Weather Wrecks Yurt Plans

Designing, constructing and living in my yurt was supposed to free me from more mundane housing concerns, cut costs, and make life more simple. Ha!
Since beginning construction on my own yurt design, I have been slapped with an important lesson: Nature rules. In our region – a normally dry, stable area in western Canada, late spring should be an ideal time to build. But record rainfall has flooded three of four western provinces, and, in our case, washed out access roads, and so severely restricted access that I have been forced to bring building supplies strapped to my back! We, fortunately, have had two days when we were able to work a supply truck across a neighbouring farm field. So, construction, severely delayed, still has moved forward.
Today, we are working on erecting the wall shells, with the roof rafters scheduled for tomorrow. Today, we will be working in thunderstorms, while tomorrow we will be working in humid, sticky heat.
Throughout this preliminary period, I have picked a total of 396 wood ticks off my legs, arms, back, scalp, etc. It is a record of which I am perversely proud! But, with the tick count cropping, the flood waters receding and the humidity & heat rising, a new nemesis has crashed the party: mosquitoes.
In the mid 1990s, Pioneer Quest tracked a year in the lives of 2 modern pioneer couples, who were required to build a cabin, break the land, and live precisely as pioneers in the area did in the 1800s. Those couples were inundated with natural disasters that year: excessive rainfall, exceptional summer heat, wicked mosquitoes and high snowfall & cold temperatures in the winter. It looks like we are on track to enjoy that same wonderful blast of nature. So must for minimalism!
Later this week, I will be providing details on the yurt design we have chosen, and the source of supplies. As construction progresses, I will provide photos and details, so that you can follow in our footsteps. Bring an umbrella and lots of mosquito repellent!