I’ve always had a goal of making $100K a year off of unique short-term rentals. I believe that unique, quirky, properties are more recession-proof, interesting, and a totally fun experience for guests— and have a higher ROI.
In my partner and I bought a 1-acre piece of property for $35,000 in the mountains of Idaho.
Thought we would build a small modern cabin and ran into our first real issue- utilities.
Utilities are very expensive.
A geodesic glamping dome refers to a dome-shaped tent or shelter that is typically used for outdoor camping and is designed with this unique geometric structure. These domes are made from lightweight, durable materials and offer a unique camping experience with their spherical shape and ample headroom.
So we got to work planning our geodome glamping site.
To give you the context of this process, I’m going to share each phase of the project for us.
https://airbnb.com/h/cascadedome
I created an entire video specifically discussing the process we used to set a budget, options for financing a glamping site, how I ran the numbers to see if this would be a good investment, and some of the logistics we went through during this phase.
Our project took us 1.5 year to complete, mostly due to being snowed out, waiting for engineering documents to come back, and only being able to build only weekends. Our property is 2 hours away from our house, so we spent 8 hours each weekend commuting back and forth. It was a bit tiring to do this on top of our full-time jobs, but hey– that’s what we signed up for!
Our geodome needed to sit on a strong, engineered foundation. We initially thought the dome would sit 5-10 feet off the ground on stilts, but we quickly realized that the higher off the ground you go, the more expensive it becomes. We ended up working with 2 structural engineers. The first quoted a 3-4 week turnaround time, it ended up taking 8 weeks.
During the 8 weeks, you aren’t able to move forward on the project, which is a huge bummer. That winter we reached out to another engineer to see if there was a way to adjust the plans to be closer to the ground AND a bit more cost effective.
Those plans then needed to be turned into the county for our permitting process.
Because our lot is on a sloped mountainside, we had to get creative with accessibility. We opted for lots of stairs, walkways, and decks to make the property safe to access and look like an adventure. We even built a cozy firepit area nestled into massive granite boulders.
While we waited for our engineering documents to come back we built a sauna. This little sauna is awesome! It has a wood burning stove, a small space to change and essential oils to add to the water.
My favorite feature is the chevron deck. I saw this on Pinterest and tried to recreate it to the best of my ability. It took a bit to create plans and figure out how to make it work, but it was well worth the effort.
Goto Spark Glamping to know more.
The geodome itself went up quickly, but I wouldn’t say easily. We had to build an additional platform and insulate the heck out of it so that it helps a bit with heat loss. Once that was completed, the metal frame (struts) were assembled. It took a lot of organization with the pieces and a very specific order of operation for assemblying them together.
Once the frame was completed, we were ready to add on the cover. The cover was very heavy and required 4-5 of us to hoist it up and over the 11 foot peak.
We opted for the insulation liner for our geodesic dome, and I can honestly say that it was 100% worth it. Even with the liner the dome gets very hot in the summer and very cold in the winter, but without the insulation liner, the temperature swings are much worse. Installing the insulation was like putting on the worst duvet cover ever.
The last piece of setting up our dome was the interior. We opted for a king size bed, wood stove, small dining table, and an oversized counter/island.
There’s a lot that goes into running an Airbnb glamping business. The pieces of running the business that are important for our mountain property are:
So what’s next?
We are working on another unique property and learning how to be the best hosts we can be.
Running a successful vacation rental is no easy feat. Even if you’ve nailed the location and kitted out your Airbnb with luxury furnishings, it may not be enough to stand out from competitors. Since many travellers are looking for something out of the ordinary to make their stay feel unique and memorable, include an outside-the-box idea in your offering.
With an outdoor pod of a reasonable size (like Hypedome S or Hypedome M), you can provide your guests with a unique sleeping experience and potentially increase your revenue in two ways:
Either way, your guests are in for a treat and you just make your holiday spot much more attractive.
What your guests may love the most? Hypedomes are designed to blend in with their surroundings and blur the line between indoors and outdoors. In the crystal clear version, guests can fall asleep under the stars. You can add Hype.Wall Panels for privacy and leave a ‘porthole’ at the top of the dome so guests can gaze up at the night sky while lying in bed.
Note: Hypedomes are temporary structures that usually do not need planning permission if used for dining/lounging/garden purposes. However, if you plan to rent them out for accommodation purposes/overnight stays, then obtaining appropriate permits might be required.
Read our guide on Starting a Glamping Business for more information on planning permission and check with your local authority whether getting permits is necessary in your area.
Why not create a sheltered meditation zone or yoga retreat if your rental has a well-being theme? These are all things to make your Airbnb stand out.
With a Hypedome, you can offer all the above and even organise a movie night by projecting a film onto our snap-on/snap-off Sun Shade Sail. Your guests could enjoy unique experiences all year round, as Hypedomes are weather-proof and easy to heat. And you can choose from a range of glamping pod add-ons like useful wall pockets and beautiful lighting kits to make guests ‘ooh and aah’.
Note: In most countries, you won’t need planning permission to install Hypedomes for this type of use (not for overnight stays), meaning you can instantly add a wow factor to your rental offering, helping you to get fully booked or even bumping up that rental price. With our short lead times on clear domes, you can even get it in less than 2 weeks, perfectly in time to assemble and furnish before the season starts.
The company is the world’s best Outdoor Dome Lodges supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.