John,
First, you opened your home to us when you allowed us to meet you there. This was very important and probably was the clincher in us deciding that a dome home would be right for us.
Second, I was impressed when you came up to help us lay out the foundation and it only took two hours to do it. You had enough time left over to help me with the footer assembly. As you know, this was new technology in the building area here.
When we finished the basement walls (at the 8 foot elevation), we were within 1/4" of level at all points. I was impressed with this accuracy.
Your advice was right on target in helping me order the right material for the dome.
I was also impressed and still stand somewhat amazed at how fast and efficient the raising of the dome went. Again, I credit the smoothness of this task due largely to your consulting, personal involvement, and the steadfastness of your wife in encouraging us during each step of raising the structure. It is my understanding from your comments that we may have set a new record on constructing a 45' with 2 extensions and 3 canopies.
I was stingy with your time in order to save money and this may have actually
cost me in some areas. This is especially true in the area of roofing. The roofing
contractor I hired chose not to roof the overlaps the way you advised. It leaked
and he had to come back several times.
We began the digging in April of 2001. We completed the basement floor in June of 2001. The dome kit was delivered from Oregon Dome on July 7th, 2001, and we moved into our Dome Home the end of August 2002.
In summary, we have a nice, comfortable home, for a fair price, that is well under
standard construction costs these days. It is honestly quite a custom home for
this kind of money. You personally provided the deciding factor that we could
take on this task and be successful.
You required a fair wage and provided a valued service. Obviously, you have a standing recommendation from me to all who have the energy and ingenuity to take on this honorable and rewarding task.
Always,
Gene G. Soult
Next Real Domes Real People Story
Here's a typical re-roof repair client...great folks to work with and Cathy didn't even scream when she came home and saw the top of her house gone! Read on....
We had almost reached the point of no return and were considering a demolition permit. Pictures of dome homes surviving hurricane force winds became a source of depression for us. Over the past twenty-five years we have had two new roofs – each of which developed new problems on top of the old. Before each job began, we were assured by the roofing contractors that they knew what they were doing. Upon completion and after the first rainfall, each of those roofing contractors felt it was necessary to explain to us that we had an unusual roof. Then we talked to John Johnson.
John Johnson was the answer to our prayers concerning our dome home. He knows domes; he knows how to tackle both the existing problems and the ugly surprises you get during construction/reconstruction. We are in awe of his expertise, his workmanship and his incredible personality.
We have a 40’ dome built in the early 80’s that had an 8’ skylight on top. Unbeknownst to us (and in addition to the other problems from our first and second roofs), the skylight had been leaking for some time and had rotted out the decking around it. John cut the opening for the cupola; built the pentagon sections for our cupola on site; built the supporting framework inside the house; and then secured the cupola to the framework. Everything came together with a precision that we have never seen before. The cupola is perfect. It solves a lot of problems and looks great from inside and outside the house.
John Johnson also plays well with others while making it clear from the beginning that he is in charge. We found a local roofing contractor who wanted his crew to learn how to roof a dome but his crew spoke very, very little English. John worked hard making sure everyone involved understood what he needed them to do and he followed through making sure it was all done the way it needed to be done – all of this while he was building the cupola and framework. He had his hand and eye on every aspect of the job.
It is without any reservations whatsoever that we recommend John Johnson. He truly is an expert and he has our respect and gratitude.
Sincerely,
Dave and Catherine Moore
riderdave@aol.com and ceroom@aol.com