Some terrible, hyper-critical comments so far. A 3d-printed concrete cube with a fridge full of Soylent would be vastly more efficient for productive techies. Can't we just admit that this is an incredibly creative hybrid of old & new. The end result is breathtaking.
I think people are turned off by the near professional quality of the photos for some reason. The one of the guy using the router in slo mo could be out of a Craftsman commercial.
I'm more curious about the state of that yurt in 5, 10, 15 years. Heating, humidity, insulation, energy bill, insects, hygiene, maintaining the toilet and the hygiene issues that come with it.
Building codes don't exist without good reasons. Health and comfort don't happen by snapping finger at good ideas. I would really be interesting if construction engineers seriously studied yurts.
I have to say this looks pretty nice and it's pretty cheap, but humans did not start building with hard materials without good reasons. Even without fossil energy, humans still started to use stone, cement, etc.
I guess brick has a very long lifespan, it's worth the time spent, but I don't know if it's cheap.
Absolutely, I have done no research on this but on his website [1] he claims:
> Strength: The fundamental principles of a yurt’s design creates a structure that is surprisingly strong. The compression and tension of the walls and roof can hold thousands of pounds of weight from the snow. The round shape allows high winds to be diverted gracefully around the structure. Unlike a normal house, a yurt doesn’t rely on rigidity to be stable. Because of its flexible nature, a yurt can better withstand natural disasters like earthquakes.
So maybe it's true and they are actually sturdier than it seems?
Possibly a construction engineer designed this kit.
These kits have been around a long time, I’ve been in one that has been standing for some time, I didn’t notice mildew issues (I’m guessing there is some type of ridge vent at the peak) temperatures were ok. It was in the Bay Area and plenty of apartments there aren’t insulated, so the yurt wasn’t much different.
This is an expensive build, Idk if wiring the yurt for electricity is worth it. If you keep it as all one room, a single lamp and spot to charge a laptop or phone pretty much covers it. Propane to heat water for a short hot outdoor shower, and cooking outside.
One thing to consider is if you are the type of person to make it really remote, maybe you’ll find that as cool as a mile hike in is to your yurt, you will occasionally want to hang out there without the hike.
"I'm more curious about the state of that yurt in 5, 10, 15 years."
It's a good question and I've always wanted to see postmortems on alternative building methods generally. I suppose that we could always take on the Japanese philosophy of building homes anew every few decades.
'Round these parts, I'm afraid that a yurt would be crushed by the first real snowfall, but the build isn't in these parts so no harm, no foul.
Personally, I'd think twice about building over an old blackberry patch. There's a reason that the plants like that place and the word 'swamp' comes to mind. It's already hard enough to deal with moisture in a dwelling as it is.
In any case, it sure looks cool and I like the builder's spirit.
Humans used whatever material was plenty available for a long time. The Siam and Burmese empires used wood. When the wood started to rot they razed it and built new houses.
Most homes in the US are simple wood frames, with wood cladding. No one worries about the lifespan of those houses.
vinyl tarp: i have some car tents from costco (aprox $300) that appear to use a similar vinyl exterior and they hold up great (5+ years so far). I made one into a perm shed, but with that I added another layer of thick tarp on top (that also seems to hold up well, just make sure you use UV stabalized)
insulation: looks pretty awful to me. this thing is going to be cold in winter unless you keep the fire going 24/7
plants: good luck keeping these with enough light+water. watering these seems like a total nightmare given how any drips are going to ruin your structure/drywall.
foundation: anyone doing this, rent a (or buy a cheap) concrete mixer! I bought one used for $100 on craigslist. can sell it right back when you are done with the project.
flooring: "luxury vinyl planks" are awesome. I use the "lifeproof" brand (bought at home-depot) and they are great. completely waterproof, durable, and look like wood.
I would certainly like to add some more detail that goes into a lot of what you mentioned. Just havent had the time yet. I agree with most of what you say. But I think there’s a spectrum of acceptable living conditions that maybe extends past what most current building codes allow. Some people are okay roughing it more than others. Of course, if that were to be accepted it could also be taken advantage of by unscrupulous landlords, developers, etc.
