How Much Does a Dome Home Cost in 2025?

Average Cost to Build a Dome House

Cost Factors for Building a Dome Home

When building a dome house, consider cost factors such as size, type of build, materials, cost by room, and more.

Home Size

The size of your dome house determines its price. Expect to pay between $100 and $250 per square foot, with an average dome home cost of $175 per square foot, including labor and finishes. 

The bigger the house, the more materials and labor required to build it, and the more challenging the build. While smaller dome homes are the most common type, particularly for owner-builders, it's increasingly common to see larger, grander contractor-built dome houses. 

Dome Home Kit vs. Custom Build

Dome houses are available with prefabricated shells or “dome home kits.” Alternatively, you may work with local architects to make custom plans, buying the necessary materials to raise your new dome home from scratch. Custom home builders in your area can help estimate your total dome home cost based on your specifications. 

Modular Kit

Modular dome home shell kits cost from $10,000 to $150,000. The price discrepancy depends on the size of the dome, the type of home, and the number of openings required for doors and extensions. Some people choose to add a second dome connected to the first by a covered walkway or extension to create a unique floor plan.

Custom Build

You can have a dome home company create a bespoke plan for you, which costs between $400 and $900. Another option is to hire an architect to create a plan for you. Hiring an architect costs $125 to $250 per hour, or between 5% and 20% of the final project fee. 

Once you have the architect's plan, you can hire a local general contractor to oversee the build. General contractor rates make up 10% to 20% of the project total.

Type of Build

Your level of involvement in the building process can greatly impact the cost of your geodesic or monolithic dome. 

Owner-Built

Homeowner dome home builds cost $100 to $180 per square foot. While you can save up to 50% of the project cost if you have the required skills, time, tools, and resources, this option is only suitable for significantly experienced home builders. Even then, you'll need to hire specialist tradespeople, such as plumbers, HVAC techs, and electricians, to complete certain aspects of the build.

Owner-Finished

An owner-finished dome home costs $110 to $220 per square foot. In this scenario, a homeowner can expect to save as much as 30% of the project price. Once the contractor completes the bulk of the actual construction, including the shell and frame, the homeowner can tackle as much of the finishing work as they can themselves. This could include hanging drywall, installing kitchen cabinetry, finishing walls and ceilings, laying flooring, and more. 

Owner and Contractor

A cooperative build between a homeowner and licensed contractor costs around $120 to $220 per square foot. An owner-and-contractor build is a solid option that can save as much as 20% of the project price. While the contractor still handles most of the project, including working with subcontractors and the build itself, the homeowner may do some planning, budget management, permit applications, materials purchasing, scheduling, and so on. 

Contractor Only

Hiring a construction manager costs about $32,000. Your price may be much lower or higher, depending on your location and project complexity. Letting a licensed contractor handle the whole project will most likely give you the best results and the least amount of stress, but it'll cost the most. In this instance, the homeowner makes key decisions with the contractor before construction begins but then plays no further role until the build is complete. 

Cost by Room

Aside from raising the shell and cladding the walls, many other elements go into finishing a dome home. 

Finishes

There’s more that goes into dome home costs than the structure itself. Just like with conventional homes, you must also budget for various finishes:

• Window installation costs $250–$2,000 per window, with an average cost of $1,125 each.

• Insulation costs $0.55–$2.50 per board ft., with an average cost of $1.50 per board ft.

• Roofing material costs $3.50–$5 per sq. ft., including labor, with an average cost of $4.25 per sq. ft. 

• Laying the foundation costs $4–$25 per sq. ft., with an average cost of $14.50 per sq. ft.  

Materials

The cost of materials for a dome house makes up 70% to 80% of the total build cost. This works out to $70 to $200 per square foot. Remember, this isn't per square foot of materials but rather the total square footage of the final house size. Therefore, if you're building a 1,000-square-foot dome house, materials will cost you $70,000 to $200,000.

Other Cost Factors for Building a Dome Home

Be sure to budget for other important dome home cost factors, like labor, permits, and land preparation.

