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Question about insulating our yurt floor and rodents

S

shesupsidedown

New member
Hello! New here, and to yurt living.

My first question (I am sure there will be many others) is about our platform deck. It sits 1 ft off the ground and insulation was attached to the underneath. The decking is plywood. I did not add anything on top of the plywood in the interior..simply primed and painted.

I have noticed the floor is COLD. Very cold..and its spring here, so I know it will become a larger problem come winter. Any suggestions on flooring solutions that have worked for you? I would prefer not to have carpet (we do have lots of rugs).

Lastly, rodents. I am concerned about little furry friends making homes under the deck. Any tips on how to avoid? Has anyone had issues with rats, etc?

Thanks!
 
Welcome to the yurt forum!

1 foot is not a lot of room to move around under the yurt, so it is going to limit you a bit. From what I understand of spray foam insulation, you need much more clearance to apply it. So that is out. If you can actually fit under there, you might want to try some hard foam insulation? It is going to be tough though.

At this point, I see your only real option is rugs, or if you are on the grid, you may want to look into electric radiant floor heat. I have seen this done on TV, never live, but it is pretty simple. You would have to put some sort of floor above it, like a floating floor, wood, etc.. I find most people in yurts don't want to use a lot of electric so this may not be an option for you.

You could also do a liquid radiant heat, as long as you have a heat source, but this is still going to be pricey.

As for mice. I get them sometimes UNDER my yurt camp, which has at it's lowest, a 2 1/2' clearance, highest 4' clearance. They have yet to actually ever get inside though. Honestly? The best solution there (short of using poison) is a cat or mouser type dog. My Jack Russel terrier terrorizes the mice. One day he killed almost 10 that had made a home in a tarp I left under the yurt. It was a slaughter.

I hope that helps! :)
 
Oh smart tips! Love the moth ball idea.

I am mainly concerned about the platforms insulation. I bought my yurt used with platform, and admittedly hadnt done a lot of research on the ins and outs before purchase. So, besides not being very high off the ground that, as Jafo observed, is limiting, the batt insulation was simply stuffed between the joists and held in place with that green mesh material I dont know the name of. Now, after some research I realize we should have also done Tyvek to keep mice and other critters from nesting in our insulation. :(

Radiant flooring sounds like a great option except with the floor being poorly insulated, it seems it might not be effective?

Maybe I can squeeze under there and staple up some Tyvek.

I read somewhere a tip on putting raw wool around the edges of the yurt to deter rodents?
 
If you can fit under it, then by all means, give it a shot. The radiant heating would have to work a little harder, but at least you wouldn't have cold floor. :P

We live in a world with electric blankets but nobody has made electric rugs yet? What's up with that? Haha! :P
 
IMO the best solution is to bail on retrofitting anything under the platform. It is too big a project and way too cramped under there to do good work.

My suggestion is to build a second floor atop the current one. Frame with 2x4s on edge. Insulate between the new 2x4 joists with sheet foam. Deck with 2x6, or whatever you prefer. Mouse and insulation problem both solved. Install tyvek if you like.

2x4 and 2x6 construction lumber from Depot and Lowes, is what I used on my 16' yurt platform and is perfect in all respects. You don't need 2x6 redwood inside the yurt. Just paint the decking. If you do opt for the 2x6 decking, butt them tight at install. Caulk the gaps in a few months, that's what I did. 'No' drafts at all.
 
I agree with the above statement. I used 2x4 on 16" center placed on top of my deck. Cheap and easy to insulate and it is away from moisture and rodents. I used T&G plywood with a bamboo floor on top of that so there is no way Air is going to be creeping in through the floor. It would be relatively cheap and quick.
 
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