Are we making a mistake

[12bar]

Greetings yurt dwellers, I have a couple of questions that I hope some of you might be able to answer or provide guidance. The wife and I are considering selling our house, buying some land and putting up a couple of yurts to live in full time. We will either be in the mountains of North Georgia or Southern Tennessee around the Chattanooga area. We are newly retired and would really like to have a place with more than 12 feet between us and the neighbors. We are aware the yurt lifestyle is different than that of living in a conventional home. So the question is how many of you made the move from a conventional house to a yurt. If you did make the move do you have any regrets, would you recommend it to others and what was the biggest or most difficult adjustment.

Thanks in advance

Jim

[Jafo]

I can't speak as to living in a yurt full time, mine is a summer camp. I think it would be easier to live in a yurt where you live because there is little to no snow worries. I am going to assume you are considering purchasing an architectural yurt, like one from

Colorado Yurts

, Rainier,

Pacific Yurts

, etc.. I guess my first thoughts would be, make sure you get at least one regular curved window, because of the heat you guys experience down there. You will want a window for an AC unit I would think. While yurts do a fine job keeping you cool in drier climates, they do not do as good a job in humid/hot places. You could of course, have an AC unit in your door window, but I have never liked that idea myself. I think you put stresses on the doors that they were not designed for (joints and hinges).

You may want to stay in a yurt at some of your local state parks:

Yurt Camping at Georgia State Parks | Georgia State Parks

There is one there at Cloudland Canyon. It might give you a feel for it.

I am sure others here have more to add.

[12bar]

Thanks for the reply it was actually staying in a GA state park that give us the yurt bug, we loved it. At the moment we are considering a Rainier Yurt but haven't made a solid decision just yet we also like the California Yurt designs with the frame panel construction.

[Shelter Designs]

Hi Jim,

We at

Shelter Designs

are continuing to see this growing trend of retirees choosing the simplicity of yurt life, you are not alone. Our most recent clients chose to leave their Vermont life and get back to the upper Northwest where they have erected a 40' yurt. We would love to put you in contact with fellow yurt aficionados who have chosen this same path. If you would like any contact information please feel free to call or write.

Good luck on your journey!

Jenny
Shelter Designs, LLC
Handmade Yurts from Montana
(406) 295-4661
[email protected]
Yurt Manufacturer | Yurts for Sale | Custom Yurts | Shelter Designs, LLC

[SeverTheTether]

Jim,

My wife and I recently made the move (to a

Shelter Designs

Yurt no less!) to living in a 30' yurt year round. We moved from Nashville, TN to Northern Minnesota. We have lived in our yurt now for nearly 3 months. We've not made it through a winter yet, but it has been quite a liberating experience.

We built everything ourselves (except for septic, well, and concrete), and now live with no mortgage, and limited bills. We spent over a year preparing by downsizing (donating, craiglist, and garage sales) so we could fit. It is remarkable now free we feel now!

We don't really have any regrets now, but we have not gone through a winter yet. The most difficult thing so far has been

insurance

. We still don't have any, and are struggling with that. I think we may end up getting something like renters

insurance

, and then self-insuring the structure.

We chose to move to a place where building codes were not an issue (we live 30 miles from the nearest town), so didn't have to go through any of those pains that many others have.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

[Jafo]

Originally Posted by SeverTheTether

We don't really have any regrets now, but we have not gone through a winter yet. The most difficult thing so far has been insurance. We still don't have any, and are struggling with that. I think we may end up getting something like renters insurance, and then self-insuring the structure.

You might find this helpful:

http://www.yurtforum.com/forums/yurt...16.html#post58

[jme]

Hi we live in two yurt, in Canada. Have been in them for 5 years now. 4 kids, 2 dogs, my wife and myself . If you have any questions feel free to ask away. You can also checkout. Gypsy house on Facebook. Lots of pics and info. We use solar and wind power, composting toilets, and woods toes for heat.