"Al Quinlan goes underground, establishes own 'Dunesbury'" from the October 12, 1978 Door County Advocate
By KETA STEEBS
Now covered with a layer of ferro cement, the framework of the double-domed Al Quinlan home in Sevastopol is shown in one of the early stages of construction. Layers of chicken wire formed the base for a four-inch exterior that of thin cement. The inside walls are covered with an inch thick cement coating which will be painted white to diffuse light. A service passage connects the two domes.
—Al Quinlan
Al Quinlan goes underground, establishes own 'Dunesbury'
By KETA STEEBS
Meet a 20th century cave dweller.
Al Quinlan, a self designated "leftover from the Renaissance" intends to carve his Thanksgiving turkey in the kitchen of a restored sand dune.
November occupancy, of course, depends on the Crash & Bash construction company's adherence to deadlines but as of today all systems are go.
Quinlan, one of the peninsula's more versatile artists, got the idea for underground living while collaborating on a book titled Pioneer Homes of Door County with John Kahlert. Quinlan photographed the buildings which Kahlert so graphically described.
Intrigued with the way some still usable 19th century barns were built into the sides of hills, Quinlan began toying with the idea of having an entire home buried underground.
"I figured if tucking half a home into a hill would be good, tucking the whole home in would be even better," he said breezily, viewing his future abode with a loving smile.
He and Don Hansen, an architect-builder known for making avant garde ideas work, decided to build and then bury not one house but two. Al wanted a studio (separate but equal) linked with his living quarters by a service passageway. He also wanted to utilize as much of his land as possible.
Al's land, fortunately, lends itself to this type of thinking. Located on Whitefish Bay road in the town of Sevastopol, Quinlan's secluded two acre plot is not only near the famed Whitefish Bay dunes, it boasts a good sized dune of its own.
Last March Hansen's equal opportunity crew (half male, half female) started moving half a sand hill to make room for a couple of gargantuan domes. Impressed with the way thin-shelled culverts withstand pressure, Hansen decided to emulate their design and rely exclusively on circular construction.
The entire structure, except for the side facing south, will be completely covered with displaced sand as soon as a thin layer of concrete is sprayed over the wire forms. This type of steel-concrete construction dates back to 17th century Greece, according to Hansen, and was commonly used in ocean freighter building in World War II. Most ships, he adds smugly, are still afloat.
Although its true shape will soon be hidden from prying eyes at this point the Quinlin residence resembles either (1) an unpainted roller coaster left over from the Chicago World's fair, (2) two giant wire baskets tipped upside down or (3) Salvador Dali's impression of the Taj Mahal.
It is not, one can safely say without fear of libel, the ordinary, run-of-the mill, rural Door county home.
For one thing, Quinlan's domicile (the pun is intentional) contains 7,000 square feet of living space which, if conventionally built, could drain a Maharajah's piggy bank. Under no circumstances, however, can this home be considered conventional so when Al says it costs two thirds less to build (per square foot) than wood, mortar and brick dwellings, one instinctively believes him.
The free form construction of the Quinlan homes is designed to hold and entrap the thick covering of sand which will cover all but one side of the entire home.
Hardy vegetation, to be planted next spring, will also help hold the ground cover in place. Quinlan jokingly said, "The perimeter is a great place to skate."
—Quinlan
Hansen said he has long considered using concrete as a major building material because it has so much going for it. "It won't rot, it never needs paint and maintenance costs are zilch," he elaborated.
Because the Quinlan home will be returned to the good earth in toto, the median year 'round temperature is expected to hover between 55 and 58 degrees. Solar heat will raise that another 15 degrees or so, if all goes according to plan, and on cold, rainy days a fireplace and airtight Norwegian woodstove will be pressed into service.
If the sun goes on strike, his Norwegian stove kicks up and fireplace wood proves scarce, Al can reach for the thermostat. Like most solar homes in Wisconsin, this has a back-up electrical heating system.
Hansen doubts that it will be used very much. For one thing the home is laid out on the compass to take full advantage of the southern exposure. The center window, which faces directly south, soars 20 feet in the air.
Two adjacent arches, designed to enclose 12x16-ft glass panes will catch the southeast and southwest rays: All three are bound to raise Windex stock but their immense size is important to Al's well being. Without them; his new home could possibly become a bit depressing.
"We've considered this, of course," says Hansen, taking time off from cutting chicken wire to point out the dome's numerous features. "That's why we've designed the solarium the way we did. It not only serves as a light and heat conductor, it's also going to house all kinds of plants and flowers."
