Chris and Alina Deerheart (with the help of friends) built
the DecaHome featured on this website. You may contact them to possibly arrange a
visit to their DecaHome by Phoning 540-745-7227.
In Florida, James & Sheri
Richters are in the process of building a two story DecaHome that has been
approved to tolerate 125 mph hurricane winds. The main floor that is about 5 feet above natural grade.
This is high enough to be above any storm surge in most areas. The DecaHome
can also be built upon concrete piers if desired. Their e-mail address is
.
Their phone # is 813-763-1110.
Additional names and phone numbers of references available upon
request.
Following is more info about the
DecaHome and "full" building shell ventilation.
No matter what, a
functional building must have a roof. A ten-sided pyramid roof
that
fits exactly upon ten identical perimeter walls can be attached securely to the
walls
making the entire building extremly strong. The roof frame is
held secure to the wall frame
as the plywood sheathing that is nailed on the
outside of the building also attaches to
a main roof beam streching between
the rafters. The first 2x12 LVL (laminated veneer lumber) purlin is
located to be flush with the outside of the wall framing. The roof frame is also
held secure to the wall frame via metal straps that attach between the solid 4x6
corner posts and the ten rafters. Plywood and metal straps connect the wall
to the roof
so the roof cannot blow off in hurricane force
winds.
A ten-sided
building is quite round, so most of the force of a high wind goes around
the
building. The largest flat surface on a 38.5 foot diameter DecaHome is just
under 12 feet wide. The largest flat surface on a 45 foot diameter DecaHome is
just under 14 feet wide.
This does not allow the wind to develop enough
force to push the building sideways or push
the roof up at the perimeter
overhang. We build the DecaHome roof kit in one optimal size
that can accomodate a ten-sided building sized between 38.5 and 45 feet in
diameter. These two sizes are optimal for both one and two story
homes.
FYI:A single story 38.5 foot diameter
DecaHome with 2x6 perimeter walls has exactly 1,035 square feet of living
space on the floor inside the 2x6 walls. A two-story 38.5 foot diameter DecaHome
has exactly 2,070 square feet of living space on two floors minus the open area
above the staircase. A 45 foot diameter DecaHome has exactly 1,425 square
feet of living space within the 2x6 perimeter walls. The floor surface area of a
45 foot Deca home before the perimeter walls are built is exactly 1,488 square
feet.
In order to keep the cost of the
DecaHome roof and wall frame kit
as low as possible ($14,000-single story or $16,000-two story).
We include only the components that are difficult to make on your job
site. So, we include all the exterior shell components that have
difficult angle cuts.
Included with the DecaHome roof and wall frame kit
is:
10each 2x12 LVL hip rafters compound cut to fit,
50each 2x12 LVL purlins,
ripped to fit 4x6 corner posts,
45
degree 2x6 bracing,
a
complete cupola venting kit,
pre-cut and marked sill and perimeter wall plates,
plus
all necessary metal strapping,
high
tensile strength wire,
and
special non-splitting screws to attach all supplied components.
We
do not include: pre-cut 2x6 wall studs
or 16" oc 2x4 blocking (installs between purlins)
that you can easily cut-to-fit on on your job site with a miter saw using 90
degree and simple angle cuts.
Two hundred and fifty locally purchased 8 foot long 2x4's will be required to complete the roof frame
kit as the 2x4 supports are installed flush to top and flush to bottom of the
purlins.
There
are many foundation systems that can be used with the DecaHome. The type of
foundation that you use depends on your location and your personal design
requirements. For instance, the DecaHome kit can be built above concrete piers,
over a full basement, above a solid concrete slab floor, or over a
crawlspace. The main floor can be raised above a possible storm surge elevation
various ways.
In areas where you could
experience high winds, we advise that the entire home is
bolted to the concrete foundation
via "oversize" horizontal 4x6 treated "sill
plates" with 5/8 inch dia. x 12 inch
long J-bolts (anchor bolts) spaced at 2 foot intervals.
