Our growing dome

This was our first sight of our new dome -- on the back of a truck -- having travelled all the way from Colorado in the United States to New Zealand. That's our house in the background and ...

2009-01-10T01:03:28Z

maldon
This was our first sight of our new dome -- on the back of a truck -- having travelled all the way from Colorado in the United States to New Zealand. That's our house in the background and ...

Unloading the two big boxes in the little paddock.

2009-01-10T00:55:00Z

maldon
Unloading the two big boxes in the little paddock.

we were very lucky. The inventor of the system, Udgar Parsonsand his wife, a delightful, gentle lady called Puja, were planning to visit the South Island of New Zealand just about the time ...

2009-01-10T01:03:37Z

maldon
we were very lucky. The inventor of the system, Udgar Parsonsand his wife, a delightful, gentle lady called Puja, were planning to visit the South Island of New Zealand just about the time ...

Udgar and Shaughan studying the plans and instructions on the back of Shaughan's truck. the "little paddock" is behind them. we were concerned about locating the growing dome properly-- ever ...

2009-01-10T01:00:32Z

maldon
Udgar and Shaughan studying the plans and instructions on the back of Shaughan's truck. the "little paddock" is behind them. we were concerned about locating the growing dome properly-- ever ...

Wewe had chosen the site and father and son building team Shaughan James (left) and son Mitch struck the first blows in anger. the steel peg was to be the centre of the dome

2009-01-10T01:03:13Z

maldon
Wewe had chosen the site and father and son building team Shaughan James (left) and son Mitch struck the first blows in anger. the steel peg was to be the centre of the dome

Close-up of the piece of reinforcing rod marking the centre.It was an exciting moment.

2009-01-10T01:01:10Z

maldon
Close-up of the piece of reinforcing rod marking the centre.It was an exciting moment.

the first step was to mark out where concrete pads would go to support the wall sections at their joining points. Then they in filled with gravel. In this picture my gardener, Karl Duxfiel ...

2009-01-10T01:03:25Z

maldon
the first step was to mark out where concrete pads would go to support the wall sections at their joining points. Then they in filled with gravel. In this picture my gardener, Karl Duxfiel ...

Shaughan James marking the exact point where the wall sections would join.

2009-01-10T01:00:28Z

maldon
Shaughan James marking the exact point where the wall sections would join.

Overview of the "marking out".

2009-01-10T01:03:24Z

maldon
Overview of the "marking out".

Now it was time for the pre-assembly. Fortunately, we have a lot of flat ground in the little paddock.

2009-01-10T01:01:12Z

maldon
Now it was time for the pre-assembly. Fortunately, we have a lot of flat ground in the little paddock.

the pre-assembly went well.

2009-01-10T01:02:42Z

maldon
the pre-assembly went well.

Mitch (left) and Shaughan are builders and one of the things that was important was to have everything that working height rather than squatting on the ground.

2009-01-10T01:03:37Z

maldon
Mitch (left) and Shaughan are builders and one of the things that was important was to have everything that working height rather than squatting on the ground.

The team starts the assembly. That's Udgar at the back, with the blue jacket. Interestingly, the structure is self-supporting once two or three of the "stars" are in place. This was an excit ...

2009-01-10T01:03:04Z

maldon
The team starts the assembly. That's Udgar at the back, with the blue jacket. Interestingly, the structure is self-supporting once two or three of the "stars" are in place. This was an excit ...

We had Utgar and Puja for a couple of days only, at the end of their vacation, but we achieved a lot. That's Carl on top of the dome. Bare feet were the order of the day, to avoid slipping. ...

2009-01-10T01:04:23Z

maldon
We had Utgar and Puja for a couple of days only, at the end of their vacation, but we achieved a lot. That's Carl on top of the dome. Bare feet were the order of the day, to avoid slipping. ...

