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Round homes (e.g. Deltec)?

Nuke | Posted in General Discussion on March 6, 2006 04:08am

Ok, last night after watching mindless television I notced a show on DIY channel called Assembly Required. Its a multi-episode show about Deltec Homes (at least this sequence of episodes was on Deltec), the makers of round homes. Has anyone in the trade seen this and have thoughts about it?

The one fresh project they were basing the initial episode on had an 18-sided block-formed basement, but I didn’t know the diameter to be able to guess within reason what the square-footage was. I think I heard mentioned 2100 SqFt. Being one advocate of McMansion, I was curious as to how large this could get. I think this project home was about 50-52 feet in diameter based on SqFt.

I take it the number of ‘sides’ is what gives the home its round-ish shape. I didn’t hear what it was costing them, though.

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  1. User avater
    CloudHidden | Mar 06, 2006 04:22pm | #1

    Deltec is a fine home. They're based out of Asheville, where they have a model. I know a support person there, and a carp I worked with had built one prior and liked it. "Round" is a function of the segmentation. They have some variety, but a Deltec house will always look like a Deltec house, just like a geodesic will always look like a geodesic. If you favor that, then it works great for you. Any of the skills, materials, and methods used in a typical frame house apply with a Deltec. Costs would be comparable to frame.

  2. ruffmike | Mar 06, 2006 04:49pm | #2

    There are plenty of octagon homes from the Victorian era, that one might call real mansions. A google image search shows some real beauties, and it doesn't seem like square footage is an issue.

                                Mike

        Trust in God, but row away from the rocks.

    1. User avater
      Nuke | Mar 07, 2006 04:15pm | #3

      My wife constantly surprises me. Ok, she never considered the 'loft' idea of a home until this weekend when she visited a niece at college, who coincidentally was living with several roommates in a loft converted from an industrial (factory/mill) building. Now she informs me she like it a lot.

      Then, we watched the recorded episode of Assembly Required, the one I mentioned in this thread about Deltec round homes. Would you believe it, she likes them, too. Now, where was she in all these 'likes' when I asked her 6-7 years ago, before we bought a traditional-style home?

      1. ruffmike | Mar 08, 2006 03:21am | #9

        Maybe you need one of these-  http://rainieryurts.com/gallery30.html

        Very traditional, in another's world.                            Mike

            Trust in God, but row away from the rocks.

        1. User avater
          Nuke | Mar 09, 2006 05:11pm | #10

          I think DIY's Assembly Required is a little misleading on the costs. For a 2500-SqFt model for the shell on their flooring system, the costs for stick framing would be ~$200K. I'm basing this off of what the show presented vs. what I have in hand for a Deltec pricing guide.

          Shell does not include doors, windows, or siding, nor roofing material (if I'm reading the guide correctly). Maybe I'm a little misguided, myself, but I think that DIY show meant that prefabricated vs. stick was for 'round homes' only and not convention/traditional-style stick vs. prefab round.

          Then again, I am comparing what I paid for my 2650-SqFt home in late 2000 to what a 2500-SqFt round-home shell kit would cost today. :)

  3. User avater
    draftguy | Mar 07, 2006 06:17pm | #4

    Ran into a family friend over the weekend who said she and her husband are building a Del-Tec home in central Ohio this summer. They were originally planning on doing a log home, but decided on this instead.

    They're both people who are pretty responsible, and I would suspect they probably did a lot of research before finalizing thier decision. Apparently they're convinced it's worth it.

    1. User avater
      Nuke | Mar 07, 2006 06:35pm | #5

      I did note on that show that they offered homes from 750 to 7500 SqFt. I'm guessing that the 7500 SqFt models are multistory* since a single story would equate to a 70' diameter building. Now that is a volume in and of itself.

      I would still like to have seen SIP panel walls and poured concrete walls instead of the stick & block method. I wonder if the basement is something outside of the Deltec kit, which the homeowner is responsible for, or contracted out by Deltec.

      1. User avater
        draftguy | Mar 07, 2006 08:56pm | #6

        I asked her if they were going to put it up themselves (husband is a hands-on engineer). She said he thought about it, then decided he was too old (early 50's). They're currently looking for a contractor so the company must be o.k. with other people assembling their product. Didn't ask about a basement, but I'd assume Deltec's package doesn't include it . . . too many variables.

        1. User avater
          Nuke | Mar 07, 2006 11:16pm | #7

          I, too, did not think Deltec cared if there was a non-Deltec employee erecting the structure since on that show the 'specialist was a hired contractor hired by Deltec with prior round-home experience.

          I did note in the show that their sidebar information included a statement saying that the cost of the kit was about half that of conventional stick. I'm guessing they base that on some sort of evidence, but exactly what who knows.

          I would be curious to know exactly how large of a diameter one of there kits can be.

          1. User avater
            draftguy | Mar 08, 2006 12:52am | #8

            I checked this out earlier.

            http://www.deltechomes.com/

            It has some of their plans in different locations.

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