Anybody actually live long term in a Yurt?

[TedH71]

Just wondering about that since it seems to be a low-cost way of building.

[LisaInN.Idaho]

We almost did (too cold here though) but Morningstar's family does. She is going thru a very tough time right now due to emergency surgery and death in her family but do a search with her name and yurts to find pictures and info. She has Pacific Yurts, the same kind we almost bought.

[Jerngen]

I remember reading an article about a family in northern Minnesota who have lived in a yurt for over six years (at the time of the writing).
Keep looking for it so I can show my wife but no luck.........
Also had an article saved about a single woman who lived in one in the middle of nowhere, Arizona.
Obviously I didn't back-up my files before my last computer crash

[Earthbound]

I have been in ours for over a month now and plan on living in it for good. we have many friends out here that live in them and one of them has been in theirs for 15 yrs now. The neat thing about them is every component is replacable and there is a 25 yr warranty on the cover of ours. its comfy as any home i've ever been in, the ceilings are amazing at 13ft tall with a 5ft skylight in the middle. I lie in bed each night and watch the stars or the clouds. last night we had a massive storm, 110 km/hr winds, tonnes of rain and I never felt a shake. i heard everything which was kind of neat, but we stood untouched. woke up and the yard was in shambles, a roof blew off one of our neighbours sheds,and everything was blown about. it does take some getting used to hearing everything around you as in a regular house the sound is muffled, not in these guys. I like it as i have all my critters surrounding the yurt and i can hear if anything is going wrong. we also lofted our bed, and being up high like that only intensifies the outdoor sound, when your sitting down in the livingroom its a bit more muffled. We have all the ammenities, plus a greywater system and woodstove.
corry

[tyusclan]

We have some friends who have been living in one for almost 5 years now. They almost bought a Pacific, but went with Nesting Bird, because Nesting Bird had some features they liked that Pacific didn't offer.

The only thing they did was add some insulation to the ceiling, because even with the insulation kit that came with it, they burned up in the summer and were cold in the winter. With the additional unsulation it's very comfortable.

[farmergirl]

We live in a doublewide mobile home and if we ever replace it, I'd like to go with a yurt or a prebuilt/ kit cabin. What are the approximate costs for setting up a yurt. I would assume that we could just move the mobile and use the plumbing and electicity and propane that is already in place.

[hanlonfive]

This is an interesting thread. I too am interested in approximate costs of buying and setting up a yurt. Can't wait to see the info!

Peace and blessings,

Kelli

[Cabin Fever]

We have friends who live in a tipi...a tipi in northern Minnesota....in a tipi all winter long. These are friends of Marchwind, too.

The tipi has a bottom diameter of about 20 or 22 feet. It cost about $2000. The floor of the tipi is off the ground on a insulated wood frame. They use propane lights and a wood stove is right in the middle of their home. Outside is an outhouse. The couple both have jobs where they can shower at work.

[Earthbound]

Our yurt set us back 27,000 including hooking up all utilities, investing in a good woodstove, fir hardwood floors (salvaged),greywater system, sink, tub....... we upgraded the kit with a better front door with an opening window and logepole pine rafters.
We love it! We live in the pacific northwest which is rain ALL winter and with the woodstove the yurt stays dry and warm. No moisture or condensation problems.
We also built a 8x10 deck off the front, which is basicallya platform, bought insulated stovepipe 16ft, and a cover for the deck which are included in the final price.
corry

[ldc]

A friend of mine has lived in a yurt for 7 years now, in the foothills of the Sierras. She likes it so much, she just moved it down the road to a new location where she now has 2 yurts together for her house! ldc

[NJ Rich]

I haven't lived in a yurt but have over-seen the building of the platforms and the erection of two yurts.

Pacific Yurts was the manufacturer and they make a quality product and were always very helpful.

BTW: If you stand in the center of the yurt and someone talks, you can't tell where the voice is coming from. That was in a yurt with no furniture or partitions. I always wanted to hear a stereo in one but never had the chance.

A dome sky light that opens is a must have feature. The crank works very easy and is done standing on the floor.

Two doors is also a must. If you had a fire you need more than one way out.

