Yurt Living

[PuraVidaDreamin]

I've been meaning to post on the new yurt for a while, but a few of you got me real motivated and so here you go.

We have 2.2 acres in the woods on Cape Cod- The house that resides there is beyond repair and needs to be torn down. My partner is
a builder and so that means two things: 1- he's a builder and so eventually our dream of a round house, and micro farm will be built.
2- he's a builder, and this economy isn't exactly booming right now and there's not much money to spare.

So... to take advantage of this amazing piece of property that had a shell of a greenhouse, we decided on a yurt. Last spring we covered
the greenhouse, and had almost 1/3 acre planted, which we are still eating from with the gh producing arugula, swiss chard & spinach.
The carrots, onions, potatoes have been gone since new years, but we still have turnip and butternut squash. We likely could have done
much better if we had been up there more- This season should be outstanding now that the yurt is up.

It's a 24 footer from a local company- "Buy Local" White Mountain Yurts in NH. They are affilliated somehow with Colorado Yurts, so we
felt quite comfortable dealing wih them. We built the platform ourselves, with sonna (sp?) tubes required for the 6 foot lift on a slope.
We have electricity, but no plumbing/running water. To be responsible with our waste we have turned to a composting toilet we built ourselves
using directions from the book, Humanure. Scientifically sound, and amazingly efficient- no odor- we do keep this compost separate from
edible garden compost- although if done right, there is no reason why you need to.

It took us until last weekend to get the wood stove up and running. We got a used Jodul off Craigslist cheap and works great! The outdoor
night temps were around 29 degrees F. It's a small stove and needed to be re-stoked every 4 hours, but we were quite comfortable.
We cooked a stew on top of it using a dutch oven pot.

So a few photos for your pleasure, and ask me anything






a sign we had made at the entrance to our place

[Cleita]

1. That's really cozy and you have it decorated very nice and inviting.

I wouldn't mind that at all. It also looks warmer than my trailer. What do you do for storage, like closets and stuff?

[PuraVidaDreamin]

2. Storage....

Not much room for storage the way that I have it laid out. Kinda going minimalist in this yurt. We have a full time home
3 miles away. I have a gorgeous wooden bridal trunk I plan on adding to the foot of the bed. Scored an old antique shoe
rack that I use for a food pantry if you will. A plastic bin for other things is under the kitchen table, for now-
Going to work on a small counter area with shelving below/cabinet doors.

Many yurts have built in kitchen
/bath areas with a loft area on top. Good pictures of yurts w/ storage etc. can be found in the book Yurts, Living
in the Round. by Becky Kemery,

http://www.amazon.com/Yurts-Living-Round-Becky-Kemery/dp/1586858912

There is one salvagable addition to the old house that we plan to remodel, from an indoor pool, to a bath/ shower/
kitchen area, so that we can really move up there by the end of the year. Eventually going back to an indoor pool
when the house is built. Another yurt to go up in the future to turn into Bed&Breakfast income- for what we've named
Pure Joy Farm.

[LiberalEsto]

3. My UU church is a yurt

You can see a pic at this link:

http://www.scuu.org/

[PuraVidaDreamin]

8. Now that's sacred space

There is something magical about living in the round.

[OneGrassRoot]

11. Seriously....

There IS something magickal about the whole "living in the round" thing. I think it's amazing.

:bounce:

[OneGrassRoot]

4. I'm suddenly all about the yurt....

I didn't even know what it WAS a few weeks ago. What you've shown here (LOVE the sign, btw! :rofl:) and seeing LiberalEsto's church being a yurt....just wow!!!

Very, very cool. I think it's so exciting what you're creating! :hug:

[PuraVidaDreamin]

10. It's still a dream

But baby steps and in a few years Pure Joy Farm will be a reality

Now a funny story about the name. I made a scrumptious batch of beach plum jelly and
gave lots away as Christmas presents. We made a really cool label for it too, however...

I forgot to put the word 'farm' on the label.

It read, Pure Joy Jelly
DOH!

[OneGrassRoot]

12. LOL!

Well, now, it's a multipurpose product!!! You could have a hit on your hands. ;)

Pure Joy Farm. Absolutely fantastic. You go, girl!!!!

:applause:

[I Have A Dream]

14. Pure Joy Jelly!

:rofl:

[uberblonde]

5. Really pretty!

And cozy! You'll have to keep us updated.