There are counties in the US that do permit yurts even for full-time use. These gurts are signed off by a structural engineer and are typically in more temperate climates. Yurts can last quite a long time. Most of the exterior material has a 15 year warranty. Beyond that, it will depend on the climate and how well the structure is maintained. There are yurts that were constructed by the OG yurt companies back in the late 70s that are still in use today. And the materials and engineering has only gotten better over the decades. Yurts are not perfect for every environment, but they are an interesting option in specific use cases.
But in the state of 5, 10, 15 years, the beauty of this is that most of it is easily replaceable, assuming the foundation and flooring is solid. I mean, there is just not a lot to "go bad", so to speak.
Note that they redirect mobile users to https://m.imgur.com/6WAZZpN?r in order to serve them ads, encourage them to install their PUP on their device and break their ability to zoom on the image (the image embedded is thumbnail size).
They use UA sniffing to disguise this behaviour from technical users on desktop. They also detect if you're using curl and spoofing a mobile UA (which sends Accept: * / *), in which case this dark UX pattern is disabled.
It's especially ironic taking into account how imgur came to be: as a simple image hosting website for reddit without ads/fluff. Now it's the polar opposite.
Imgur has taken in $60 million in funding and the founder has had the usual delusions of grandeur regarding their "mission" (I interviewed there). The grand ambitions haven't panned out and I'm guessing that the VCs now want some return on their investment.
Imgur for a while has been hostile to non users for a while but never enough for me to outright dismiss a link simply because it's Imgur. They ride the line between functional and hostile tightly.
Looks a bit more optimized for Instagram aesthetics than being practical [1]. It seems like it would get pretty warm in there especially with the bed being at the highest point of the whole yurt.
How does the construction industry work in the US? Do many people DIY? Do many people get hands-on with building homes while still hiring experts where needed? Is it common for city people to own farms/land nearby?
It seems it isn’t really that costly to build a nice 1000 sq. ft. place complete with appliances and modern amenities.
The construction industry in India is shitty - carpenters, painters, plumbers, masons, general contractors have little to no professional training and eff up projects often, the tools aren’t modern and renovation work is infrequent because of the poor quality of construction services (and non-existent DIY culture and ecosystem). Also, it’s probably looked down upon in the Indian society if a house owner goes DIY with any construction work (gardening is an exception).
This looks really incredible! While I see a lot of cynicism in the comments I think this is a really neat project and would love to live in something like this. I love how remote work and self employment let arrangements like this be a viable way to live.
They had one of these (Sukup Safe-T-Home)[1] at my hometown county fair this year and it seemed like a very interesting take on the yurt. It's basically a grain bin that they've modified slightly to work as a shelter.
Definitely spent a few minutes fantasizing about having one of these as a cabin in the woods someplace.
Is this Portland Oregon or Portland Maine? I thought it was Portland Oregon, but then they mentioned the footings were 12 inches below the frost line, and there basically is no front line in Portland Oregon since the winters are too warm and rainy. But I assume there is a frost line in Portland Maine.
Either way I can't imagine this can be very comfortable in the winter with basically zero insulation, unless you plan to run the wood stove all day and night. For summer it's great, but it sounds like the author wants to live there all the time (he mentioned not having to shower at the gym after installing the shower).
This is Zach. The guy that built the yurt and the website. Just found out this was posted here! Thanks for checking it out. I’ll try to add my two cents and answer some of the questions. Im away from my computer so I might be a little slow!
This reminded me of a more traditional (but focussed on efficiency) 100% self-build (and design) that I've been following for a while, but since the last infrequent update I seem to have lost it.
I don't suppose that's familiar to anyone else? I expect I saw it on HN in the first place, the URL was something focussed on the efficiency/climate aspect, though most of the content (and to be honest what I was interested in!) was just generally applicable how-to/DIY for each step.
Edit: Ah! I found it: https://www.savingsustainably.com (I wasn't quite right above, I suppose perhaps the efficiency goal is a product of 'FIRE' rather than climate concern). And some more update since I last caught up with it, excellent.
I wonder if, since this roof shape can bear a heavy load, the insulation problem could be solved with rooftop plants? In some countries the government subsidizes you putting flowers on your roof, to make the cities greener. (In some parts of the city, bees have to travel way too far to find a flower, and run out of energy.) Now this yurt is way out of town, but they do seem to really like plants!
