Living in a Yurt

[Dirty White Boy]

Well the title says it all....Im bout too buy some real nice property above 8k foot elevation.....And I was thinkin about a few options but the Yurt seems too be the best....does anyone have any advice or wisdom too pass on.

 

[bckwht]

I bet kolah could chime in, he lives in a tipi so he's got to know a lil somethin

 

[fishwhistle]

Yep kolah is DEFINITELY the man you need to talk to,he's been there doing that.

 

[obsoul33t]

have you considered a shipping container home ? very secure , won't burn in a fire and cheap

 

[fishwhistle]

OBS is right on the money,ive been reading alot about these being converted to homes,nice ones too,try googling shipping container homes.I have a 40'er out back that i paid about 2300.00 for,im using it for storage now but when im done maybe ill convert it into a bar or guesthouse or maybe a stoner hookah lounge,You can stack them also or build a deck on top,i beleive mine says its rated to hold over 500,000 pounds on top of it!

 

[sox]

check out pacific yurts if your gunna do a kit...obs has a pretty bad ass idea though...
earth bag homes are super sick, thats what i would do.

 

[sky high]

Check the building codes in the county you are looking in to see if they recognize yurts as permenent dwellings. Alot do...some don't. A handful of counties have no building codes.

Perc test. Some props won't perk and the septic will need to be engineered/etc... which translates into $$$$.

Check water availability/etc. Can you drill a well? How many acres?

4 season access? There is A LOT of property out there. Getting to it is a different story in some instances...and will reflect on the price.

Sounds cool. We are moving in that direction ourselves......

Shipping container made of metal? BRRRRRRR. Lotsa insulation.condensation considerations... and again...building code restrictions may apply.

can't wait to hear more.....

Colorado Yurt CO is in Montrose www.coloradoyurt.com

 

[midwestdensies]

This sounds awesome I've actually always wanted to do this, seems affordable and containers are well made. Could give a very cool and modern aesthetic look as well I believe I've seen it some where before. MWD

 

[sox]

this is whats goin up on our hill
http://www.earthbagbuilding.com/

 

[fishwhistle]

Sox,Check out calearth.org located in hesperia ca.,they do workshops and nadir khalili who started it has worked with the UN for years doing this in other countries devastated by disaster,i beleive his methods started the bag trend.Also if you want to check out even more of the structures you can see many of them at hesperia lake park where they have a building site!

 

[Simple]

As someone in and out of the mountains for the past 7 years heres what ill say... I would seriously think about spending some time at your place (if youve bought it already) and camp there for a week/weekend or so and see how you do. this is the kinda thing that will help you physically and emotionally gauge what you feel with whats around u, therefore enabling you to make the right secure choice for living situations. Kinda like the first year growing in a new spot. CAbin fever and mountains can get intense, planning sustainable options are always go to in the stages you are at.

This way once you set up shop, youll already be ontop of development and getting all the finer points taken care of, hence better buds sooner! So heres a list I made a while back to understand what i needed for my living conditions...Big house, cabin, yurt, tent... youll figure it out after livin in and feeling the energy at/in the spot. just my .02
Example: Out on one spot, we relied on the local well and our big 350 for all our water needs in and out of operation. well long story short our stoner asses took a full day just trying to figure out how to get a 500gal tank of water up our hill. Middle of winter. we were so cabin fevered out that it took us all day to figure out that instead of getting the loader, the truck and my truck all hooked together sliding around like the freaking ice nutt crew, we slept it off and next morning i woke up and watered my little babies and it clicked.. A HOSE we need a hose to get our water up the mountain hahahaha. WORST i know, but this story is just a reminder to me and my friends that sometimes the simplest things can seem so complicated, but theyre not, its just the mountains magnify EVERYTHING. if you know whats up and work hard, the mountains are for you and you will have so much fun once youre planned, youll be able to be settllin in.

1. Make a priority list of amenities, physical and material comforts that you cant live without (priority list)
2. Make a seasonal/calender (whatever time schedule you inflict on yourself) and map out your food needs. Nothing like being stuck in snow, AND hungry.
3. Decide when youre planning to be mobile, youll want a constant warm house if not going anywhere to much. And you wont need a big house (or even yurt imo) if you will only be there in the summer.
4. Friends, wives, gfs...? think about what they want? will they be there? is there comfort a priority?

obviously, you dont NEED to answer these and theres more on my list if u want but im sure u get the jist by now. look at alterior and exterior factors.
Also HAVE FUN BRO. seriously, make what you want. make your dreams freaking come true. but make sure theyre sustained. hahaha mountains are beautiful and were blessed to have a open mind come on out.

