Here is what Bruce has to say about his book: For yurt lovers everywhere, we’ve created the newest and best book about making an ultra simple, hand-made, yurt-home.

Ten years ago, at Spirit Hollow, a shamanic school tucked back in the Taconic Mountains of Vermont, I fell in love with yurts. I was bedazzled by an exotic tent, with a framed door, wooden floor, diamond latticed walls and rays of rafters, arching out from a central sky light. I was dumbstruck by the complex beauty and warmth of a tent in Green Mountain winter.

Later as I worked in Boston, seventy hours per week, at a Fortune 500 company, making more money than I had at any point in my life, I daydreamed of yurts. I sketched yurts set beside a roaring brook, in Arlington, in Vermont’s Kelly Stand. I made calculations of the cost of acreage, cost of a bridge to cross the river, cost of a floor and the cost of a Pacific Yurt sixteen feet in diameter. I would calculate the month of next year that I could afford to actualize my dreams.

In the next year, down-sized by life, aching for simplicity, living in an attic room and tending an organic garden belonging to friends, my head was still full of yurts. Purchasing land and a Pacific Yurt was now out of the question. I obtained books by Len Charney, Paul King and Dan Kuehn and down loaded a paper by Charles Lokey, works that would comprise the books of my yurt bible. I studied with religious fervor. Could I build a yurt, bit by bit, over the next several years?

How hard could it to build a yurt? Could I drill six holes in an eight foot stick? Could I drill six holes in sixty-six, eight foot sticks? Could I tie a knot at two ends of a cord after threading the cord through holes that I drilled? I knew I could do all of this and build a yurt wall, and from this place, I believed I could take on the rest of it. But could I really?

“A year and a half to complete everything”, I thought, but could I design and construct something that would fit and hold together, would actually work? To my amazement and joy, within two months, I moved into a new sixteen foot diameter yurt, my “ger” (Mongolian for “home”) all at a cost of less than $1000 or about one tenth of t he cost of a Pacific Yurt. Baku, a Japanese friend of mine said, “It wasn’t that God helped you build a yurt. It’s more like you helped God build it.”

How this all happen, step by step, the ideas, the calculations, designs, construction ideas that led to the simplest plan possible, the good fortune and blind luck that completed my yurt -home is the story that follows. Check out his book and website at For Love Of Yurts.

Mike one of our readers sent me a note about this yurt option that is both easy to assemble and affordable.

These fiberglass yurts range in size fron 15.4′ diameter (181 sq.ft.) to 51.3′ diameter (2011sq.ft.) pre-insulated. Pricing ranges from $15.00/ sq.ft to $20+/sq.ft.

Here is what Alternative Buildings says about their product: Alternative Buildings is your supplier for truly unique and innovative buildings, utilizing an insulated fiberglass panel system. Our new modern composite Yurt assembles fast, is easily customized, and best of all, the cost is very affordable. We have several sizes and options to choose from, making it possible to fit almost any budget.

Fiberglass Yurt Applications

• Residential: As a permanent equity building or money saving family home.
• Recreational: As a second home, hunting lodge, or campsite.
• Temporary Shelter: As an emergency and short term structure. (Assemble in 4 to 6 hours with hand tools even in remote locations.)
• Industrial/Commercial: As an equipment shelter, supply storage, retail shop, temporary office, etc.

Design Services Offered

• Custom Design: We offer custom design services to help personalize your Yurt.
• Customized Rent-To-Own Program: Custom tailored programs available for all fiberglass yurts.

So for pricing starting around $6,500 for the small yurt and going up to $31,200 for the largest yurt, you get a basic insulated shell to complete and finish as you like. For more details visit Alternative Buildings Fiberglass Yurts and see if this is the type of home you have been looking for.

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Craigslist is showing two wooden yurts for sale at a bargain price of $3,500 each. Here is the listing on Craigslist.

You can learn more about the company at Yurt People. The company is located in Talmage, California just outside of Ukiah. These are tiny yurts but I think they would make a great tiny house.

These yurts are on sale because they were built a few years ago and never set up. The prices includes all materials except the foundation and the interior siding.

Please call Miguel 707-799-8595 or email picaflor@earthlink.net

Below are some photos of a couple of the style yurt that is for sale that have been completely finished. The above appears to be just a basic shell that requires completion.

If you purchase one of these please let me know as I would enjoy posting your story of what you do with it and how it is completed. Thank you.

Completed Yurt Exterior

Baja Yurt Interior

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I am very lucky to be living in Northern California where there is a lot of tiny house activities going on. Besides, Jay with Tumbleweed Tiny House Company, Bill with Tortoise Shell Homes and Stephen with Little House on the Trailer, I am just 45 minutes from Hopland and the flagship Real Goods Store and Educational Center.

