Sir:

I appreciated the quick shipping and straightforward assembly instructions [I'm a tech writer by trade]. However, I didn't realize how big 13 feet was until I took the first step and laid out the foundation in my yard. I then knew how much trouble I was in with my wife. . .it was MUCH larger than I thought.

When she saw the white frame against the green foliage of our yard, she was not pleased. I painted the frame gray, she was somewhat mollified. Then, when the clear greenhouse plastic covered the frame, she was upset again. Finally, I bought as much camouflage netting as I could get my hands on and now she kind of likes it tucked away out of the yard in the woods and can't see it unless she really looks for it.

Mission accomplished.

Your dome doors, as shown in the video, might be good for squeezing in and out, if you're a child or you rarely access the dome. It was not a good solution for storage of snowblowers, etc. After some consultation with my more clever friends, we sunk 4 x 4s in concrete at the angle of the slant of the dome and used 2 x 4 for the threshold and the lintel. I cut the five PVC struts to size, redrilled holes, and sunk eye bolts in the 4 x 4 door frame lumber, and then secured the PVC struts with zip ties through the eye bolts to keep the shape and for structural support.

Your instructions to cover the dome with the 24' X 24' greenhouse plastic worked, but I had anticipated a tighter, more elegant fit. I suspect there might be ways to accomplish the tighter fit by cutting gussets and taping with clear tape, etc. But I'm pretty much done with the dome project for now. Perhaps someone smarter can figure it out and I can redo the cover again in a couple of years.

The dome is no longer a landscape "statement," but more of an out-of-the-way hobbit hole. Do I get a t-shirt now?

Again, good work and thanks for the kit.

Respectfully,

Paul White