Wind and the Yurt

[Bob Rowlands]

We had 101 mph wind here about 1.5 weeks ago. That's the new record at the AFA, about a mile west of us. We've lived here for 21 years and had many heavy winds, but nothing as strong or sustained as that. Glad I had no yurt up or for certain it would have been destroyed. My son texted me early in the day and said, 'high wind expected you better remove the cover from your wall tent.' Good thing he did, that tent would have been a goner.

I actually lean/walked/stumbled out to my little barn shed during a lull when the wind was maybe 70 mph. I could feel the wall vibrating. Ultimately there was no damage at all. Amazingly I didn't even lose a shingle. That it survived this storm without a hitch is a testament to how solidly I built it, and the

yurt platform

it sits on.

Anyway on to my reason for making this post. As a broad generalization, the intensity of storms is increasing. Anyone that lives in a high wind area-which is dang near everywhere in the western U.S.- and invests real money in a commercially made yurt, should definitely consider getting their 'stud under rafter' kit. Anchor both sides solidly to the rafter and to the deck with appropriate construction hardware specifically designed for that application. I also anchored the yurt wall to the platform using ell brackets I made from mild strap steel. They solidly attach the lowest lath cross bolt to the deck. There's 'no way' I would ever just set the yurt on the platform without anchoring it.