Brad was told, “You can’t build underground.”

He proved them wrong, self-building the buried dome he had envisioned & getting it permitted against all odds. He realized his dream at a cost in materials of around $80,000.

Brad and Julia built their buried dome home by carving directly into a steep mountainside— a 23% grade so extreme the land was considered nearly unusable— but this challenging terrain was exactly what they wanted: a hillside deep enough to tuck their house underground for insulation, energy efficiency, and wildfire protection.

Drawing inspiration from the blast-protection shelters he once worked in—structures that stayed cool in summer and warm in winter—Brad engineered his own bunker-style dome. He and Julia then built about 90% of the home themselves, keeping their total cost to roughly $80,000 on their land in Grass Valley, California.

They hired professionals only for the essentials: dynamiting the rocky slope, moving earth, and spraying the shotcrete. For the rest—even the tedious tasks like tying 65,000 pieces of rebar—they relied on determination, creativity, and “dome-raising” parties with friends.

The result is an underground home so airtight and well-insulated that their solar panels supply the power they need. Even on cloudy days, they barely dip into their backup resources. In two decades, they have used only a fraction of their firewood and have never needed to refill their propane tank.

Above the dome, Brad transformed the rooftop into a thriving garden. Today, the living roof supports an orchard of 16 fig trees, vegetables, and other plantings that help regulate temperature, absorb rainfall, and turn the home into part of the landscape.