Yurt living is becoming hugely popular for one and off-the-grid living. However, yurts differ greatly from living in a regular home and fall into the tiny house movement. There are many advantages to this kind of living, and cutting costs is one of the most significant draws to living this kind of nomadic lifestyle.
In our guide, you can learn a bit more about plusses and yurt living disadvantages. By the end, you’ll have a better understanding if you are looking to head off down this path and purchase one or if you are the type who has the skills to build a big one of your own.
What are the Advantages of a Yurt?
To many people, a yurt is just a big tent that has been built to remain in position longer than a conventional tent. Yurts are designed to be lived in many kinds of weather and conditions. Here are a couple more advantages you can find living in a yurt.
Economic Advantages
Cost savings often lure people to tiny homes and ultimately live in a yurt. You can find a yurt for a few thousand, whereas a modest home could cost many hundreds of thousands to purchase. Besides cost, there is far less maintenance on a small home than in a large home. Besides this, living in a home of this size and design can help reduce debt levels quickly.
Environmentally Friendly
Such tiny homes require far fewer building materials and take less construction, thus creating less construction waste than a conventional home.
A yurt may use up to ten times fewer resources than a couple of thousand square foot structure. Once the size of the living space decreases, then you can see heating and cooling costs drop. Over time, yurts offer high energy efficiency scores; because their round walls reduce heat escapes’ surface area.
In addition to this, they offer smaller carbon and construction footprints and blend into a natural setting easier. They have little impression on the earth where they sit, and the only construction requirement is the elevated platforms.
Simplicity
When you do something like moving into a small structure, you are forced to take stock and declutter. A yurt will make you think about what is dear, and the rest can go by the wayside. Lastly, they can leave owners spending less time cleaning and more time on personal pursuits.
Portability
Lastly, yurts are portable, as nomadic Mongolians originally used them. They can take a couple of hours to erect, so depending on your belongings, you have the possibility to move from location to location.
A modern yurt may require a couple of hours to install or a day or two once your platform has been constructed. Smaller homes can be constructed and hauled on trailers.
Can I Live in a Yurt Permanently?
You may find nowhere inside the US which permits full-time residence in a yurt as it is seen as camping.
However, in rural areas, such regulations may not be enforced. Besides, you can move and take up another area of residence.
What is the Life Expectancy of a Yurt?
The framework of your yurt can last almost indefinitely with no damage and only needs minimal maintenance.
The fabric covers of your yurt can last from eight to fifteen years. You can find this varies on the region, and the severity of UV rays takes a higher toll than rain and snow.
Are Yurts Cold in the Winter?
Yurts were used for thousands of years and made from felt and furs. Insulated walls allow the environment of the yurt to remain cool in summer and warm in the winter.
However, you would need a heating source, and many off-grid yurts use wood-burning stoves built into them. Without this, they could feel on the cool side.
Pros and Cons of Living in a Yurt
It is the pros and cons of living in yurts that many people are looking to find. Here, we have compiled a list of the most common things you may need to know.
Pros of Yurt Living
Enjoy Living in Nature
Once you live in a yurt, you can experience nature and love your area.
Peaceful
The yurt life is as peaceful, quiet, and calm as you would feel living in a country cottage. It can be a great place to live to help you unwind.
Easy Assembly
With more additions than the original yurts, you can assemble your structure in a couple of days and start living. You quickly learn how to appreciate things.
Live Mortgage-Free
Maybe you might be convinced with yurt life when it makes financial sense. Yurts cost little to build, like building a home or having a large mortgage. You will discover it is also cheaper to live in a yurt than in an apartment.
Own Your Home
Yurts offer you the opportunity to own your home for far less than it would be to purchase a house. Even if you had to purchase land, it is much easier for you to take advantage of that.
Flexible Walls
Modern yurts have flexible walls, which can be 2 inches thick and make rapid heating and cooling possible.
Fewer Taxes
Living in a yurt is good for the wallet as you may pay fewer taxes than in a house.
Customizable
You can divide off the areas or leave them as one large space. You can also choose the size of the yurt you want when living in a yurt.
Heating and Cooling
Since you have an open plan concept, you can place a stove in the center to heat the yurt evenly during winter. This type of living enables you to keep heating and cooling costs to a minimum.
Cons of Yurt Living
Safety of Heating System
If your yurt cover is fabric, there can be a fire risk.
No Privacy
Because of the open-plan design, there is little privacy for the occupants. If there is a family, it is a challenge for everyone to have their own space.
Weather Issues
Unless you know your yurt structure’s limits, you could find issues with wind or possible water leaks with continuous rain. Damp or damp smells can fill a yurt until it dries. A modern yurt is, however, better equipped to deal with this.
Hot in Summer
During summer periods, you may find it too hot to cook inside. Many people will resort to cooking outside.
Insects
Depending on your location, you could potentially find the intrusion of lots of insects. It is a tent, after all, and you should take precautions. Avoid carpets to help stop ants, tick, and spider infestations. Even when tightly sealing walls and roofs, insects always find a way to get inside.
No Glass Windows
Many yurts come with plastic windows because of the flexible walled yurt. You often find these windows are heavy plastic and transmit lots of heat or cooling from outside to inside, depending on the weather. Modern yurts can overcome this with solid wall panels.
Lack of Storage
Because of the small size of the yurt, you’ll have the bare minimum of storage space.