To make sure the plants don't wither and die from lack of water, Hansen is installing an overhead sprinkler system. Whenever Quinlan feels like enjoying a spring shower, all he has to do is press a button.
He also has the option of hanging plants from his 22 foot high ceilings and planting vegetation in the concrete floor of the solarium. Two good sized patches of earth were left uncovered to allow indoor gardening all year 'round.
Dark fieldstone, carefully chosen for color and shape, forms a two-foot high wall separating the solarium from the living room. One of Hansen's female crew members ingeniously created a rock seat in each corner of the ledge. These smoothly worn stones won't put Lazee-Boy out of business but they do make surprisingly comfortable chairs.
Glass partitions, rising from this inside ledge to the ceiling will afford Al a sweeping view of the solarium and world beyond from the living area. The only partition in the home proper (for obvious reasons) will be a brick-walled bathroom which sits almost in the center of the dome. Although various sections (such as the kitchen) are clearly defined, the rest of the one room house is wide open.
Hansen intends to paint the entire interior in a pristine shade of white. "It will be like living inside a lampshade," he explained. "White reflects light without glare."
Fluorescent lighting will illuminate both the studio and home and, if the mood strikes, can be turned from plain old soft white into vivid psychedelic shades. Al, unlike most painters, prefers artificial lighting to natural so the dearth of sunlight in his two-storied studio won't bother him one whit.
The upper floor in both domes will be fully utilized. Al's studio will be equipped with a darkroom for his photography, a layout area for his silkscreening, a special place for painting and storage room galore. His studio will be a very private place where a man can work undisturbed even if he's expecting a repair person.
"That's the beauty of the service passageway," Hansen said proudly. "It separates, yet connects the two areas and has its own special entrance. All the plumbing, sewage and electrical paraphernalia are buried under this hallway so if anything goes wrong repairs can be made without disturbing anyone in the house."
This unique trench which runs the length of the passageway and branches out into each dome also serves as a conduit for wastes. Pipes and wiring, of course, must be connected upstairs as well as down, so Hansen has neatly solved this problem by adding a thick false back to the living room fireplace and studio chimney.
Hanson has allowed sufficient space to enclose all these necessary utilities and, while admitting he's the first to attempt this particular method of installation, has no doubt that it will work.
So many "firsts" have been incorporated into the design and construction of the Quinlan home, it's no wonder it comes close to rivaling the dunes as a drawing card.
Engineers are intrigued with the dome's thin shell construction; energy conservationists are impressed with its solar system; landscapers are interested in its unique use of land and potential home buyers are amazed with the amount of house Al's getting for the money.
Despite its vastness, this unorthodox dwelling promises to be as comfortable as the proverbial old shoe. Furniture will undoubtedly be arranged around an eye catching fireplace, sculpted out of re-bar material, and destined to be constructed in the same vase-shaped fashion as the dome itself.
With the fireplace as the home's focal point and the kitchen positioned to catch the solarium's warmth and sunlight all day long, underground living should pose no hardship. Cement floors will be covered with easily maintained oiled planking edged with warm, red bricks and Japanese screens will be used to separate one room from another.
Hansen has thoughtfully provided another little extra not found in many conventional homes. An easily accessible wine cellar occupies one of the home's cooler spots and although hidden from view is only a few steps from either of the two domes.
Other features include 150 linear feet of storage space on each upper level and a garage which Al said is built to hold two small cars, 12 motorcycles or 24 bikes, depending on who comes calling.
Vegetation will be planted in quantity over the soil roof next spring and to prevent precious sand from blowing away in the meantime, the dome's sweeping curves are designed to trap errant particles.
All in all, Al Quinlan has himself quite a house, a house as unique, inviting, cheerful and expansive as its gregarious owner.
The Crash & Bash Construction crew took a break from working on the Al Quinlan home long enough to be photographed. From left are Drew Darien, Bill Jacobi, Cindy Gilbert, Catie Hanson; Keith Kollberg, Don Hansen, Mary Pat Manders, Lori Vertz and Mitch Eisen.
Others working on the job since construction began June 1 were Jim Thomas, Dick Brook, Todd Wulf, Dale LaViolette and Jay Livingston.
Courtesy of the Door County Library Newspaper Archive
Other articles by Keta Steebs:
https://doorcounty.substack.com/t/keta-steebs
Articles about architecture and historic buildings:
https://doorcounty.substack.com/t/architecture-and-historic-buildings