j5I

[@taur6115]

This was more informative than some of the so-called pro build videos I've seen. Thanks!

[@TractorsandCream]

Ah brilliant that's great to know, thank you!

[@TymexComputing]

On Pacific Domes i saw they were building it top-down - just lifting the upper parts - no need to use a ladder :)

[@TractorsandCream]

We saw this after we had built ours! We just followed the manufacturers instructions of building from the bottom but have seen videos of the other way but they seem to use some kind of support in the center. Did they do that with the Pacific domes build?

[@myemail5457]

Geothermal exchange to buried PVC pipe and a fan to move air by pipes, into living spaces. Then passive solar as well as a few panels and batteries. very nice job on your video. Best I've ever seen.

[@TractorsandCream]

Ooh that sounds good and quite high tech! We've learnt so much from people's comments on our videos! Thanks so much for your kind words! Our views and subscribers to our channel are way down at the moment so it's nice to have some lovely comments! Vicki

[@MrSoBlow]

I'm so obsessed with that

[@ثائرالحاجعلي-ج6خ]

رائع وعملي احترفي انا من سوريه حلب

[@TractorsandCream]

شكرا لك على كلماتك الرقيقة.

[@JoshtheJust]

Fantastic work!

[@TractorsandCream]

Thanks!

[@Bashchannel]

Nice system

[@patrickhicks9880]

you make it look like fun to do

[@TractorsandCream]

The first part was quite fun, the second part getting the cover on was pretty stressful!

[@Hood.Housekeeping]

This is really Cool. Your Circles going to be way off with that extra 8cm angle you had on it though. Keep the marker perpendicular to your string. Get a non stretch string as well.

[@TractorsandCream]

Thanks! It was there or there abouts and always needs some adjustment once you get the dome on anyway. But we always learn from any build project! Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment! Vicki

[@appleface9180]

Lovely fun project

[@TractorsandCream]

Thanks! We've got 2 more dome builds coming up this year so lots to look forward to/stress about! 🤣

[@justicetruthvegan83]

Thank you very, very much. Living simply off grid sustainably is a freedom from environmental traps. Please ask the biodome maker to supply only marine grade 316 stainless steel more corrosion resistant durable metal parts.

[@TractorsandCream]

Thanks for watching! This dome manufacturer uses alluminium rather than steel which won't rust at all. and is so much lighter than steel.

[@justicetruthvegan83]

@@TractorsandCream Thanks

[@ianharkins2172]

very cool

[@TractorsandCream]

Thank you!

[@Pitboolia59]

It was really good to get an idea of what it takes to put these together. Love your sweet up and your family. Blessings

[@TractorsandCream]

Thank you!

[@machinistpro140]

painfull to watch . . . but very informative. no mechanical aptitude is necessary, a simple jig saw & adjustable wrench for tools (and a sharpie) and a bit of string. thank you for giving myself and millions of others the confidence to "assemble" a dome

[@TractorsandCream]

Sorry it was painful to watch!

[@ثائرالحاجعلي-ج6خ]

رائع ومفيد جدا وشكرأ

[@bagobonecollective799]

looks fab!

[@TractorsandCream]

Thank you!

[@OtakuLogan2017]

All you need now is gold and silver tokens and a lot of fans

[@BilalAfridi]

Where did you got the structure from !

[@TractorsandCream]

Hi, it came from UK manufacturer Trudomes. Thanks, Vicki

[@odessamaggy3857]

Nice (but no ecologic). Good Job Thanks :-)

[@LosAmigosDeBeba]

i just view all of your videos incredible by any chance do you have the stucture of how you bult the deck for the domes im having trouble how many etc

[@TractorsandCream]

Thank you so much for your kind words! For building a 6.7 metre base we used 3.35m lengths to make a cross in the middle and then spaced each of the next beams about 55cm apart. I think we used about 160 linear metres of timber in the end! Hope that helps, if you want me to draw a picture of the structure for you then let me know. 👍

[@LosAmigosDeBeba]

@@TractorsandCream thank you i show your video like 10 times love the channel!!! thank you for the reply all the way to Tijuana Mexico

[@TractorsandCream]

@@LosAmigosDeBeba wow, Mexico! That's so exciting! My pleasure, always happy to help!

[@faisalhatmi8015]

It's great can you tell me what size iron is cc,a and bb please tell me all the sizes so i can go to detail them

[@TractorsandCream]

Hi, someone else has asked for this too so I need to measure them when we don't have guests in. Will let you know. Vicki

[@anicadimitrova8916]

How much did it cost you to build just the base?

[@TractorsandCream]

Timber is so expensive at the moment so I think it cost just under £1000 for the breeze blocks, 6x2 timber and around 15 sheets of 18mm ply. Thanks, Vicki

[@atoz12325]

Hello, Excellent video..Nicely done :-). I liked it. can I know how much the Just Dome material costs you? Thanks

[@TractorsandCream]

Hi, thanks! This dome cost us £10500 but the insulation was just under £2000, solar vent £400 and wooden door set £700 so if you just wanted the metal poles and cover and zip in door I think the cost is more like £7000 ish. Thanks, Vicki

[@JohnGuest45]

@@TractorsandCream Did you consider fabricating your own dome frames and covers?

