Solid-wall Yurts Easier to Move

The original premise of the Mongolian yurt was that it was to be somewhat portable.  While the Mongols lived in their yurts for a substantial part of the year, when the dead of winter hit in the high Himalayas, these semi-nomadic people moved lower down the mountains, packing their felt, skin and pole –framed homes with them on carts.  They were hardly light enough to transport by hand or skid.  Today, we build abridged and hybridized versions of these very early homes, but we have lost much of the portability of the original ger.

One of the reasons is that we have a great deal of lattice framing to handle.  While the lattice is lightweight, the assembly and disassembly of the frame is time consuming.  Along with that impediment to mobility, the roof ring also requires more than one person to erect and install, and the layering of the outer skins requires a delicate balance of adjustment and readjustment. If the bubble insulation is used, this provides an additional round of stretching and securing into place, most often requiring an extra set of hands.

The semi-solid wall yurt provides much of the benefit of the solid wall yurt, while actually decreasing the weight of conventional flexible walled designs.  At the same time, the insulative value of the rigid insulation that forms the core of each solid panel provides a protection against temperature fluctuations from hot to cool. This design has been found to provide a comfortable environment when the outside temperature varies from plus 35C to minus 25C – a full 60C (108F) variation.  The wall design can support a roof load considerably greater than that of flexible lattice designs, too.

However, one of the primary advantages of this semi-solid wall system is that it can be erected in less than 2 hours and broken down into components in less than one, with only one person required for the tasks.  That makes it ideal for medium-term camping, for setup in summer months and storage in winter (making it an optimal lakeside guest house), and for portability.  Although the unit requires more storage space than a flexible wall yurt, a sixteen-foot diameter yurt can easily be transported in the back of a half-ton truck, or on a small utility trailer, as its weight does not exceed 200 pounds (excluding floor and joist system).

A portable yurt may seem unnecessary for most applications, since they often are set up and remain in place.  However, given that almost no flexible wall yurts meet engineering standards that will allow them to be substituted as permanent, permitted structures in zoned or code-controlled areas, the only way to bypass permanent home rules is to be able to erect and disassemble the units rapidly.  This gives them an exemption as temporary structures, similar to portable garages.  With a 90-day window common for these buildings, the semi-solid wall yurt provides the capacity to build and de-construct the unit rapidly, allowing them to qualify for use in zoned areas.

Build A Solid-Wall Yurt For Under $1,500

Today’s commercially available yurts largely are flexible wall units, with lattice forming the “frame” of the walls, and studs resting on an aircraft cable strung along the top of the lattice.  They are lightweight, but, by that definition, are vulnerable to the elements and to wildlife.  Although defined as portable, they require a full day to set up, using three or more people.  Their insulation (optional) generally is Mylar bubble insulation and windows are heavy plastic.

The yurt concept in this set of plans calls for rigid insulation walls, readily available materials, glass windows, standard-sized door, and a very lightweight, truly portable design. Although the yurt plan is sized for a 16-foot diameter unit, size can be scaled up or down quite readily. Total material cost generally is less than $1,500.

Typically, one person can cut all the pieces needed to size in less than 40 hours.  To assemble the unit requires one person and three or four hours.  To disassemble takes two hours.

The guide includes numerous photographs of a sample yurt being built.  Also included are discussions of problems with many yurts (and solutions), ideas on plumbing, heating, interior finish and power.

The manual is available at www.robertflee.com, www.smashwords.com or www.amazon.com. For Amazon or Smashwords, type in author name (Robert Lee) and title of book (How To Build A (Semi) Solid Wall Yurt (For Under $1,500), or ISBN 9781301795956. Price: $5.99

Portable Yurt Floor Design

This article is part of a how-to-guide for building a semi-solid wall yurt.

The floor, like the rest of this yurt, is designed to be lightweight, portable, easily assembled and disassembled, inexpensive and durable.  These may seem difficult standards to reconcile, but are surprisingly simple.  Materials consist of high density rigid foam insulation,  plywood clips, 2 by 2s, one-by-six lengths of spruce, pine or fir, one-by-three lengths of SPF, 7/16 (or ½) OSB or plywood and a small quantity of 2”, 2 ½” and 3” deck screws, as well as a few pieces of scrap wood for levelling the floor on uneven surfaces.

