Why Yurt Living?

[Crossroad_Apple]

Hello all! I've recently developed a new interest in yurts, however I still have a few questions that I'd like to ask.

What drew you to yurt living? What makes living in a yurt better/worse than living in a modern house?

Thank you for your time and yurt love!

[Bob Rowlands]

IMO a yurt is >the< perfect tent. If I was nomadic the 6 meter yurt would be my home. Incredible livability, strong beyond belief, able to take all weathers short of hurricane and tornado, easy to set up tear down and affordable ESPECIALLY if you build it yourself. It is easy to see how Mongolian have been living in them for untold centuries and still do so.

I wanted to build something round since my entire carpentry carrier of 42 years has been square buildings.

[Jafo]

They are inexpensive, cool and simple. Better than a modern house? I don't know about that. It depends on how you define better. Better for the planet? Yes. Easier to insulate? No.

[Bob Rowlands]

Yurt vs typical small -not large-American rancher? rancher all the way. I grew up in one so did my wife and so did dang near everyone else. Truly the American dream.

But when it comes to tents, without doubt, yurt is king.

[hierony]

I'm not quite to yurt living yet but it is one of my near-term goals. I was first attracted to Tiny Houses, but those are a little too small imo and are a good bit more complicated than yurts with their trailer and all. I like the portable nature of a yurt and how it is still a strong structure for minimal materials. It's easy to understand the structure and modify--feel free to take it down, clean it, put up more or less

insulation

, etc, and set it up again.

It's not the cheapest tent (see wall tents) but I'd count it sturdier. It's portable, so it moves with you. You can purchase a yurt for something around the cost of a year's rent/mortgage payment. If you want more space, get more yurts :P

[Bob Rowlands]

A yurt is hell for stout stronger than any wall tent in nasty weather. It'd be a snap to knife your way into a wall tent. Nobody could easily knife there way into a yurt, even with light lattice like mine. It would take a determined effort with saw or hatchet to get through a yurt wall. A rawhide or cordage knotted yurt wall could be cut apart, that is an advantage of assembling the wall with bolts. The one really huge drawback to a yurt is, if the wood door area is on fire and there is no other door you are in very deep doodoo.

[Jafo]

I keep a long hunting knife next to my bed (and a fire extinguisher) in case of fire. I figure I could jump up on the bed and knife my way through the roof if need be.

[Bob Rowlands]

An extinguisher is a good idea. I'm too old to exit via roof.

[Jafo]

You would be surprised how young you become with fire licking your feet.

[Bob Rowlands]

Old folks are one of the reasons there are so many safety codes. I'm not fully there yet but I assure you climbing without a ladder is out. Climbing into the back of my 4wd pickup isn't easy and days of jumping off the gate or over the side are long gone. I have a metal hip replacement. I watch out for safety issues at work since I'm the old dog on the job. Blows my mind sometimes the unsafe stuff young guys do. I used to be there. Not no mo.