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
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.
Posted by: Moon over Martinborough | October 06, 2009 at 10:43 AM