Hi suancol, both domes have operable skylights. They look circular from directly below. (See photo) but have an angled square skylight sitting on an angled plinth above. These skylights provide shifting daylight and moonlight, acting like evocative internal sundials. They are part of the cooling system too. On stinking hot days, the windscoop funnels any prevailing wind from the outside, down into the main dome, through a small interior window. (To the right of the door in the photo below) This cools the dome as the same air is then drawn up and out through the skylight. We also have three double glazed windows in both domes - as many as we could have before the structural integrity and strength of the lancet arches would have been lessened. The geometries are why the 40 domes in one Nepalese orphanage withstood the quake this week. These windows provide plenty of daylight. Sometimes these domes can be very cave like. We wanted to push the limit. Today, we hung the windows! A big day. We're working with a local young designer to commission the door and work bench. I wouldn't mind the door having a cut away hatch opening, to further enhance light and ventilation. A bit of a quirky gothic touch. Bristow Architecture, we are toying with the sconce-type you suggest for an outside light in the entrance vault. My love of earthen architectures came from solo backpacking in Morrocco. My favourite place in all the world is Imlil, in the High Atlas Mountains. So we're also toying with a lamps from chained pulleys for the main dome - Moroccan? or would that be too much and detract from the cathedral lift of the space. We have one extra light outlet above the door. We'll reserve that one for one upwards directional light to highlight the lift. Jdublya, I like your suggestion. It might suit for the smaller, second half-dome. The whole sweep will have a work bench. Morning light through those windows is petalled and sweet. But we do different lighting again. Something like this could work. Thanks all. This is such fun. So much to play with.

Old post but thought I'd update. We have finally moved into our forever home and on occasions, obviously in winter, we still have crying window (sob). We have the wet windows on the south side of the home which is the shady side so not unexpected but also on the north side where we still get lovely warm winter sunlight streaming in and I still do have all my windows slightly cracked open and it does help. Incidentally I have glass bricks in our bathroom on the south side and there is no condensation on this window at all. Our home has insulation in both the exterior and interior walls and we have double insulation in our roof, so factor 7 unlike the usual factor 3.5 not that it probably has any bearing on the moisture issue. We have a 1.8mtr wide veranda surrounding the entire home so the windows are some what protected from the elements but when the temperature gets fairly low and can be almost zero in winter, it seems impossible to prevent this crying window sindrome but I can live with the fact it is fairly easy and quick to remove with a Karcher window vac now, brilliant little machine at $99 and it only takes a few minutes. We have an exhaust fan in both bathrooms that is vented outside so the moist air does not go into the roof space and in fact even my rangehood ducting is vented outside too!! We even had condensation in the roof cavity as well to the point of having a rainforest up there but since fitting another whirlie into the roof making it three in total now, it appears to have almost entirely eradicated that problem. I can say catagorically now that crying windows are a very difficult problem to eradicate in very cold climates where obviously the inside of the home being heated at night is going to create the perfect conditions for the condensation to settle with the inside being far wamer than the outside and there in lies the problem which canot be changed. I have blinds and curtains that I close ever day before dark but it makes no difference. As I have aluminium windows and doors throughout, so no timber anywhere, it isn't such an issue for damage but annoying none the less but life goes on and I do so love my beautiful new home!!

You never mentioned your budget that you're willing to spend. You could add a thicker fill backed insulation blanket - 50mm, 75mm or 100mm are the common thicknesses. Steep roof pitch so would need scaffolding, harnesses, etc.. which adds up quickly. Probably still not enough insulation though but probably cheapest option. Insulation under existing timber linings then reline over the top of that as some have suggested. Working at height though so would need scaffold set up again and working overhead is not fun nor easy. You could replace the roof with a sandwich panel roof. Try Versiclad or Kingspan or comparable. They have a polystyrene type of insulation between an outer metal roof sheet and a metal inner sheet. These are heat laminated together. Again different thickness available from 50mm up to 180mm is common. The 180mm has a R rating of 4.7 which is quite good. Again steep pitch, etc., probably need new ridge capping, etc.. Probably most expensive option...... Keep us all posted on your decision though!

Jessica Craig, I thought you might like to know this. When my daughter was a baby and I took her for swimming lessons, I met another wonderful Mum Wendy and her daughter, Sophie. Sophie's father had recently passed away and so Wendy was trying to adjust to the hand that fate had dealt her. They had not long purchased their house too. We have remained very close all these years and I can report that both Soph and Wendy are a force to be reckoned with. Sophie (now 15) is a talented singer, is doing well at school and has oodles of personality. Wendy is studying online and working towards fulfilling her dream of one day writing a children's book. The house has been renovated and is a very warm and welcoming home. It has not always been an easy road as single mum for Wendy, but it continues to get richer as the years move by. I hope that in some of your harder moments, this may bring some small level of comfort to you.