Anyone turning in a yurt?

There is one on that Yukon Gold show,

Dick Coers

so they must be pretty energy efficient if they are used in Alaska. Only down side I could see is that if you use a wood floor structure under it, make sure you have plenty of beam under it if you have a big lathe!

Re: There is one on that Yukon Gold show,

Jeff Smith

Dick: I'd better start watching more reality TV - I hadn't seen it...I had planned to pour a cement pad for the lathe itself. All in, the lathe with what I've attached to it is right about half a ton (Robust AB). I like the way it's behaved on a cement slab for the last 3 years, so I though I'd just build a form that goes from the floor joists to the ground, and pour a support for the lathe.

Are you looking at kits or DIY?

Dick Coers

I'm wondering about your climate there. Mainly how much rain? Mildew on a soft structure could be an issue.

Yurts

Mark Mandell - Gone Round In New Jersey

need not be "soft". The form and framing can easily take hard walls and roof to form the "great room" space with windows and additional wings attached. Google "yurt" and click on the images pages for lots of examples as well as links to plans, etc.

Re: Anyone turning in a yurt?

Brad Vietje

Jeff,

I've installed off-grid solar power systems in 2 yurts, and 2 issues come up with your electrical wiring:

1) the easiest place to run wires -- really easy -- is below the deck, so you have to protect those wire runs from gnawing critters like porcupines, who can chew through MC or UF wire without a second thought. Plastic conduit is cheap, but oh, so chewy. You'll need rigid conduit -- the threaded kind -- since thin-wall conduit is for indoor use.

2) with an open floor plan, it's tempting to mount outlets in the floors. This could work with the right kind of GFI recepticles, but one solution I saw was to make room partitions to get the outlets and switches up off the floor.

Most modern commercial yurts use a vinyl fabric for the roof & walls, with a wooden lattice material to give stiffness and structure to the walls. These are OK for hanging pictures and such, but not a place for wires, plumbing, or HVAC equipment. Wood stoves have HOT vent pipes, so you'll need a thimble around any penetration for the stove pipe (through the wall, not the roof), so a pellet stove with a smaller and much cooler venting system might work best (even though you'll have all those scraps....) If you are there by day, and gone at night, give some thought to cold air getting in around the spindle, as well as the overall temp's for water or a composting toilet system.

Maybe an outdoor wood furnace or boiler (radiant floor heat) is another option, especially if the deck is elevated. Also, it can be a bit hard to insulate under the deck for water/sewer ins & outs in some places -- YMMV.

Safe spinning,

Brad Vietje

Newbury, VT

Re: There is one on that Yukon Gold show,

Ralph Lindberg

Jeff

On a slab, the worst mistake I, and a friend both made, was not putting a vapor barrier under the slab. Way too much moisture comes up through the slab in the winter.

I would also insulate below the slab (foam sheets/boards) if I had it to do again. Even with the heat set to ~65 in the shop (working temp) in Jan the slab is really cold on my feet.

A friend laid down a bunch of canvas tents on a slab, in unheated storage one winter. All of them were so rotten in the spring I could tear 20oz Duck with my bare hands.

Re: Anyone turning in a yurt?

Lyle Jamieson

If you see Michael Peterson, say HI for me.