D'arcYurt's Build Thread

[D'arcYurt]

Hi everyone, my name is Jacob. This is my first post but I have been lurking in the shadows around here for a bit. I was introduced to yurts and yurt living by a dear friend and am now on my way to having my own.

Location: Michigan
Yurt: 20' Super Ger by

Groovy Yurts

(on order - estimated April arrival)
Occupancy: Full-time year-round

I purchased 10 acres of land out in the country last fall that has a creek running through it and mostly maple wooded with a section that is marshy/lowlands.

Currently I am working on building the platform. It will be an octagon frame with the OSB subfloor/tongue and groove flooring made into a circle followed by skirting around the exterior.



The center box will provide extra support in the center for the yurt poles. I am undecided whether I want to pour concrete in the middle for the wood stove to sit on... thoughts? The other option would be to turn it into an in-floor storage compartment?




Due to the unseasonably warm weather, I was able to get all posts cemented in the ground today. Next step will be to adjust everything to be level. The 4x4s are all treated lumber, the floor joists are not.

My plans:
Water source: Pitcher pump
Power source: Solar (I will go into further detail when I get there but it will be based off Jafo's setup just beefier to support full-time living)
Bathroom: 500gal septic tank/standard toilet
Heat: Wood

*I am placing this in the build forum because I intend to update it with progress on all the ancillary parts of the yurt (platform, utilities, etc) if there is a better place for this thread, mods please move it!

[njtool]

Jacob,
I am planning on building a yurt and my first hurdle is the platform. I am looking forward to your next update to see your design.

[D'arcYurt]

Here is the completed frame.

I used 2x4 joists and 4x4 posts. I used regular joist hangers where there were 90* angles and for the 45* angles I took L-brackets and hammered them into a ~135* angle. The joists are places 12" on center from each other. Standard decking would call for 16" on center, but that is with 2x6 joists or bigger.

The posts allowed me to build without leveling the ground. I leveled the center square, then leveled the outside "straight" face board. Lastly, I leveled each "angled" face board.

njtool, what size yurt are you planning on building? If I had to do mine again, I would place the 4x4 posts at the corner connections rather than the centers of the face boards.

[njtool]

Thanks for the update.
I'm planning on building a 16' yurt first. If everything works out, then next year I want to build a 20' and keep the 16' for my daughter, or something.
Why didn't you use 2x6 joists? My land is pretty flat but Im worried about critters making nests under it. I've been thinking that elevating it would prevent that, but then it would mean I need more

insulation

.

[Bob Rowlands]

I see 12 concrete pads in your future. lol I suggest a pad at each of the corners, and the four corners in the middle. You definitely don't need a massive pad under the stove. Sister the joists and frame it in.

Thanks for posting up the build. Good luck.

[D'arcYurt]

The subfloor is on. I did a simple rough-cut of the circle for now. I will trim it more closely once the yurt is here so I can get more precise.




I also decided to go forward with the in-floor storage compartment idea. It will be my mini wine cellar. 48"x48"x40"



I lined the walls with 5/4" PVC boards I had left from a jobsite. You can see them in place in the first photo. My plan is to do the same with the floor once the yurt is in place, then glue-melt the seams, then caulk for extra guarantee.

Bob, I had several concrete peer blocks sitting around from a bridge project, so I placed them under the platform for extra support per your suggestion.

[hierony]

Nice platform! Any

insulation

in there?

Seeing that hole in the ground in the middle of your yurt makes me wonder how your area is for rain & snow melt drainage--in my area it would fill up with water during the spring... But that's clay-type soils for you...

[Jafo]

What is going in the center?

[D'arcYurt]

Originally Posted by Jafo

What is going in the center?

An in-floor storage compartment... IE a super secret trap door


The goal is to have it as a storage area for canned goods, wine... a food pantry.

[Bob Rowlands]

My 8 and 10 yo grandsons and the neighbors grandkids dug a hole about three feet deep and four feet wide in front of the door to my yurt. Too bad they weren't there for yuh.

Platforms looking good. Have fun.