"Homes built with our products are permanent and comfortable for full-time all-season living in nearly every climate. They are built with durable building materials to stand for generations; a fabric yurt is basically a really nice tent. A SWY will meet and exceed the most current international Residential Building codes and can be insulated to industry standards for energy-efficiency using proven R-value products, a fabric yurt will not. We have insulated glass windows whereas fabric yurts have vinyl windows that open from the outside. SWY homes can be secured, fully-insured, and generally qualify for conventional financing under most circumstances through a third-party. Please note: Smiling Woods Yurts does not offer any financing on our products."
[+] [-] starpilot|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] karlp|6 years ago|reply
> He has a do it yurtself website w/ all the fancy content, presumably he's planning on selling that.
Not surprised
[+] [-] oh_sigh|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ryacko|6 years ago|reply
In essence, this house has not been benchmarked.
[+] [-] tty7|6 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] jokoon|6 years ago|reply
Building codes don't exist without good reasons. Health and comfort don't happen by snapping finger at good ideas. I would really be interesting if construction engineers seriously studied yurts.
I have to say this looks pretty nice and it's pretty cheap, but humans did not start building with hard materials without good reasons. Even without fossil energy, humans still started to use stone, cement, etc.
I guess brick has a very long lifespan, it's worth the time spent, but I don't know if it's cheap.
[+] [-] aurbano|6 years ago|reply
> Strength: The fundamental principles of a yurt’s design creates a structure that is surprisingly strong. The compression and tension of the walls and roof can hold thousands of pounds of weight from the snow. The round shape allows high winds to be diverted gracefully around the structure. Unlike a normal house, a yurt doesn’t rely on rigidity to be stable. Because of its flexible nature, a yurt can better withstand natural disasters like earthquakes.
So maybe it's true and they are actually sturdier than it seems?
[1] https://doityurtself.com/is-it-for-you/ (scroll down to "The positives of yurts")
[+] [-] uxp100|6 years ago|reply
These kits have been around a long time, I’ve been in one that has been standing for some time, I didn’t notice mildew issues (I’m guessing there is some type of ridge vent at the peak) temperatures were ok. It was in the Bay Area and plenty of apartments there aren’t insulated, so the yurt wasn’t much different.
This is an expensive build, Idk if wiring the yurt for electricity is worth it. If you keep it as all one room, a single lamp and spot to charge a laptop or phone pretty much covers it. Propane to heat water for a short hot outdoor shower, and cooking outside.
One thing to consider is if you are the type of person to make it really remote, maybe you’ll find that as cool as a mile hike in is to your yurt, you will occasionally want to hang out there without the hike.
[+] [-] PorterDuff|6 years ago|reply
It's a good question and I've always wanted to see postmortems on alternative building methods generally. I suppose that we could always take on the Japanese philosophy of building homes anew every few decades.
'Round these parts, I'm afraid that a yurt would be crushed by the first real snowfall, but the build isn't in these parts so no harm, no foul.
Personally, I'd think twice about building over an old blackberry patch. There's a reason that the plants like that place and the word 'swamp' comes to mind. It's already hard enough to deal with moisture in a dwelling as it is.
In any case, it sure looks cool and I like the builder's spirit.
[+] [-] yardie|6 years ago|reply
Most homes in the US are simple wood frames, with wood cladding. No one worries about the lifespan of those houses.
[+] [-] novaleaf|6 years ago|reply
insulation: looks pretty awful to me. this thing is going to be cold in winter unless you keep the fire going 24/7
plants: good luck keeping these with enough light+water. watering these seems like a total nightmare given how any drips are going to ruin your structure/drywall.
foundation: anyone doing this, rent a (or buy a cheap) concrete mixer! I bought one used for $100 on craigslist. can sell it right back when you are done with the project.
flooring: "luxury vinyl planks" are awesome. I use the "lifeproof" brand (bought at home-depot) and they are great. completely waterproof, durable, and look like wood.