Carl and Shaughan taping the joints. If there's a wind blowing, forget it. The tape sings like a violin, and your inclination is to pull it tight. That's a no, no.

2009-01-10T01:03:44Z

maldon
Carl and Shaughan taping the joints. If there's a wind blowing, forget it. The tape sings like a violin, and your inclination is to pull it tight. That's a no, no.

Building materials everywhere. That's Udgar, poring over documents. At this stage, the stucture was pretty-much finished, but the gardens had yet to go in. That's a better view of the scaffo ...

2009-01-10T01:03:00Z

maldon
Building materials everywhere. That's Udgar, poring over documents. At this stage, the stucture was pretty-much finished, but the gardens had yet to go in. That's a better view of the scaffo ...

Puja and Utgar, after dinner one night at home. Karen cooked some of her special meals and we all had a good time. They are very nice people. They are in love with the south Island of New Ze ...

2009-01-10T00:48:08Z

maldon
Puja and Utgar, after dinner one night at home. Karen cooked some of her special meals and we all had a good time. They are very nice people. They are in love with the south Island of New Ze ...

Udgar, Carl, yours truly and Shaughan James. We had the aluminium foil up at this stage and they were about to start the tank.

2009-01-10T01:03:08Z

maldon
Udgar, Carl, yours truly and Shaughan James. We had the aluminium foil up at this stage and they were about to start the tank.

Things are progessing nicely. The panels around the doors have yet to be fixed, but we're on schedule.

2009-01-10T01:00:59Z

maldon
Things are progessing nicely. The panels around the doors have yet to be fixed, but we're on schedule.

Late on their last night, Udgar proudly handed us the keys to our new dome. That's my little vegetarian, Karen, between we two ugly ones. For friends: My boots are called "gummies" (for gumb ...

2009-01-10T01:00:17Z

maldon
Late on their last night, Udgar proudly handed us the keys to our new dome. That's my little vegetarian, Karen, between we two ugly ones. For friends: My boots are called "gummies" (for gumb ...

Wot, me worry. Carl inside the partly constructed tank. He was the comedian on the team, but worked hard and he thinks.

2009-01-10T01:00:30Z

maldon
Wot, me worry. Carl inside the partly constructed tank. He was the comedian on the team, but worked hard and he thinks.

Carl again, inside the tank, smoothing the liner. Udgar and Puja had left by tthis time, back to Colorado.

2009-01-10T01:01:03Z

maldon
Carl again, inside the tank, smoothing the liner. Udgar and Puja had left by tthis time, back to Colorado.

We decided we'd put in a concrete path to the front door. The boys had started constructing the gardens around the outside. In winter, it gets a bit below freezing and there's the occasional ...

2009-01-10T01:02:03Z

maldon
We decided we'd put in a concrete path to the front door. The boys had started constructing the gardens around the outside. In winter, it gets a bit below freezing and there's the occasional ...

The finished path. Pretty neat, huh? We also reorganised the three solar panels. Fitting had been a bit "string and chewing gum". Looks better now. And I also got them to pack up the panels ...

2009-01-10T01:00:06Z

maldon
The finished path. Pretty neat, huh? We also reorganised the three solar panels. Fitting had been a bit "string and chewing gum". Looks better now. And I also got them to pack up the panels ...

Carl preparing the perimeter gardens.

2009-01-10T01:02:53Z

maldon
Carl preparing the perimeter gardens.

Getting water to the dome from the 50mm (two inches, to you) waterline that comes from our own bore. The water is very special. We have it tested and it's pure, pure, pure.

2009-01-10T01:01:00Z

maldon
Getting water to the dome from the 50mm (two inches, to you) waterline that comes from our own bore. The water is very special. We have it tested and it's pure, pure, pure.

Joining the pipes that go under the wall. What happens inside the dome is in later photographs.

2009-01-10T01:03:45Z

maldon
Joining the pipes that go under the wall. What happens inside the dome is in later photographs.

