CUSTOMIZE YOUR YURT

    Wall Height     Doors     Windows

With all of our yurts we encourage you to design/create a floor plan that will best suite your needs. A plan that describes -

The placement of the door(s) and the direction it opens and what side the hinge is on.

The window placement - their size and height in the wall and whether they open or not.

Interior walls, if there are any.

In downloads you will find blank floor plan drawings. Choose the drawing for the size yurt you're interested in and get started designing your space. Ideas for additions, A sample floor plan and the helpful  Designing Your Space documents are also in the downloads section of our website to help with your design process.

Adding more doors or windows are options as well as increasing the wall height (the standard wall height is 8’).

Adding rooms onto the yurt or building a loft are both possibilities. Taller walls allow for a more comfortable ceiling height for both a loft and for additions. If you are considering either of these as a possibility for the future, but not planning on building them now please let us know, we will provide you with information to help you plan for them. It is much better to include future changes in your design, than have to try and figure out how to make things work later on.

Browse through our kit options and see what you may like to change or add to your yurt package to create the space that works best for you.

INSULATION

Roof Insulation     Wall Insulation

The information in this section is here to help you decide rafter height and wall thickness for your yurt, as well as an introduction to insulation in general. We do not provide insulation with our kits.

Energy codes are designed for heated structures. These codes, which are state and county specific, have pre-determined wall and roof insulation and window requirements. In taking closer look and considering our impact on the planet, reveals that a well sealed and insulated structure uses considerably less energy to both heat and cool. Any extra investment now for insulation pays for itself in the long run and is the best environmental choice.

The measure of a materials resistance to heat flow is its R-value, the greater the resistance, the higher the R-value. There are a variety of insulating materials available, all with different R-values per inch and differing environmental impacts.

In making a choice of insulation materials some of the environmental factors to consider are:

 The environmental cost of manufacturing and shipping.
 The level of toxicity, or lack of toxicity of the materials.
The potential energy savings in terms of heating and cooling the structure.

Thinking along these lines has brought us to recommend what we feel are the most efficient, healthy, and environmentally friendly insulation materials.

Formaldehyde free fiberglass insulation: For filling the wall and roof cavities. This material can either by installed as "bats" into the wall or ceiling cavity or have them blown in by a contractor. The only drawback of this material is the need to protect oneself from glass fibers during installation. A respirator, gloves and long sleeve clothing is recommended. There is also the option of recycled cotton batting, though it is considerably more expensive and more difficult to cut. About R 3.5 per inch can be achieved with this type of insulation.

Recycled cotton batts: Basically the same as fiberglass batts other than the material is recycled cotton, so there is less concern for protection during insallation. R 3.5 per inch.

Blown in fiberglass or cellulose: Both of these products require a little more labor but will provide a higher R- value per inch than the batts. R 4.0 - R 4.3 per inch. (you can achieve and R-35 - R-38 in 2x10 rafters.
Rigid or spray in foam: A significantly higher R-values can be achieved, up to  R 6.7 per inch. This is a costly but effective insulating system. There is potential concern of off-gassing with sprayed in urethane foam, though there are now products out there that are vegetable based and possibly non-toxic.

ROOF INSULATION

Roof insulation options are varied depending on your needs. Most of our customers have been using either fiberglass batting or a blown in insulation (cellulose or fiberglass). Occasionally some people use commercially sprayed in foam. This has a high R value that allows for smaller rafters as well as completely sealing the roof and not needing a moisture barrier between the ceiling and insulation.

Our roof insulation system is designed to be well ventilated and efficient. If you have greater insulation needs use the larger rafters and one of the options in the table below. Fiberglass bats are offered in both regular and high density.

Rafter Size	Fiber Glass Bats	Blown In Fibergalss/Cellulose	Foam
2x6	R 11 - R 13	R 20	R 30
2x8	R 19 - R 21	R 28	R 42
2x10	R29	R 34 - R 38	R 55
2x12	R 30 - R 38	R 42 - R 45	R 68

 

 

The table below shows the number of square feeet of roof/ceiling for each yurt.

 

Yurt Size	Square Feet of Roof/Ceiling
12' Yurt	143 sq. ft.
15' Yurt	208 sq. ft.
20' Yurt	358 sq. ft.
25' Yurt	570 sq. ft.
30' Yurt	829 sq. ft.
35' Yurt	1052 sq. ft.

 

We provide pattern information to assist in cutting your ceiling material and insulation.


WALL INSULATION

Wall insulation is relatively straightforward. The depth of the wall cavity determines the thickness of the insulation and its consequent R-value.

Walls for our yurts are constructed with either a 2x4 or 2x6 framework.
The 2x4 cavity allows for R-11 insulation, with a possible upgrade to R-13. The 2x6 wall insulation is R-19 (R-21 is also available).

Below are the figures of how many square feet of wall insulation material you will need to purchase for the yurt of your choice based on the basic yurt kits with no window or door changes. The square footage is the same whether the walls are 2x4 or 2x6, only the thickness of insulation changes.

	8' Walls	9' Walls
12' Yurt	264 sq. ft.
15' Yurt	318 sq. ft.
20' Yurt	434 sq. ft.	478 sq. ft.
25' Yurt	540 sq. ft.	592 sq. ft.
30' Yurt	641 sq. ft	693 sq ft.
35' Yurt	686 sq. ft.	750 sq. ft

 

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