putting up a yurt

[Buzzy]

Hi - anybody have experience/knowledge/friends or more with yurts?

We're moving over and thinking about a yurt as the cheapest way to have something light on the land and beautiful. Is this crazy?

Hurricanes? Building permits? Theft?

Then we're thinking Envirolet Composting toilet - waterless (no septic, no cesspool)

think we can get it permitted?

Any advice will be really appreciated!

thanks

[nanasohana]

You know, Buzzy, that would seem to be a wonderful way to live here....but.....with the coaky frog making so much noise at night, I would think you would have trouble sleeping. We have a conventional framed insulated home, we close our windows and turn on our ceiling fan thus almost totally avoiding the sounds of those darn things. Have you slept where you could hear them at night?

[HADave]

Aloha Buzzy check this Yurt out, it is fully permitted. Nancy has a point though the sounds of the night could be something to consider. I'd bet thunder storms would really be an eerie experience.....

http://www.hawaiiinformation.com/REsearch/IDX/mlsHawaii/IndividualListing.asp?page=1&MLS=172003

lots of example for your considerations

Aloha HADave

[Genxor]

Buzzy,

The only yurts I have seen or heard of are the one that has been for sale forever - due to a yurt being non-conventional thus a loan is hard to come by , and a lady on another website was promoting yurts - due to her need to sell and remove the one she purchased.

Your leaning against a traditional stick-built home ?

Greg

[pslamont]

We have a friend who lives in a yurt snd he loves it! Says it weathers well and has had no problems. His is ot permitted. As for noise and weather, depends o where you are. Lots of climates here on the big island!

My 2 cents... Pam

Just another day in P A R A D I S E !!

[JerryCarr]

I have heard of some yurts getting permitted, but the mortgage companies do seem to frown on them. As far as the composting toilets go, the County has a history of NOT liking them, which isn't to say that there aren't plenty being used. There are. I just think there might be issues getting plumbing/sanitation permitted with one of those on board.

Just my totally amateur take on all this.

Cheers,
Jerry

[ericlp]

The yurt that is permitted that HADave posted is a pacific Yurt.

Go to www.Pacificyurts.com and check out the process...

My Take? Well, it's gonna cost about 15-20Grand to get ... Including Shipping... Then you gotta apply for a permit might as well get permitted.

After, you need to dig your cess pool, buy the lumber to pretty much make a deck on post and peer, they say make a round deck, but why not make a huge square deck with a round elevated circle so that the X-wall can sit on? Then you have a nice deck in case you might want to enjoy the out doors...

As for centipedes? Well, it's on post and peer so I think if you kept up with bug spray or had chickens running around they shouldn't be a problem...

My own personal thoughts? So, you spend 25K to get a yurt to Hawaii top of the line with all the options and windows, doors...etc..etc, then your gonna need to build a deck, depending on what size it is might as well budget another 10K for that. So, now you got a few boxes and a bunch of lumber... Personally if it were me I'd be using trex wood; hence the 10K deck price...

Now your gonna need about 3-5 people to put this thing up in about a day or two... So, say about 2-3K more to put the yurt up, this is assuming you know how to use a drill, skill saw, level and you built the deck yourself...

So, you now basically have a shell for about 40K. Not only do you have a shell, but you got a ROUND shell where you gonna have to buy or get custom made cabinets to fit a round home... Now you will also have to get creative about making walls and such since... Well, your gonna need at least a bathroom and maybe a bedroom... You can't just make any walls since there really isn't anything that will support them from the top...

My point is, unless you really like the look, and love the sound of rain hitting a tarp like roof... and having roll up vinyl windows Lot's of windows = ventilation...

I'd take my 50 - 70 grand to build a yurt to turn key (depending how much work you do yourself) Remember you can't do plumbing or electrical unless your going unpermitted... to build a traditional small 800 SQ FT stick built home... Where you can have sliding glass doors and big windows, metal roof, real walls, etc...etc... for about the same cost to maybe even cheaper cost.

Two other draw backs are gutters for catching rain must be fun... Yeah they make em but I'd imagine it would be difficult to install. The other would be expansion... More easy to expand a stick built then a yurt, you just can't punch holes through the walls.

Good Luck! Something to think about!

If you do a yurt, let me know would be interested in checking it out.

Edited by - ericlp on 08/07/2007 14:01:26

[punagirl]

I have always thought it would get really hot in a yurt.

Atlanta/Pahoa

[David M]

LOL, just as I clicked on this topic, KITV ran a story about putting up yurts for the homeless.

David

Ninole Resident

[nanasohana]

Well, if I were homeless and I had a yurt to call home, I sure would take it. Homelessness is only a step in a persons life and so into a yurt for awhile would be a good step forward. A place to sleep, eat, and other daily functions of life. It would be a quick and non permanent housing solution for many. Lets see...some coverall structures for outside activities and to catch rain, composting toilets and solar showers, some washers and dryers. Raised bed garden areas for residents to tend, to catch the filtered greywater from the showers and washers etc.and to grow some good vegetables for residents consumption and their Saturday morning farmers market.....