Growing Dome Technical Specifications

The Growing Dome^® is a greenhouse kit ready for owner building or installation by Growing Spaces crew.

We provide a detailed Instuction Manual, Owner Supplied Items list, Installation Disc, along with many other useful documents to ensure your success in assembling your Growing Dome. And, we are always just a phone call or email away and are happy to answer questions.

Geodesic Dome Structure

Structural units of the Growing Dome are 2x4 Douglas Fir lumber, treated with Lifetime Wood Treatment, ready to fasten to connecting hubs of 1/8" aluminum. The Growing Dome structure is warranted for 5 years from the date of purchase.

Our greenhouse kits come pre-cut, pre-drilled, and color coded... if you are semi-handy with the appropriate tools, you can choose to assemble the Dome yourself.

Foundation Wall

The wall is built from 2 x 4 lumber studs and plates clad with a cementatious siding, insulated with R-12 insulation, and lined with galvanized metal flashing on the inside.

Most Dome sizes come standard with a 16" high foundation wall, however the 12' Dome has a 32" foundation wall, while the 15' & 22' Domes come standard with a 24" foundation wall.

All standard 16" walls can be upgraded to the 2 foot wall option. You'll enjoy 8 more inches of overall height inside your Growing Dome when you upgrade to the 24" wall option. Enjoy raised bed gardening!

Polycarbonate Glazing Panels

The high quality GLAZING is a clear translucent covering that allows 62% to 82% light transmission. It resists breakdown by ultraviolet light and harsh weather impacts, like hail. Life expectancy is over 20 years and both glazing densities come with a 10 year warranty by the manufacturer against yellowing and hail damage. You and your plants will love the soft diffused light inside!

The STANDARD, 8mm double-wall glazing carries an R value of 1.8.

The PREMIUM or 16mm multi-wall glazing is rated R 2.6 Premium glazing recommended for Domes above 7000 feet altitude.

The Following Features
are included with the Growing Dome Kit

North Wall Insulation:

Reflectix® custom-cut insulation panels are provided to cover the northern 2/5ths of the Dome, cutting down heat loss in the winter months and shading the water tank during summer months. This keeps the Dome warmer in the winter and cooler during summer. The reflective surface increases the available light inside the Growing Dome.

Automatic Vents:

Solar powered actuators open and close the vents which prevents the Growing Dome from overheating. The activators are adjustable and work by the natural heating and cooling of a tube of compressed wax.

 

Cooling System:

The 26 foot Dome comes standard with one thermostatically controlled, solar powered, 12V cooling vent fan (a $465 value).

 

The larger Domes (33'-51') come standard with 110V cooling fans which require an electrical power supply. Solar Powered Cooling Fan upgrade available at additional cost.

Under Soil Heating/Cooling:

A small fan blows warm air under the soil, raising the soil temperature to enable plants to grow better during cold weather conditions. The kit contains the fan and distribution box. The fan is powered by an included photo-voltaic cell that is mounted high on the outside of the Dome. The corrugated irrigation pipe is one of the locally purchased items on the Owner Supplied List.

Water Tank:

The main thermal mass of the Growing Dome is a large vesica pisces (eliptical) shaped water tank for the 12'-26' domes. However, round tanks are standard for the larger Domes.

 

Pre-drilled brackets, hardware, & pond liner are provided by Growing Spaces. Locally purchased items include sheet metal and 4 pieces of lumber to complete the tank.

Dome Size	Dimensions	Volume	Sq. Ft.
12'	7'x4'x4'	400 Gallons	15'
15'	9'x4'x4'	600 Gallons	25'
18'	9'x4'x4'	700 Gallons	30'
22'	12'x4'6"x4'	900 Gallons	35'
26'	13'x5'6"x4'	1200 Gallons	45'
33'	10' Circular	2300 Gallons	75'
42'	Custom	Custom	Custom
51'	Custom	Custom	Custom

The water tank can be used as an indoor pond to grow aquatic plants and fish and is a critical feature of the domes passive solar design! Ask us about our Solar Fountain Option!

Owner Supplied Items

The Growing Dome is purchased as a kit. However, there are items that are very bulky, costly to ship and inexpensively available at your local building supply store. These items are not included in the kit; doing so lowers the overall cost for the dome owner. A detailed list of these items with measurements and quantity will be provided along with the installation package you receive from Growing Spaces.

Some of these locally purchased items include: the under-soil heating ducts, perimeter and wall insulation, sand, 3/4 inch washed gravel for Growing Dome perimeter, sheet metal** and lumber for the water tank.

Below is an estimate of the cost of the above items, but they can vary according to local suppliers:

Dome Size	Est. Cost
12'	$500
15'	$500
18'	$600
22'	$700
26'	$900
33'	$1200
42'	$1600
51'	$1700

^**The sheet metal can be found at a heating & air conditioning or sheet metal supply store.

Installation Options

• SELF/OWNER INSTALL: we ship the kit to you, you install at your leisure.

 

• CERTIFIED SUPERVISOR: Hire our Supervisor to assist you and your crew for one or two days, or for the entire build.

• GROWING SPACES FULL CREW: Choose Growing Spaces to perform the standard installation process. Beds and other custom items are not included in the standard installation.

See our Installation page for more details.

 

Shipping

We are located in Pagosa Springs, Colorado so the dome will always be shipped, delivered or picked up from our shop. The Growing Dome can be delivered in the following ways depending on your location.

The overall cost of the Dome Greenhouse Kit does not include shipping or crating. We can provide you with a personal shipping quote to your location.  

• Shipping: We use several different freight companies to ship all over the country and internationally, but can assure you with our discounted pricing that we'll get you the best rate possible! These quotes vary greatly depending on dome size and your location. Call or email us for a shipping estimate.

Shipping estimates change often due to fuel surcharge, estimates remain valid for 30 days.

• Crating Cost: Cost to build the crate that the dome ships in. International crates cost more due to the special lumber that must be used to construct them.

• • Dome Size	USA Crating Cost	International Crating Cost
    12'	$150	$185
    15'	$165	$190
    18'	$195	$210
    22'	$175	$195
    26'	$195	$225
    33'	$290	$350
    42'	Varies	Varies
    51'	Varies	Varies

    
    
    
    
• Delivered by Growing Spaces: When Growing Spaces is hired to build your dome, most of the time we will deliver the dome ourselves. If a supervisor is hired we will compare the cost of shipping the dome to you and flying a supervisor out VS. the supervisor delivering the dome themselves. We will also deliver domes within proximity of Pagosa Springs if our per mile rate is lower than the shipping & crating costs.
  
  
• Customer Pick up: You are welcome to pick the up Dome at our shop. Most of the Greenhouse Kits will fit in the back of a standard sized pick-up truck. However, some Dome sizes may require a trailer as well. When the Dome is picked up at our shop, we are required to collect 6.9% sales tax.

More details on our Hobby Greenhouse Kits

Seven Features: There are seven features of the Growing Dome when combined set it apart from all other hobby greenhouses, and make it possible to grow through all four seasons!

8 Sizes: Choose from our 8 sizes of Hobby Greenhouse kits to suit your interests and needs.

Compare: Compare our Greenhouse kits to others on the market! You'll find that ours not only costs less per square foot, but is designed to grow during all four seasons and last years and years; not true with the typical hobby greenhouse.