Living in a Yurt

Yurts have been around a long time (The Mongolians used them on the steppes more than 2,500 years ago), and they're still around today.  People put the fabric-covered dwellings up for guest houses, vacation homes, and even primary residences.  Today's yurts are made from vinyl laminate or a coated cotton/polyester blend.  They're insulated with astro-foil (which is two layers of bubble wrap with an aluminum foil backing), a material that reflects 85% of the heat back into the yurt.  Astro-foil is also a pretty good insulater against summer heat, and it acts as a vapor barrier.

You can set a yurt up directly on the ground, but for more permenant living, they are usually built on a wooden deck.  Yurts can be assembled and broken down quickly, and most break down compact enough to transport in the back of a regular pickup truck.

You're probably wondering how much you can expect to pay for a yurt.  Though costs will vary, depending on the company, you can expect to pay about $2,800 to $5,000 for a 16-foot yurt and $5,600 to $10,000 for a 30-foot yurt.  These prices don't include the cost of a deck.

When buying a yurt or yurt kit, the Portable Houses books recommends you get a yurt with plenty of windows (a larger yurt can support up to ten), which will provide a lot of daylight.  Also make sure there's enough insulation for the climate you're setting it up in.  If you're assembling a yurt as a secondary dwelling, make sure you check local zoning laws or neighborhood covenants before purchasing one.

Source: Portable Houses

Comments

[Moon over Martinborough]

We recently had a visiting American dinner guest who lives in a yurt. She loves it. She has three yurts, and she’s named them all: Gurt, Burt, and Yurt.