Yurts

Off Grid Living on a Yurt Homestead

Meghan enjoys off grid living on her yurt homestead in Northern California. She’s been living on her property for almost five years, while her 30-foot yurt home has been here for 20 years. Since she became the owner, Meghan added a yurt bedroom connected to the main dwelling, a 16-foot yurt tiny guesthouse, and another long-term yurt home rental. Additionally, she has maintained a robust solar power system, a chicken coop, and a big garden. There she grows food for her local catering business. In …

Camping Yurts as Tiny Homes

by Kent Griswold

Camping Yurts is a small company located in Summer Lake, Oregon. They are about a 3-hour drive from where I live and I hope soon to go visit them in person. Camping yurts are lightweight, portable shelters, ideal for family camping, vacations, temporary accommodation, special events, or even weddings. They are very spacious with lots of headroom, yet pack-down small and can be easily loaded on a car roof. Converting the Camping Yurt to Full-Time Living Andrew from Ridgefield, Washington converted his 20-foot Camping Yurt …

Southern Utah is Made for Convenient Camping

by Christina Nellemann

Southern Utah has a special draw for anyone looking for adventure. Whether it’s the secret slot canyons, red hoodoos, or brazen night sky, this area of the Beehive State attracts outdoor lovers from all over world all year long. Utah camping options go way beyond the tent and RV. With so many visitors coming to this beautiful area, some traditional campgrounds (especially in the national parks) can fill up quickly with tents, RVs, and other personal rigs. My husband and I recently returned from this …

Janet Thome and Developing Global Building Standards for Tiny Homes

by Kent Griswold

Ethan and Janet have decided to pull back the curtain and discuss this subject on his podcast. Janet is the Founder, President, and Treasurer of Tiny House Alliance USA and is currently leading an exploratory initiative to develop new global building standards with ASTM. Janet does a great job of explaining what ASTM International is, what standards are, how they would impact the tiny house building industry, dwellers, DIYers, not just in the United States or North America, This is really an exciting effort that …

Kevin O’Brien Living in a Yurt Full Time

by Kent Griswold

In this week’s episode of the podcast, Ethan interviews Kevin O’Brien about living in a yurt full time. In some ways, a yurt might be considered the first tiny house on wheels. The nomadic tribes of Central Asia have used this round tent covered with skins or felt as a mobile dwelling for hundreds of years. Kevin who lives in a modern version of a yurt lives off-grid and year-round. Winter included in New Hampshire. In this podcast, Kevin explains why he chose this type …

Bothan, Sheds, and Yurts of Eigg

by Christina Nellemann

Located off the coast of mainland Scotland, the Isle of Eigg is tiny, yet mighty. Not only does it survive the rough northern seas, but it also serves as an example of what can be done when a community stands and works together. Eigg is a tiny island in the Inner Hebrides, Scotland. Before 1997, this little island in the Hebrides was managed by a wealthy landowner under Scotland’s feudal landowner system. The tenants lived under his law, some in poverty with no electricity. The …

Family Builds a Homestead While Living in a Yurt

by Kent Griswold

Six years ago, Mike, Lacie, and their three kids downsized left the city and moved into a small yurt in the country to try their hand at homesteading. Like so many people, they dreamed of living off the land and growing their own food, and with a lot of hard work, they’ve made their vision a reality. Mike and Lacie grow and raise a lot of their own food, they earn living selling vegetables from their market garden and they homeschool their kids from the …

Life inTents an Option to Test Drive Tiny House Living

by Kent Griswold

I’m always on the lookout for options for you test out tiny house living. Making the step to downsizing to a tiny space is a big thing and you really need to see if it will work for you before you invest your life savings into it. Living in a tent may not be the option you were thinking of but this Portland, Oregon company called Life inTents has a quality product at an affordable price, that just might interest you. This option also opens …

Smiling Woods Yurt Kits for Round, Permanent Living

by Christina Nellemann

When most people think of yurts what comes to mind are the fabric or canvas options that might feel a little less secure than your average camping tent. While the traditional yurt is made to be broken down, a wooden yurt offers the same spiritual round shape but on a more permanent basis. Traditional yurts made of canvas are made to be moved regularly. Smiling Woods Yurts in Methow Valley, Wash. still celebrates the round shape, but with stronger and safer materials. Their handcrafted yurt …

New Generation of Luxury Yurts

by Kent Griswold

Are you looking for a tiny house for an off-grid location? Weather Port Shelter Systems of Colorado has updated the yurt for a year-round all-weather experience with their luxury yurts. Here is what they say: Our modern yurts combine the time-tested concept of a Mongolian “ger” (yurt) with the latest engineering principles and manufacturing methods to produce a building solution that will outlast and outperform all other yurts on the market. No other yurt manufacturer produces a building system capable of withstanding the same wind …

The Exquisite Glamping Huts of Maine’s Sandy Pines Campground

by Christina Nellemann

If you ever needed a place to try out a variety of tiny living options, head up to Kennebunkport, Maine and the Sandy Pines Campground. The campground not only features Airstreams and traditional conestoga wagons, but also stargzing huts and A-frame “Hideway Huts”. Sandy Pines Campground has cottages, wagons and stargazing huts for rent. The Sandy Pines Campground is near the coast and tucked into a forest. The epitome of a Maine summer, the area offers several ways to enjoy and live in the outdoors. …

Building A Wood-Framed Panelized Yurt

by Kent Griswold

I’ve always been a big fan of Yurts. I love the feeling of being in the round. There are many varieties out there and a new book has been released recently that I have gotten to review. It is called Building A Wood-Framed Panelized Yurt and is written by Marvin Denmark and Robin Koontz which have also authored Building a Smale Cable Suspension Bridge. Marvin is a carpenter, and a craftsman and he walks you through the construction of a 16-foot diameter wood paneled yurt. …