GreenCreteDomes

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a GreenCreteDome home much less expensive to build than a conventional home?

Yes—and there are other significant cost advantages. GreenCreteDomes are built using tried and proven building methods that are highly efficient and economical, simple, fast, and accurate. This can substantially reduce building costs square foot per square foot of living space compared to conventional methods. Construction costs, however, are at the beginning of your financial home-ownership journey.

Regardless of the type of home you build, there are other costs, savings, and benefits to consider and weigh against a comparable conventional home. These include maintenance, repair, and insurance over the life of your home, cost savings from energy efficient living and government Green Home incentives, and benefits such as sustainability, survivability/resilience, and independence/self-reliance.

What is GreenCrete and why is it a superior building material?

GreenCreteDomes are constructed using a unique concrete mix that sequesters atmospheric CO2 in our specially developed crop fiber aggregate and permanently locks it into concrete that is lighter weight and stronger than regular concrete. Regular concrete uses rock and gravel as an aggregate that needs to be hauled in by the truck load, and changes the structure of the earth where the gravel is sourced. Crop fiber aggregate is renewable every year, contributes oxygen to the air while it grows, and creates industries unto itself with farming, processing and distribution. Spraying GreenCrete as an exterior to a building will make it virtually impervious to hurricane, earthquake, fire , water, mould and termites, allowing it to stand for generations.

The dome is a very strong, efficient, and practical architectural form. The Romans, two thousand years ago, built domes and arches from concrete that still stand today. Typically domes have a minimum of 30% less surface area than other comparable structural shapes which means that domes require 30% less energy for heating and cooling. Fire insurance rates are lower on concrete structures because they do not burn.

Time is money when it comes to building construction. The process of preparing the foundation or foothold, installing and inflating an airform, shooting it with concrete, installing windows, doors, lightpipes, solar panels, wind turbine and water trap composting toilets can all be done within days. Greencrete has a very fast set and cure time which dramatically cuts construction time and the cost of labour. A structure can be started, finished and occupied within a very short time. Greencretedomes are safer, healthier, and more affordable than conventional wood constructed homes.

GreenCreteDomes are versatile and can be designed to serve as laneway secondary housing, vacation cottages, or emergency shelters in disaster relief zones. Other applications for green concrete are bridges, sidewalks, roads, roofs, high rises, gunite walls etc.