Are You Ready For A Yurt?

Yurts, portable tent-like structures, were improvised thousands of years ago on the Mongolian steppe. Today, so-called "western" yurts are semi-permanent, highly engineered structures that can be assembled quickly to create a living space on vacant land either as a primary residence or a transitional abode in anticipation of grander construction. As you can imagine from their Mongolian roots yurts are designed to handle all sorts of weather. A standard modern yurt can withstand winds of 80 miles per hour and reinforced yurts can take on gusts twice that severe. Yurt manufacturers create alpine units suitable for low temperatures in any terrain. There really is no land upon which a yurt can not be assembled. The first thing you need to do if thinking about a yurt is to obtain all the necessary permits. Like any traditional or alternative shelter this means your basic property infrastructure: septic system or cesspool, electric, sanitation, drainage and so on. Once you get those squared away you need to choose a yurt manufacturer. There are many companies in the game and finding a reputable builder is job one. The frame of a yurt needs to withstand corkscrewing or the tendency for the ring into which all rafters are joined to twist. A first-rate company will also install top-of-the-line roof-to-wall and wall-to-floor connections that will make a yurt - even given its pedigree as a portable shelter - deliver years of service. A top-of-the-line roof will usually carry a 15-year warranty. Yurts go up very fast and your total cost is typically between $20,000 and $30,000. Once you move into your yurt you will find if requires much less maintenance than a typical house. The exterior of a yurt is fabricated from modern, environmentally friendly materials. You should wash the outside of a yurt once a year. You can build small room additions like bathrooms and storage space onto your yurt, which often includes a deck on the outside. Inside the large room can be configured any way you like. Yurts have become popular camping alternatives in many state parks so you can test one out and see if yurt living is for you. If so it is a quick alternative for shelter on your land, one that ties you into the earth like few other structures.