Tiny House Blog

Bruce Sargent wrote me a while back about a yurt he had built and that he was in the process of putting a book together to tell his story and show others how he built a yurt for less than $1,000.

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. Continue Reading »

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 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

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

Yurts are a good place to to try out tiny house living as we’ve stated before. Here’s a nice design from The Bakery Group called the Yurta.

They’re built in the Lanark Highlands area of Canada using local and sustainable materials, including white ash and cedar.

Yurta’s structure is made of wood with the outer covers marine canvas or polyesters.

I like the yurta structure because the usual lattice is minimized and the windows are more open than in other yurt structures. This yurt is also easily moved because the weight is less than 300 lbs. and fits in a 4 x 8 foot trailer. Yurta states that 2 people can assemble the yurt in 45 minutes. Here is what they have to say about there yurta:

“The circular space is simply beautiful; combining the finest elements of traditional and modern designs. The structure of the wall, or lattice, is minimized to not only make transport and setup easier, but to add a lighter look and feel to the space. With less structure in the way, windows are accessible and airy…making the indoors of the Yurta feel like an extension of its natural surroundings. The canvas shell allows for a gentle glow with little to obstruct the sounds of its outdoor environment.”

General Pricing

Yurta Model 17.72 (6′ Wall) Entry PackageWood frame, Door assembly, Sky dome, Outer covers with 3 windows.CA $7, 700

Yurta Model 17.72 (6′ Wall) 4 Season PackageWood frame, Door assembly, Sky dome, Outer covers with 3 windows, Fullinsulation (wool felt), Wall liner.CA $11,150

The models above are standard packages, which can be customized byselecting additional windows and fabric colours.

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Ok, so your sold on the tiny house concept. What you really want is a Tumbleweed Tiny House but you don’t have the 40+ thousand dollars to get one and your not even positive you would be able to live in a space that small full time. Is there a way you can try out living in a small space without spending a huge sum of money? I want to show you a few ideas on how you can do this.

1. Choose a room in your existing residence that is similar in size to what your long term goal is to live in. Move your essentials into this area and try living in that space for a week or a month. This is the most affordable way to test this out.
2. Rent or borrow a trailer or motorhome that is about the same size and live in it full time for a week or a month. This will give you some idea what it is really like and if you can handle the size or not.
3. If you have land or space where you currently live, you might consider buying a low cost yurt or bungalow. Both Rainier Yurts and GoYurt make a small yurt that is both affordable and mobile that you place in your back yard or on your land. Move in and see if you really want to do this. If you find it is not you, the yurt can always be used as a luxury camp or home office or spare bedroom. Here are a couple of pictures of these yurts.

Rainier Yurts Sparrow – 12 foot $2599 . . . 14 foot $2999

GoYurt – 13 foot $3900

Red Sky Shelters – 13 foot $2100 . . . 16 foot $2700 . . . 18 foot $3320

Yurts are not for everyone. What if you prefer a more cabin looking space? Check out Sweetwater Bungalows. They are an affordable, versatile and attractive way to test out tiny house living with a cabin look and feel. Richly atmospheric and intimate in scale, the tent cabin kits create harmony between indoor and outdoor living and offer limitless space options

Sweetwater Bungalows – 10×12 $3800 . . . 12 x 14 $5200 . . . 14 x 20 $7800

Hopefully this has given you a starting point to finding an affordable tiny house to experience this type of living. There are many other options out there as well.

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