A few weeks ago I was on my way to see my folks in Ukiah and pick up Max our dog and decided to take some time to stop by Real Goods and photograph their tiny houses that they have scattered around their property.

I have stopped in at different times as they were constructing the homes, but never had my camera with me. This time I went prepared with the idea to share with the Tiny House Blog readers what Real Goods has to offer for examples of tiny homes.

I have attached a lot of pictures to this post and have put brief descriptions under the photos. So take your time and enjoy. If your ever in the area, reserve time to visit Real Goods, you won’t be disappointed.

Here is what Real Goods has to say about themselves:

We’ve been busy getting stocked up for the holiday season and fine-tuning displays to make them educational and exciting — emphasizing product groupings like “Relocalization and Peak Oil,” “Biofuels and Alternative Transportation,” and “Green Building.” We’re also revamping our Renewable Energy Department, where we’ve seen sales numbers double annually in response to worldwide global warming concerns. Our sustainable living library contains more than 2,000 titles on subjects including organic and biodynamic gardening, cooking, natural and green building, renewable energy, intentional community, permaculture, politics, alternative fuels, electric vehicles, sustainable outdoor projects and much more. You’ll also find new men’s and women’s organic clothing (from basic to hip) as well as healthy body care products. And for the little ones on your list, we carry dozens of educational and solar toys. More than half the store’s products cannot be found in this catalog, so we invite you to stop by, browse and experience the future, while you check out the wonders of the Solar Living Center. The Hopland Real Goods store is open every day (except Christmas Day) from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Go and visit the Real Goods Website and if you are in the area be sure and stop by and check everything out yourself.

Straw Bale Welcome Building

Inside of Strawbale Welcome Building

Colorado Yurt Company Dwelling

Straw Bale and Stick Built Garden Shed

Straw Bale Residence

SIP Building Example

YurtBoy Yurt

Straw Bale Bathroom would make a cool tiny house

Windmill and Giant Solar Panels

Cob Well House

Tepee Residence

Straw Bale and Stick Built Tiny House

Back of Straw Bale and Stick Built Residence

Painted Storage Container

Solar Option for a Tiny House

Portable Solar on a Trailer

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If you love the style and airiness of a tent or tipi, but you want something in the shape of a traditional house, a Sweetwater Bungalow might be for you.

I recently visited the Sweetwater Bungalow company near Truckee, California to view one of their exquisite little homes.

It seemed a little strange at first to be visiting a canvas home in the middle of winter in the snowy Sierras, but I was impressed by how the Bungalow retained quite a bit of the warmth from the sun. On a sunny winter’s day, the little space heater was not even needed. Also, even though the Bungalow I looked at was under a forest of pine trees, the light coming through the walls was soothing and calm.

Sweetwater Bungalows are unique tent cabin kits/portable housing kits. These bungalows combine stability and protection from a substantial wood frame with lightness and beauty from fabric walls. Together with windows and a door, a cozy bungalow is created from these tent cabin kits.

With nature in mind, the bungalow lets you experience the outdoors comfortably. A perfect place for reflection, the portable housing kit becomes the ideal yoga retreat, studio space, or backyard room for guests. Each bungalow is easy to assemble, low maintenance and terrain and climate adaptable. They were inspired by the more rustic version wall tents, wood frame tents and platform tents which are still used in many National Parks such as Yosemite.

The bungalows are available in three sizes: 10 x 12 feet, 12 x 14 feet and 14 x 20 feet. The peak height is between 9 and 11 feet and the square footage between 120 and 280 square feet. These bungalow tents provide generous open living space at a low price per square foot ($25/sq/ft). With an assortment of styles, unique features, and upgrade options to choose from.

The bungalow tents can remain simple or include modern necessities like electricity, and can be easily heated. Finely crafted and constructed, each bungalow tent kit is prefabricated and packaged for easy transport and installation. All the bungalow kits come with a one-year material and workmanship warranty. However, the platform is not included in most of the kit prices.

The Sweetwater Bungalows also include:

Shell Walls & Rain Fly

• 10 oz white laminated polyester-vinyl
• Durable, waterproof, flame retardant and treated to resist mildew, and fading from ultra-violet rays
• Strong tear and tensile strength
• Corners, ridges and eaves are reinforced with 8″ strips of hemmed vinyl
• Seams are lock-stitched and electronically welded
• Brass grommets

Shell Ceiling

• 10 oz 100% duck cotton canvas
• Canvas is lock-stitched to vinyl wall
• Waterproof, Flame retardant and mildew resistant
• Canvas breathes, minimizing condensation

Eave & Awning System

• Zinc plated Steel Components
• 4 Eave Brackets
• 2-4 Fly Rail Brackets
• 2 Eave Hangers
• 2 Rain Fly Rails – 3/4″ Pipe
• 4- 2″x 4″ Eave Rafters
• Lag Bolts / Screws
• 12-20 Heavy Duty Bungee Cords

By Christina Nellemann

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I promised an update on the Solargon Structure’s Yurts and Doug Kirk has been kind enough to give me some figures to share with you. I have also added some photos of the larger yurt they produce. The 30 foot yurt, so look it over and enjoy. See the previous post on the Solargon Structure’s Yurt here.

