Henderson man has good reason for building igloo-shaped house

By Eli Segall

Friday, May 8, 2015 | 2 a.m.

In east Henderson, in a quiet neighborhood with custom homes, equestrian properties and wandering coyotes, Aeron Tozier is building a house that, at first glance, looks like a big, steel igloo.

His two-story home — with an attached garage in front — also looks like a Quonset hut, a lightweight, easily assembled military dwelling shaped like an airplane hangar.

“I think everybody, including me till I met Aeron, thought, ‘What the hell is this guy building a Quonset hut up here for?’” neighbor Al Trofibio said.

The house, it turns out, is an experiment — in fast-assembly, do-it-yourself eco-friendliness.

Tozier, a 44-year-old industrial designer and architect, broke ground last fall on what he calls the “G Home.” It's named for his design company, Global Living Systems.

Scheduled to be completed this fall, the home is covered with prefabricated steel panels and will boast a wind turbine, a low-usage water system, double-layer insulation and rooftop solar panels, Tozier said.

Not that it has zero impact on the environment. Tozier is using regular wood and other materials, and he plans to build a swimming pool.

Tozier already lives in Henderson and plans to move to the G Home, 328 N. Lisbon St., upon completion. His goal, he says, is to build a business selling lower-energy, unique-looking homes with standard materials and construction, as well as easy-to-assemble parts.

The G Home is conventionally built, except for the steel arch, which a crew of three people installed in seven days.

“The idea is to build a home that’s off the shelf, anyone can do it, but we want the best practices,” he said.

An arch-shaped home can withstand hurricanes and being buried in snow, he said. The Las Vegas Valley doesn’t grapple with those problems, although exposed steel holds up well here.

Tozier, who spent his childhood living in Asia before moving to the San Francisco Bay area at age 11, studied architecture at the University of Hawaii. He moved to Henderson in June 2013 and bought the 0.7-acre G Home site that month.

He was no stranger to unique home construction, having designed a home in Hawaii that included four marine shipping containers. He also sought to build a previous iteration of the G Home in Palm Springs, Calif., in 2007, but the economy tanked, sinking his plans.

If the business takes off, it’s unlikely to target the masses. Plenty of people build their own homes, but it's unclear if Tozier will be able to persuade large numbers of buyers to get a place that requires some self-assembly — not to mention with an unconventional appearance.

Still, homeowners could hire laborers to handle everything, and Tozier is bringing a different design to an area packed with cookie-cutter stucco homes. At least one person thinks Tozier is on to something.

Trofibio, a 59-year-old roulette dealer at Mandalay Bay, said there will always be people who oppose new concepts. But in his view, Tozier has “a hell of an idea.”

“You know how to ask questions; I know how to spin the ball; this guy knows how to build eco-domes,” he said.