Begin by cutting seven lengths of eight-foot 1*6 into 94.5 inches for each of the eight-foot by eight-foot sections of the 16 by 16 foot yurt platform .  If you are planning on including a deck in the design, allow for two more sections of platform.  Mark along the face of each 1*6 the depth of the rigid insulation that you will be using.  (Minimum recommended thickness is 1.5”).

Next, cut twelve pieces of one-by-three to 94.5 inch lengths per platform section.

Using wood or carpenter’s glue, apply a liberal amount of adhesive to the side of a one-by-three, then align the one-by-three top edge with the marks on each one-by-six and clamp together.  Using the 2” screws, join the two pieces, placing screws offset from each other at one-foot intervals.  Each 8*8 section will require two of these joined sets.

Using the same process, attach one-by-threes to each side of a one-by-six.  You will require five of these sets per eight-foot section of platform.

(Note that the use of 1 by 6 joined floor joists is intended to provide the most lightweight option for your portable yurt floor. If you are unconcerned about weight and portability, substitute this assembly for 2*6 joists, with 1.5" (or 2", depending upon thickness of your rigid insulation) deep by 0.5" wide notches on either side of the joist, allowing the insulation to rest in these channels upon completion)

Next, cut two 1*6s into four lengths of 14.5 inches and two lengths of 13.75 inches per board (per platform section)

Mark two 1*6s at 16” intervals.  Lay out and temporarily screw together the assembled 1*6/1*3 combinations to each of the marked 1*6s, so that the 1*6 parts of the combinations are centred on the 16” marks, forming a framework of seven joists and two 1*6 headers.

Using the first 13.75 piece of 1*6, fasten it on the inside of the 1*6 marked header, between the first and second 1*6/1*3 combination joist with three 2” screws and wood glue.  This piece should fit tightly between these segments.  Do the same between the last two joists of the section, and repeat on the other header.  Using each of the 14.5 inch pieces, screw them in place between each of the remaining joists.  All pieces should fit snugly in place.  If they do not, re-measure and realign the spaces between the joists, keeping in mind that the 4by 8 foot sheet of OSB that will be used later as a subfloor must align precisely along the centre of the 1*6 joist.

Cut two 2*2s into four lengths of 14.5 inches and two lengths of 13.75 inches per board (per platform section).  Aligning the 2*2 top edge with the top edge of the 1*3 part of the 1*6/1*3 combination, fit one of these pieces between the joists at the 2.5 foot distance from each header.  This will provide additional support for the rigid insulation that will rest in the channels created by the joist assemblies.

Cut four pieces of 2*2 into ____ lengths, with 45 degree end cuts.  Toenail one end of the first piece to the third joist where the cross brace 2*2 meets the joist, and the other end along the adjacent fourth joist.  Fasten the second piece in the same manner between the fourth and fifth joist.  Fasten the third piece between the second and third joists on the opposite end, and the fourth between the fifth and sixth joist.  These braces provide diagonal support while you complete the assembly, and help to support the rigid insulation.

Cut the 1.5 inch rigid insulation into four pieces measuring 14.5 inches wide by 94.5 inches.  Cut two pieces of rigid insulation measuring 13.75” by 94.5”.  Fit each of these pieces into the cavities between the joists, using the narrow 13.75” pieces on each end.

Lastly, lay out the two sheets of OSB across the joists, parallel to the joists and with the edge of the sheet exactly aligned along the centre of the fourth joist.  Ensure that all outer edges align, as well, with the edges of the joists and headers, so that the structure is square. Screw OSB into place using 2” deck screws. 

Your floor deck is complete, and may be finished using indoor/outdoor carpet loosely laid on top.

Time to cut and assemble floor: 1.5-2.0 hours per 8*8 platform section.

