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Yurt owner wannabe

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dlhall

New member
Hello all. I'm new here & strongly considering a 32' yurt as only residence after I move onto a farm in the near future. I have a spot picked out a spot & addressed water/electric needs etc. I'm wondering if anyone has experience with Yurtzbydesign? Has anyone used a cement pad as base?
 
dlhall said:
Has anyone used a cement pad as base?
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Where are you from? A friend of mine in Washington State tells me that is friends with a ranger out there (or in Oregon, can't remember), and he says they always use a cement pad for the yurts in the parks. I would recommend that you consider what plumbing you might eventually use and plan for it. You don't want to have to dig through the pad at a later time.

I have no experience with that company and will leave that for others to comment on. :)
 
Re: Cement pad

Thanks for responding. :). The plan is radiant infloor heat using glycol warmed by heat exchanger tied to propane hot water tank. Low-tech, little power consumed to circulate. The goal is a warmish yurt augmented by a wood burning cooker to bring it up to a warmer room temp when home. This will be in central Alberta & with our winters that can be brutal I'm thinking both heat sources might be required in worst part of our prairie winters.
 
We are about to pour our radiant heat/concrete floors for our yurt - waiting for a warm spell in the mountains of VA. Will be our permanent residence on our working farm for a family of five (yes, separate bath house for sure)! Will keep you posted if we are done before you are :)
Kirsten in VA
 
Sounds like you guys have it pretty well planed out. I am PLUMBER 40 years worth if i can help just ask an ill give my 2 cents worth. have done a few radiant slabs with anti-freeze. :)
 
Marshall - Wow, thanks! When I get some questions organized, I'd love to ask you some questions! We are going solar, I hope, and so need to figure out how to coordinate everything...
Kirsten
 
I'm excited to share this news. I'm buying a used 28' Yurtco (now Yurtzbydesign) and will be relocating it as soon as the snow goes enough to get truck & trailer into the site where it is. I've also bought the large deck it sits on so I'll be tediously unscrewing it and moving all the pieces of that....its actually "we" as this job too big for one! Plans change as we all know so the concrete pad idea is out the window and yurt will be put on the repurposed deck.

I do have concerns about Alberta winters & relying on just the factory reflective insulation. Has anyone used a closed cell flexible foam insulation that comes by the roll? Sheep's wool insulation looks interesting too but I gather expensive. I'd sure welcome any and all suggestions from experienced yurt owners in COLD climates.....it often gets to -30C here and stays that way for days.....and thats before windchill factored in.
 
Welcome to the discussions !

Why do away with the slab? It can still add to the heat gain of the yurt. Put your platform on the slab, without the insulation under the floor.

Also keep in mind that in Mongolia -30 in the winter is the norm. Plus wind. A yurt is a good choice for where you are locating.

Good luck on it.
 
Thanks for the reply! My site is on a farm where I will be exchanging labour for land rent and we are skirting county rules on permanent structure, hence not pouring a cement pad. If the whole setup in deemed temporary there is no permitting required and property taxes not affected. There are pluses to erecting the yurt on a raised platform ( looking for the pluses) ..... I can have the composter for a waterless toilet under the yurt as well as the generator I will run weekly to use washer etc. I'm trying to keep open mind here & go with the flow......lol
 
I will be interested to see how the composting toilet works out. As I understand it, don't they need a bit of heat to work properly?
 
It is a certainty some of the deck screws will either be stripped heads, broken off, bent, etc. Don't worry, just pry the board up with a large 2' or longer prybar. Busted off screw stubs sticking out of the deck boards can savage you. Just bust the mothers off with a hammer. They'll conveniently break right at the boards surface. If you go to make rips from any of the deck boards, always assume there are busted off screws where the holes are. That save your table and skilsaw blades.
 
Jafo check out the book Humanure on Amazon, its the best treatment on the subject I have read.

A composting toilet beats a standard flush one when the power goes off. :(
 
When are you putting up your yurt? We are getting one this summer and are putting it up at Buck Lake, probably in June. We are buying ours new at Yurtzbydesign. Have decided to go with just the reflective insulation offered and foam insulation in the floor. Will be using wood stove with fan. Sure hope it's enough!
 
Thanks for askin. I'll be on a farm just south of pigeon lake. I found a 5 yr old yurt from the same company you're buying from. I'm putting in a wood stove cooker as well but have concerns about insulation. After reading every thread I could about that I've decided I'll install fabric covered rigid foam insulation panels between the upright studs & between the ceiling beams. If I leave a gap behind so air can flow a bit I'm thinking I won't have moisture troubles. I'm hoping it works.
 
Good luck on your setting up.

I would suggest reading everything here on insulation. My one advice is the more the better. Always.

Let us know how your set up goes. I'd love to see a great many more yurts all across Canada.

Keep your stick on the ice !
 
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