It’s been three years in the making but for Cath Wild her “world first” dome home is finally complete.
The Flaxton home – which resembles something out of a Hobbit movie and has been referred to as an eco igloo – is now awaiting final council sign-off to make it the first home of its kind in the world to be approved.
Ms Wild has endured supply shortages, weather disruptions, a separation and a broken rib along the way but she said we was elated to be at the finish line.
Speaking with Sunshine Coast News, Ms Wild said it had been a longer process than she expected but she felt a sense of achievement for her dome home “pioneering efforts”.
“It’s been three years in the making, almost to the day,” she said. “I started making bricks around January 8 three years ago.
“I thought it was going to be wrapped up in a year.
“I’ve had to be a bit of a pioneer with the scale of this. I’ve had to come up with solutions … and it feels good to share those lessons with other people who are considering this kind of build.”
Ms Wild said the build was a one-woman project, helped along thanks to a share in the $US10m OMG! Fund.
“I started (the project) with my ex-partner and if everything went to plan it would have been wrapped up sooner,” Ms Wild said.
“Then I won that competition, which made me pull my finger out and throw myself into it.
“The majority of work on this has happened in that last year.”
The completed 90sqm build includes about 6000 aircrete bricks to form the four-dome home, which features two bedrooms, a bathroom, kitchen/laundry and living areas.
“When you’re in it, it feels amazing,” Ms Wild said. “It really is cosy as.
“It maintains its temperature beautifully, especially after all this hot weather we have been having.
“You go in and it feels like the air conditioner has been on. There is no aircon, there is no heater.
“Aircrete is so insulative it’s like a 10-star building.”
Ms Wild said if she were to build again, she would approach the process a little differently.
“If I was to do this again … I’d break it down into little modules instead of building all four domes at once,” she said.
“I would build one and get it finished so you had that sense of achievement and surge of energy … and have a break then start on the next one.
“I would also bring more tribe into help.
“You can do it as one person, you can definitely do it, but it’s so much more fun when you are working with people.”
Ms Wild estimated the total cost of the build, excluding the slab, to come in around $40,000.
She said this included the cost of a renderer, floor layer, electrician and plumber.
As part of her competition win, Ms Wild is required to Airbnb the home out for 12 months.
“Afterwards I will see how it flows and I have a bit of a waiting list already of people wanting to stay,” she said.
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