Labor

Labor makes up 20% to 30% of the cost of building a dome house, which works out to an average of $30 to $50 per square foot. Like the cost of materials, labor cost is based on the square footage of the finished property. This may include hiring electricians, plumbers, general contractors, and other specialists.

Permits

A building permit costs anywhere from $450 to $2,850, depending on local codes and regulations. You will likely need to apply for several different building permits, depending on the specifics of your dome house build. 

Pre-Construction Prep Costs

Pre-construction costs are one of the biggest price factors you need to account for when planning your budget.

• Acquiring the land to build your dome home can cost $3,000–$150,000+. 

• Completing a land survey costs $380–$770 but can exceed $1,000 in some cases. 

• Preparing the land costs around $1,500–$5,000, including excavation costs and land grading costs.

Upgrades and Add-Ons

Upgrades and extras include additions to the home aside from the basic building. Some of the most common additions to dome houses include:

• Skylights cost $500–$2,000

• Attic cupolas cost $1,000–$4,000

• Framing arches cost $200–$600

Monolithic vs. Geodesic Dome House Costs

The costs for monolithic and geodesic dome homes are similar. They both require around 25% fewer materials than conventional homes of the same size and offer the same substantial savings—up to $500 per year—in optimal energy efficiency. Both options cost much less than the price of building a standard house.

Monolithic Dome Home Cost

Monolithic dome homes consist of a single piece of concrete that forms the shell, with spaces for doors and windows. A concrete bubble house costs $100,000 and up for a comfortably sized home of around 1,000 square feet suitable for long-term living. This works out to about $100 per square foot.

More elaborate, custom-designed, contractor-built monolithic dome homes cost up to $250 per square foot. A substantial 5,000-square-foot property could cost as much as $1,250,000 to build. 

Geodesic Dome Home Cost

Geodesic dome homes consist of multiple triangular panels that slot together to form a dome. While DIY builds may cost as little as $100 per square foot, they require more precision and planning than a monolithic dome home because the triangles must be connected and sealed perfectly. 

At the upper end of the budget, it's not uncommon to pay a contractor $250 per square foot for a high-end geodesic dome house built to your specifications and finished to a high standard. This type of home is durable but not quite as strong as the monolithic variety. Due to the interconnecting panels, there's more chance for water damage if a seam loses its water tightness. 

Advantages and Disadvantages of Dome Homes

There are plenty of advantages to dome homes, but there are a few drawbacks to be aware of. Make sure you know the pros and cons to make an informed decision. 

Pros

• Energy efficient, saving up to $500 per year

• Disaster-proof, withstanding hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, and more

• Budget-friendly

• Unique appearance

Cons

• Curved walls can result in wasted space

• Difficult to find cabinetry for curved walls

• Challenging to hang pictures and art

• Often stay on the market for a long time when up for sale

• Homeowner associations may object

• Difficult to get financing or accurate appraisals

Budgeting for Building a Dome Home

Before breaking ground on your unique dome home, work with your project manager to draft a comprehensive budget for all expenses. While doing this, identify potential savings opportunities for your geodesic or monolithic dome house, such as the following:

• Complete detailed architectural plans and specifications before requesting bids to prevent costly mid-construction changes.

• Research multiple dome kit manufacturers to find the best value, considering long-term durability when selecting materials.

• Work with contractors to bulk-order materials and consolidate deliveries to reduce shipping fees.

• Choose a simple foundation design that works with your terrain.

• Invest in high-quality insulation and select energy-efficient windows and doors to reduce long-term costs.

• Choose standard sizes for fixtures to avoid custom manufacturing costs.

• Schedule regular meetings with your contractor to prevent misunderstandings and avoid costly overages. 

How HomeAdvisor Gets Its Cost Data

No place is more important than your home, which is why HomeAdvisor connects homeowners with local pros to transform their houses into homes they love. To help homeowners prepare for their next project, HomeAdvisor provides readers with accurate cost data and follows strict editorial guidelines. After a project is complete, we survey real customers about the costs to develop the pricing data you see, so you can make the best decisions for you and your home. We pair this data with research from reputable sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, academic journals, market studies, and interviews with industry experts—all to ensure our prices reflect real-world projects.