ABOUT: Testimonials
#1 In
2007, my husband and I made the decision to buy an American
Ingenuity 40' dome, making it the first such family home in the
Faroe Islands. The Faroe Islands are situated between Norway and
Iceland in the North Atlantic Ocean, and are made up of 18 Islands,
total population just 48,000 people. The climate is rainy and
stormy.
The piece of land we chose for our home is a steep
hillside, facing the ocean. Access is along a small village
road in the village of Velbastadur.
As the community is quite
isolated, the price of building is prohibitive, as is the rental
cost for building machinery - excavators, cranes etc. In addition,
the building code is quite strict.
And being an artist family, our financial means are
limited.
Mr. Klaus Kolb advised us prior
to arrival with very exact preparation plans, so as to make the best
use of the nine days in the Faroes. He then worked with us for the
full nine days - in a stretch and without a day
of rest, sometimes late into the evening,
He was able to coordinate the
workers, who were both transporting the dome elements to our site,
erecting the support structure and the dome shell, despite most of
these workers being amateurs. When requested, he would give
structural and technical explanations so that we always knew why things were
done one way and not another.
The dome kit contained several
inexact elements, pieces being incorrectly measured or elements
missing. Without Klaus, we would have spent weeks trying to solve
problems on the way, with the crane being paid by the bur. Also, the
dome structure being so different from traditional architecture, we
would not have felt secure about the strength and safety of the
dome, had he not guided every step of the construction- As it was,
the 1st dome panels were in place four hours after Klaus left,
in a record ten days.
We are convinced, that the
presence of an experienced consultant not only made a safe
construction possible in record time, saving us much more money than
the expert fee, but also gave an energy boost and an excitement much needed in
this - for us - big undertaking.
Klaus has generously offered to
continue advising us by email whenever we have
questions about the continued building process.
We are grateful for the help he
has given us, unaware, that without him our entire project
might have stranded or been considerably delayed.
Thorshavn, Faroe
Islands June 21st 2009 Hedvig
Westerlund-Kapnas and Nikolaos Kapnas
#2 We contracted
the dome shell erection consultation services of Klaus Kolb of Palm
Bay, FL for our 45' Geodesic Dome Home with 5 entryways.
He was at the job site from August 10 through August
19, 2009.
Klaus guided us and our contractors through the
process of erecting the temporary rib system, setting the first and
second row panels including entryway side and top panels.
He also gave us instructions for filling the seams,
installing panels in the upper rows and instatling suspension rods
for second floor joists.
On October 2, 2009 we hired Klaus to inspect our
finished seams and to perform a demostration of application of Loxon
Primer/Sealer.
Prior and after his on-site consultation, Klaus was
always available to answer technical questions by phone or
email.
We believe that the investment we made into the
consulting service has more than paid off in accelleration of the
erection process and avoidance of costly mistakes and frustration
during this, our first time endeavor with a reinforced concrete
shell.
As we appreciated Klaus' expertise, knowledge and
integrity, we wish him continued succes with future dome shell
installations.
Brian and Tara Griffin Flagler Beach,
Florida January 14, 2010
#3 Dear Klaus,
I wanted to extend a big thank you for your recent inspection service . Having someone who was experienced with the geodesic dome structure was a vital part of my recent purchase of an existing geodesic dome in New England. The entire process form your hands-on direction and instruction during the site visit to the inspection report-as well as the guidance we received for upkeep and maintenance, was critical in a few different ways...
Firstly in helping to obtain financing, which can be difficult due to the originality and relative unknowns associated with the domes.
Secondly, by providing insight and an understanding of the structure itself and how we could correct the few issues with this particular structure-when many local contractors didn't want to touch it for lack of experiences and knowledge.
And finally, in instilling some self confidence with regard to owning a geodesic dome-prior to your visit I was very excited but also very nervous because of the relative rarity of these types of homes, particularly in the area.
With great appreciation,
Sabra B. Springfield, MA
#4
We are enjoying our new dome home that took just under 6 months to build.
We found a contractor who was a little nervous about building a dome home. We decided for all of us to meet with Klaus Kolb.
Klaus put us at ease and he made sure that our contractor was comfortable with the building plans and Assembly Manual. He took the time to answer all of our contractor's questions.
We were very glad that we contracted with Klaus to meet with out contractor again at the job site within two weeks after having received our dome kit. We called Klaus on several occasions and he was always able to assist us over the phone. However, his site visit truly brought the entire building process to light.
We love our new dome home. Wanda and Brian DuFrain
Floral City, Fl
#5 I am currently constructing a 43' geodesic dome home using a kit from American Ingenuity.
This being the first unconventional structure of its kind in this country (the British Virgin Islands) the local contractor is unfamiliar with the different type of construction.
I therefore made the decision
to bring in a consultant to assist in the assembly of the dome
components, to assure that things went smoothly. That consultant was Klaus Kolb whom I had met in Florida when I was there to purchase my dome kit.
Under Klaus' guidance, the contractor and his crew installed 90 percent of the kit components within 7 working days.
Klaus also explained and educated the contractor regarding the finishing details so that these could be completed effectively after Klaus had left the island.
I believe that we were able to do the work in one fourth the time it would have taken us without the service of the consultant. Contracting with Klaus as a consultant has been a sound investment. It enabled us to save both time and funds.
I can now, without hesitation, fully recommend to anyone considering a dome kit of their own, to seriously consider the services of Klaus Kolb as their consultant.
Craig Chomiak
Tortola, British Virgin Islands
#6 It is out of the utmost respect for Klaus Kolb and his abilities that I provide this testimonial. We are the only builders of American Ingenuity Domes in Jamaica and are currently building a 45' and a 35' linked dome home which is about 4000 square feet in size. Klaus has been kind enough to avail himself to us for technical construction assistance to our project manager and construction team.
Klaus has traveled to Jamaica on three separate occasions. Each time his visit has advanced our project and provided our crew with valuable information; enabling our company to build the best product possible. We are providing Jamaicans with the islands first 100% hurricane proof homes thanks to American Ingenuity. These incredibly beautiful and structurally sound homes are the only construction home provided by Caribbean Tropical Igloo homes Limited.
Klaus' professional business approach and his ability to communicate with our managers as well as tradesmen in the field is frankly a breath of fresh air. Each member of our organization looks forward to Klaus' next visit. Taking in to consideration all of these facts, I have no hesitation recommending Klaus' consulting services. We are extremely thankful to
American Ingenuity for extending this service as it has inequivocally made our project a success.
Lloyd Jackson
Managing Director
Caribbean Tropical Igloo Homes
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