Geodesic Dome Stay in Calgary

Three mothers, all holding full-time jobs, built the Dome House themselves. Rylia, an interior designer then working full-time for a home builder, started the project with Eva, a realtor then working in the new-home industry and a single mom — and together they brought in Nathalie, a business owner and also a mom. For an entire year they worked on the house nonstop, eight hours a day after their day jobs, every evening: project managing it themselves, creating the floor plans, developing the concept, running the project, and doing a great deal of the physical work with their own hands — hauling rock and lumber, tearing things out. They missed time with their families to do it.

 

They bought the home not realizing the extent of the damage, thinking it would be a rental and not a big job. They ended up redoing essentially everything. There were exterior drainage problems to solve, and hidden damage throughout that all had to be repaired. The exterior was taken apart and rebuilt piece by piece to make sure the structure held, with an engineer consulted to confirm it was done properly. The garage was completely rotted out — it fell down when they started taking it apart, and had to be rebuilt entirely. New exterior insulation went in. Trees that were impeding the foundation and the views came down. A new attached building and a new outdoor living space were created. And the landscaping: a landscaping company helped, but the three of them carried all the rock for the front yard in themselves and created the landscape design, as well as doing the interior work.

 

All of the exterior walls, from the interior side, and the garage were spray foamed — the dome had been framed 2x4 instead of 2x6, and there was no other way to reach the R-value the building code required. The spray foam company oversprayed the interior, and the owners spent a week with a specialty tool sanding the inside of the exterior walls to restore the dome's geometric shape. At one point a crew worked 24/7 for an entire week. When they stripped the exterior, they found it had been coated in truck bed liner — that was why the house was not breathing. They replaced the entire exterior, along with plywood and some framing, and brought everything up to current building code, passing all inspections.

 

Every time they turned around there was another problem, and they got through each one. City building code challenges. Reconciling 1971 construction with new construction standards. Figuring out proper ventilation and a product that would let moisture out, because the exterior product on the house was not breathing — which meant meeting with multiple companies to find the right exterior solution. And relocating the furnace. Each obstacle was solved the same way: together.

 

And they were not alone. Over 100 people from their friend group put time into this house — other moms and friends who, even without construction skills, cleaned up, hauled garbage, swept, wiped things down, pulled weeds, anything they could do. Some helped for an hour, some for a week, some came back multiple times, on top of the people they hired. Realtors, mortgage brokers, neighbours — they were truly blessed and lucky to have such support around them to get this house done.

 

It was a completely stressful build. They took it day by day. And they are still friends after all of it. The whole scope — permits, plans, the build, landscaping, and interior decorating — was completed in one year.

 

Once they understood what the repairs would cost, the idea changed — into a concept their friends had been suggesting all along. Friends were renting hotel rooms just to get a breather from family life and enjoy social time, in separate rooms far apart. The Dome House is the opposite: one magical space close to home where moms and friends can gather and still be close to their kids, or have a staycation with the whole family, without long travel — everyone together in the kitchen, the clubhouse, or the outdoor spaces. Every space was thought through to be usable and accounted for: a mini golf pad at the front, multiple decks, a rooftop patio, an enclosed clubhouse usable in winter, and a mini playground in the backyard so kids can play alongside. In winter it looks like a giant snow globe; in summer there is outdoor space everywhere. And guests have hosted baby showers, engagements, and other special moments with loved ones here.

 

Their motivation was always to preserve the house. They spent far more than they should have, because it was not just a house — it was a piece of art, an iconic building. They wanted to keep its shape while making it livable and usable, and to let people share in the magic the house was created with.

 

On the last day, the owner and a girlfriend who was helping her clean and place furniture put in one of those starlight ceiling projectors made for kids' rooms — and because of the dome's shape, it spread the stars across the entire ceiling and all the way down to the floor. They sat on the couch with a glass of wine, looked at each other, laughed, and said 'this is the best date night ever.'

 

This was never just an Airbnb. It was women in construction building something of their own — not just an Airbnb but a future, a house with their soul in it. They struggled, they overcame, and they came out the other side with an appreciation for this property unlike anyone else's. When you stay under the dome, you are staying in a house they built with their own hands, after their day jobs, for a year of evenings. Being a mom is a full-time job in itself — and on top of it, each of them was running a business and working for someone else. When three moms with full-time jobs get together, they can do just about anything.