A yurt (ger) is a very simple and traditional tent-like structure used over the centuries by Asian nomadic populations, ranging from Mongolia to Central Anatolia. The yurt has evolved over time from being a modest dwelling for nomads and soldiers to one for hippies or hermits, to today's modernized versions, often used by the travel and leisure industry for " escape from chaos ".
In addition, they can also represent residences for people who want to live without too many chores while not giving up on comfort, having access to electricity and technology (if you want) while staying within the budget. Want to know if living in a yurt might be right for you for a season or a lifetime? Consider following these tips.
Steps
Step 1. Remember why you want to live in a yurt
There are many reasons why you might decide to live in a tent, from economy to living a nomadic and sustainable lifestyle. As you read, you will find that many people living in yurts are not inclined to consider this solution in terms of permanence, i.e. laying the foundation and living in the same place for many years. However, like most lifestyle choices, it's entirely up to you to decide whether or not you want to make it your permanent home or use it for nomadic purposes only, or somewhere in between, as an annual summer retreat. Buy or build a yurt for your needs and reasons and determine your preferences to manage it sustainably. It is probably a good idea to read books about its history and current culture in Western societies to understand the current trend regarding what it means to live in a tent, and choose your personal approach in an informed way.
Take note that living in a yurt is not synonymous with unplugging from modern life, unless this is a personal decision. You can live in a technological way, use electricity and furnish the tent with IKEA furniture if that's what you want
Step 2. Choose your yurt
Will you build one from scratch or order it on the internet? Take a look at the online construction diagrams to see if building one is too much for your manual skills or if you want to take the challenge. Otherwise, take a look at the ones for sale, whether they are brand new or used. Some companies in North America and Europe are renowned for producing good quality, comfortable and well designed tents, do a search on the net.
A tent costs around 1,500-4,000 euros if you buy a kit and it can take about two days to assemble it
Step 3. Set up your yurt
Obviously, place it in a legally permitted place, such as your land. Squatting other people's property is not really a good option for living in a yurt because moving such a tent takes a lot more effort than moving a regular tent and everything else you take around camping. As if this were not enough, by placing a yurt on a certain land and deciding to live there permanently, you could change the use of the land or be obliged to apply for a building permit. So consult your municipality to understand the pros and cons of living in a part-time or full-time yurt. Among other considerations while preparing the yurt, remember to place it in a place where it is not subjected to direct contact with strong winds and cannot be affected by instant flooding or a possible snow avalanche in winter. Carefully check the characteristics of the terrain and assess all potential risks before setting it up.
- Placing the yurt under a hill can protect it from the winds.
- Find out where the water collects on the ground. Taking care of it will avoid the risk of possible flooding.
Step 4. Prepare the base of the yurt
Dirt and grease are not ideal to feel underfoot in the place where you live. For this reason they are built by creating a circular frame formed by wooden planks that are crossed and inserting two pillars in the central part of the structure, connected to the one that represents the upper frame; the floor is covered with carpets after building a base. The advantage of making a plinth will also allow you to have raised parts around the outside, where you can sit, have a barbecue, hang your clothes, etc.
- Find suitable mats, rugs and other items to cover the floor and get benefits such as warmth and comfort. Better yet, opt for a floating floor or one created from a series of wooden planks, covered with rugs, to finish off the job perfectly.
- Try making a mobile stand. That way, when you get hit with your nomadic instinct, you can take it with you.
Step 5. Furnish it with all the home comforts to create a perfect space to live in
Before adding the furniture, think about how to divide the room. A round room can be difficult to furnish, especially as it's a single space and you have to try to turn it into a small kitchen, bedroom and living room. However, by using the furniture as room dividers, you can create various spaces within this circle. For example, placing a shelf in the center of the yurt can serve as an excellent divider between different areas and, from there, you can continue to furnish the space with other pieces of furniture, such as a bed, refrigerator and a table.
Add a table and chairs, a bookcase, comfortable armchairs for reading, a desk and a chair and a device to heat the room, such as a cast iron stove. If you don't want to add a real bed, use a foldable or inflatable one, like the ones you usually use for guests
Step 6. Add some stoves
You will need to eat, and as much as your food may be the result of your rummaging, you will still need to cook. Find suitable gas or wood burners that can also be used as heating, such as a cast iron wood stove. Make sure it has a vent to the outside through one wall of the tent to prevent harmful fumes from staying inside the room. You may need professional help to install this part of the tent.
- Get some pots and a cast iron kettle for the stove. Or find some other equally good cookware; try browsing thrift stores or camping shops or ask your friends if they have any such pans and pots they no longer use.
- For easy cooking and cleaning, make sure the yurt is located near a source of clean water, or you risk having to search for water all day. A small cistern to collect rainwater might be a good solution, especially if you don't have a source nearby. Water can also be collected from the roof by installing a dedicated system for this task.
- If you are harvesting wood for heating and cooking, make sure you do it sustainably, to minimize your impact on your surroundings. You'll need to have all the wood units you need, especially if you live in a yurt and find yourself facing a snowy, alpine-style winter.
- Having a propane barbecue as an extra source for cooking is a wise investment; managing it will cost around 400 euros per year.