[@TractorsandCream]

@@JohnGuest45 hi! We very briefly considered it, but the length of poles and angles put us off. You can get great dome plans online but we just didn't feel confident. We also wanted an alluminium frame as it's lighter and lasts much longer than wood so a kit seemed the best option 😊

[@JohnGuest45]

@@TractorsandCream As an exercise i priced up the cost of materials here in the uk. For a 6.7m 3v 5/9 aluminium frame made from 30mm diameter tubing and a flame retardant 750gsm white cover including the clear window panel at £2750. The frame would only take a few days to fabricate from scratch, the cover would involve hot air welding but its not a difficult skill to master. I estimate the weight of the cover at around 60kg so its little wonder it took so much ummph to pull it into place. I did notice your frame doesnt appear to have a flat base which surprises me. It makes the dome easier to fabricate on a production line as there are only 3 different strut lengths but it also creates an undulating base ring you can see in the video at 10.27. As a hobbiest,i personally wouldnt build any 3v dome without a flat base because there is no difference in the cost and it involves very little extra effort.

[@TractorsandCream]

@@JohnGuest45 wow that's really interesting! Are you going to do it? I get what you mean about a flat base, I hadn't even thought about it! When we thought about building one out of wood we struggled when it came to the cover as I couldn't get my head around how we would do it! We would rather pay the extra to have the kit but if you've got the skills then that's brilliant and you can make quite a big saving!

[@colinstace1758]

Why are the bolts so long ? It's a pain running those nylock nuts 🙂👍

[@TractorsandCream]

They need to be that long to hold the insulation layers on. If you have a quick look at this video about half way through.. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bH69dXxjmsh2b7c you will see how the insulation is layered and sometimes several pieces have to be threaded onto the same bolt so they need to be long. That said, if you aren't having any insulation like in our event dome, they do feel very long!

[@الرائدفيالرياضيات-ب9و]

Hello great job please tell me how to get such tool are you getting these stuff from shop???

[@TractorsandCream]

We buy the domes as a kit and just follow the instructions!

[@walkmansstudio7582]

Hi! Where did you bought the eco dome? I’m trying to find a trusted seller but I’m kind of new of this. Any help will be much appreciated.

[@TractorsandCream]

Hi, we get our domes from Trudomes which are a uk manufacturer. I think they ship all over the world. Our standards in the uk are high for quality and fire safety. We felt happier with one from Uk rather than one imported from China. Which country are you in? Always happy to help! Thanks, Vicki

[@achintamkarmakar]

@@TractorsandCream i want and am from india

[@Mr25thfret]

Lady: "The kids have disappeared..." Kids: Mommy!!!! Get these plywood sheets off us!!!!!!!!

[@TractorsandCream]

🤣🤣 could easily happen!

[@Mr25thfret]

@@TractorsandCream 😂😂

[@efiratcan]

great video thanks. Are all these triangles same ? Or getting smaller in each upper stage ?

[@TractorsandCream]

There are 3 different size struts which make up different sized triangles but the are the same size at the bottom as they are at the top, they don't get smaller as you go up. Are you building your own dome? Thanks, Vicki

[@efiratcan]

@@TractorsandCream Thanks Vicki. So in one dome, all triangles are same. But you have 3 different size struts, so 3 different size domes, is that what you say? Thanks in advance

[@TractorsandCream]

@@efiratcan No, so we have 2 domes, one is 5.8metre and one is 6.7metres. Each dome is made up of 3 different sized struts and different sized triangles, the struts for the larger dome are just longer. Hope that makes sense. Vicki

[@efiratcan]

@@TractorsandCream thanks a lot Vicki, really helped 😊😊

[@mehmetakbas3751]

You can see the original dome and equipment on my channel

[@Serge_rw]

Good job, what is the length of A,B and C struts ? Thanks

[@TractorsandCream]

Thanks! I will have to measure for you once our guests who are in there leave!

[@Serge_rw]

@@TractorsandCream That's so kind of you! thanks

[@JohnGuest45]

The strut lengths from hole center to hole center should be A: 1168mm, B: 1352mm, C: 1382mm. You will need 30x A with 10 degree end angles, 55x B with 12 degree end angles and 80x C with 12 degree end angles. The base radius will be 3297mm and the overall height is just a shade less than 4m (3943mm). Aluminium tube generally comes in a 5m length so you will need 55 lengths. I`d suggest buying 56 lengths which will give you enough tubing (with the offcuts) to build a 2m diameter 2v dome for the kids :)

[@Serge_rw]

@@JohnGuest45 thank you so much John, This is helpful

[@TractorsandCream]

@@JohnGuest45 brilliant thank you. I keep meaning to go and measure but forget every time we have a changeover!

[@zilavymarek]

Is it some dome kit which can be bought? Thank you very much.

[@TractorsandCream]

Yes it is, it's from a UK based manufacturer called TruDomes

[@martinchamberlain9500]

Hi, would you be willing to do this for a friend of mine who wants to build eight of these in the east midlands. He'd be happy to pay.