Making A Yurt Rafter Ring

One of the most basic components, yet one of the most crucial structural elements of any yurt is the rafter ring.  This device holds each rafter in place, ensures geometrical and structural integrity of the building, allows for installation of the essential dome vent and must be installed so as to apply uniform weight and pressure to each rafter at the same time that each rafter equally holds it in place.  There are a number of pieces that make up this assembly, whether it is designed and constructed  in-house or custom ordered.

The ring, in some instances, is built from one piece of wood.  However, this is quite a costly venture, relative to the total cost of the yurt.  Other wooden rings use a layered approach, sandwiching a layer of OSB between pieces of dimensional lumber, or the reverse. Other rings are constructed from metal, or metal and wood combinations, while a few are built of polymers.  Since most yurt-dwellers have a core of self-sufficiency, I recommend constructing the ring completely from dimensional lumber, in layers. 

For this piece of your modern Mongolian yurt, you will need fourteen eight-foot lengths of one by six spruce, fir or pine planks.  As well, one quart of carpenters glue and one hundred eighty two-inch construction screws complete your parts inventory.  For tools, you will need a variable speed drill, ½ inch drill bit, screwdriver bit, jig saw with blades and a small paint brush.

Begin by cutting all of the eight-foot lengths of planking into four-foot lengths.  Lay them side by side, using nine pieces on the first layer to form a near-square.  Due to the actual width of a six inch plank (5.5 inches) he total width should be 49.5 inches – slightly wider than the length.  At this point, this is not important.  Next, tie these boards together temporarily, using one of the four-foot lengths screwed across the centre point of the nine boards.  Apply a liberal coat of carpenters glue to the surface.

For the next layer, lay the second set of nine boards perpendicular to the first layer, with the leading edge flush with one side of the 49.5 inch width.  This will leave 1.5 inches of the first layer exposed.  Later, that surplus will be removed.  Put one screw at each end of the nine boards of the second layer.  Since there is no lateral security using single sets of screws, you now are able to square the assembly, using a standard two foot square.  Holding the setup in place, set one screw every six inches, alternating from one side of each board to the other.  The screws will protrude beyond the bottom side of the first layer at this time.

Flip the two layers over, applying a layer of carpenters glue to the underside of the first layer.  Lay the third layer of boards perpendicular to this first layer, and attach exactly as you did with the second layer.  Allow the assembly to dry, then use a saw to remove the 1.5 inches of excess width on the second layer.

Use two strings from alternate corners of the square, so that the two strings cross over precisely in the centre of the box.  Secure a nail here, then tie a string that is exactly the length of the distance between the centre and any side to the nail.  Be sure that the string or twine is not stretchy.  If necessary, use a thin piece of wire.  Hold a pencil at the very end of the string, and arc it around the outside of the square, drawing a perfect circle.  Now, shorten the string by eight inches, and draw a second circle.

Using your jig saw, cut the exterior run of the first circle.  Drill a hole at any point of the inner circle, then use your jigsaw o cut out the centre piece.  You have constructed your basic rafter ring.  However, for added reinforcement, you may want to screw a band of medium thickness aluminum ring around the circumference of the ring.  Alternatively, a ring of 3/16 inch plywood may be glued and screwed to the outer edge.

Building A Solid Wall Yurt, Part Two

This is the second article on building a solid wall yurt. 

Although yurts both are vastly lighter in weight than conventional housing and offer minimal wind resistance, they, like any house, still require solid piles on which to rest. 

There are a number of options available to provide a solid base for your yurt, with the simplest and most solid being beams on pad, with no posts and no piles. 

When you opt to construct a solid wall yurt, rather than tarpaulin and lattice, you add significant weight to the structure, but, through the use of innovative top and bottom plates, cable reinforcement, hurricane ties and mending plates on the walls, you can build a yurt that equals any house for structural integrity.

To design a base system for a yurt by boring piles is an illustration of overkill, however.  Not only do you change the definition of your building for zoning and permitting purposes, you provide a degree of reinforcement that is quite unnecessary.

The most cost effective and structurally sound combination of bases for your yurt is a simple pad system.  However, you may, depending upon the grade and type of soil, need to use posts and pads, notched pads, crossties and webbing, saddle brackets and so on.

