yurts?

rebelfarmer · #1 10/11/08, 11:50 PM

was reading mother earth news and the yurts cought my eye so i checked the prices they seemed resonable.
has enyone lived in one if so what is your experiance. the good and the bad.
thinks

Rondah · #2 10/12/08, 12:01 AM

Rebel, I have a friend who goes to burning man every year, and I'm pretty sure he said they stay in yurts. I think they are semi permanent tents, that retain heat better than a simple tent, but not great, you wouldn't want to go through a winter in one.
If you want to live in something environmentally 'green', you might look into straw bale homes

lonelytree · #3 10/12/08, 12:05 AM

There are several in southcentral Alaska. Some appear to be used year around.

Lizza · #4 10/12/08, 12:38 AM

I lived in a yurt for over 5 years. There is plenty of good and bad. Don't buy it to make it your permanent home. If you want a nice place to live in while you build your home, it's great, you can then use it as an art studio, guest bedroom (think mostly summer depending on your weather), or whatever strikes your fancy. Let me know any questions you have about them. We bought two 30 ft Pacific Yurts. I've lived in one during wind storms, ice storms (that was the scariest), snow storms, and more rain storms then I can count!

Rondah · #5 10/12/08, 01:07 AM

I bet my patooty would freeze right off if I slept in one of those over a single night in the winter. It sounds like it's doable though, Morningstar you are way tougher than I am!

Earthbound · #6 10/12/08, 10:21 AM

I live in one right now and absolutely LOVE it. We bought a 24ft model from Yurtco, and have been nothing but happy with our purchase. We are planning to live in it permanently and add some cob attachements and a covered porch and such. I have some friends that live in them as well and one couple has been in theirs close to 2o yrs now. I live on canada's west coast where it is wet and really windy in the winter and last winter was a breeze. We had a few storms that had winds reaching 115km and we felt safe as could be....
the downside is you can hear EVERYTHING, and with me being a really light sleeper i had to get one of those noise machines for the night. We are building a 8ft round cob structure right now that will become our bedroom in the spring. if it was not for my having problems sleeping, the yurt itself would be all we need. We heat with wood, have electicity and water, a grey water system.......
If I knew how to post pics i would......I have them in my pictures in my Pc and can't figure out how to get them here????
like above mentioned, feel free to ask questions.
corry

Wisconsin Ann · #7 10/12/08, 10:29 AM

A friend has one (Hungary) that he and his family live in year round. I've stayed in it a few nights in the winter. It's very nice, but you really have to enjoy having people around. One can put up screens for privacy, or even curtain walls, but as Earthbound said, you can hear everything.

His has an open fire in the center for warmth and cooking, as yurts are designed for originally. Cold and snowing outside....comfy warm inside. Needs to be sheltered (my opinion) on the side of the prevailing winds tho.

Easy to put up, easy to tear down (relatively).

Corry: you need to post your pictures first on something like flikr or photobucket. After y ou have an account there, you can either link to the pictures, your post directly here.

How to post pics.... is a good thread about how to post pictures.

Faithful One · #8 10/12/08, 10:56 AM

Where is the best place to buy?

wyld thang · #9 10/12/08, 11:38 AM

^^^pacific yurts of course

They have yurts in the Oregon state parks and I've stayed in them in the hot summer and the dead of winter with hurricane force winds blowing rain. All cozyness or cool airyness. LOVE them, I would get one for myself(my family wouldn't liek to live in one tho). They have seemed to hold up well in the parks, where they get lots of rain and sit in the damp. As long as you keep good airflow it's not a problem. I LOVE the round walls and the skylight.

One good thing about yurts is that they are a "temporary" structure, so if you buy a piece of unbuildable property you can put a yurt on it because it's temp.

Earthbound · #10 10/12/08, 01:15 PM

I got mine from Yurtco, because i'm in canada, and shipping from the US was cost prohibitive. Did ALOT of research and the yurtco and pacific Yurts are pretty much right on track with each other. VERY well made, wexcellent warranty, lost of options.......
I too love the beams and the skylight dome, its magiical to lie in bed at night and watch the stars, i also get to literally see the sun rise every morning......

