When Steve Areen took some time off from his career as a Delta flight attendant, he relocated to an organic mango farm in northeast Thailand and built a dome home that, fittingly enough, is a fluorescent, Mango-ish shade of orange inside and out, and practically drips with the sweet, sweet nectar of DIY accomplishment. Not that Areen did it all himself; he had a few friends helping him build the basic structure, which is made from cement blocks and concrete bricks covered with a coat of terra cotta paint. Six weeks was all it took to erect the home, and as Areen writes on his website, it was the "low cost and time-efficiency" of the construction methods that sold him on the project, which he "probably would not have built it if was a long process." Keeping in mind that this all went down in cost-friendly Thailand, his bottom line is still pretty impressive: $6K for the home itself, with detailing, stonework, landscaping, and furnishing bringing the total to $9K.

The long list of details that really bring the place together include a grass roof on the bedroom, an outdoor pond, a rooftop gazebo, and a bamboo faucets. The home is hooked up to conventional water-heating and electricity systems, but gets naturally lit and cooled during the day via cutout sections in the roof. According to Inhabitat, Areen was so jazzed by the project that he's "currently scouting out property in Oregon with a group of people so that he can build another," this time with earthen bricks and even more sustainable methods.

· 6 Eco-Friendly DIY Homes Built for $20K or Less! [Inhabitat]

· Magical Dome House in Remote Thailand Constructed in Six Weeks for Just $8000! [Inhabitat]

· All dome home coverage [Curbed National]