15ft Test Dome

Before Acre 13 was really a plan, there was a 15-foot dome.

Honestly, this project started with one simple question:

Could we actually build one?

Back in late 2018—probably late September or early October—we put together a 15-foot diameter dome sitting on a 3-foot pony wall.

And this wasn’t a kit.

The entire dome was built from 2×4s, with compound miter joints at the connections.

No hubs.

No connectors.

No fancy hardware.

Just 2×4s, a lot of cuts, measurements, screws and figuring it out as we went.

Heather spent a lot of time measuring, re-measuring and working out the pattern for the heavy vinyl cover.

Once the frame was assembled, we put the cover over it to make sure everything actually fit.

This was supposed to be a temporary setup—a full-scale test fit before we invested in a permanent foundation and deck.

But then we decided to actually spend a night in it.

My wife Heather, our two girls and I set up hammocks inside, hung from the dome structure, and brought in a little portable wood stove for heat.

And honestly?

We were surprisingly comfortable.

There was another thing that really caught our attention that night.

The wind.

We had roughly 60 km/h winds that weekend, but once we were inside the dome, you could barely hear them.

That was probably one of the first moments where we realized there might be something pretty special about this design.

But remember—the dome wasn’t supposed to stay there.

The whole point was to make sure the frame, the joints and the vinyl cover all worked before taking it apart and moving it to its final location.

And that’s exactly what we intended to do.

Then, as tends to happen…

Life got in the way.

We couldn’t get back onto the property for weeks.

Weeks turned into more than a month.

Then winter hit.

A couple of storms within three days brought heavy winds, freezing rain and everything else a New Brunswick winter can throw at you.

Eventually we got back to the property to see what happened.

The dome had basically folded in on itself.

But here’s the interesting part:

Not a single 2×4 strut broke.

The temporary screws we’d used to hold the structure together had failed.

And that’s where it stayed.

Until now.

The frame and cover are still waiting for their next job. Once we have a pathway cleared to the new site, the 15-footer will be put back together.

This time, it’ll have a proper home.

It started as an experiment.

A test to see if we could actually build a dome.

Instead, it became our first real lesson in what these structures can do—and eventually became part of the story that led to Acre 13.

No kit. No hubs. No connectors.

Just 2×4s, compound miters and a crazy idea.

And apparently, we weren’t done with it yet.