joining yurts

[docchrs22]

I'm trying to decide if I should buy 1 large yurt or attache them together...i need a living area and a studio for Pilates equipment. I live in Washington state if that makes a difference for heat etc

[thebitmaster]

Originally Posted by docchrs22

I'm trying to decide if I should buy 1 large yurt or attache them together...i need a living area and a studio for Pilates equipment. I live in Washington state if that makes a difference for heat etc

I built my own yurt that I live in, but have no experience with joining multiple yurts. However, I'm about 99.9% certain that one bigger yurt, with subdivisions inside if you need it, is going to be *much* cheaper and easier to build and maintain than two separate ones, especially if they're going to be on platforms. It's much simpler to close in the space, do climate control, get all the joinery right, etc. Making a hallway from one yurt to another is a huge additional engineering hassle, especially for waterproofing, etc. There's a certain amount of wastage in making round platforms, and making two platforms is going to be *way* more expensive, time-consuming, and wasteful than building just one.

Not that you *can't* make two separate spaces and join them with a hallway. I really *like* the idea, it feels very Ewok-village. Just be aware of the extra load you'd be taking on by doing so.

Good luck with whatever you choose to do! I'll be headed up to the Pacific NW in a few weeks to get away from the Texas heat.

[Surely Yurts - Steve]

I like different sized attached yurts and think it works well for separating two dedicated spaces like a living area and studio.

Budget wise it can also help to start with something smaller and more manageable and then add-on later as time and money allows. This way you can use your first smaller yurt to gain experience that will come in handy as you add a larger addition to it.

Agree with 'thebitmaster' in that it will take a skilled carpenter to actually install the gabled roof that connect the two yurts, but hey, that never stopped the E-wocks' )

[HawaiiYurts]

It's important to consider the future when you look at doing something like this. There will come a point when it is time to replace the roof and walls. If the connecting area isn't done just so, you'll have to do demo in order to install the replacement covers. I have often seen this kind of addition cause unexpected rot and wear to added on areas. The joins need special consideration from someone who knows what they're doing. Otherwise you're likely to have problems down the line that are no easy fix.

Here in Hawaii I am always recommending more of a 'breezeway' or deck design, where we can keep walls and posts well away from the yurt in case work is needed down the road. The roof of the addition should run above and well past the door area to mitigate rain entry, leaving about a 1' gap between the yurt roof and the other roof supports so that you have room to replace the yurt roof later on.

You might also consider going 'up' rather than going 'out'. It's always cheaper to go up. You could do a basement or slab/stick built bottom tucked under the yurt.

[crasmussen]

I have heard that is possible. We attached our yurt to our house! So far so good. It was done by two carpenters from our building company.