03-06-2008, 03:51 AM
Hi again,
I actually got my start in yurts. I lived in one for a bit of over a year in Northern Washington State and I wouldn't recommend it for Hawaii for a couple of practical reasons.
1. If you consider the cold dry area where yurts evolved, there is nothing in common whatsoever with that climate and the climate of Hawaii, unless you're planning on building way up saddle road somewhere. You must battle moisture and mold daily here, and the mold even if it doesn't get into the fabric will get into the treatment material and screw it up, making them dank and sweaty like you'd think.
2. They're far more comfortable in the cold than the heat. They get awful hot when the sun comes down. But of course, they were designed for a cold dry climate with a lot of sun.
3. The fabric on the top gets filthy, especially with a woodstove, which you will need to keep it dry inside. If you're on catchment water this surface will be of no use.
4. The roof has no overhangs, and water runs down under the footprint of the shelter. Again, a bad application of the wrong kind of structure in the wrong area.
A yurt will cost more money than a cabin will, knowledgeably built.
I actually got my start in yurts. I lived in one for a bit of over a year in Northern Washington State and I wouldn't recommend it for Hawaii for a couple of practical reasons.
1. If you consider the cold dry area where yurts evolved, there is nothing in common whatsoever with that climate and the climate of Hawaii, unless you're planning on building way up saddle road somewhere. You must battle moisture and mold daily here, and the mold even if it doesn't get into the fabric will get into the treatment material and screw it up, making them dank and sweaty like you'd think.
2. They're far more comfortable in the cold than the heat. They get awful hot when the sun comes down. But of course, they were designed for a cold dry climate with a lot of sun.
3. The fabric on the top gets filthy, especially with a woodstove, which you will need to keep it dry inside. If you're on catchment water this surface will be of no use.
4. The roof has no overhangs, and water runs down under the footprint of the shelter. Again, a bad application of the wrong kind of structure in the wrong area.
A yurt will cost more money than a cabin will, knowledgeably built.