[+] [-] whimwell|6 years ago|reply
There are counties in the US that do permit yurts even for full-time use. These gurts are signed off by a structural engineer and are typically in more temperate climates. Yurts can last quite a long time. Most of the exterior material has a 15 year warranty. Beyond that, it will depend on the climate and how well the structure is maintained. There are yurts that were constructed by the OG yurt companies back in the late 70s that are still in use today. And the materials and engineering has only gotten better over the decades. Yurts are not perfect for every environment, but they are an interesting option in specific use cases.
[+] [-] hn_throwaway_99|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] rgrieselhuber|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] rcpt|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] cwkoss|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] lol768|6 years ago|reply
They've been pretty hostile for a while. Look at this disgusting behaviour:
Note that they redirect mobile users to https://m.imgur.com/6WAZZpN?r in order to serve them ads, encourage them to install their PUP on their device and break their ability to zoom on the image (the image embedded is thumbnail size).They use UA sniffing to disguise this behaviour from technical users on desktop. They also detect if you're using curl and spoofing a mobile UA (which sends Accept: * / *), in which case this dark UX pattern is disabled.
[+] [-] y7|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] prepend|6 years ago|reply
The company is prioritizing ads over user content and I can see no world where users desire this.
[+] [-] marcinzm|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dehrmann|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] bhtru|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] puranjay|6 years ago|reply
That and the ever present obnoxious prompt to download the app.
[+] [-] dajohnson89|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dewey|6 years ago|reply
[1] https://www.instagram.com/youdidnotsleepthere
[+] [-] thekhatribharat|6 years ago|reply
It seems it isn’t really that costly to build a nice 1000 sq. ft. place complete with appliances and modern amenities.
The construction industry in India is shitty - carpenters, painters, plumbers, masons, general contractors have little to no professional training and eff up projects often, the tools aren’t modern and renovation work is infrequent because of the poor quality of construction services (and non-existent DIY culture and ecosystem). Also, it’s probably looked down upon in the Indian society if a house owner goes DIY with any construction work (gardening is an exception).
[+] [-] skybrian|6 years ago|reply
https://doityurtself.com/is-it-for-you/
[+] [-] Abishek_Muthian|6 years ago|reply
[1]: https://i.imgur.com/JwAMOsG.jpg
[+] [-] jsonne|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] war1025|6 years ago|reply
Definitely spent a few minutes fantasizing about having one of these as a cabin in the woods someplace.
[1] http://www.safethome.com/Safethome
[+] [-] devenson|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] broahmed|6 years ago|reply
http://thevanual.com/
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15757206
[+] [-] irrational|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] fyfy18|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] oh_sigh|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] yardshop|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] maxerickson|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] olefoo|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] whimwell|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] acassara|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] OJFord|6 years ago|reply
I don't suppose that's familiar to anyone else? I expect I saw it on HN in the first place, the URL was something focussed on the efficiency/climate aspect, though most of the content (and to be honest what I was interested in!) was just generally applicable how-to/DIY for each step.
Edit: Ah! I found it: https://www.savingsustainably.com (I wasn't quite right above, I suppose perhaps the efficiency goal is a product of 'FIRE' rather than climate concern). And some more update since I last caught up with it, excellent.
[+] [-] purplezooey|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] bickfordb|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] BooneJS|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] andai|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] gnopgnip|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] olefoo|6 years ago|reply
https://doityurtself.com/choosing-a-yurt-company/
if you've ever stayed in an Oregon State Parks Yurt they were built by https://www.yurts.com/
[+] [-] rapjr9|6 years ago|reply
https://www.smilingwoodsyurts.com
From their FAQ:
"Homes built with our products are permanent and comfortable for full-time all-season living in nearly every climate. They are built with durable building materials to stand for generations; a fabric yurt is basically a really nice tent. A SWY will meet and exceed the most current international Residential Building codes and can be insulated to industry standards for energy-efficiency using proven R-value products, a fabric yurt will not. We have insulated glass windows whereas fabric yurts have vinyl windows that open from the outside. SWY homes can be secured, fully-insured, and generally qualify for conventional financing under most circumstances through a third-party. Please note: Smiling Woods Yurts does not offer any financing on our products."
Some yurts are tents, some are more substantial.
[+] [-] sbmthakur|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] SergeAx|6 years ago|reply