BOB'S NEW YURT, July 2012

 With a load of carpenter and building friends this yurt went up in a day and a half.

A violent thunderstorm hit and left a mess of water but it was all squeegeed off

and work resumed.

 Bob chose vinyl windows but I've never enjoyed looking through the lattice

out to the view.

They sag, they get brittle, they have to be rolled from the outside for air,

they get a little cloudy over time, they're generally a nuisance.

Wood framed windows, such as Pella or Andersen, do very well.

ONWARD TOWARD YURT FREEDOM

My 30' yurt is purchased and is waiting at Paul's factory for pick up.
Getting just the right piece of land is a patience challenge.
I've ordered a medium gray outside and a lighter gray roof.
Still white on the inside.
I've asked to have all the wood stained white instead of their usual. I need to cut down on the eye clutter the grid and rafters make.
I've waited a long time for this!

The daughter of a friend put up a yurt on May 13, 2011, and I got to help!
Paul Desrochers, owner of White Mountain Yurts,
was there to do the majority of the work.
A small crew of us attempted to help.
Tara is the proud owner of this beautiful 30' yurt
now residing in a meadow in Locke, NY.

One of the finer features of the yurt is this simple plexiglas dome.
It brings in the loveliest light all day long.
Yurt dwellers talk about the changing light of day as well as the seasons.
I remember this from my winters in the yurt.
I could always tell the slow shift to the springtime position of the sun.
It filled me with sadness, though.
It signaled the end of my winter residency
and a time to think about heading back home for the summer.

Here we're holding up the walls as Paul works outside
'crocheting' together the loops.
This creates a strong bond between the walls
and the roof.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

The incredible strength of the yurt lies in the design of the rafters
resting on airplane cable that runs around the top of the lattice wall.
(See further explanation in sidebar, left..."What makes a yurt so strong.")
The lattice expands and contracts with nature's elements...wind, heat and cold.
At the top is a strong wooden multi-layered ring
that supports a plexiglas dome.
Some add an insulation cover inside the dome
on the coldest nights to keep the heat in.

This is the 30' yurt completed in early May, 2010, over one weekend
by White Mt. Yurts, in VT.
These are the exact colors I wish to use, terra cotta sides,
beige roof and brown trim. I plan to have French doors front and back
(if there is such a thing on a circle!)
and two 'real' windows on the other quarters,
instead of these vinyl roll-ups.
I imagine the owner will add a deck to the design.
Can't wait to see it completed.
Isn't it a beautiful domicile?

RED YURT IN VERMONT

White Mt. Yurts put up a new 30' yurt in VT in early May.
The two photos above are close ups of this new yurt,
the framework on its platform and the finished product.
Imagine the view from this place!
View the entire album here on Facebook.

MY NEW HOME

I've been eager to live in my own yurt
since spending five winters living in one in the Tug Hill Region of NYS,
deep in the heart of snow country.
The ski resort where I lived and worked for 5-6 months each season,
Salmon Hills, had 7 yurts, from 16' to 30'.
Each time I entered the main (communal) yurt I envisioned it as my own home.
I spent loads of time cooking and entertaining in that yurt,
always picturing my own layout.
I loved the space and the open feeling of the space.
It's addicting, ask any yurt owner.
They're warmer than most people think, the air circulates freely.
I have so many ideas and plans for my yurt.
The hard part will be paring down enough
to fit everything inside that I want to live with
yet keeping it minimal enough to feel not crowded or too busy looking.
It's important to me to have separate spaces
so it's a particular challenge creating these spaces
so it doesn't feel like you're seeing the entire interior
from anywhere you find yourself.
I can't wait to get this going.
And I can't wait to have you over for tea
so I can share this amazing space with you.
--------------------------------------------
(These photos are borrowed from archives found on line.
Actual photos of my yurt will gradually replace these. Won't that be fun!?)
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BUT.
This is all very exciting, but...
There's loads of work to do!
First selling my parent's house, finding a piece of land,
ordering the yurt and moving all my stuff into storage
for the two-month period between moving out and moving in.
I have a contractor who's excited to work on this project.
Before the yurt comes the Amish garage
(a person needs storage space and a workshop space!).
Before the yurt arrives the platform is constructed
then everything should go rather quickly.
I have a contractor who's excited to get to work on it when the time's right.
There are cool time-lapse videos of this on YouTube...it's very cool.
Keeping your fingers crossed for me? GOOD!

MORE INSPIRATION

All white bathrooms have their appeal.

Glass block is fun.

Loving the corrugated metal.

Glass block in the floor upstairs to allow light to pass through.

Cool lamps at Etsy HQ.

The rough stone surround on this thirty footer
is really attractive.

Love the front door overhang,
would look better on a 30' yurt, no?

Pretty French doors!

A typical 16' platform. Notice
the footers, no digging necessary.
Makes it truly portable should the
need or desire arise.

I KNOW, I KNOW...
I've really given this a lot of thought.
I've even gone so far as to create a foamboard scale model, 1" = 1'.
With various features cut out of graph paper and kept loose
it allows me to move things around until I get the fit right.
I've cut out two human forms to be sure there's enough room for
two people cooking without tripping over each other, for instance.
In addition to the sleeping loft I also plan to have a second loft,
a sort of guest room with some storage.
Downstairs would be a dressing room/office/library.
This room would have open sides with floor length curtains
which could be pulled into place to close it off when company comes over.
I plan a 10' circular carpeted space or circular bench in the center
with big fat pillows for hanging out.
A foyer with storage closets for outer wear will line the 10' foyer leading in.
As the two lofts will be wedge shaped and 10' long on each side
the ends will finish out at 4' wide ending at the inner circle.
On the closed and finished end of the bathroom
I'll place a small attractive propane heater,
vented to the outside.
There will be ample room for a living room and a dining area as well.
I do hope to have a raised counter with room for four stools.
Most of my storage will be in the Amish garage (see sidebar photo at left).
Can you feel the excitement mounting?

AFTER THE YURT...
It'll be time to get a dog, a dog named Mango.