Yurt vs Tiny House (Related Questions)

[GrumpyBjorn]

Hi all,

I'm seriously considering joining the "Yurt Club" but I thought I would run some things by you all. I'm currently living in Europe and plan on moving back to the states, I'm just a single guy and I want to move back to the Northwest to buy land a setup a house.

I've been debating on building a tiny house (fixed - not mobile) or to go with a Yurt. So here are some questions.

1.) Tiny House (Fixed - Not mobile) vs Yurt - Cost wise (and I get this varies a lot) which would roughly be more cost effective? Yurt size wise I'm looking at either 20' or 30'. I've been looking at brand new Yurt prices because when the time comes to it, they will be the highest end price, if I find a good used one for cheaper then great but I've got to budget.
2.) Size - At first I was considering a 20' Yurt but they are still a pretty sizable investment so a 30' makes sense in terms of investment. Is it noticeable between the two sizes? It's kind of hard for me to envision this. (I have been nomadic all my life so I live light and don't have a lot of stuff. But I might also not be single for the rest of my life.)
3.) Bath house or integrated? It seems more logical to have a bath house built on the side, but this also in theory drives up the cost more, does anyone have rough costs on bath house builds? An integrated bathroom seems nice from the standpoint of not having to leave the house to use the toilet or shower, but how exactly do you deal with

moisture

from the shower inside a Yurt?
4.) Rain and noise - I sleep like a brick, and actually sleep better with rain on a tent sound (avid backpacker) or a crackling fire. But if I'm wanting to watch a movie and it's raining, is it really loud? Are there ways of reducing the noise if it is excessive?
5.) Ceiling fans - Would having one optimize the

heating

efficiency of a wood stove? Is it noticeable and worth the extra money?

I'm trying to be as efficient with my money as possible. I want to get a well dug, run solar panels, do compost toilet (or septic if I'm forced to), cost efficient

heating

all in a smaller space. I'm more of an outdoors person but do like to stay inside and cozy on wet days. So the battle in my head of Yurt vs fixed Tiny House is hard to decide on and ultimately hinges on cost and efficiency on utilities.

Any help on these questions would be much appreciated.

[Bob Rowlands]

A 20' yurt with professionally made 15 year cover would absolutely be a superb choice for a young single man that isn't settled down. I'd pick that over a 30'er any day because it is truly nomadic. Set it on top of a tarp, fold the tarp up outside the wall and under the cover. Snug both cover and tarp to wall lattice with low rope running around the bottom of the wall. Voila! A dry bug free floor. Roll out carpet remnants or whatever. Set the wood stove on hardibacker or cement board.

Alternately a 12x16 shed with Mansard roof and loft will be similar in size to a 20' yurt. Being simple stick frame construction they will be easy to work on unlike the curved walls and conic roof of a yurt. Sheds have a built in floor. Examples of sheds are on every Home Depot and Lowes parking lot. If you haven't seen them I suggest you check them out. For a few thousands bucks they are a very good deal. Add a wood stove and finishit out as you go.

Another option is a 17' 'La Casita' or similar travel trailer.

If you really plan on settling down with a woman and starting a family down the road, I highly recommend building a small 3 bed 2 bath rancher. Countless Americans live in these homes as they are the dream. All women will dig that. A yurt... good luck with that. lol

[Jafo]

1.) Tiny House (Fixed - Not mobile) vs Yurt - Cost wise (and I get this varies a lot) which would roughly be more cost effective? Yurt size wise I'm looking at either 20' or 30'. I've been looking at brand new Yurt prices because when the time comes to it, they will be the highest end price, if I find a good used one for cheaper then great but I've got to budget.

If you can pick up your yurt, you can get one for anywhere between $10,000 and $15,000 and maybe more if you get a bunch of add-ons.

2.) Size - At first I was considering a 20' Yurt but they are still a pretty sizable investment so a 30' makes sense in terms of investment. Is it noticeable between the two sizes? It's kind of hard for me to envision this. (I have been nomadic all my life so I live light and don't have a lot of stuff. But I might also not be single for the rest of my life.)

It is definitely noticeable. 30' is 706 square feet of space where a 20' is 314. My policy on this is, get the biggest one you can afford because you cannot make them bigger later on.

3.) Bath house or integrated? It seems more logical to have a bath house built on the side, but this also in theory drives up the cost more, does anyone have rough costs on bath house builds? An integrated bathroom seems nice from the standpoint of not having to leave the house to use the toilet or shower, but how exactly do you deal with moisture from the shower inside a Yurt?

You COULD have it inside, you would just need to vent your yurt more often by opening the

dome

and windows. You mentioned this being in the NW, so much of this depends on how temperate your region is. You don't want to have to vent it very often if it is below zero for example. You also don't want to be walking through the snow late at night to use the bathroom.

4.) Rain and noise - I sleep like a brick, and actually sleep better with rain on a tent sound (avid backpacker) or a crackling fire. But if I'm wanting to watch a movie and it's raining, is it really loud? Are there ways of reducing the noise if it is excessive?

It is really loud when it rains hard. No practical way of reducing the noise. Just pause the movie and wait at that point.

5.) Ceiling fans - Would having one optimize the heating efficiency of a wood stove? Is it noticeable and worth the extra money?

I am not sure. I have heard both ways on this. Ceiling fans are relatively cheap, and couldn't hurt either way. Of course, if this is going to be off-grid, I would have reservations about whether it is worth it seeing as how it would use precious power.

[Bob Rowlands]

Decades ago my wife and I spent a few nights during the winter at our friends house located in the damp northern CA coastal mountains. Lots of cold damp air just above freezing sinks into everything unlike the same 'dry' temp here in the CO Rockies. Their house had an open sleeping loft that faced the main level great room, and there was no ceiling fan in the home. They heated their place with a large wood stove. It was fired all day the days we were visiting that winter.

The first night we spent a few hours in the loft, but the heat pooled up there drove us down to crashing on the main level floor. I'm thinking if the place had a ceiling fan that would have destratified the air. But that's just a guess. A fan might have actually made the main level too cold. Beats me.

I've worked and visited some smaller cabins here in CO and WYO rockies over the last several decades. A few have had an open loft, and a wood stove in the great room, just like our friends place in CA. As I remember they all had a ceiling fan in the great room. Whether the fan was on or off I can't remember but I don't remember being unpleasantly hot or cold. Safe to assume the fan was used at least sometimes. How well that works at night beats me I didn't spend the night in the loft. However only the smallest cabins had wood stove only. Usually a house with a bonafide bedroom and bath and kitchen has a small forced air heating system.

My uninsulated yurt looses heat fast. If I lived in it, it would be insulted for sure. Whether a fan would be a useful addition to an insulted yurt beats the heck out of me.

[Freedom Yurt Cabins]

Hi GrumpyBjorn,

A Freedom Yurt Cabin may be the perfect "in-between" structure for you. With our solid wood walls, full

insulation

(less rain noise), log rafters, and an integrated base system, the structure will look and feel very solid like a fixed tiny home.
However, it keeps a lot of the Yurt's inherent benefits as well, like the round design for energy efficiency, a heavy duty

DuroLast

roof cover, fan mount, and a 360°

dome

opening for venting even in light rain.
We have a 22.25' model (16-Wall) and a 25' model (18-Wall) which would be ideal sizes for your uses. Feel free to message us or visit our website for more info.
Best wishes finding your ideal structure! Sounds like a fun project!