The liner begins. NExt was the boards down the inside of the posts, then builders' plastic inside that, and stones/gravel a foot thick then more than a foot of first-class, organic soil and ...

2009-01-10T01:03:12Z

maldon
The liner begins. NExt was the boards down the inside of the posts, then builders' plastic inside that, and stones/gravel a foot thick then more than a foot of first-class, organic soil and ...

Shaughan building the walls of the main perimeter garden. Treated tongue and groove timber. Shaughan is one of the old time builders. Doesn't know how to do less than a good job. Those walls ...

2009-01-10T01:04:09Z

maldon
Shaughan building the walls of the main perimeter garden. Treated tongue and groove timber. Shaughan is one of the old time builders. Doesn't know how to do less than a good job. Those walls ...

This is the dome side of the water system. Tap, which is obvious, but then there's a sprinkler system that goes around and stops just short of the tank. There's a similar arc of sprinklers o ...

2009-01-10T01:01:00Z

maldon
This is the dome side of the water system. Tap, which is obvious, but then there's a sprinkler system that goes around and stops just short of the tank. There's a similar arc of sprinklers o ...

The distributor line is just visible in the bottom left of the picture. Then secondary lines go off into the garden. Each one has its own tap. So there's the two main taps either side of the ...

2009-01-10T01:04:35Z

maldon
The distributor line is just visible in the bottom left of the picture. Then secondary lines go off into the garden. Each one has its own tap. So there's the two main taps either side of the ...

... the delivery system. It's possible to screw the tops of the sprinklers up or down to increse or decrease coverage. Overkill perhaps, but Thad, my Florida-born sprinkler expert, was flexi ...

2009-01-10T01:00:31Z

maldon
... the delivery system. It's possible to screw the tops of the sprinklers up or down to increse or decrease coverage. Overkill perhaps, but Thad, my Florida-born sprinkler expert, was flexi ...

maldon's photo

2009-01-10T00:59:48Z

maldon

It begins. Karen found organic seeds and things and we became very dirty one day, filling seed beds.

2009-01-10T01:03:05Z

maldon
It begins. Karen found organic seeds and things and we became very dirty one day, filling seed beds.

Karen's first little "children". There's beetroot, carrots, couple different kinds of lettuce, ditto tomatoes, cabbage and cauliflower, radishes, lotsa different seeds. Sprouts. Kale. Garlic ...

2009-01-10T01:01:52Z

maldon
Karen's first little "children". There's beetroot, carrots, couple different kinds of lettuce, ditto tomatoes, cabbage and cauliflower, radishes, lotsa different seeds. Sprouts. Kale. Garlic ...

Karen scratching around.

2009-01-10T01:01:48Z

maldon
Karen scratching around.

I worried a lot about climbing things, like tomatoes. Stakes, string... what to use. Finally I invented this system. It's plastic mesh and through top and bottom is threaded some bamboo pole ...

2009-01-10T01:01:28Z

maldon
I worried a lot about climbing things, like tomatoes. Stakes, string... what to use. Finally I invented this system. It's plastic mesh and through top and bottom is threaded some bamboo pole ...

Closeup of the mesh. The bamboo poles go two under and two over, for the entire length of the piece. It'll be easy to move, because those poles are held in place by bend-pressure. The hooks ...

2009-01-10T01:01:13Z

maldon
Closeup of the mesh. The bamboo poles go two under and two over, for the entire length of the piece. It'll be easy to move, because those poles are held in place by bend-pressure. The hooks ...

Everything working perfectly. It's April as I write this, the start of our southern hemisphere autumn (or fall). We are eating the children. Cannibalistic, I hear you say. Don't care. Yuuumm ...

2009-01-10T01:03:42Z

maldon
Everything working perfectly. It's April as I write this, the start of our southern hemisphere autumn (or fall). We are eating the children. Cannibalistic, I hear you say. Don't care. Yuuumm ...