Hey you guys, im wondering does anybody know of any resources on yurt/ger dwelling ( in the modern day united kingdom, i dont want a historical treatise on mongolian gers and their inhabitants copied and pasted from some site by some1 trying to look smart, but thanks for the offer ). But seriously.... here is an excerpt from what i wrote on another thread: "And also do any of you guys have sites of interest to Yurt dwelling in the modern age? i know where to buy yurts, but now i wanna know how i can live comfortabley in one (in an ecologically sound way). www.fourdog.com is THE place for stoves i know, but does anywhere in england sell them (id say transportation would cost alot)? And oh yea, is there anyway to get a little electricity into the place (just for lighting and maybe a small freezer to freeze food)..... iv been looking into generators, anyone have any ideas?" So can anyone else help me out here? Thanks a million for you guys' time. Peace and Love
There are many websites on yurt dwelling in the UK, but most are more vacation oriented. Everything you ask for is free, just look for it on Google. As for electricity, solar doesn't really work well in the UK since the unobstructed sun is an infrequent visitor. Wind generators would work very well coastally, there is always enough breeze and for about $1000US you can build 1KW of wind generator. If you're working on land that you own or have rights to dig, cellars are effective for cooling food and stone to line them is free and abundant (especially in Ireland! You can't plant a seed without hitting some kind of loose stone). If there is a running water source nearby you can always build a hydro unit. Google, google google! I would never recommend fueled generators because they not emission regulated.
i just found a pretty cool site, its not EXACTLY what i was looking for, i mean its no REALLY indepth.... but it is a great step in the right direction... has a few basic things that may come in handy for any budding yurt dweller enthusiasts that may be out there..... it is http://www.yurtliving.com/ . so anyway yea.... peace and love
It's certainly feasible to live in a yurt in the UK from what I've seen - their are examples online of the traditional mongolian ger type being lived in harsh winters... burning wood or coal for heat via a central stove in the middle. There is a "tipi village" in the UK used as permanent habitation for several years now, I've often considered tipi's inferior so yurts get a big thumbs up from me. You won't be able to escape planning permission with one (especially now the powers at be are using helicopters to track down dodgy developments), but like the other tent-types you can easily move to another location with pickup or even traditional horse. Re: electricity and freezers... this is more a general question for any alternative dwelling not connected to the grid, rather than a yurt specific problem! Generators are okay - but for fridges/freezers you would have to keep them running continously, and even for the weakest most economical generator that's far too excess power because freezers use so little power (particulary if you site them in a cold (but dry!) location). Noise can be a problem unless you're miles from anywhere - people don't take kindly to hippies setting up a tent on the hillside and running a generator for 8-16 hours or more a day! Thus - you would need to look at battery systems to store your power, and once you go down this route it makes sense to look at green power generation. They put out very little power so you may have to top up with generator power periodically... from what I've read most people learn to just use the minimum amount of power as possible... e.g. many people would argue against using a fridge or freezer at all. I looked at yurt living about a year or two ago, and probably would be the choice for a semi-nomadic lifestyle! If you feel confident enough I would engineer your own - they're very simple structures as you only need to design/engineer a segment and then repeat it to form a full circle! Doing it yourself is cheaper, you get exactly what you want, and if something breaks in bad weather you know exactly how to fix it there and then. Some links: - http://kapla.filias.com/archives/2004_01.html - http://www.rdrop.com/~glacier/yurt.htm - http://www.yurtliving.com How to make one! - http://www.usmongols.com/Ger/Ger_structure.htm Unconventional Stone/Earth/Fibreglass slightly bodged jobbie: - http://www.motherearthnews.com/top_articles/1983_May_June/Sugar_Shack_A_20th_Century_Yurt Commercial Ger's - http://www.yurtworkshop.com - http://www.woodlandyurts.co.uk - http://www.tipi.co.uk - http://www.coloradoyurt.com - http://www.rainieryurts.com/whybuy.html - http://www.hearthworks.co.uk - http://www.yurtco.com - http://www.yurts.com - more: http://dmoz.org/Business/Construction_and_Maintenance/Building_Types/Sustainable_Architecture/Yurts/ More Interesting Gers - fibreglass: http://www.alternativebuildings.com - welsh yurt: http://www.yurts.fsnet.co.uk including more dome like structure "The Alachigh" - geodesic yurt, coined a "yome": http://redskyshelters.com
Hey man. Thanks for replying. Ypu said some good stuff and gave a damn good bibliography. Now i am just wondering if anyone has plans for/to or a resource that has plans for bilding a yurt. I have looked at many of the prices of yurts out there and think they may be a tee bit to high, so i figured that maybe it is better to build myself. Anyone out there know where to find architectural plans for say a 30 foot diametre yurt? peace and love
Funnily enough somebody just posted this to me today: www.stewardwood.org/resources/yurt.pdf You will need a PDF reader. Only quickly looked at it, but seems to be detailed enough for construction.
PS: I don't really like calling them Yurt's. They were originally a mongolian design, and they called them "Ger"'s. Invaders called them a "Yurt" apparantly!
that website is cool i was looking it over then i realized...oh wow the yurt people and i live in the same state and only a few hours away form each other.
I build them, finished on last August just for Pennsic. Takes about a week for a temperate weather model. It all fits nicely with furnishings and about one month's supplies in the bed of my truck.
yurts are just too cool....... any1 know of like yurt lovers associations or something in the uk lol peace and love
just wanted to warn the online community about ken lawrence and yurts of america (aka great american yurt company and yurts R us) one word: SCAM. But see for yourself: http://atgindsha01.atg.in.gov/cpd/docs/enforcement/SteveCarter-267516-1.pdf or just call the better business beureau of indiana and see for yourself. Buyer beware.
