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Platform questions - 30 foot yurt

R

rpelaez1

New member
Hi everyone-
Total newbie here. We just bought a piece of land un NE Maine - on the coast. We are considering buying a 30 foot yurt- first contender is Pacific Yurts but totally open to another company if they are better suited to accommodate the harsh winters...We will mainly use this as a summer vacation spot, I don't think we are planning to spend much time in the winter (I hate the cold!)

So, we have a TON of questions, but for starters - we gotta get the platform built so will start with those questions.

Maine requires that we put the footers 4 feet down - we may hit granite ledge or dirt - there's no telling what's under there...We are looking at the platform instructions from Pacific and they have the footers every 4 feet totaling 32 footers. Is this really necessary or have others built their own platforms with fewer footers or their own design?

Do we have to use the exact plan per whatever company we get the yurt from? The plan from Pacific seems way over engineered, but maybe that's needed for that exact yurt?

What about insulation? It gets cold in Maine, so we need to keep it warm, but some people we talked to have mentioned that stuffing the holes with insulation is just going to offer up a nice warm home for critters...so what do people do about that?

Any advice you guys can offer is welcome - we are super excited but really hoping to lean on this community for help.
 
Maine gets a lot of snow. Keep in mind that the weight on that yurt roof will be transferred to the floor. I for one would not skip out on that. However, I do know that you can also pour a concrete pad, but of course, this will require some excavating, which will not be any cheaper. One of the benefits though may be that you could use radiant floor heating which saves you a bit of space (no need for wood stove).

I would not over-insulate, especially if you do not plan on being there in the winter. It tends to cause moisture issues which can lead to mold and mildew. The yurt must breathe a bit.
 
Maine is my homestate, shout out! Have you been up to Bill Coperthwaite's yurts yet? If not, I suspect you will have a life changing experience if you do. He has passed on now, but his Yurt Foundation legacy lives on.

For winter climates I haven't seen a company do soft sided yurts better than Colorado Yurts and their Alpine yurt. I just posted this to someone else on the forum too. Check out their Alpine Stout. Metal ring with brackets, 2x6 rafters, better insulation, center post, blocking between the rafters... ideal for those uneven snow loads so your yurt is still standing come Spring. And with proven engineering for permits if needed. It's hard to beat. And yes, they can give platform plans. For a circular deck, more piers are needed. Most of the pier layouts are very much the same from any company. The only good ways I have seen to change it up is to do a joist floor system or a square deck with the round floor raised on top.

Interested to see how it all goes! Best of luck!

Melissa
 
Hello,

We have a customer off the coast of Maine just north-east of Bar Harbor who also has a summer vacation (and airbnb) Yurt. The yurt is a 30' diameter yurt with insulation, 2x6 raters, snow / wind kit and glass windows.

I know he struggled with the footers of his platform and mentioned the exact same issue of granite / bedrock. He colorfully describe the platform was more d**ned work than the Yurt. The platform surface is SIP sections.

I would be happy to put you two in contact if that would help. I don't remember the specific name of the island. We shipped to a consolatory outside of Bar Harbor and they ferried it over to the island.

Shoot me an email if you like [email protected] and I will be happy to your contact information along.

jerry
Yurts of America
 
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