New member's yurt plan

[MG1917]

A different look here, just playing with the possibilities:















- Added viewing angles from 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock.
- New stairs give a better sense of a landing at the loft level.
- Changed the location of the oven/range so it isn't right against the wall.
- Deleted a window and a bookcase.
- Added a wood stove (dimensions of a Blaze King 30). A real stovepipe would go through the wall, obviously.
- Changed the dining table (in light of addition of the stove).

[MG1917]

Here is my concept of the loft area. At the moment, I am not confident that there is enough space for the furniture as configured. It seems I need to go with a full bed (vs. queen) -- either just the mattress or a very low bed with no headboard -- if I want it to be somewhat comfortable up there.

[MG1917]

Originally Posted by Jafo

With all of that stuff inside, you will also need to consider

moisture

abatement. You will be releasing a lot of

moisture

inside when you say, take a bath/shower or cook. A dehumidifier will probably be necessary.

Hi Jafo, I cannot edit my original response to this, but I had another thought: I believe the mini-split unit I am looking at has a dehumidifier function, in addition to air conditioning, and I understand it is also an effective heat pump. It would thus serve triple-duty: A/C, dehumidifier, and backup heat source.

[Drunken hobbit]

Regarding your laundry/utility room: There are few things more annoying than a dark room with no windows, which also has an external wall which could have had a window.

[MG1917]

Originally Posted by Drunken hobbit

Regarding your laundry/utility room: There are few things more annoying than a dark room with no windows, which also has an external wall which could have had a window.

I was going to reply that a window wouldn't fit, but upon closer inspection, it appears that I had mis-sized the windows in my original design. I didn't know the actual dimensions of the Custom Curve glass windows, so I just picked a template from floorplanner's stock items that looked approximately correct for basic planning purposes. Now that I am getting into the weeds with the design, it should be more precise.


I have correctly sized the windows to their real size -- 48x39 (versus the 61x47 I had originally used) -- and I can indeed fit a window into the utility room. I have updated my design accordingly.


EDIT: In fact, using the correct window size, I can also replace the window I had removed to fit the wood stove.

[Drunken hobbit]

What computer program are you using to draw those yurt pictures?

[MG1917]

Originally Posted by Drunken hobbit

What computer program are you using to draw those yurt pictures?

Hi Drunken hobbit. It is an online program: floorplanner.com. It's free to use (you get one design for free when you register on the site, but you can add multiple floors to your original design). It's pretty easy to get started, and if you have any question on how to use its functionalities, someone else has likely already asked the same question; there is a pretty robust community that uses it, and so if you just do a web search for your issue, you'll likely find the answer. Since I discovered it, I've been spending a lot of my free time there dreaming up cabin and

yurt plans

.

The great thing about it is the ability to resize items to actual scale -- for example, the windows I resized above to reflect the actual size of Pacific Yurts' Custom Curve windows. I also resized the wood stove to the actual dimensions of a Blaze King Ashford/Chinook/Sirocco 30 stove. That way, I know exactly how it will interact with the space. It's a great way to know what will and won't fit somewhere. Say you already own a bed or a stove, and you want to know how it will fit in your yurt. You can draw out the floor plans for the yurt in floorplanner, and then add the bed or stove and resize them to the exact dimensions of your bed and stove. That way, you can see how it will interact with the space in the yurt.

The one thing to keep in mind for yurt enthusiasts is that you cannot create round floor plans (like a yurt) very easily. You have to create a square room and then curve each side of the room to approximate a 30' circle. It takes a little fiddling with the program, but it's doable. You can probably tell that my floor plan for the 30' yurt in the pictures I have linked in this thread do not make an exact, perfect circle, but it is close enough for planning purposes.

[Bob Rowlands]

Mold IS a huge issue. If the yurt really gets moldy, I assure you you'll be out of there in short order. Good luck with your plan.

[MG1917]

Originally Posted by Bob Rowlands

Mold IS a huge issue. If the yurt really gets moldy, I assure you you'll be out of there in short order. Good luck with your plan.

Thanks, Bob. I've definitely got my eye on mold-control. I hope that with the bathroom fan and range hood (both exhausted to the outside), the A/C unit/dehumidifier, the ceiling fan/dome opener, and the six glass windows and two doors (all screened), I'll be able to control moisture.

My plan is not set in stone yet, and I still have to decide whether (and when) I'm going to retire in the next year or two, where I want to settle down, and whether I'll build a yurt as specified here or a small cabin, etc. A lot of questions are still up in the air.

[Bob Rowlands]

Much as I love yurts, I'd go with the cabin. WAAY more solid and way more tradesmen think square rather than round. Just my opinion.