That may be very difficult to determine if you live in an unusual home.

A bank will only finance a home for less than or equal to it's value and if you can't determine the value, well then, I guess they can't finance.

-renee

Are there other "dome" homes near where you are planning on buying?

These are usually very unique properties. It's very hard to figure out the value of a very unique property.

If this is what you really want, you'll need to probably put down a substantial down payment 40 to 50% and find a local lender who is familiar with the area, or that you have a banking relationship with.

The shape of a dome house makes it difficult to conform to code requirements for placement of sewer vents and chimneys. Off-the-shelf building materials normally come in rectangular shapes.

Windows conforming to code can cost anywhere from five to fifteen times as much as windows in conventional houses.

Air stratification and moisture distribution within a dome are unusual, and these conditions tend to quickly degrade wooden framing or interior paneling. Privacy is difficult to guarantee because a dome is difficult to partition satisfactorily. Sounds, smells, and even reflected light tend to be conveyed through the entire structure.

Dome builders find it hard to seal domes against rain, because of their many seams and because solar heat flexes the entire structure each day as the sun moves across the sky.

Sounds like fun, but also sounds like headaches.

I can't imagine how difficult every day living must be. No flat walls to put bookcases on, etc. If you buid right angles into the structure you're going to eat up a ton of square footage.

I think the banks are trying to say, we won't finance them because they're WEIRD!

Now, the geo dome at EPCOT, THAT one I'd live in any day, if they'd let me...

I doubt I would buy a geodesic home myself, but for the record, R. Buckminster Fuller is one of my personal heroes. In fact, as I write this, I have a large, framed print of his "Dymaxion Airocean World" on the wall right above my desk.

He was ahead of his time 50 years ago, still is today, and IMO, probably still will be 50 years from now. Have you ever considered a less ambitious, geodesic vacation home?

Best of luck to you, whatever you ultimately decide.

You might want to check on some website that sell the dome homes. I think several of them lists mortgage companies that will finance dome homes. They may be willing to finance a purchase of a not-so-new dome home. Also find out the seller's mortgage company. Wonder if they charge a higher interest rate because it's not a "standard house"?

You probably will need a large down-payment. I'd be sure to get a really good home inspector and hopefully the bank or a dome builder can recommend one experienced with dome homes. We have 2 dome homes in our area and both are in disrepair. Wonder if the difficulty and cost of maintenance is the reason.

Or just build a dome garden shed and live in a mc donalds like the rest of us. Be glad your region has some architectural flair at all unlike Florida where everyone lives in an identical concrete bunker.

They can be totally round, or tall & oblong. You can build just one, or connect a series of them together.

I'd be curious to hear what you decided about dome home living.