I get razzed for advertising, but really it's just talking about what I love.
And since you asked... For a basic 30' yurt, which is 706 sf (the largest yurt, although you can go 2 story or connect them together for more space), if you set it up and build the platform, base cost will be under 20k. That includes your floor, doors, windows, central skylight, roof and walls.
There are several critical upgrades recommended for this climate to take care of the proper functioning and comfort of the structure, including insulation (to keep it cool), opening dome, tall wall and extra door or operable window to meet codes and CORR bracket kit at the ring to protect against earthquakes. If you're in a windy area, the wind kit brings wind rating up to a wopping 110mph or more. Gutters are also recommended to take the place of what eaves do in standard houses, i.e. prevent rains from pouring down to the foundation and also collect rainwater. With all of those, you would be looking at about $20k for the yurt and 5 - 6k in materials for the platform.
A 10 - 15 year warranty comes with a yurt from any reputable yurt maker (and there are plenty of bad yurt makers! They give yurts a bad name, avoid them at all cost). When the roof and walls wear after 15 years or so, you replace just the exterior for a fraction of the time and cost of a metal or shingle roof, and you're set to go another 15 - 20 years, and so on. The infrastructure stays solid. Wash the exterior once a year, no painting needed. Minimal upkeep. VERY light footprint, if you have to move it, it is more difficult with full plumbing and electric, but far easier than a wooden or concrete house! They use far less materials that are far more sustainable than most other forms of housing. They can be set up very quickly. They are incredibly strong. The space inside is soothing, peaceful, and inspiring... the list goes on. Yurt people love their yurts
People often mistake or miscalculate costs of a yurt home because they aren't figuring for the infrastructure needed for any permitted residential structure. So many people think, "Hey, we can be living here for 20k!" But that's for the structure, not for the site prep, any construction you have done by someone else, plumbing, electric, septic, cesspool, power poles, permitting.... Those costs have to get tacked on to any functional residence, and they're going to be about the same with every structure, comparing size to size.
So you compare a nice, finished off yurt, which is a huge open room that you can then put walls, cabinets, kitchen, bathroom, electric, etc. in, as compared to a nice, finished off exterior and perimeter walls/doors/windows of a house of the same size. That's where the pricing comparison is accurate. And that's where the cost and value of a yurt will shine through, typically saving tens of thousands of dollars. Wooden yurts are a whole different ball of wax. They are equivalent in cost, and even often quite a bit more than a box house. But the shape is the appeal. The aesthetics inside and out. Modern day traditional based yurts (aka 'soft sided') allow for the feel of the space, a permanent house, for a fraction of the cost.
Cons? Well, I'm sure plenty of people will come up with reasons why they think they wouldn't like them. I can't ever put stock in a person's opinions unless they've had first hand experience. People often think they won't like something and then find they had preconceived prejudices. The space can be tricky to design for. It's not something I would try alone, get the help of people with experience. You do have to wash them every one or two years or they'll get that scummy exterior that grows on things here. There is a bit of a learning curve to living in and maintaining yurts, but not much.
I have heard the arguments of mold (False - totally not an issue with the recommended upgrades), lack of ventilation (which is about as far off base as a person can get, yurts are supremely well ventilated), lack of eaves (true - but the gutters remedy any issues with that), easy to break into (No, they are not. Latticework is not an easy or safe thing to cut into, easiest point of entry in a yurt is to break down the door - as opposed to smashing a window in a standard house) and a few other suspicions, but not anything major that is an actual issue.
They are great alternatives, I love our yurt, I love doing what we do with yurts. You can come check ours out if you like. Aloha!
Melissa Fletcher
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"Make yurts, not war" Bill Coperthwaite, 1973
