Yurts: Housing For The Coming Hard Times

A yurt is a structure that can be home built for roughly one-tenth the cost of a yurt kit. Yurt kits create space at $40 a square foot for a sixteen foot diameter/two hundred square foot yurt. A home built yurt of the same size creates space at $4 a square foot. In a depressed economy, a home built yurt may be the only way to have independent housing for some people. (Check out www.forloveofyurts.com to see how this can be done).
Building the yurt only solves part of the housing problem. The problem of where to put the structure will be key in creating a yurt home. One possibility is to put the yurt up in a friend's or relative's backyard. Because the structure in temporary, essentially a camping tent, the yurt might not fall under the jurisdiction of the town building inspector. You need to check carefully with local officials before putting your yurt up to make sure you are not bringing difficulties to your friend or relative. One advantage to a backyard placement is that the bathroom facilities and kitchen facilities might be available to the yurt dweller. The yurt serves essentially a living room, office and bedroom in this case. Depending on your relationship with your friend or relative, you become a part of their life in using the "big house" or you might schedule bathroom visits in the early morning to use the big house bathroom for a short time to empty a camp toilet and fill a water jug, never crossing paths with your host or hostess. Because the yurt comes down and is relatively easy to move, your friend or relative can be assured that the situation is truly temporary.
Another possible site for a yurt is a campground. A campground has the advantage of having bathing facilities, a water source and even electricity available to a yurt dweller. The disadvantage of campgrounds is that they are often seasonal and the often have campsites so jammed packed that there is virtually no privacy. Because yurts are not sound proof you will be living within your neighbors outdoor conversations and they will be living within your indoor conversations. You will have absolutely no privacy whatsoever. Some campground owners will allow you to pitch your yurt away from the jammed packed sites in an out of the way section of the park, but many parks are unable to provide this.
The best place to site a yurt is on your own rural land. Not everyone is in a position to do this and it may take collective efforts of groups of friends or relatives to manage this. Yet homesteading may be the only way to accomplish a productive life in the coming hard times. Visit Homestead Basics to see how.