[I Have A Dream]

6. This is wonderful! I'm so impressed at what you've done.

I'm even more determined to stay in a yurt this summer. :D

I also love the sign! I was thinking that the only issue I would have would be security. That sign takes care of that concern! :rofl:

Thank you so much for sharing these updated pictures with us, PuraVidaDreamin.

[PuraVidaDreamin]

9. You simply must!

And do some meditation once inside. You'll go deeper.

The sign... It was just a goof on my part- making fun of all the No Trespassing
signs around. I didn't think John would really go out and make a sign.
It was my special birthday present last summer! He's so romantic.


:hi:

[I Have A Dream]

15. That's a LOVELY birthday present!

:D

The yurt in which I want to stay has a shower in it also. It's amazing! Yours is also! I love that you've done this; you have created a wonderful life, PVD. Kudos to you for that!

:hi:

[northernlights]

7. oh how lovely

Very warm and inviting. love the minimalist look and the decor in general. Congrats on your harvest...I'm sure next years will be even better now that you have on-site digs :D

[OneGrassRoot]

13. Your home always sounds (and feels) so magickal to me...

northernlights.

I mainly just wanted to jump in to give you a warm hug...:hug:

:hi:

[PuraVidaDreamin]

18. Thanks NL

I've been searching for that photo John took of us, but I think its on the other computer.
Just need to remember to look for it when I'm on that 'puter.
It really is cute.

[Sanity Claws]

16. Wow

First, congratulations on your lovely home.

Second, I've got lots of questions for you.
1. How warm is it in the yurt in the winter? Do you feel any breezes/winds blowing through?
2. How much time do you spend in the yurt and how much in your other home? I'm wondering whether you would find the yurt too small if you lived there all the time.
3. How far away is the outhouse from the yurt?
4. How do you get water for cooking, washing, bathing?

[PuraVidaDreamin]

17. Some answers

1. Just spent our first night in there Sat. It was 29 f outside, probably high 60's inside. Need to purchase a thermometer, keep forgetting
We kept the wood stove going- asleep around 9p, woke up at 1a to pee (not unusual) the small jodul stove had fierce embers, that
easily ignited the new oak. Woke up around 6- and it was chillier- low 60's. The highest winds we have experienced were gusts up
to 50mph- Calm inside.
2. Too early to tell, because I have a fierce cold John made an executive decision to stay at home base. We plan to be up there this weekend.
Keeping it minimalist, I haven't felt closed in at all. We lived there most nights this summer into late fall. Except when I had 3-4 12 hour
days in the OR- came home for a real shower.
3. Too Far, so mostly I just pee near the yurt. Something so freeing about peeing outside! :rofl: I love air drying too. (incorrigible)
We are planning something closer soon. But now I have a pot to piss in! LOL! Never in a million years.....
4. In the summer, water is easy. But in the winter it's off to avoid bust pipes, etc. So we bring it in. Sun shower in the summer.
Cooked on the wood stove last Sat- The food tastes better! Not environmentally best practice, but we will be tweeking things
as we grow into yurt living full time, but paper cups, paper plate, (good fuel for fire starting)

[wovenpaint]

19. That's really great!

I love yurts! Especially the felt ones...lots of work to make one of those though, lol.

Here's a movie recommendation for you to watch if you have Netflix (it's on the instant list)... there's yurts!

"The Story of the Weeping Camel"

Best of luck in your new abode!!
:hi:

[Sienna86]

20. It's absolutely wonderful.

How is the floor constructed? Are the tubes used to provide a level surface metal or poured concrete?
Would love to live in one. I would have to get ued to going outside int he cold to go to the bathroom.

[PuraVidaDreamin]

27. Thank you

We poured the concrete. I'll try and take a shot of underneath so you can see. It's two layers of wood however,
the bottom is framed. In between we used foam insulation. Many folks have real functioning bathrooms-
most use composting toilets, be it commercially made or like ours home made with directions from the book
Humanure.

http://www.jenkinspublishing.com/humanure.html

[japple]

24. I loved that movie WP, and just watched another one made

by the same film maker called The Cave of the Yellow Dog. I don't know if it was the same family as it has been so long since I saw the 1st film. There was a scene near the end where the family disassembled their yurt to move to another place. It is amazing how the whole thing fits together.

[wovenpaint]

25. I'll have to find that movie, too

Thanks! I love the idea of having a "portable" abode. And strawbale houses...maybe someday....