[@TractorsandCream]

Hi, wow that's exciting! We would love to be involved but I'm not sure we would have the time to come and build 8 of them! Maybe we could come and help with the first one so he knows what he is doing. More than happy for you to put him in touch with us. What dome manufacturer is he using?

[@ruthtettehnyame1234]

And also the radius and diameter of the dome

[@TractorsandCream]

This dome is 7 metres diameter so I guess radius would be 3.5 metres. Thanks! Vicki

[@ruthtettehnyame1234]

What's the name of the material used for the joint

[@TractorsandCream]

Sorry, I missed this comment! Which joint do you mean? We mainly used timber, the brackets were steel and the roof shingles were bitumen

[@shekhar2345678]

great work. can you tell me height of the dome?

[@TractorsandCream]

Hi! Yes of course, it's just over 4 metres at it's highest

[@me8097]

Hello, from which company did you buy this greenhouse?

[@TractorsandCream]

Hi, we bought it from a UK manufacturer called TruDomes www.trudomes.com 😊

[@ثائرالحاجعلي-ج6خ]

انا اريد ان اعمل بهذا المجال

[@TractorsandCream]

إنه أسلوب حياة رائع

[@uncnem]

Hi,, Can you tell me the diameter of the pipes?

[@TractorsandCream]

Hi, I'm not sure but will go out and measure now! 😁

[@dallasblankenfeld6908]

what company did you buy this kit from? can you leave a link?

[@TractorsandCream]

Yes of course, it's Trudomes who are a UK manufacturer www.trudomes.com We aren't affiliate partners or anything, just love the product but would appreciate it if you mentioned us if you speak to them. Thanks! Vicki

[@chadqudrot7525]

Hello from America! Love your Dome good job can you tell me what company you purchased the dome from?

[@TractorsandCream]

Hi! Our domes come from TruDomes who are a UK based manufacturer but ship worldwide. Are you thinking about getting some domes for glamping? Thanks, Vicki

[@chadqudrot7525]

Yes I'm inspired to do one out here in the desert in Arizona thanks!

[@TractorsandCream]

@@chadqudrot7525 ooh that's exciting! We will be releasing videos soon about how we build the bathroom inside and solar panel system to power everything as we are off grid. Always happy to answer any questions you have along the way!

[@chadqudrot7525]

@@TractorsandCream looking forward to those videos always interested in how the interior turns out thx!

[@liammcarthur7572]

@@TractorsandCream Hello, love your vidios. Thinking of ordering a dome for myself. What size was the tent used in this vidio. I see that tru domes have 4.4, 5.8, 6.7 meter domes.

[@leidychacon9907]

Hello, where can I buy and what is the price?

[@TractorsandCream]

Hi! This dome is from TruDomes www.trudomes.com who are UK manufacturers but can ship worldwide. This was £10500 including the dome, cover, insulation, wooden door kit, solar vent and curtains. Hope that helps! Thanks, Vicki

[@ZenWombs]

Could u tell me how much did the dome cost?

[@TractorsandCream]

Hi, yes of course! It was £10,500 including the insulation kit, curtain kit, solar vent and wooden door kit. It's from UK manufacturer Trudomes. Thanks, Vicki

[@ZenWombs]

Thank u so much.

[@uniqueblessed7936]

Hi what size is your dome

[@TractorsandCream]

Hi, this dome is a 6.8 metre diameter. Thanks! Vicki

[@marianaandrews6274]

No floor insulation?

[@TractorsandCream]

Hi! We only operate in the summer so didn't worry about floor insulation but it's definitely a good idea. Thanks, Vicki

[@korea_gardener]

Where buy geodome?? link plz ^^

[@TractorsandCream]

Hi we bought it from UK manufacturer Trudomes www.trudomes.com 👍

[@ylmzcrdn3168]

how many part you use for first floor and rest of it

[@ylmzcrdn3168]

can you share the plans

[@TractorsandCream]

Did you want the plans for the dome or for the wooden base? The dome is from a kit from a company called TruDomes

[@kylewhite4040]

What company did you buy the dome from?

[@TractorsandCream]

Hi, all our domes are from UK based manufacturer Trudomes but they ship worldwide and have a stock in the US. Are you in the UK? Thanks for watching! Vicki

[@kylewhite4040]

@@TractorsandCream I’m in the us! Thanks for the reply

[@reggiechestnut]

HOW MUCH WAS THIS BUILD IN TOTAL ????

[@TractorsandCream]

Hi, the actual dome with the frame, cover, wooden door kit, insulation, curtains and solar vent was around £10,500 but completely finished with the base, decking outside, en-suite bathroom, kitchen, outdoor bath all completely finished was around £25,000 Thanks, Vicki

[@crispyspice2017]

How big is this dome?

[@TractorsandCream]

Hi, this dome is 6.7 metre diameter

[@ruthtettehnyame1234]

What's the name of the material used for the joint

[@TractorsandCream]

Hi, the joints are just a steel bolt and nut connecting the aluminum struts. Hope that helps! Vicki