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Saturday, September 10, 2011

Yurt possibilities

My daughter rented a yurt at a nearby state park and invited my wife and I to check it out. My wife was really impressed by it. I liked it too. A well designed and equipped yurt can make a pretty good home.

The one we checked out was only about 16 feet in diameter. We thought one just a bit bigger, say 20 feet, could make a good seasonal home. With a small woodstove, a bit of solar electric and a composting toilet, it would be very comfortable.

My wife wants to live in one -seriously. Not right now she said, but maybe in about 5 years. We could sell our current house to the kids for a low low price and put in a yurt across the street on the parcel of land we own there. During the mild weather, we’d live up here in New Hampshire in the yurt. During the cold of winter, we’d move onto a sailboat in southern waters. I think it’s a fine idea.

Both a yurt and a sailboat require efficient use of space. We’d have par down to the essentials, but that’s not a problem. Thoreau was always one of my heroes. He lived quite well on Walden Pond in a one room cabin. Simplify, simplify, simplify was his motto. I think he was on to something there.

These wild ideas of ours often get acted upon. We are currently living in a solar electric dome out in the woods. It’s not like we haven’t done things out of the ordinary before. We still love our house. It was a great place to raise the family. However, with just the wife and I, it’s way more house than we need. Simplify, simplify, simplify.

Of course, anything can happen in five years, but without a plan, nothing happens.

-Sixbears

8 comments:

  1. Yurts have fascinated me for a few years now. I've never seen one in person, so to speak, only online. I guess my biggest concern is saftey. How well are you able to secure your property inside? Living in southeast texas, the heat would present a problem too. But still, I would love to be able to check one out. Hope you guys are able to get one when you're ready!

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  2. They aren't that secure. Someone with a sharp knife could break in. Don't know how they'd do in the Texas heat. You could get the insulation package and put AC in it, or get lots of windows and place it in a breezy area.

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  3. Here I thought that Yurt was something you ate like yogurt. Last three letters are the same so they should be related, right? OK, eat your yogurt in your-Yurt or yo-yurt, oh just forget it.

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  4. Sounds like a good plan. Where do the books get stored?

    As for living in Texas, I think a cover over the yurt would help keep it cooler, but humidity - I do not know how to deal with that using no electricity - I wish I did.

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  5. In Michigan's Upper Peninsula there is a ski resort that has yurts for various uses. They're very warm and blend well with the surroundings. I've been in a few and like each & tried talking Sweetie into buying one on some land near Marquette. Sounds like just the thing for you and your wife!

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  6. I like yurts myself, and read everything Elder Dragon posted on them (Circle of the Oroborous blog). Very simple, very efficient. As to Texas: take down the wall in summer and catch the breeze under the shade of the roof. Security? Get a shipping container to lock up your valuables in. A yurt and a shipping container on a couple acres would make a fine homestead...

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  7. Craig, that would take care of the security concern. I'm more and more into doing things simple. If you need electricity or petro for your place to comfortable, it's not a survival retreat.

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