Photographer and musician Steve Areen recently finished his dome house on a gifted piece of land on his friend’s mango field. According to Steve: ” On an organic mango farm, far into the countryside of northeastern Thailand, I have built my little dome home. I also have a YouTube video tour here.”
Steve Areen is not a typical builder and this dome home is amazing! Taking cues from his brother-in-law’s brother, he used a pivoting arm technique to create a perfect sphere and then built his little Dome House using locally-made concrete bricks. Circular wooden blockouts are used to frame the cantilevering windows before the first layer of plaster is applied which effectively seals the interior. A final, vibrant layer of plaster is applied to the interior and exterior, giving the house it’s bright luster in the tropical forest. Six weeks and 9,000 dollars later, Steve had his very own self-built home.
Truth be told, rules are a little lax in Thailand, so Steve wasn’t required to obtain building permits for his 500 square foot home, which naturally shortened the process. The construction itself landed around 6,000 dollars with the finishes coming in at under 3,000, but Steve also notes that the price is unique to the country. The terracotta paint meshes beautifully with the lush tropical fauna, while small ponds add even greater serenity to the site and design.
Hajjar Gibran, the friend that helped Steve build his dream home, has a dome building company. If you’d like to learn more information on the process, check out his website and sign up for a workshop. Hajjar, who has now developed a method for producing compressed earth blocks, hopes to begin a new campaign to continue building more efficient homes of similar styles.
Goodnight dome home
Sunrise over the mango farm.
