FAQ

How do I pay?

When you're buying a used yurt, you want to pay at the time of pickup after you have fully inspected the structure for damage. This includes roof-tears, UV Light fade, frame splits, and if possible you  want to verify the structure is still waterproof.

How big are yurts when packed up?

Yurt lattices are very heavy compared to other tent-like structures. You want to bring a truck with a long bed and at least two experienced yurt builders in order to transport the yurt.

What should a used yurt cost?

Used yurts that are considered to be in excellent condition are frequently sold for 45% of their retail cost. The catch is that you have to travel to pick the yurt up and you will typically need help dissembling and packing the structure. We recommend having 4 people present for the process along with ladders of the appropriate height if you aren't very experienced with yurts.

Is yurt financing available?

Not really. You may be able to purchase a yurt using a personal loan depending on your income to debt ratio and other factors.

How can I repair a damaged yurt?

Modern waterproof yurts are fabricated using mostly two materials, 1.) Pine lumber, and 2.) Vinyl coated tarp. The process of repairing a yurt typically requires replacement of warn or damaged materials. While vinyl tarp itself is affordable, the vinyl craft-work required to build a conical yurt roof is a specialized task and you can expect to pay a minimum of $3,000 before shipping to get the raw materials shipped to you. Shipping on heavy vinyl's to remote locations often costs 100-150% of the material cost. If you're comfortable with overlapping material and using neoprene backed roofing screws to drill into your frame, then it is possible to reroof a yurt using alternative design patterns and therefore, bypassing the expensive vinyl craft required to repair said yurt.

This question gets asked a lot and the best answer is that the temperature outside the yurt is nowhere as important as the humidity inside of the structure. Modern yurts therefore use roof ventilation in the form of a hole in the roof with a rain cover. Sometimes this is an acrylic dome or a standard powered roofing vent supported by 2x4 wood and over the compression ring assembly. In my opinion, yurts do not fair too well in hot environments without improved ventilation such as high powered fans and air conditioners. Insulating yurts greatly increases to cost making them less economically feasible when comparing to the material cost of newly built homes with similar square footage.

By Wikipedia definition: A traditional yurt (from the Turkic languages) or ger (Mongolian) is a portable, round tent covered with skins or felt and used as a dwelling by several distinct nomadic groups in the steppes of Central Asia.

With that said, a modern yurts definition would be a structure consisting of a cross-lattice 1x2 pine wall expanded into a cylindrical shape. Rafters are then placed along the top of this wall and they are secured with vertical supports and aircraft cable. These rafters are typically 1x2 or 2x4 lumber and they meet in the center of the structure at a raised height to impose a slope on the roof. These rafters meet in the middle at a compression ring, which is often a wooden circle with notches that fit the rafter rings perfectly. The outer material is typically a vinyl covered tarp material specially crafted by the industries experts into a reservoir cover that encapsulates the structure. Under-neath this cover is often a secondary cotton-canvas layer primarily used for aesthetics. A new yurt installation with modern amenities and a platform often cost $80,000.

Yes. There are many analogous companies selling the modern yurt design. Building yurts is a relatively inexpensive process. 

This video will show you the entire yurt building process start to finish

Yurts designs may change a bit depending on the building requirements in your municipality. They are portable, but this process is similar to moving a semi-permanent mobile home. This older time-lapse video still accurately shows how to disassemble and transport a yurt.

Yurts are smaller than your typical family home, and therefore it is possible to heat them effectively with common commercial heaters of various kinds. Do be mindful of how to heat your yurt and do so safely. Being unsafe is inconsiderate. This time lapse tutorial video shows how to safely install a stove heater in a yurt.

Yurts can be air conditioned effectively but you will use more energy than in an insulated building of the same inner volume. Yurts are ventilated at the ceiling, and they are typically more comfortable than being outside or inside a tent.

Yurt do cost a lot for a number of factors. Shipping is expensive too, unfortunately. The idea of an affordable alternative home makes sense, but the waters are murky when that entire house has to be shipped possible hundreds, or even thousands of miles. The most significant materials used to build modern yurts are unfortunately very heavy by postage standards. If you are an artisan of sorts and you want to build your own yurt, you may pay 50%. The shipping discounts that make vinyl worth shipping only apply for very large orders unfortunately.

Yurt living has its pros and cons. These pros and cons should be very carefully considered before you make the financial commitment required to get a yurt.

There is a great book, called year in a yurt which effectively illustrates an experience some may characterize as a poor one. Not all yurt roofing materials are created equally.

The most common material used for modern yurt roofs, is 18 oz. vinyl tarping or an analogous material using similar plastics with similar properties.

Yes. If food is left unattended inside of a yurt, bears may be able to break into the structure. There may be ways to dissuade animals from disturbing your yurt.

Many modern yurts include thin layers of insulation.