The base of the DecaHome
has ten equal sides so that the foundation and floor are easy to build. We work
with each client to determine the most appropriate foundation system. In, some
cases the entire home can be elevated. Because a round home is more aerodynamic
than a box shaped home, an elevated round home is more stable than a box home in
high winds. It is also much more quiet inside a round home when the wind is
blowing outside.
The main part of DecaHome
roof kit is made of structurally superior LVL (laminated veneer lumber) 2x12
beams. These LVL beams that make the roof frame, measure 1 & 3/4 inches x 11
& 7/8 inches in width. The ten LVL rafters that are cut-to-fit together at
the apex are nearly 24 feet long. The DecaHome roof kit also includes an
erection pole used in the frame assembly process. The erection pole has steps at
20 inch intervals that make it possible for one person to install the ten
rafters, one at a time. An illustrated assembly guide is provided with all
DecaHome kits.
Between the ten LVL rafters,
50 LVL purlins are installed at 4 foot intervals. A cut-to-fit facia is attached
to the tails of the rafters on the perimeter of the roof frame. 2x4 blocking is
cut-to-fit on site with locally obtained lumber. All LVL and facia material is
supplied with the DecaHome roof kit. All 2x4 blocking that is put between the
purlins and between the facia and the purlins will be cut-to-fit on site with
locally obtained material. We do it this way, as the 2x4 blocking that is
installed flush with the top of the purlins, and, flush with the bottom of the
purlins, is real easy to cut. This also makes sure that everything will fit
good, even if the purlins are installed a little out of alignment. Also this
keeps the cost of the DecaHome kit as low as possible.
Included
with the DecaHome roof kit are ten lengths of high tension wire that will
each be threaded thru pre-drilled holes near the ends of the rafters, just
inside the building enclosure. When these wires are tensioned in ten places
on the perimeter, it will cinch the rafters together at the apex and permanently
hold the rafters securely in place. We supply each DecaHome roof kit with
10 Gripple-Maxi connectors and one tensioning tool. Also included with the
DecaHome frame kit are ten heavy duty stainless steel straps that will be
attached on the outside perimeter of the roof where the facias join. This metal
strapping at the roof perimeter provides an extra measure of security to ensure
that high winds and deep snows do not damage the roof
structure.
The outside
surface of the roof and the walls are clad with stucco texture cement composite
Hardipanel that will be purchased locally and cut on-site. On the roof, the
cracks will be caulked and then also sealed with polyester cloth tape that is
saturated with elastomeric sealing paint. After plywood sheathing is attached to
the walls and roof, strips of plywood (spacers) are attached over the plywood
surface. Gaps are left between the spacers so that air may flow over the outside
surface of the plywood sheathing. At the lower perimeter of the wall, screening
is installed, so insects cannot get into the ventilation space between the
plywood and the cement composite siding. The DecaHome roof frame kit includes a
fancy cupola ventilator that will be installed at the apex of the roof. All
ventilation air flowing over the wall and roof plywood will exit thru the cupola
ventilator at the top of the roof.
This full
wall and roof ventilation feature of the DecaHome has several benefits.
1. Excess heat is ventilated away in the summer keeping the
round home cooler.
2. The durable and conductive composite cement siding will
not transfer much heat and cold via conduction to the interior of the home as the
ventilation air space provides a buffer
space that
helps to insulate the round home from the outside temperature
changes.
3. The ventilation space ventilates away unwanted moisture
and allows the plywood sheathing to dry out if any moisture gets into
the wall or roof cavity. This prevents mold growth and keeps the
plywood sheathing from rotting following the repair of any storm damage due
to flying debris. This "full" ventilation feature
allows exterior walls dry out after repair.
4. This full ventilation feature of the
DecaHome exterior surface allows the use
of economical unfaced fiberglass batt insulation that allows the
adjacent wood to ventilate and dry.