- You will find that wood stoves produce less condensation than gas ones.
Step 7. Think about the bathroom layout
You will need a shower or bath area and a toilet; some people also create a plumbing system in their tents, but generally they opt for ablutions and cleaning outside. You can use the dry toilet and some people living in yurts actually use so-called "compost toilets" to convert human feces into compost. To take a shower, you can create a simple system by running water from a bucket or plastic bag placed on a tree and using solar energy to heat it. You will need to do some research on what is preferable based on where you have decided to live.
- To wash in the winter, you will need to work on alternative and tolerable solutions.
- It is advisable to arrange the toilet downwind or some distance from the yurt so that odor and flies do not enter the tent (although a well maintained dry toilet should not have this type of problem). On the other hand, you don't want it far enough to turn a commute in the rain to go to the bathroom into a big expedition.
- Bathe in a stream if it is warm enough during the warmer months.
- Another good idea is to have a general area for washing equipment and dirty things.
Step 8. Aggregate your energy source
Electricity can be provided thanks to the classic service of the electricity grid (but this is not recommended since the purpose of the yurt is based on living in a sustainable way) or by using a generator. If you have solar panels or are equipped for wind power, you could get electricity by installing batteries (which you should put away somewhere nearby), if you know how to connect them. You will need electricity for the refrigerator, lights, and other electronics you plan to use.
- For lighting, find lamps that are gas, battery operated, or powered by another operating system, making sure you can use them safely inside the tent. Have candles available for emergencies, but LED lights are also a great investment. The dome in the upper central part of the yurt will give you enough sunlight during the day.
- Consider how you will wash your clothes. Do you want a mini washing machine or are you going back to town to use a laundromat? Choose the best solution for your needs; Most clothing can be hand washed unless heavily soiled. You could then decide, for example, to wash your very dirty clothes monthly in the laundry and hand wash all the other items.
Step 9. Log in
Even in a yurt you should be able to surf online. There are a number of ways you can do this, including connecting by cable, satellite, rural broadband over an FM signal, or 3G. Select the one that best suits you and the place where you are located. Some people also use the internet to download movies, so you can keep up to date with the latest movies!
Step 10. Consider growing vegetables near the yurt
This source of livelihood could be partial or total for you and other residents, and you could also consider raising animals for milk, eggs and meat.
Compost food leftovers and use them as compost
Step 11. Appreciate the time you spend living in the yurt
Whether you live there for a season or a lifetime, you will find that you will become one with nature, since the weather will obviously have a greater impact on you; flora and fauna live undisturbed around you and the need to have all the resources to be self-sufficient will allow you to understand that life can be both simple and difficult; it is natural that this is the case. You should discover the joy of living your life with the essentials, but also understand that you can get many more benefits from what you have or what you notice, which you may never have considered. And, while you may love the place where you built your yurt, some lifestyle experts recommend trying not to live in the same place for too long, highlighting the importance of this aspect, because the original purpose of living in a tent is to be nomads, to move and to discover new locations. While this may not work for you as well, changing could easily be the beginning of a beautiful new adventure!
People who live in yurts report a sense of comfort and security and feel at home by living in these structures, while having the complete perception of the impact of nature. This bond represents a huge part of the love that some people feel towards this lifestyle and it is not something that can be understood without having first experienced it
Advice
- Get plenty of blankets and other warm items so you don't get cold. The best yurts have insulated walls; if you intend to live there for the whole year, don't forget this aspect! Pets can also help increase the warmth as well as the feeling of being at home.
- Will the family grow up? It is possible to add more yurts and connect them by means of certain modular structures.
- Try to have books and notebooks, pens and pencils available. Yurts inspire you to reflect and read in depth, not least because there isn't much else to do. If you are an artist, bring all the necessary materials with you.
- Millions of people in Central Asia spend their entire lives in yurts; it is not unusual and it is perfectly doable.
- Some yurts even have air conditioning, but you need to decide whether to install it based on your reasons for choosing to live in a tent.
- Try to have plenty of batteries close at hand.
- If you don't have electricity, invest in a portable radio.
- Use a solar cell phone for your telecommunications.
- It is probably a good idea to have a shed or a garage to store woodworking tools, chainsaws, gardening tools and any means of transport. It won't be the best to keep them in the yurt, and if you need them for your livelihood, a shed or garage is a good investment.
- In most cases, snow will slide off the roof during the winter months after a few centimeters have accumulated.
Warnings
- Obey all relevant building regulations or they may ask you to take the yurt apart.
- Consider the possibility of a fire and establish multiple exits to escape.
- Disassemble the yurt if you are not going to live inside it in winter and it is placed in a humid area, such as a forest. Without your constant heating work and devices to keep it dry, the tent is prone to mold and decay and will not withstand the winter.
- If you live in the yurt in winter and it rains a lot, you will have problems with mud; It is inevitable.
- Some of the disadvantages of living in a yurt: storms can destroy it based on their severity; yurts can heat up incredibly fast and be super hot inside; external noises can be heard and there is a total absence of privacy, especially if you share with other people; in winter you can have the urge to go out if you don't have the possibility to do it for weeks; yurts require constant maintenance to be safe and livable.