Let us look at the most simple design: beam on pad.  Whereas conventional wood frame homes may require 2 by 12, 2 by 10 or doubled versions of each for beams, imbedded joists, grade beams, piles, etc., yurts, even as large as forty-two feet in diameter, will require no more than single 2 by 10 or 2 by 8 beams under 2 by 8 or 2 by 6 joists. For flat terrain with packed soil and good drainage (or in high wind regions), use a basic patio pad.  For sloped ground, gravelly or soft soil or windy regions, use notched pads, or notched pads on patio pads secured with anchor bolts. 

Begin by ensuring that all pads are level with each other. Simply lay the beam into or onto the pad, and then tie the joists into position, sixteen inch on centre separation.  Beams should be spaced a minimum of eight feet apart, with pads spaced four feet apart for greatest stability.  Reinforce the beams by nailing cross supports between beams at eight foot separation.  As in conventional housing, joists should be tied together with webbing (2 by 2s).

To use post and pad on heights not exceeding twenty-four inches, use four by four double saddle brackets and double the beam using a second eighteen inch length of beam material in the upper saddle bracket.  Set the foot of your four by four pile into a slotted deck pad, ensuring that the top of each four by four posts is level versus each other post top.

To use post and pad systems on heights exceeding two feet, be sure to use diagonal cross supports extending from the bottom of each post to a nearby beam or joist on two adjacent sides, alternating sides with each sequential post location.

After laying the joists into place on the beams, be sure to install appropriate headers, using a minimum of four 3.5 inch nails per joist-to-header connection, and three nails, toe-nailed into place on each beam intersection.

Since you already have ensured that the structure is level (by levelling either the pads or the tops of the posts), you should only need to check level of the joists to ensure that nothing has shifted during construction.  Now, lay your underlay into place, using 2.5 inch nails.  The tongue-and-grove ¾ inch OSB or plywood should be placed so that edges meet at the centre of the joist.  Use plywood ties between joists for added structural strength.  Your next layer of flooring will be installed at right angles to the underlay, at a later time.

Building A Yurt In Winter

Building a yurt may not be at the top of your desirability rankings in the dead of winter, but, with proper planning, a quality structure can be pre-fabricated, then assembled on site in a matter of a few days.  While flexible-wall, tarpaulin yurts are the most popular structures in North America, it is the solid-wall yurt that provides the greatest protection, for the lowest cost in cooler and colder climates.  Soft-wall yurts offer the primary advantage of being able to be assembled, then disassembled and relocated with relat9ve we, while solid structures do not lend themselves well to relocation. The question then becomes, if you intend to relocate frequently, why not buy a tent or RV?

Our solid-wall yurt will stand for years, and has proven itself, already, to be a weather-tight, comfortable home.  Although, due to our wanderlust and travelling nature in winter, we do not spent the deepest Part of winter in our home, it has endured the coldest, snowiest and windiest days of our Manitoba, Canada winters.  If minus-40 is still too warm for you, then a yurt, of any variety, may not be a viable living solution! 

By using 2-foot panels, assembled on an 8-degree angle to each other, we have constructed a 600-square foot (that’s incorrect:  hard to have square feet in a round building!) facility.  Similarly, one could build a yurt in a variety of diameters (12, 16, 24, 32) with relative simplicity. 

Simply construct the individual panels, cut the sectional top and bottom plates, build the roof ring and saw the appropriate angles into the roof rafters, and the entire package of components is ready to be shipped to your building site.  Assembly on your pre-existing platform or floor should take two people no more than 12 hours.  Slide the wall tarpaulins around this wooden framework, slip the roof tarpaulin over the rafters and install your doors and windows and your yurt is ready for the finishing inside touches.

The tarpaulin walls offer both aesthetic and practical benefits.  As a Tyvek-type exterior skin, the tarp is impervious to the most violent winds, while repelling both rain and snow. The roof tarpaulin, however, needs to be installed tightly.  This demands that the supplier manufactures it to your precise dimensions and pitch, and that your roof rafters and top plate assembly are equally precise.  If the tarp is too loose, any flapping or vibration in the wind will act as a billows, and dislodge your roof fibreglass batt insulation, or break the seal on your foil-backed bubble insulation used to line the interior of the ceiling.