The roof frame and wall frame
kits for the DecaHome kit are sold separately. Corner posts, post braces, and
pre-marked wall plates plus connecting screws are included with DecaHome wall
kits. All ten walls are the same height and
length. It is not very difficult to make the components for the DecaHome
walls. We provide instructions for ripping the corner posts to fit, for
cutting the post braces, and for cutting the wall plates along with all DecaHome
roof kits.
You can save some money
by making your own perimeter walls with our instructions. The walls
for the DecaHome are built exactly the same way that we recommend building riser
walls for the Econ-O-Dome. Instructions for building the walls, the
foundation, and other 38.5ft. dia. floorplan alternatives are within the
Econ-0-Dome Planning and Building Manual. Also included in the manual is
information on heating and cooling, plumbing and electric, and other
ten-sided home building information.
Both the
DecaHome kit and the Econ-O-Dome kit make ten-sided homes with a round roof.
The DecaHome has a ten-sided pyramid roof and the Econ-O-Dome has a
hemispherical dome roof with flat vertical surfaces on the lower perimeter. You
could call either kit a ten-sided round home. Both kit types employ similarly
built perimeter walls. And both kits types have ten equal sides. The DecaHome
roof kit is now manufactured in only one size, to optimize the use of expensive
LVL beams. We are in the business of making precision cut round roof frames that
make a sturdy ten-sided home when built above ten identical perimeter
walls. The roof frames are difficult to precision cut due to the many
difficult compound angles, so we do that.
Optional DecaHome Wall
Frame Kits: With the DecaHome exterior perimeter wall
frame kit, our "standard" wall frame kit includes the hardest
part of the perimeter walls for you at a cost of $2,000 per floor level.
Unless, you wish to purchase a "complete perimeter wall frame kit" at $4,000 per
floor level.
Our "standard" wall frame kit
includes all components that need to be ripped or mitered with angle cuts. We
rip the solid 4x6 posts to fit flush on the outside of the building and to
accept adjacent wall studs and braces. We cut the 45 degree
post braces. And we make the perimeter wall plates with 18
degree angle cuts on the ends. As stated earlier you can make
these and all the components for the perimeter walls with instructions
found in the Econ-O-Dome Planning and Building Manual. Or, you can
purchase these components for the perimeter walls at a cost of
$2,000 per floor level. You will still need to install pre-cut studs (which
you can purchase locally already cut-to-length). And you will still have to
frame door and window openings in the exterior walls. However, we will
supply you with directions and drawings for the perimeter wall frames. And,
all the cuts will be easy 90 degree cuts.
In order to keep the DecaHome kit more
economical, you do the easier work, with our instructions and free
consultation.
If you desire to
build on a concrete slab, we do offer pre-fab concrete form boards.
Once again many people do this themselves with locally obtained
lumber. Instructions are in
our Econ-O-Dome manual. We do
suggest that you consider building your main floor with wood, above a crawl
space. Having a crawl space (about 2 to 4 feet high) under the main floor
allows space for all the necessary pipes and wires. Having a crawl space
also allows you to do all the plumbing and wiring after your round home is
enclosed. Normally, the crawl space wall is built with concrete blocks above
a solid concrete footing. And again, instructions are in our manual. And,
any additional questions may be answered by contacting our
office.
Due to the
cost of the foundation and roof frame, the cost per square foot is less with a
two story building, than if you build a single story
DecaHome.
The completed cost of an
owner-built single story DecaHome, with the owner doing about half the labor and
hiring hourly help to assist.........is about $40 to $50 per square
foot.
The completed cost of an owner-built two-story DecaHome, with the
owner doing about half the labor and hiring hourly help to assist.........is
about $30 to $40 per square foot.
Due to varying profit,
overhead, and contingency costs.....a completed round home built with a DecaHome
kit by a licensed general building contractor........is about $60 to $100 per
square foot.
The total completed cost of an
owner-built single-story ten-sided home (1,035 sq. ft.) built with a
DecaHome kit is $41,400 to $51,750 excluding land, septic, and
road installation costs. This means if you purchase a DecaHome roof frame
at a cost of $12,000 plus the more difficult to make perimeter wall components
at a cost of $2,000 to build a single story DecaHome, you will need an
additional $27,400 to $37,750 excluding land, septic and road
installation costs to complete the DecaHome. These costs will vary
depending on cost of interior finishing materials, foundation type, pay
rate of hired labor, and skill of owner/builder assuming the owner does
half the work.