MSRP for the 20′ model is $ 22,500

Included:

All walls R28 and roof panels R42, micro-lam headers, wall to wall connecters, aircraft grade octagon operable skylight, compression ring w/header, screws for assembly and owner’s assembly manual. Walls cam-lock together in seconds and the typical erection time is 4 to 5 hours.

MSRP for the 30′ model is $ 39,900

Included:

All walls R42 and roof panels R42, micro-lam headers, wall to wall connectors, glue-lam super structure and rafters, operable skylight,compression frame w/header and assembly manual. Wall and roof panels cam-lock together and the typical erection time is 2 days.

Some will say that they sound expensive but you save time and money on assembly, very little waste or theft, and no expensive contractor needed. When your home is up you have the walls, roof, insulation, and rough electrical with boxes ready to go for about $55.00 per sq. ft. You then choose the interior and exterior finishing of your choice. An average home will cost about $125 to $150 per sq. ft. to finish so Solargons are very competitive.

Additional value is in the energy savings for the life of the building. You can upgrade your lifestyle with energy savings and lower your carbon footprint and live in a open and light living space.

Your kit can be shipped anywhere and can be put together by customers. We do supply tech support or can assist with your project.

Visit www.solargonsales.com for more pictures. You can also view a virtual interior of a 30′ model to get an idea what the interior would look like. See interior of 30′ Solargon.

30' Solargon Floorplan

20' Solargon Yurt

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David Kent one of the Tiny House Blog readers recently sent me to this link of SIP built yurts built in Colorado. The company is called Solargon Structures, at this point I have not communicated with the owners directly, but hope to hear from them soon as far as prices go and to how far away these can be shipped and built.

Solargons are octagonal buildings featuring passive solar design principles. The shape is inspired by design elements from Native American and Asian nomadic tribes, while the materials represent the latest in green building technologies.

Both the construction materials and the construction process are designed to minimize setup time, and maximize the building’s lifetime performance.

Solargon Kitchen

On site assembly requires mere hours for the 20’ model and less than two days for the 30’ model.

Solargon’s 20’ diameter buildings serve admirably in a variety of ways: recreational cabins, second homes, mother-in-law apartments, art studios, ski huts, military housing, emergency housing, satellite classrooms, etc.

See update with pricing Here!

Solargon Yurt Interior

The new 30’ diameter building makes an ideal starter homes, club houses, recreational centers, corporate retreats and sales buildings. Each 30’ model can be attached or linked to additional Solargons for even more floorplan flexibility.

Visit the Solargon Structures website to learn more.

Below you can see the actual construction of a twenty foot Solargon yurt that is used for a ski patrol warming hut in Colorado.

Delivered to Site

SIP Walls Installed

Roof Installed

Exterior Membrane

Completed Solargon Yurt

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Powerderhorn Ski Hut in Use

My neighbor, Dale, lived in a tipi for five years while he saved up to build his own house. He set it up on the land of an acquaintance who owned a ranch in exchange for working on the ranch, and was able to use the bathroom and water supply of the ranch worker’s apartment. He ran an electrical cord under the ground from the apartment to run an electric blanket. “You can be comfortable anywhere if you have an electric blanket.” he said.

His tipi from Sacramento tent manufacturer, Goodwin Cole, housed a bed covered with sheepskins, a small dresser for clothes and a Franklin stove which kept the tipi warm in winter. For cooking, Dale used a Coleman stove outside on a picnic table.

Courtesy of Dale and Denise Barcomb

Dale said he chose the tipi, rather than a tent or trailer, for the romantic aspect of it. His background was in Anthropology and his study of the American Plains Indians gave him the knowledge he needed to live their way of life. He said the best part of living in a tipi was being woken up by the daylight coming through the canvas in the morning,  and because of the conical pyramid power of the structure, he slept very well. The worst part was the lack of a noise barrier and being open to the elements. “But living that way forces you to be a part of the outdoors,” he said. Dale and his wife, Denise, still use the tipi in their backyard for a summer getaway.

Nomadic people have used portable tipis for thousands of years. The word tipi (also teepee or tepee) comes from the Lakota word meaning to dwell or live. These simple, circular structures provide snug, low-cost shelter. Even though they look very basic, a well built tipi is precisely designed. Tipis consist of four elements: a set of ten to twenty sapling poles (depending on the size of the tipi), a canvas or hide cover, an optional inner canvas or skin lining, and a canvas or skin door.