Within two days, your yurt metamorphoses from a pile of dimensional lumber and fabric in your garage to a fully liveable home, for less than 50% of the cost of a conventional  flexible-wall yurt, and one twelfth to 1/6 of the cost of s similarly-sized conventional house.  The added appeal is that this project can be undertaken and completed at any time of the year.

Solid Versus Flexible Wall Yurt Systems

Yurt purists will insist adamantly that its simply is not a true yurt if it has solid walls. Yet, the original yurts, from Turkey to the Himalayas, had neither tarpaulin skins or space-age bubble insulation and glass-domed vents. Yurts, indeed, are more about simplicity and function than any purist concept of how they should be designed, and from what materials.
It is true that the lattice/tarpaulin skin systems employed by manufacturers from Yurtco to Colorado Yurts have aesthetic appeal. Their flexible framing, bubble insulation and heavy-duty pvc tarps allow for an intimacy with the surrounding environment that a conventional house or cabin does not. The sound of rain on the exterior skins is magical, and the thick plastic windows create an aura of living in a tent. Even in relatively stiff winds, these yurts hold steady, yet react to the breezes. Yet, these same benefits also can be drawbacks.
Since windows are nothing more than thick, clear poly plastic, they transmit heat and cold easily. To cut down on sun infiltration, the exterior skin must be zipped shut. Similarly, in winter, those same windows almost always are zipped closed, creating a claustrophobic, tomb-like atmosphere. If the window is improperly installed and allowed to vibrate or shake, the plastic quickly breaks down, and, in a matter of a few years, the window must be replaced when it cracks.
The light lattice framing does withstand winds of 70-90 kph, but a wind/snow load supplementary support system must be installed in high wind/high snow regions. Of particular concern for many is the loose fit of the yurt wall skins at the base of these units. While tight enough to hold back the elements, many yurts with lattice wall design, according to owners, allow small rodents such as voles to work their way into the building during the colder months.
Due to the thinness of the exterior walls, R-factor levels for insulation are minimal, with only a few centimetres of space-age bubble insulation protecting against the elements.
A reasonable fear that some people have expressed is that the light construction is a poor impediment to a hungry bear, who may smell food through the fragile skeleton of the yurt. Whether the fear has ever materialized is irrelevant, as the fear may still exist even where the risk is minimal.
On the other hand, solid-wall yurts offer a great many advantages. Few bears, badgers or raccoons have the tenacity to force their way through 7/16 inch of wood, plus framing, making the structure seem considerably safer from these predators than flexible-wall yurts.
With the exterior tarpaulin covering those walls, wind and air infiltration is minimal. The framing allows for two to three times the insulative capacity than lattice walls.
Wind endurance is significantly greater in a properly designed solid wall yurt, as well. Using the interlocking top and bottom plate segments that has been created for these units, the structures have endured winds of over 115kph, without any sign of stress or strain. In one instance, a healthy tree, sixteen inches in diameter, was sheared off by the wind not more than forty yards from the yurt, yet the yurt suffered absolutely no ill effects from the wind force.
Window and door installation is easier and less expensive in solid wall yurts. Because of their framing, these buildings can be constructed using standard windows (double or triple pane) and doors, allowing for reduced cost, energy saving and better light infiltration. It is also a lot more difficult for a raccoon to claw through a pvc & glass window than a plastic one!
Along with the advantages of solid wall construction, these hybrid yurts maintain the tarpaulin roof structure, along with added truss strength to withstand heavier snow loads. The tarpaulin skin allows for the same magical enjoyment of a rainfall on the tent-like roof, the same intimacy with the outside environment and the same open atmosphere as more “traditional” yurt systems.
Yurt purists may decry the bastardization of their beloved structures, but they will have a hard time denying the advantages of solid-wall over flexible-wall yurts.