A yurt in northeast Texas

[psy]

I'm very likely going to purchase a yurt to live in full time. However, I live in northeast Texas so I have a few concerns. Maybe you guys can help.

1) From browsing forums and whatnot, I understand that with

insulation

and some form of

heating

like a wood burning stove, a yurt handles the cold pretty well. But what about hot climates? I know of the many things you can do to cool a yurt:
-

Insulation

keeps cool air in
- Windows allow for airflow
- Trees block sunlight
- Foil relects sunlight
- A fan sucks hot air out
However, when imagined, it seems like the yurt would still maintain an uncomfortable heat to it. I live near the DFW area and in the summer, especially July and August, the sun beats down and it can get up to 105 degrees.

2) Yurts are round, therefore wind just flows right around them rather than hitting the resistance of a rectangular building. But this area has had a few devestating tornadoes. Is it even a good idea to invest in a yurt due to that fact?

Any information is appreciated.

[Jafo]

#1 - Note that I have little experience with yurts in your climate, but let me speak about summertime in upstate NY where it gets into the 90's with a lot of humidity. The yurt can be stifling sometimes. In a drier climate, would I expect it to be a lot different? No.

IMO, get the yurt with at least one standard glass window that can accommodate a window type AC unit. What do you have to lose? If you find you don't need it, sell the AC unit and be happy that you have a standard window.

#2 - Some of this depends on the yurt packages you buy. Look, there is no structure short of one that is underground that is going to save you from a tornado. That being said, I would recommend that your yurt have an underground safe room if you get frequent tornadoes.

Let us know how it turns out btw!

[Bob Rowlands]

Hi psy. There isn't a snowballs chance in hell any yurt is going to survive a tornado. Not even kinda slightly remotely. Forget it. Mine has been up continuously here in CO be three years in June, and has withstood wind up to probably about 60 mph. In fact I did have a whirlwind run directly over the top of my yurt. It damaged the yurt. If it wasn't solidly anchored it would have been sucked up and pitched off. I saw it hit the yurt.

Catastrophic tornado type wind WILL trash your yurt. Make no mistake about it, it is a tent. I don't care how solidly anchored the yurt is, it will get wasted.

Enough on that. An easy way to cool the traditional yurt is to simply roll up the cover around the bottom edge, and leave the smoke hole uncovered, or the roof vent open. This creates a VERY pleasant cooling draft through the entire yurt. In addition, I suggest erecting an awning or tarp over the yurt. That keeps sun from beating down on the roof covering. Good luck.

[thebitmaster]

Hi Psy.

I'm in the process of moving into my yurt full time in Austin. I've been sleeping in it for several months. We have more humidity than you, but less wind and cold. I had just figured out how to beat the cold with a new insulation scheme when it started to get hot. My 12' self-built yurt is situated among many small trees, with the only serious exposure directly above, which gets me a lot of shade and transpired cooling. I'm planning on covering the roof vinyl with mylar to deflect as much heat as possible, improve my insulation to get closer to air tight, and install a small AC unit. I haven't decided if I'm going to go with a window unit or a free-standing one. My main priority is that it be quiet and efficient. With only 113 square feet to cool, it would be very easy for it to be overkill, with the temperature bouncing up and down and the unit making a lot of noise, which is something the Dumpster Project guy saw in his tiny unit.

The Dumpster Project

I may also try to pull air from under my

yurt platform

to get a little help from the shade and contact with the ground there. I'll report on my experiences as I go. I'm also planning on making a fan the same size as the roof ring hole to try to pull air through the yurt for as long as possible before resorting to AC. My skirts are less easy to hike, but I may create velcro flaps with screens that would allow inflow of air from the bottom without letting bugs in.

My Mom lives in D/FW, and I'd love to see your setup once you're ready for a yurt warming!

Scott

[Colorado Yurt Company]

The shape of the yurt -and having a wind load package- makes it pretty strong in wind. However, no building, tent, camper, trailer survives a tornado.

We find that good ventilation, a

dome

lifter, a bronze

dome

and some shade is enough to keep a yurt cool. However, 105 in Dallas might require some kind of air conditioner.

We did a blog about

heating

and cooling here: Yurt Questions Answered: The Hot and Cold of it | Colorado Yurt Blog

[JohnDolan]

What do you do about bugs, fireants, snakes, ect?

[JohnDolan]

Oh yeah, and scorpions?

[thebitmaster]

I don't really have much problem with pests. Mosquitos are the most annoying, because they will find any tiny hole to get in through, and will infest any accessible water. I have one of those magnetic screens on the door which really helps.

My

yurt platform

is on 12 aluminum RV levelers. I've had three scorpions in as many years, which makes the yurt by far the most scorpion-resistant structure on the property. Other trailers and buildings have way more. I use ant traps for ants, which I don't get very often. Once I put the right kind out (there are different kinds for different varieties of ants), they generally disappear within a few days. My current setup still allows geckos and anoles in, and I treat them as wild pets. They eat all the other things that infiltrate the yurt, their poop is pretty easy clean up, and they're very cute. My yurt has never been fully airtight, and I'm not sure it's possible to make any structure ant-tight. I'd be willing to be commercial yurts with tight tolerances could be made scorpion-tight, but the main reason I don't see many is that they don't like to crawl up the exposed aluminum feet. I'd be willing to be the few I've seen have dropped down from the trees overhead. So in general I don't think a well-built yurt is much more pest prone than other structures.

[Bob Rowlands]

Now you gone and done it. 'scorpions falling from trees' gonna factor into a dream tonight. Sheeeesh..... lol

[thebitmaster]

The first and second scorpions appeared on the first and second dates with a new woman on the ceiling over the bed.

I've now used a Honeywell and Haier rolling portable AC unit in the summers. It's definitely worth getting the ones with two hoses. I saw a 23% power reduction adding an input hose. Despite being fairly quiet, they are still annoyingly loud especially when they come on. This would be less of a problem in a bigger yurt. A small window unit would also work fine if I had a window. As soon as it gets hot enough to need one again, I'll probably add some baffling and maybe mount it on rubber feet to absorb the startup kick. I might also try to add a smooth start circuit so the on and off aren't so punchy.

This summer I added Reflectix bubble wrap radiant barrier under the roof vinyl. It definitely helps. I used to have comforters under all the vinyl for insulation, but this winter I've removed the wall insulation because it's a real pain to put on. The roof insulation is still there. I'm able to maintain 70 o F with just a little 1500 watt space heater down into the 20s. I also scored an oil heater that I like a lot better, though it takes up a lot of space.

Next projects are a new, waterproof, unwarped front door and my next level of visual improvements.

I've been in the yurt since 2015 and definitely live it. I feel proud every time it's raining or cold and I'm in my little self-built house.