Prior to the introduction of horses to North America, tipis were only about 8 to 14 feet in diameter, since the poles and buffalo skin coverings were pulled on travois from one encampment to another by dogs or women. Once the American Indian plains people acquired horses, tipi designs expanded into the shape and style we’re familiar with today. By the late 1800s, after the near extermination of the buffalo herds, tipi covers made from bolts of canvas provided by the U.S. government replaced the 10 to 14 buffalo skins needed for the earlier style.

Courtesy of Reese Tipis

Courtesy of Reese Tipis

Most tipis now are made of canvas and are about 16 to 20 feet across with ceilings 12 feet high. Many modern tipis include raised wooden floors for the sleeping area to keep bedding and clothes free from bugs, dirt and dampness. A fire pit or carefully vented small woodstove in the tipi center provides heat during winter months. In about an hour, two people can easily erect a 16 foot-diameter tipi with 22 foot-long poles. The conical shape of the structure makes it stable in the high winds that often blow briskly across the Great Plains, and closable smoke flaps keep driving rains outside. Tipis are routinely transported to powwows, barter fairs and rendezvous on a truck’s carrying rack. At Burning Man this year, I saw whole villages made out of tipis. They seemed to be very wind resistant and cool inside.

Courtesy of Earthworks Tipis

Courtesy of Earthworks Tipis

One aspect of tipis that lend to the romantic vision is the artistic details of the canvas or animal hide. In American Indian culture most tipis in a village would not be painted, but those that were often featured geometric portrayals of celestial bodies and animal designs. Sometimes tipis were painted to depict personal experiences, such as war, hunting or a vision quest. Many are also decorated with pendants or medallions. Traditionally these were embroidered with dyed porcupine quills; more modern versions are often beaded. Buffalo horns and tails, tufts of buffalo and horse hair, bear claws and buckskin fringe were also used to decorate tipi covers. These attachments are often referred to as “tipi ornaments”.

Reese Tipis

White Buffalo Lodges

Earthworks Tipis
Earthworks is having a sale of 20% off their tipis until December 1, 2008.

Tipi Living

Mother Earth News: That Good Ol’ Tipi Living

By Christina Nellemann

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On my trip to Burning Man this year, I noticed quite a few camps utilizing the Hexayurt. A model of this affordable “refugee” shelter was also on display along with the art on the playa, and I was suprised how cool it was in the boiling heat, and how sturdy it was against the notorious Black Rock Desert winds. The inside had room for a full-size futon, some chairs and a table, as well as a few bookshelves.

The Hexayurt, created by Vinay Gupta, is made from Thermax HD from Dow for permanent use and and with laminated hexacomb cardboard from Pregis for temporary use. The reflective material on the outside keeps out the heat. These units take a team of three people around an hour to assemble. They are assembled using a 6 foot wide, 600+ lb bidirectional filament tape, and anchored to the ground like a tent. No heavy lifting, ladders or scaffolding are required.

A Hexayurt is primarily an emergency structure which is self-contained and easily packed for transportation. They cost around $200 to $500 plus another $100 to add a utility package for water decontamination, heating and cooking, communal composting toilets and solar power.

There are three sizes available:
* Stretch Around $100 per unit, 6′ high, 72 sq ft
* 8 foot Around $200 per unit, 8′ high, 166 sq ft.
* 12 foot Around $300 per unit, 12′ high, 166 sq ft.

A Hexayurt can also be used for a temporary structure to live in while building a more permanent dwelling.

Based on work done at the Rocky Mountain Institute, a Hexayurt village is intended to replace all the infrastructure which might be damaged after a major disaster such as an earthquake or flood — in other words, it is an autonomous building suitable for a family. Both the American Red Cross and the U.S. Department of Defense are planning on using the Hexayurt for refugees and military use.

Treehugger: The Hexayurt: Efficient, Emergency Shelter

The Sietch Blog: Interview with Vinay Gupta

By Christina Nellemann

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TreeBones Resort Big Sur, CA $155 and Up

Want to experience living in a tiny house, now that Summer is approaching it is a great time to consider renting a Yurt at a retreat or campground for a couple of nights or a week to get the feel of what it would be like downsizing to a tiny house. Prices have a wide range, anywhere from $27 to over $250 per night, so choose what fits your life style best and go try it out.

There are many choices across the country where you can rent a yurt for a night or for a week. Below are a few options that I found searching on google under yurt camping. These are in the states, but there are many options in Canada and Europe as well. Click on the links below the pictures to learn more.

Oregon Parks $27-$30 (Rustic)

Oregon Parks $66 (Deluxe)

Orca Island Cabins Seward Alaska $250

Mary Rose Herb Farm & Retreat Indiana $84 to $100