Alternative Housing

Cost of Yurt Homes?

 There are several companies that make all-season yurts that can be turned into permanent homes.  Yurts cost less than stick-built homes, and even with "all the fixins," they are often less money than even manufactured homes.  They can also be assembled quickly in comparison to stick built and even modular homes.  And while you might think of a yurt as something small and temporary, some of the larger models are quite spacious.  With many you can opt for "tall walls," which leave space to build a full or partial loft above.  Overall, a yurt can feel large and open, making it a lovely choice for an affordable housing alternative.

So how much do those yurts cost, anyway?

Basic yurts are quite affordable, starting at $5,000-$10,000 new (though you'll probably want some add-ons, especially if this is going to be your permanent home, and there are additional expenses involved with installing one in an area that gets high winds and/or a heavy snow load each year). 

Typical sizes range from 12' in diameter to 30' (and a 30-foot yurt is very spacious!), with prices increasing proportionately. 

The cool thing about the yurt industry is that many of the major companies are very good about publishing their prices online.

For a manufacturer that lets you put your yurt together online and see how much all the nuts and bolts cost, visit Pacific Yurts. Make sure to check their picture gallery for lots of cool ideas (the pictures in this post are from there). 

Keep in mind that interior finishings (such as flooring, cabinets, countertops, etc.) and plumbing for bathrooms and kitchens are not included with your yurt, so you'll have to hire a contractor or do the work yourself (places like Ikea have full kitchen setups these days, so this can be more affordable than you might think). 

Saving Money with Used Yurt Homes

 Can't afford a new yurt?  It's possible to get used yurts that have only seen a few seasons.  Some have even spent much of their time in dry storage.

You can check on ebay, but I had best results on Craigslist.  Even as I write this, there are four for sale in the Seattle area.  You can search beyond your local area, too, as some owners may be willing to ship.

To check for used yurts, do a domain-only search on Google for "yurt" on "Craigslist.org".  Sometimes the old owners will even help with the installation!

The Shipping Container House Catches on

The shipping container house may be the ultimate eco-friendly home, since the entire structure is made from a recycled item.  A shipping container to be precise.  Yes, those are the big metal boxes you see on the backs of trains as they port boxes across continents. 

According to a Modern Marvels show on the History Channel, there are enough shipping containers in existence to form a continuous line around the earth at the equator--8 containers high.  Usually these containers are simply sent to the scrap yard, but now you can grab one for your own use... to turn into a house.

They say the cheapest and most efficient form of housing is to use an existing box, which is exactly what a shipping container is.  The containers are designed to be strong, so they make for a sturdy home when they're converted into living space.  They can even be stacked one atop another to form a house with multiple levels or even a multi-unit live/work complex such as Container City in London. 

Once the containers are insulated and water and electricity are added, they make a perfectly fine domicile for any climate and any time of the year.  The insulation and everything can be made with 100% recycled materials to create a truly eco-friendly home.  Since the roof is flat, you can even plant grass or a garden on top of your house.

Further reading:

Container City
Future Shack

Building a Yurt You Can Live in Year Around

Building a yurt is one way to own a home for less than it costs to buy a traditional home.  You can order kits from several companies over the Internet (list below), and the kits are usually designed to go up within days.  These are fully functional yurt homes that can be lived in year around in most climates.  If your area is prone to extreme weather conditions, you'll of course want to make sure the yurt is up to building codes, but it's easy to find out the information from any of the kit manufacturers you are considering.

With yurt building, you will want to buy the land and the kit, and you may need to hire contractors or other help to get everything set up (although some kits are supposed to be easy enough to set up that you don't need to be an expert... but if you want to live in your yurt year around, you're going to want amenities such as indoor plumbing and electricity, so you probably will need experienced people to do some of the work.  It's usually the shell itself that's easy to assemble).

As for size, yurts can be very tiny or they can be house-sized, with multiple stories.  There are plenty of yurt kits you can build that turn into homes 2,000 square foot or more.  You can add on decks, stairs, and all the trimmings to make your yurt just like a real home.  Of course, costs rise as yurts get more extravagant, but in many cases it is absolutely possible to buy land and build a yurt for less than the cost of a traditional stick-built home.

Here are a list of some of the manufacturers who offer yurt building kits:

• Pacific Yurts -- Located in Oregon, but they will ship all over the country and even beyond in some cases.
• Rainier Yurts -- You can customize your yurt and get an estimate right online.
• Woodland Yurts -- This UK-based company sells kits and also has instructions on building a yurt from scratch.

Building a Dome from Bamboo

Living in a dome isn't that crazy of an idea; quite a few people are doing it, and you can even get kits to build your own geodesic dome.  These can be small one-room affairs or large houses with thousands of square feet and multiple levels.  But say you aren't interested in a kit and you want to build something entirely from scratch.  It can be hard to find "dome plans" that will fit the bill.

I did come across an interesting site that has diagrams and instructions on how to build a dome from the bottom up, using bamboo as the framing material.  Of course, this is not going to work in every climate (I don't know about you, but I don't have any bamboo growing outside my door), but if you have a property in the tropics, it could be a fun project.  Here's the link if it's something you'd like to check out:

Bamboo Domes