Monolithic
Dome Rentals
Short-term and long-term rentals offer solutions to housing issues
in the 21st century - by Freda Parker
"It hasn't happened yet, but it will," says MDI President David B. South. The it David refers to is using Monolithic Domes for senior citizen housing, for short-term rentals such as motels, and for long-term rentals such as residence inns and extended-stay hotels.
"What can you create for seniors with Monolithic Domes?" David asks. "Just about anything you can imagine. It can be elaborate or simple. You can design an entire retirement community that offers two or three different sizes and styles of Monolithic Dome homes. Depending on how inclusive you want it, such a community could include everything from convenience stores to a medical facility. "
"Or you can keep it simple," he continues. "You could build a condominium or apartment complex of ten or more separate living units, clustered about a central atrium. The atrium might encompass areas for socializing and entertaining as well as a hair salon, spa and shops."
"Monolithic Domes can work very well for seniors. Just think about what features most older people want and need in their housing and what Monolithic Domes offer. It's a perfect match," David says, "and the market certainly is there."
According to the Administration on Aging (AOA), a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in 1998, 34.4 million Americans were 65 or older. In 16 states, the 65 or older population increased by a whopping 15 percent between 1990 and 1998.
The AOA recently commissioned noted demographer Jacob Siegel to do a study of America's aging population. In his report "Aging into the 21st Century," Siegel projects that in 2006 when the baby-boomers born between 1946 and 1964 begin turning 60, our elderly population "will increase steeply."
According to other studies and geriatric experts, older people either want to continue living in the homes they are used to, or they want to move to a house, a condo or an apartment that will make life easier and simpler for them. Those who decide to move usually look for three specific features:
Affordability
For most seniors, retirement means living on a fixed income. The size of that income determines how much can be spent on housing, including monthly expenses such as mortgage payment or rent, utilities, phone, cable TV, etc. and annual costs such as insurance and taxes.
"Compared to other kinds of structures Monolithic Domes are affordable," David says. "Even if the construction or purchase price of a Monolithic Dome matches that of a similar-size conventional home, the dome, with its miserly use of energy for heating and cooling and its low insurance premiums, saves money in the long run."
Low Maintenance
Retired seniors have more time for leisure and leisure is exactly how most want to spend that time. Travel, hobbies and socializing rank high on their lists of things to do. They simply don't want to and sometimes physically are unable to care for yards and keep a large house sparkling. Nor can many afford to hire help for all the maintenance a property might require.
"Basically, Monolithic Domes are one-piece, simple, but extremely sturdy, structures," David says. "That makes them easy to maintain. There's no roof to repair or gutters to clean. The concrete will not attract termites, mold or mildew."
Safety and Security
Because both physical stamina and agility decline with age, living in a safe, secure environment is of paramount importance to seniors. They want and need to feel protected against fire or natural disaster, as well as physical injury resulting from a fall.
David says that by their very nature Monolithic Domes provide security against fire, tornado, hurricane and earthquake. Moreover, the interior of a Monolithic Dome is a safer environment for seniors because domes can be designed without steps, tight corners and dark hallways.
The same features that make Monolithic Domes so suitable for senior citizen housing make them ideal as short-term or long- term rentals.
"To some extent, Monolithic Domes have already proven their value as rentals," David says. "There are several residence inn domes right here in Italy, Texas that are consistently occupied. These small domes with diameters of just 20 feet work very well for one or two people. They attract working singles, newlyweds, retirees, as well as single parents with just one child. Renters like the security they provide, their minimal maintenance and low energy use.
"Because these domes use so little energy," he adds, "owners can add an attractive incentive " Paid Utilities. That's a real plus and renters know it."
Donna Daun manages a small, ten-unit motel in Paducah, Kentucky. Nine of those units are conventional structures and one is a Monolithic Dome. "But that one," Donna says, "has been rented by the same person for more than a year now."
Within the next year, Walter Burnham of Rocky Mountain Dome Co. in Bonners Ferry, Idaho plans to shop for acreage on which to build a Monolithic Dome motel. Walter says that he will design a complex of domes, 20 and 24 feet in diameter, each with its own theme. "One will be woodsy, one will be Star Trek, one will be Home on the Range " something to please everyone.
As with senior housing, the demand for long-term rentals, often called extended-stay hotels, is growing as well. On the outside, they look like ordinary, motel or hotel complexes. The difference is that most rent by the week, for a minimum of one month, and offer amenities designed to attract the business person and executive. These might include any or all of the following: 24-hour business centers, dry cleaning and laundry service, a fitness center, pool, golf course, daily housekeeping, gourmet kitchens, guest accommodations, full-service restaurant and conference rooms. Depending on location and services offered, rental fees range from $200 to $1000 or more per week.
Extended-stay hotel may sound like just another, fancy name for apartment to the layman, but not to bureaucracy. Most cities and counties consider them sufficiently different so that each is governed by its own set of building codes, restrictions, and laws. For example, building codes for an extended-stay hotel probably would not require the inclusion of two parking spaces per unit, as they very well might for an apartment complex.
"Researching the building codes and all the legalities for the area in which youwant to build would be my first step," David says. "Once you know those, you can really begin planning the complex itself."
"A number of our Monolithic Dome designs, such as the various versions of the Io-20, are particularly suited for senior housing, as motels, or as rentals," he adds. "It hasn't happened yet, but it will. It's just too good not to!"
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