Through the looking glass

Have I mentioned that we really like the look and feel of living in a yurt? I don't think that's come up on this blog before. A yurt, for those who may not have heard of this before, is a semi-permanent tent-like dwelling popular in Mongolia (called a 'ger' there). In the U.S. the largest market size you can buy is a 30' which gives you about 700 sq ft. Around the size of a one-bedroom apartment. The peaked conical roof typically measures 13' and the walls are about 7' tall. Most people set-up a small loft to sleep in or use as a storage or extra living room.

We like the yurt because it allows us to blend into the natural world around us. It also, theoretically, can be moved to a different area if need be. If you leave it completely open this is much easier to do, but we are thinking of putting in walls and a proper bath/toilet and kitchen, which makes moving it more difficult. You can be completely off the grid with them very easily. They lend themselves very well to composting toilets and outdoor/separate shower and kitchen facilities.

I think, for our purposes, if we do end up getting a yurt, we will need two of them, a large 30' and a smaller, maybe 16' one for a work space/kid's room (for when they get big enough to have their own room). I found this deck design that I really like because it mimics the feeling of nature. What do you think?

If we end up in a warm climate (i.e. no-snow area) we have decided we will get one with a 'solar skylight' or 'solar arch' to allow even more natural light in to the yurt. If the roofing material was not a plastic/cloth style, I would prefer a see-through arch, but I'm nervous of damage to the roof if that was the case.

As you can see, it's not quite sea-through, but if you leave the dome as clear instead of tinted, you can view the night sky through there, which is pretty amazing. Add in glass windows at each of the cardinal points and you will get quite a bit of sun-light during the day. You really do have to go minimalist in one of these though, or have clever storage spaces built in to your furniture, as the space can get very cluttered very quickly. Space will be are biggest challenge, as we have a lot of things, mainly books, computer and kitchen equipment.