Alot of folks are building them out this way for the exact above mentioned. They are "temporary" and you don't need a permit. Mine has hardwood floors, a solid foundation and is as solid as any home i've lived in....
corry

rebelfarmer · #11 10/12/08, 04:44 PM

i was looking at them because the property we are looking at is kinda secluded.we had looked at the storage buildings like at home depo. but the road into the place wouldnt allow it. they are pretty much old wagon trails though the woods.
i am just looking into as an option.
the places on the web that had the yurts most had insulation packs to go with the yurts at extra charge. and the prices seemed resonable. and the quickness of putting them up

Lizza · #12 10/12/08, 06:55 PM

They do go together quick. Once you get the base built it really only takes a weekend and you are living in them. We did one base out of wood on a raised platform and one on a solid concrete foundation. The solid concrete foundation was considerably warmer. Like others said, the deciding factor for us was that we did not need a permit to put them up. We had an old trailer as our "primary residence". Somewhere I have pictures of us actually building them. The are packaged very well and are easy to move, so it sounds like they may be ideal for you. How cold does it get during the winter?

yurts? - Homesteading Questions

p.s. my sister and I each delivered a baby in our yurt's. My sister's baby was born on a summer evening and my own baby was born on Christmas eve. My husband saved really hot burning wood for when she was born and my midwife was prepared with a baby warmer but it ended up being a really nice day.

Earthbound · #13 10/12/08, 06:55 PM

Mine has the full insulation package top and sides as well as the snow and wind kit. Also, don't kid yourself on how "easy" they are to assemble....they are a total pain, but worth the trouble. They do go up "quick", but not with out a few kicks, temper tantrums and the odd curse..lol! We had 7 people to put up the yurt frame in a day and then 2-3 other folks to help with the top and sides. The platform was built by my hubby's dad who is a contactor and someone with knowhow needs to do the platform IMHO. 4 of us did the hardwood with reclaimed wood, which we ran theough a planer and installed....that took days......and was a total chore. My hubby and i built the walls inside, installed the cabinets yada yada. We used recycled everything inside which kept down the cost, plus it fits our style of kitchy something or other.
corry

MN Gardener · #14 10/12/08, 07:08 PM

I would love to see more pics! Especially interior. How cold does it get in the winter where you yurt-dwellers live? Would Northern MN be an OK climate for them? It can get -60 degrees with the windchill.

FarmboyBill · #15 10/12/08, 07:58 PM

nO BODYS MENTIONED TOTAL COST OF FLOOR, WALLS, ECT AND yurt, Nor just the yurt alone. Sorry for the c raps

rebelfarmer · #16 10/12/08, 09:36 PM

smaller yurts about 2300 bigger better ones up to 16000+
floor and ect would depend on what material you used

Lizza · #17 10/12/08, 10:43 PM

We paid about $15,000 for one 30ft Pacific Yurt with 6 windows, 2 doors, 1 french door, snow/wind kit, and insulation kit. The floor is extra but there are no other costs besides that to get the one round room. Costs for the floor would be whatever materials you are using and the price of those materials at the time of building. Of course it is not a finished space, just the round building. We also bought wood stoves and they came with the punch out kit for the wood stove pipe.

Earthbound · #18 10/13/08, 10:33 AM

Ours was roughly 27K, done and told. Hardwood floors, recycled clawfoot,plumbing and plumber, the electirical and electician, excavator,platform,cement,drywall,paint,hardware,i nsulated stovepipe (16ft)...yikes that was expensive...., varithane for the floors, tiles, woodstove..........Ours is a finished unit and snug as can be. Its under 500sq ft, but we have never felt crowded or anything. The fact that the ceilings are 14ft tall, sure adds to the space. We also spend 80%of our time outdoors even in the winter, so that helps too. We have 2 small dogs and 3 cats as well and everyone gets along fine.
corry