A unique residential home is hitting the real estate market soon in Greater Sudbury. It’s a dome home covered with earth to help make heating and cooling more efficient and environmentally friendly. The house is located on Nickel Offset Road in Chelmsford. It’s covered with earth and is located on 30 acres of land. Broker Paul Kusnierczyk said as far as they know, this is the only dome home in northern Ontario. “We understand there is maybe one in southern Ontario -- maybe one towards Ottawa -- but this is the only one in northern Ontario. So, I mean, extremely unique anywhere you go. I have never seen anything like it.” Emily Vinski, 86, lives in the home with her 18-year-old cat, Athena. Vinski built it with her husband, Tom, in 2009. He passed away in 2013. Was a labour of love She calls it a labour of love, but added that now it’s time to downsize. “I just love it, yes,” Vinski said. “We did it, and I think it’s a statement that has an impact on our environment.” The earth covering the home is an insulator, making it cheaper to heat and keep cool. “It doesn’t take as much energy to heat it in the winter and in the summer, as you can see, I have the windows open in order for the heat to come in,” Vinski said. “I even blow the heat in and that’s why it was our ancestors that discovered root cellars and this is just a giant root cellar.” Vinski said she did research for two years before the build and feels everyone has a responsibility to help the environment. “With all of the things that are going on in the world today, with all the fires and everything, we all have to learn to do something that is going to have an impact on settling the environment,” she said. The dome home is expected to hit the real estate market next week, with the owner and realtor still finalizing the price.