The total completed
cost of an owner-built two-story ten-sided home (2,070 sq. ft.) built with
a DecaHome kit is $64,100 to $84,800 excluding land, septic, and
road installation costs. This means if you purchase a DecaHome roof frame
at a cost of $12,000 plus the more difficult to make perimeter wall components
at a cost of $4,000 to build a two-story DecaHome, you will need an
additional $48,100 to $68,800 excluding land, septic and road
installation costs to complete the DecaHome. These costs will vary
depending on cost of interior finishing materials, foundation type, pay
rate of hired labor, and skill of owner/builder assuming the owner does
half the work.
Of
course, using less hired labor will result in significant savings for an
owner/builder.
Cost of
a single-story contractor-built, ten-sided, kit-built, 1,035sf home, with
one bedroom, and one bathroom, will vary between $62,100 and $103,500
excluding land costs.
Cost of a
two-story, contractor-built, ten-sided, kit-built, 2,070sf home,
with 4 bedrooms, and two bathrooms, will vary
between $124,000 and $207,000 excluding land costs.
Time to complete a single story DecaHome for two
people of average skill working full time (40hrs/week) will vary between 2
and 4 months.
Time to complete a two story DecaHome for two people of
average skill working full time will vary between 3 and 6
months.
Time to complete a contractor-built single story
DecaHome will vary between 6 weeks and 12 weeks. A contractor-built two
story DecaHome will take 8 to 16 weeks to
complete.
The DecaHome building frame can be added onto in ten directions. And the
method of sealing that we use assists in making leak-free joinings. We recommend
the use of elastomeric sealing paint over Hardipanel stucco texture fiber cement
panels. This elastomeric sealing paint is available from Faze Change Produx in
twenty standard colors. A color chart is included in the Econ-O-Dome Planning
& Building Manual and also available on-line.
One
reason that the DecaHome is energy efficient is because it has less surface
area than other building shapes when compared to the large interior
volume. And it is thru the exterior surface that a building loses heat in
the winter or gains unwanted heat in the summer. Using economical and easy to
install unfaced fiberglass batt insulation, the R-Value of the roof is R-38 and
the R-Value of the 2x6 walls is R-19. The roof frame will use two layers of R-19
unfaced fiberglass batt insulation and the walls will use one layer of R-19
fiberglass batt insulation.
A
home built with DecaHome roof & wall frame kits is low cost, elegant,
durable, and a great space to live in. With owners doing about half the
labor, a round home built with a DecaHome frame kit can be completed for about
$30 per square foot of living space.
We
encourage people to phone 1-888-366-3588 to discuss individual projects. We look
forward to helping you build a round home that you will love. You may want
to visit our website at www.decahome.com for more
information.
HOW
?
It is possible to build a home
for $30 per square foot. How is this done? It happens by using a
straightforward building process that includes illustrated instructions and
allows help to be hired by the hour. Basically, we're talking about using
a precision-crafted frame kit called the DecaHome that reduces the
number of difficult steps in the building process and makes building a "fun"
process. All DecaHome building frames include necessary
metal strapping, screws, and a complete ventilating cupola kit for the apex
as well as the precision cut main frame and
bracing.
You may
build a one or two story round building on any type of foundation system that is
appropriate for your needs and location. The DecaHome building has ten
equal-in-length sides to make building the foundation & floor an easy
matter. Dimensioned drawings and precision-cut framing are also supplied
by Faze Change Produx for all custom skylights "free of extra charge".
This way you can order your skylights (if any) before you actually
need to install them.
We at Faze
Change Produx have found that the "hard stuff" needs to be designed out or done
in "our shop". So, we have "designed out" the "hard stuff" in the building
process and do the "real hard stuff" (precision compound cutting) in our
shop.
