Newbie questions, need some help

[DMac]

Hi, thanks so much for starting this forum. We are purchasing a 20ft yurt cover. I'll be making the rafters and lattice and framing in the windows and door.

Can I use 2by2 by 8ft for lattice? Is it too thick?

Is there a photo of how folks are connecting the lattice to the door and real windows?

Are there photos of how folks are framing in real windows and how they connect the yurt fabric to window frame?

Thanks again for the forum.
Peace,
DMac

[Jafo]

I will let some others answer definitively on this, but I would think 2X2 lattice would be overkill and heavy. 1X1 is probably more than enough.

[amberoons]

I think from traditional building standards its difficult to imagine that less is more and the key to Yurts is to recognize that part of what makes yurts strong... is their ability to be light, bend and compress etc... 2x2 sounds good, but like Jafo said... probably more than needed. Here we have lots of 'weather' (storms, high winds, snow, rain blah blah blah) and i find we make good use of the flexibility of the lattice walls! If it were thicker lattice... i can just picture it splintering. If you need the added strength, like we do, I would take my cue from some of the larger companies and their wind/snow kits with perimeter blocking, like

Pacific Yurts

(cuz thats what we have/enjoy).

We have attached regular windows into our yurt... I don't have any close up detailed ones and I haven't been back up there in a couple of weeks to get more photos, but I have a couple that I'll attach of when it was still being built. Basically we just cut the fabric folded the side cover in and then inserted the window into the casing built for it... fitted it... screwed it in etc and then they caulked the outside of the window with white caulking... the builders who installed it did a terrible job with the fine finishing of the place like caulking around the outside of the windows without it looking like someone with a severe case of hiccups did it. If 'I' were to do it myself I would use painters tape to create straight even lines and make it look all purdy... but messy or not... it has done the job flawlessly.

One photo is of a window in place and the other is one of how big of a window we put in.

Okay lets see if I managed to upload the files... me and my rocking awesome computer skills (hahahaha... not really).

[DMac]

Thank you! We start construction on the deck next week. It's so much easier for me to wrap my head around some of the basic yurt construction by seeing a photo and reading the recommendations. Thanks again.

[Jafo]

There are also a bunch of other pics here:

Albums

[DMac]

I have looked at them all some several times.
I talked with some folks yesterday and we discussed wrapping the fabric that comes up to the window and door frame around a wood dowel and placing it in a groove in the frame. Then you place a clamp board on top to hold the fabric and dowel in place. Seems easy enough.

[bss]

That should work very well if I'm picturing what you're describing there.

However the horizontal clamp boards at the top and bottom will need some type of drip rail or diverter so water would not collect in the channel between the window casing and the clamp board on the bottom or the outer fabric and clamp board on top.

Unless the window were somehow recessed back a little in the frame, and your clamp board was actually square or rectangular like a picture frame that recessed into the window casing around the outer canvas and over the dowel sticks.

does that make sense?

Probably lots of ways to do this I suppose, but I have never actually seen a framed window installed in a yurt as a point of reference.

[amberoons]

Hey bss that totally does make sense and you are right...

I forgot to mention that the windows are built up high so they tuck under the top cover overhang so that effectively deflects the water from dribbling down into the window... and i forget what type of window my husband says they are but they are... brick-something (cuz im good like that) and then there was somthing about a j-flashing... (i think?) gosh he only told me like 20 minutes ago. Well i guess if someone needs to know more they can ask and i can get him to tell me again... and this time... remember hah.

[djspn]

amberoons........thanks for sharing your experience.
I really like the simplicity and straightforward construction of attaching the the ceiling/loft joist to the rafters as shown in your photos, but

Pacific Yurts

says:

Partition walls are typically built after the yurt has been erected. They can be fastened to the floor and to the yurt’s wall structure, but shouldn’t be anchored to the rafters.

I'm wondering what your thoughts are on that.
Also, did you fasten the lattice to the window framing?
Thanks

[amberoons]

Hey djspn,

I didn't choose to build the loft with it attached to the rafters, but under the circumstances it seems to be okay. Where it is attached to rafters it is not load bearing by any means and due to the overall size of the loft and lack of headroom... you're limited to what and where you can put stuff up there so you can't ever really stock it full enough to cause an issue. If anything the loft being anchored to the rafters seems to make it strong still... maybe adds to it... feels like it at times and we have some pretty wicked weather out this way so its been tried and tested repeatedly and as much as the compression portion of a yurt is important... I kind of enjoy the added stability.

I think the lattice is attached to the window frames... im not living up there right now, but im like... almost 100% sure.

:-)