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Pallet Yurt.

Ben Skiba

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Location: Herding farming god of travel and fast horses.Holy fool.

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posted 3 years ago

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Pallet yurt design.8x8 foot sleeps 2 comfortably.7 pallets and a notched door.I'm trying to get the holes in the smokering right.I'd like to use inch wooden poles or 1 inch conduit.Octagon smokerings our easier to make then wheels.I'm sewing a cover out of old blue jeans.What makes it a yurt is that it's temperary.It could be converted into a hogan if it is made more permanent.Make a foundation for it put a tin roof on it and slipstraw walls would be awesome.Anyways hope this inspires somebody.Get out your seat.Get out there and try somethin.

palletyurtwalls.jpg

palletyurtsmokering.jpg

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Douglas Alpenstock

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posted 3 years ago

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Nice! The uses are endless. Except I have a hard time finding tall, good pallets all of the same size.

Chris Kott

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posted 3 years ago

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Really cool idea.

I was thinking of a barn-truss pallet structure, where the trusses were formed by the joined sides of pallets. Essentially, the roof would be assembled in barn truss arches of five pallets each, and set atop a box of pallet walls of appropriate size. At least a two-bedroom, maybe three with a loft.

Unfortunately, pallets in useable condition are becoming more expensive with the increased cost of lumber. You obviously found what you need. I would suggest deconstruction and reuse rather than demolition and burning when you're done with this iteration. Though by that time, pallet prices might have come down.

Great idea, though. I was considering a yurt recently, but the land we're buying has a cottage on it, so we'll work with that first.

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Jay Angler

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posted 3 years ago

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Ben - how have you joined the pallets together - I think I can see a little wire in the picture, but it's not clear? If it's temporary, I find nails a pain to remove, so I'd want to use something else. Similarly, how are the "rafters" attached to the skids?

It would weaken the structure to rotate the roof so the one rafter wasn't in the center of the door, but maybe it could be shorter? Some yurt doors have a curve above them in the roof to redirect water. That said, many places that use yurts traditionally were not known for the kind of rain the Wet Coast gets!

I'm thinking the concept also might make a good temporary chicken coop?

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Michael Helmersson

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posted 3 years ago

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I thought it was cool until I read this part:

Ben Skiba wrote:I'm sewing a cover out of old blue jeans.

Now, I think it's awesome.

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― Voltaire

Jan White

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posted 3 years ago

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I'm curious about your rafters, too. What keeps them from spreading and the roof flattening?

I like the idea very much. I'm often mulling over ideas for quick guest housing. Enticing family to visit would be easier if it wasn't a bring your own tent situation here.

Marc Dube

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Posts: 248

Location: Saskatchewan

posted 3 years ago

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I like this idea and design. Simple yet effective.

Ben Skiba

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Posts: 213

Location: Herding farming god of travel and fast horses.Holy fool.

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posted 3 years ago

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The Walls I used bailing wire to tie them together.There our 2x4's I drilled on top of the pallets.I feel like a plate where they join would be good.I'm Trying to make another smoke ring with 1 inch holes in using 1 inch round wood or conduit.I'm struggling with drilling the same angle everytime.I made a jig for it but they still seem to be off.I'm working on it.For the moment I used screws and toenailed it in just to see how it would work.You could use 2x4's or round or rough lumber for the walls instead of pallets I feel like.Yeh the rafter by the door can knock some common sense into you if your not paying attention.Could definitely shorten it. If it were more permanent I feel like a you could put a 8 foot porch ajoining off of the roof.A pallet shed's our great I built one at my dad's house 14 years ago it's still standing.Yeh it'd make an awesome chicken coop haha.

leigh gates

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posted 3 years ago

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Quality pallets: try the large "flooring" stores in industrial parks. Often they come on pallets from the source country and made out of the same exotic woods. Let that sink in. Often the cheapest available wood for pallets in the areas where high end wooden flooring comes from are those same forests. The carbon foot print has already been done. I floored a small (500 sq foot) house entirely with things like Teak, for the trouble of going, looking, asking about the stacks of pallets behind those huge industrial park buildings. They were grateful not to pay to haul it off to be burned (gasp!) and I drove off going "BwaaHaaHaa! Scored!"