 

[Dopegeist]

This is pretty cool.

 

[Dopegeist]

http://www.earthships.com/

 

[Dopegeist]

And shipping containers...Oh jeeze. I guess the cat is out of the bag. At least consumerism should mean a steady supply and stable price.
http://www.solardecathlon.gov/past/2007/team_colorado.html

 

[Dirty White Boy]

Check the building codes in the county you are looking in to see if they recognize yurts as permenent dwellings. Alot do...some don't. A handful of counties have no building codes.

Perc test. Some props won't perk and the septic will need to be engineered/etc... which translates into $$$$.

Check water availability/etc. Can you drill a well? How many acres?

4 season access? There is A LOT of property out there. Getting to it is a different story in some instances...and will reflect on the price.

Sounds cool. We are moving in that direction ourselves......

Shipping container made of metal? BRRRRRRR. Lotsa insulation.condensation considerations... and again...building code restrictions may apply.

can't wait to hear more.....

Colorado Yurt CO is in Montrose www.coloradoyurt.com

Its a 5 acre lot, has a well and a seasonal stream, Yurts are allowed and camping year round is fine.....kinda narrows down my spot in Colorado. I actually own 4 shipping containers and decided no go after realizing I wont be able to get it up there. Just too tight a roads and the incline down too the property is too steep. Im actually able too do a compost toilet. So Ill make an outhouse. Pacific Yurts is who Im leaning towards, a 30' yurt with insulation, property has electricity run too it Id just have too run it down too my Yurt....It will take a 4x4 in the winter but thats nothing new too me. This will be an on going thread for sure.

 

[sky high]

Sounds cool, bro. When's the yurt-warming party?

If the realtor/owner doesn't have a copy, you can get a copy of the Well permit for the property and the augmentation plan for that area/district from the State easily..online I think @ this point. Knowing the permit is valid/and the restrictions for use on the well is important (IMO).
We have to report our usage to the State every 6 months on our 3 acre property because if you own under 35 acres you cannot irrigate outside/gardens/etc legally unless you have a specific right to do so.

Can't wait to see this unfold for ya... Are you trying to make a push on this yet this season??

 

[Dirty White Boy]

Sounds cool, bro. When's the yurt-warming party?

If the realtor/owner doesn't have a copy, you can get a copy of the Well permit for the property and the augmentation plan for that area/district from the State easily..online I think @ this point. Knowing the permit is valid/and the restrictions for use on the well is important (IMO).
We have to report our usage to the State every 6 months on our 3 acre property because if you own under 35 acres you cannot irrigate outside/gardens/etc legally unless you have a specific right to do so.

Can't wait to see this unfold for ya... Are you trying to make a push on this yet this season??

That is something I did not know. Thank you, Ill look into that first thing tomorrow. If I can get my platform done in time Ill put it up this year, Snow should be hitting the area very soon, so prolly gunna rough it in a car/tent set up for the winter....I almost am looking forward too this.....Freezing cold morning waking up in my sleeping bag watching my breath turn into frost in front of my eyes.......open the tent too see the colors and fog rain across the valleys as the sun comes up.....

Hey Signe....its gunna happen sweety......Maybe Im alone and you are gone but youll always be there, I promise.......No matter what youre joint will always be sitting by your chair every morning just like you wanted....love you girl......

 

[Dirty White Boy]

And Sky I promise you will be the first person invited too help "break in" the yurt.......I cant wait too meet you too say the least......

 

[sky high]

So without giving away any specific location....@ 8K "where"?? Elevation plays a huge part in things here...but so does location... Front Range? SoCo? Western slope? Foothills?

Example: I'm at 7250 here at home and 10,500 at my other spot. Because this is a more favorable area for snowfall....I get about the same snowfall here @ 7250 as the 10,500 ft spot does....but the "Winter" is colder/longer at the place @ 10,500 ft.

cover your butt on the well/water thing. Lotsa folks think they can do whatever they want on their own land but water is one area where this is total bullshit talk and where you can get in serious trouble/face serious fines/have your property "red tagged" for not playing the game as stated by Law. Just so you know....there will also be restrictions on the seasonal creek ut in Spring when it is likely to flow there is usually no "call' on water and "free river" is the name of the game. (FYI..my wife is heavily into "Water" here in her daily job....)

we shall BURN........

 

[Dirty White Boy]

Umm without giving it away....Ill say south of Breckenridge. Ive got one other location on the western slope near durango but its way way more remote.