I hope this info helps. Good Luck NJ Rich

[papaw]

Originally Posted by Earthbound

Our yurt set us back 27,000 including hooking up all utilities, investing in a good woodstove, fir hardwood floors (salvaged),greywater system, sink, tub....... we upgraded the kit with a better front door with an opening window and logepole pine rafters.
We love it! We live in the pacific northwest which is rain ALL winter and with the woodstove the yurt stays dry and warm. No moisture or condensation problems.
We also built a 8x10 deck off the front, which is basicallya platform, bought insulated stovepipe 16ft, and a cover for the deck which are included in the final price.
corry

I'd love to see some pictures of your home.

[FD2N4P]

boy, so would i . When the post first came up, i tried to look up the word. i have a very small pocket dictionary YURT, couldn't find it. then a picture came up so i guess that is what it is. sorry guys don't throw me off the forum. i did not know what a yurt was. i would love to see the inside of one. very interesting all the stuff i'm learning on homesteading!! thanks! Lets see some pic please.sue

[Cygnet]

How well insulated are they, and is it possible to economically air condition one, or at least use an evap cooler on it?

Summer temps here are in the 120 degree range. While I only need a "part time" structure and could retreat to my house during the worst of the daytime summer heat, that sort of temperature will damage furnishings and books and stuff. I just need office space -- I've been looking at used mobiles, but there's permit issues -- I'd need to split my lot, you can only have one mobile per lot, and if I split my lot, I can't tie the second mobile into our well as I only have one share in the well. (Community well.)

I'm thinking since a yurt is a "tent" the county might let me have it as a "temporary" structure. If I could economically knock the daytime temperatures down into the 90's with an cooler, it might work for me.

-- Leva

[Earthbound]

My friend has all the pictures of the resurection to finally moving in. i e-mailed her to send them to me and will post them when i get them. We were able to build without a permit as a permanent structure in these parts is anything with a "solid" roof, seeing as our roof is "plastic" we didn't need a permit . Also they stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer with the insulation kit they offer. i have been in one in saskatchewan in the summer where the temp's easily are 30-40 degrees above zero and it was nicely tempered. They had a few fans going and it was comfortable. I believe all of them come with the dome skylight that opens, and that helps to regulate humidity and temperature. We also got the screen kit for ours so the bugs don't fly in through the skylight.
corry

[dahliaqueen]

As soon as i buy a piece of land, i intend to live in the 30' model by Pacific Yurt- i visited the showroom, out in Cottage Grove Oregon, in Oct and was really impressed with the quality of materials and overall beauty of the space.

I am going for the tall wall, with all the upgraded hardware, extra windows and door, etc.- plan a sleeping loft above the bathroom. Cannot wait!!!!!

Pictures at their website-
www.yurts.com

This will be a lifestyle change for me, since i had filled my 6 room house, +cellar & attic, with 'stuff'.

Glad to know the insulation will need tweaking- i wondered about that since theirs looks like silver bubble wrap backed with white fabric.

Anybody have info on odd smells or off-gassing from the vinyl coating on the poly shell?

[Smallhold]

How would a yurt hold up in a rainy climate. We had the Utopia experiment in Scotland and there the yurt was a bit of a disaster.
It is obviously developed for a dry desert and cold climate.

[tanksoldier]

Hmmm... I never even considered one of these. Might make a good shelter on a bug-out location. It's even reasonably portable.

[Kathleen in WI]

I think yurts are so beautiful and I'd love to live in one. However, after our time living in a regular tent, my kids would run away from home. Maybe when all the kids are gone. They couldn't have their own rooms anyhow and they would hate that. lol

[Sand Flat Bob]

Originally Posted by TedH71

Just wondering about that since it seems to be a low-cost way of building.

Having grown up in Kansas, and also working for the National Weather service for most of my working career, I would seriously consider looking at one major point. What do you do in a tornado and also large hail that the Wichita area frequently gets? Sure would need a storm shelter and be prepared to come out after the storm to see your home gone. Of course this could happen to any home, but think this type of construction would be very likely to be destroyed in a hail storm let alone a tornado.

Just another idea to consider.

Bob