Here is DomeGaia's somewhat official statement on aircrete domes and building codes. I like that it is much more positive than my personal view.

First, check with the local building regulations. Usually you can build unpermitted structures up to a certain size. In Hawaii you can build unpermitted up to 200 sqft on residential land, and 600 sqft on ag land.

You may find that it's not a big deal to get your Aircrete structure permitted. People build unconventional permitted structures all the time. Typically a stamp from an engineer licensed in your area is required to release the county of any liability. Here in Hawaii the authorities only interfere if there is a complaint. You could go to your neighbors and show them your plans to build without a permit. If they are like most people, they'll want you to build one for them too!

Unconventional structures, such as Aircrete domes, typically require a stamp of approval from an engineer or architect licensed in your county. This releases the county from liability. You'll have to check with your local building department for specifics. Your building department may even recommend an engineer or architect to you.

I will be documenting and posting my build and experiences. I want this tech to spread. We are all relatively new to this and we are all learning. I will be soaking up all knowledge and experiences I can get.

@biggz-almighty Maryland is long. Where in Md? I live in Alexandria, Va.

@zander Yep I know the feeling. Kinda makes A.I. look redundant. All customer service these days seems to go this way in some variant or other. Guess the way it looks to me is two fold. The consumer generaly is left feeling pretty darned frusterated. And the CORPERATION gets off scott free. Often because by the time you get to the end you cannot be bothered. Insuch matters a human touch is needed. Something our world and its people is bereft of. and it certainly shows in the way many interact. Good on you for at least trying to get it sussed.

That's what I was thinking - The slopes that I'm concerned about are far from any running water. Using aircrete in a tire would replace using concrete or stone in a tire and to me the prime advantages would be fewer bags of cement and a much lighter mass to move around.

@Zander Got to love this. And Yep all things get stored I often wonder how much junk must be stored in order to find one gem of usefull information. Ok I think a better method is to finish a vid and link thru youTube. Great stuff happening here I wish I could effortlessly share it. But alas nope However the key note is never stop trying 🙂

your welcome 🙂

@Zander Now that is a clever way to make and store ice. The persians truly were inovative. I wonder if one could scale this down to sutable size?

Perhaps it is time for us to find a structural engineer to help pave the way going forward? Ultimately the truth lies somewhere between the engineer and greed. As it is now the timber industry stands to loose and has lobbied to make laws that keep them in a position to thrive. This along with the steel industry and several other monopolies. These are the bigger part of the impasse when it comes to building with Aircrete. We people now must decide; Humanity vs Extinction. Our politicians have enslaved many both wittingly and unwittingly and by fear of law reversed the will of almost every man and woman on the planet. I cannot readily solve this difficulty nor can I fix California. Here where I am however I am free to build. Thus build I shall. If they attempt to block the way I would still build. whatever it takes. I would like to close this by illuminating something I have learned well. i started out as a wrangler. A big part of my duty was to get up early saddle up and go retrieve a large remuda of horses (Alone) I would move those horses down a mountain and into a small coral where they would be made ready for work. I learned quick that if the remuda did not want to go into that coral it was a great trick to get them in. We as people have allowed a select few politicians and lawmakers to force us into such a coral and the gate is all but shut. Perhaps we might learn from those horses and buck. Should we ever in mass do so the coral gate will fall and no politician will ever stop us again. We could all become the change that many seek. Imagine what can be then seek it out 🙂 Cheers Steve and be encouraged not discouraged.

Hi Jenny,
You have a great idea, and I think dome houses in Sedona are a perfect idea. For desert living, you will need very thick walls to get an “R” value high enough for the hot weather. You could also look into adding two inches of “closed cell spray foam insulation “ to the outside which will give the required moisture barrier as well as the needed insulation. Lastly, and this is the real problem....is most cities are not accepting Aircrete as a material worthy for construction even though it is used throughout the world with no problems. You would have to get a structural engineer to sign off on your plans when submitting them, and then you might have a chance. I’m going to try this in California, as soon as I can find a structural engineer that will do this. Anybody reading this post....do you know of one?

@timothyjdube Sounds like you may have something in common with this post:
http://forum.domegaia.com/topic/21/help-with-building-a-temple-to-explore-sound

@Talyn71 Did those plans get approved?

Well, I love my land, I can afford some red tape if need be, but I would like to have my electricity from the pole and not by generator. That requires approval from society. I obtained the copy of the plans for Steve's Dome from domegia, and the needed details are just not there. It looks like I will pretty much have to have the entire dwelling drawn up and engineered and you are probably right, throwing the cost right out of the ballpark. I would love to build this myself but I am getting old and if it takes 10 years I'll be lucky to lift an aircrete block by then. Thanks for the reply, and I agree with the theory.

Some of the domes will be all aircrete. Others will be a mix of cement and aircrete.

@ignachos Totally agree with you. I loved the idea too. Then I did it a few times.. Great job for indoors with hired help LOL

Try it! Make something. I'm not trying to discourage.

@ignachos I helped build a radiant floor using pure earthen plaster. It's fabulous. If I were to attempt it now I think I would use a base layer of aircrete like @wrenchmonkey is talking about. I imagine cutting grooves into the aircrete and laying the tubes in the grooves.

@CaiRocke

We are currently building a dome in St.. Petersburg. If you wish to check it out give me a call, 727-599-6926, Jeremiah

@glenna What is "ank"?

@HandyDan I like the Fairy Tale of R value. That is, it is entertaining to read about. I agree with the point the article is making.