Tipis and Yurts

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

For eons, nomads following herds of yak and sheep have used flexible saplings, such as willow, as framework for their portable homes, called yurts. The coverings for traditional yurts, known as gers (rhymes with "hairs") in Mongolia, are made of wool felt; as many as eight covers may be piled on top of each other to combat the 50-degrees-below-zero winter weather.

Although a yurt has more structural pieces than a tipi and its engineering principles are more complicated (see an exploded view of a yurt on Page 60), a yurt large enough for a family of four can be transported to the site in a pickup and can be erected in less than a day.

The strength of most modern yurt frames comes from a tension cable that encircles the trellis-like frame of the walls, holding it to the desired diameter. The roof rafters push down and out on the cable, creating a balance of tensions, which holds the whole structure together. A round compression roof ring attaches to the roof rafters. In a traditional yurt, the framework is covered with felt mats and tied down with hair ropes to prevent the mats from blowing off in stiff winds. A yurt's door can be wooden and attached to the framework, or a hanging felt mat or woven rug.

The modern yurt made its North American debut in 1962 when Bill Coperthwaite, a California high-school mathematics teacher, led his class in a study of roof design. (For more about Coperthwaite's Yurt Foundation and the wood-sided yurt building plans they offer, visit www. yurtsource. com . )

Forty years later, several U.S. companies make and sell yurts. The style has remained much like those found on the Asian plains. Gone are the heavy, felt mats and sapling frames; in their place are engineered roof trusses, NASA-inspired insulation and lightweight, fire-and-water resistant canvas.

Most yurt manufacturers recommend building a founda tion floor or deck for the yurt. Some include plans on building the floor for specific yurt sizes.

Some models of canvas-covered yurts, including the decking, can be moved from site to site with relative ease. "We moved our yurt a number of times while our children were young," says Jessica Tenhass of Homer, Alaska. "The move was less traumatic because the house remained the same." A yurt can be ready for habitation in a week, deck included.

You don't need to be a master carpenter, but some basic carpentry skills are required. People have erected permanent yurts, sometimes even in communities where there are building code standards. Pacific Yurts paved the way for this by designing their yurts to conform to the Uniform Building Code regarding structural load requirements. If you plan to use your yurt as a permanent residence, be sure to check local building codes and zoning restrictions before you buy. Insulation packages can be purchased from the manufacturers of most yurts. The insulation allows the dwelling, heated by a wood or oil stove, to stay comfortable even during Alaskan winters. Tenhass says she brought both of her January-born infants home from the hospital to her yurt. "It felt like being in a cozy nest, a very centering family experience."

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print