What Do I
do
Now?
About Plans:
You can build your
new ten sided DecaHome with stock plans and instructions included with
the DecaHome Assembly CD, or, we can draw custom plans for you using your
sketches and/or ideas. We charge one dollar per square foot for
complete custom plan sets (not including garage and basement areas) drawn on a
CAD computor program and printed on 11"x17" pages. A $900 deposit will be
required to begin the plans drawing process. Your redrawn sketches will be
returned to you for your approval and revisions prior to your plan set being
completed. When your plan set has been completed, the balance will be
due. If any extra pages or revisions are required by the building
department, we will be responsible for making the changes or additions to your
submitted plan set. You may want to consider ordering your DecaHome
roof and/or wall kits as soon as you get your permit so you can be working on
the foundation and floor while the folks at Faze Change Produx are making
your DecaHome frame kit or kits. During the construction process we will be
available for consultation regarding any additional construction questions via
e-mail or our toll free #, 1-888-DOME-LUV. If you are considering having custom
plans drawn, we suggest that you order our manual, so we can use the materials
as a reference during discussions.
We encourage you to order the DecaHome Plan Set
+ DecaHome Assembly CD. Cost of
$29.95 includes priority postage mailing costs within the
U.S.A. (personal check is OK).
ILLINOIS residents must also include $1.69 state sales
tax.
If you are ordering from outside the US send $40 US
total.
Make check payable
to: Faze Change
Produx
Send to: 1331 CR 1470E
B
Sullivan IL 61951
If you wish to
use a credit card or PayPal account, you may order
the DecaHome plan set + DecaHome Assembly CD from our "under construction"
website at www.decahome.com >>>via a secure PayPal
webpage<<<. Push the "Buy
Now" button near the bottom of our homepage, and, indicate an interest
in the DecaHome kit when you order your manual and plan set. We will then
substitute plan sets to include a plan set that you can use with the DecaHome
and also include the DecaHome Assembly CD.
Faze Change Produx has worked with many
architects, builders, and owner-builders to supply custom
precision-cut roof frame kits that meet and exceed all expectations on
many inovative projects over the last 20
years.
We
supply a material list and instructions with all custom plan sets plus at-length
consultation to ensure that your new round home is designed as you
want it. This will help make your home easier and more
economical to build. This approach will allow you to hire help by the
hour and save lots of money. Most of our clients build their round
homes this way in order to avoid contingency costs that are "understandably"
tacked on by contractors when they have to "bid" a project. You will find
that many experienced carpenters, tradespeople, and even contractors will work
on a "fair wage" basis.
DecaHome
frame kits stack compactly and are economical to ship. We can ship with a local
trucking company using professional drivers that can deliver your kit directly
to your building site. We do advise that you consider coming to Sullivan,
Illinois and getting your kit, as then you can see our round home, get
design ideas and save money. We want to make building your new dome home
as easy as possible. Many folks pick-up their kit or kits with a
rental truck.
All DecaHome kits require a 50% deposit with the final 50% paid prior to
delivery. Every DecaHome kit component is guaranteed to fit or the
component will be
replaced.
Contact
our office for any details & custom options
pricing.
You may build with plans and instructions included with the Planning and
Building Manual or have Faze Change Produx draw custom plans for you at a cost
of one dollar per square foot.
If your building department
requires wet-stamp engineering and will not accept copied engineering from the
Planning and Building Manual, Myhra & Associates, an engineering firm that
has worked with Faze Change Produx on many projects, will provide a wet-stamped
engineering analysis of the entire residential building for about one dollar per
square
foot.
If you have any questions about the above information or any other questions
concerning the round home that you plan to build,
please e-mail or phone Toll Free
1-888-366-3588.
Consultation on weekends is by
appointment.
We look forward to helping you build
a round home that you will love.
Sincerely, Wilford E.
Fidroeff II
(Wil)
Owner/Designer Faze Change Produx
Creators of DecaHome Building Kits
The comprehensively
designed DecaHome building system begins with the end in
mind.