Things are moving right along on the build now that it has been taken over by an experienced crew. It is both exciting and super awkward to have other people working on our house. I am not saying we miss the digging and the sweating (we still get to do that) but it is weird to no longer be in control. We feel like we should be helping with everything instead of just watching!
This is a super necessary step in our eyes. There are a lot of things we are willing to try to do ourselves but the concrete shell is not one of them. I have no doubt we could do it but we could never hope for it to come out smooth and even. To even consider attempting it we would need to enroll in the dome building class in Texas. Even if we did take the class, we are not confident that it would come out ok. We built our own foundation but it didn't have to look nice. Same goes for utility trenches and the septic. Every project we have taken on that was out of our realm of knowledge didn't require a special technical skill. They could all be done correctly by figuring out what was required and meeting the standard that the inspections hold you to. The shell is totally different since it requires a special skill. The shell of the dome needs to be not only functional but look good...not like a lumpy melting cake.
As awkward as it is, we are super happy to have the pros take over for this critical part. This first week the builders finished the ring beam. They built the forms, installed all the rebar, poured it, removed the forms and then prepped everything for inflation all in 1 week! Whew! This would have taken us at least a month to do if I am being generous.
The ring beam is essentially another footer that goes right on top of our stem wall. The airform then gets attached to this ring and inflated.
Finished forms with rebar.
You can see where all the doors and large windows will be in the forms. 
This is the large flat wall of windows. The outer curve is a temporary cement arc that will be removed later. It is needed for construction purposes but not part of the house in the end.
Pouring the beam.
Cement truck unloading into the concrete pump.
The rebar that is sticking out to the inside will be connected to additional tension beams in the floor after the dome shell goes up.
The straight beam stays and supports our big windows and the outer arc is there to hold the airform during construction.
All the rebar is bent over to get it out of the way for the airform installation.
The rebar is now covered in protective plastic so it doesn't snag the airform during installation.
We had homework to do! More digging! We had to dig a trench all the way around the exterior of the foundation to 24" below finished grade. The builders took pity on us in the 90 degree weather and helped...so we bought them all ice cream. The trench is for exterior insulation. They will spray more urethane foam on the exterior of the foundation over the seam where the airform connects.
Airform is ready and waiting in place for them to attach it tomorrow morning.
Stay tuned! I will try to keep up with the updates without too much delay.
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