[PuraVidaDreamin]

26. I'll put it in the queue

Thank you for the tip!

:hi:

[Delphinus]

21. Looks wonderful!

I, myself, would miss running water, but this looks very cozy. Is it warm enough? Is it "safe" - like from people trying to get in?

[I Have A Dream]

22. I was thinking the same thing about the safety issue, Delphinus.

However, I bet that sign does a pretty good job of keeping that sort away! :D

[PuraVidaDreamin]

28. We don't lock it.

There really is nothing of major value in there. Probably real naive of me. But the door is a real functioning door/ with frame
and lock. But I suppose anyone with a saw, or thick scissors could easily enter. The part of the Cape we live is pretty safe...
so far..... That said, times are tough/getting tougher, and likely things will get worse before they get better with the impending
crash of the commercial real estate collapse. People will probably become more desperate everywhere.

Seems to be plenty warm.

[davsand]

23. More Yurt photos, and this is amazing stuff!

http://www.yurts.com/gallery/photo-gallery.aspx

I first discovered yurts a few years ago when they came up in a Real Estate Appraisal class I took. I was blown away then, and remain a huge fan. In truth, if I ever had the resources for a second home I'd think long and hard about putting a yurt on a vacant wooded lot.


PuraVidaDreamin, your yurt looks lovely! Thanks for sharing pics!



Laura

[PuraVidaDreamin]

30. Thank you Laura

All said- the cost for the yurt baseline at 24 ft. $12,500.00- this was with door/ 2 windows

We added 2 more window, and one roll up wall, that gets insulated in the window and closed off.
But in the summer, is screenedd- for a total of 8 ft, came to near $14,000. The platform
cost about $2,500. So its a fairly cheap way to enjoy a potential vacation home.

A lot of young couples start out this way as well-

[liberalmuse]

29. I love it!

Coincidentally, I've been looking at alternative housing - earthships, shipping containers, tiny houses, but I love this Yurt thing! I think I might pursue this. Thank you for sharing. Your Yurt is absolutely lovely.

[conscious evolution]

31. A friends yurt

This was built in downtown ATlanta

[NJCher]

32. looked this up for you

After reading your post, which I very much enjoyed (love it when pics are included), I remembered reading a story about a couple who live in a yurt. They couldn't live without the internet, though, so the yurt has broadband!

Here's the story, which includes a terrific slideshow:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/31/garden/31yurt.html?_r=1&scp=15&sq=yurt&st=nyt


Cher

[PuraVidaDreamin]

36. Whoa! Now thats hard core.

But they're young and heck, now is the time to do that.

It's funny that my family thinks I'm a little crazy with all the alternative
ways I live my life. (Oh if you could have only seen the look on my
aunts face when I took her to the composting toilet outhouse!)

I must send this this article so they can maybe put things
in perspective.

[shraby]

33. Some tin-foil on the wallbehind the stove with

the shiny side outward would keep the wall behind it cooler and radiate the heat back into the room. We had a wood stove for heat when I was a kid and that's what Mom did to keep the wall cool so it didn't scorch from the heat.

[juajen]

34. I love it. When the wind blows, does it sway or anything?

How safe do you feel in it, as for critters, two legged animals, and bugs, and such? How cool is it in the summer and what do you do if it is hot? How warm is the floor? Do you have layers of rugs down, as I understand that can help with heating and cooling?

Thanks so much for sharing. I have been so curious about the wonderful yurts.

[PuraVidaDreamin]

37. We've only got coyotes 'round these here parts

But its not unusual to find yurts in places like Alaska, Wisconsin, Maine, NH, Vermont etc...
NJ Cher has a link above to a young couple living in a yurt in Alaska and they have bears!

No prob w/ bugs last summer, the windows are screened.

The dome on top opens, so in the summer hot air has a place to escape,
we also have an 8 foot rolling wall that is screened and makes for a
nice cross breeze.

We insulated the the platform, and found a large wool rug in great condition at a yard sale for 10 bucks!
It works real well at keeping our tootsies warm. John thinks we should look for some artistic tapestry
for the walls, but what we have now in what the company provided works quite well.

Check out this yurt info site

http://www.yurtinfo.org/forum/index.php?5

[PuraVidaDreamin]

35. A Cool yurt site w/ a discussion board

It was created by the woman who wrote the book on Yurts I referenced earlier.

http://www.yurtinfo.org/forum/index.php?5