On the Market: Custom-built geodesic dome in NJ for $450K

On the Market profiles homes for sale in the Philadelphia region.

When Debra McIntire was moving from Trenton in the 1980s, she said she wanted "something different" for her next home.

She narrowed her choices between a log cabin and geodesic dome.

McIntire, working for the Trenton Board of Education at the time, could not find an existing home to fit her needs, so she opted for new construction. She bought a five-acre plot in Stockton, N.J., and decided that there was "too much wood" in log cabins.

A dome home, it would be.

"I was inspired by Buckminster Fuller," she said. "I was always enthralled with him and his homes."

She saw an ad for a company in New Jersey that was selling geodesic domes, and ordered a "kit house," whose parts were delivered to her property.

Within a year, McIntire said, the 1,320-square-foot dome home was constructed. It would be her home for the next three decades, and the place where she raised her daughter.

Inspired by Fuller's love for the environment, McIntire made nature the theme for her home.

Aside from ensuring that the grounds were visible from every room, she created a greenhouse dining room, which is a glass-enclosed space that overlooks the garden.

Part of the garden includes many Christmas trees. McIntire said she had originally planned to have a Christmas tree farm, but decided against it.

Because of the dome design, McIntire said the home is also very energy efficient.

"The air flows easier because of the shape of the walls," she said.

The three-bedroom, two-bath home has an open layout. Winding stairs extend from the first to second floors. The master suite includes a hot tub, stall shower, and pedestal sink.

The lower level has an unfinished walkout basement to the wood deck and patio.

The home also has an in-ground pool and three-car garage.

After 30 years, McIntire, now retired, has decided to sell the property to relocate to Florida. She has put the home on the market for $450,000.

"It was such a great learning process to put a stake in the ground and say, 'This is where I want to put my home.' That, for me, is very spiritual."

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