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leigh gates

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posted 3 years ago

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Also, same industrial parks. Check the outfits who import large machinery. They have huge , often odd shape pallets, out of heavy duty 4x8 & 8x10 lumber.

Still slingin’ Avacado pits

Edward Lye

Posts: 192

posted 3 years ago

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I can only work with the cards I am dealt with so this is a SPECULATIVE proposal
for the future me. I have lots of discarded umbrellas. The ribs and handle are
the weak spots but the fabric is still good and WATERPROOF. Sewn together, it
would make a decent roof. I have lots of discarded 3/4 inch tubing. If I heat the
tips then smash them flat, I can drill holes in them and screw together some
kind of geodesic frame. I haven't figured how to anchor this because the storms
are really powerful with rain driven at 45 degrees. Umbrellas won't help and
your pants will be soaking wet until the knees or even higher. Just yesterday
a window pane over a bucket solar dehydrator was blown unto the road. It
is now crushed glass.

Vickey McDonald

Posts: 99

Location: Wasilla, United States

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posted 3 years ago

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This looks incredible. We use recycled pallets for all kinds of projects. My greenhouse, the fence around the pig pen and after seeing this...Possibly a chicken Yurt. Need a couple new coops this year. This may be just the thing. Can't wait to show hubby in the morning. Thank you for sharing.

mary yett

Posts: 87

Location: Manitoulin Island - in the middle of Lake Huron .Mindemoya,Ontario- Canadian zone 5

posted 3 years ago

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I really like this idea. The one change I would make if I build one of these myself (an idea I am seriously considering) is that I would make the roof out of round cedar poles, of which I have an abundance.

I would place them tipi style, which will naturally create a smoke hole. I would use metal straps screwed in place along with a few very long screws to attach these poles to the top of the pallets.

Tall, good quality pallets like in your picture are indeed very hard to come by in my remote rural location, but I can source lots of 4 foot high pallets, so maybe I will make more of a tipi/yurt hybrid. This would still give more usable head space room inside.

As I am thinking of making this to house interns on my farm in the summer, I plan on placing the structure on a wooden platform built with simple concrete blocks on the ground as a foundation. This will keep them dry and give them a bit of a mini patio to sit on when the sun is out.

Vickey McDonald

Posts: 99

Location: Wasilla, United States

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posted 3 years ago

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One thing my husband pointed out was that for our location the roof ring being toe nailed together would not work. Our snow loads are much to heavy for this option. Will need to explore more sturdy options.

Bruce Kinzinger

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posted 3 years ago

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Yurts are cool. This design looks simple and ideal for our sheep or chickens, as we expand the flocks.

Equally good for guests staying a small time, and keeping their plans on track... a small time : )

William Bronson

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Location: Cincinnati, Ohio,Price Hill 45205

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posted 3 years ago

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I happen to belong to a bike coop, mostly for the gardening and the cool scrap.
I've been messing around with the rims for a couple of years now, looking for ways to reuse them.
I think they would make nice smoke holes, and they are strong enough to be through bolted.
A 16" rim at the very top could be followed with a second 29" rim beneath that.
I think such double construction would be very strong.
You could add more rims between each of the roof poles, for more strength.
You could even cut one into the face of one of the pallets as a window frame.

If I was using metal conduit for the roof poles, I might smash the ends flat to form the connection, but I think it would lose a lot of strength at that point.
An alternative would be to run wire, cable or paracord run through the center of the pole, through a hole in rim of the smoke ring and back through the pole to the bottom end where it could be twisted or tied onto the top of the yurt wall.
This could provide strong inexpensive joint that was only flexible where you wanted it to be.
We could connect the walls of the yurt to each other with hinges, wire, bits of car tire, plywood gussets or some combination of these.
I prefer T25 drive deck screws for almost all construction, because they are durable, easy to drive and relatively easy to remove.

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randy nottellin

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posted 3 years ago

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You need to run a cable on or near the end of your roof boards. notch the boards or drill holes near the end. If you don't the roof will push out and collapse.

William Bronson wrote:
I've been messing around with the rims for a couple of years now, looking for ways to reuse them.
I think they would make nice smoke holes, and they are strong enough to be through bolted.

Yea, bike rims work for a center hub. This is my hub on a 15 foot yurt. I wanted to mount a small wind turbine on the shaft but never got around to it. I built it to take to festivals. It's been to Bonnaroo, Burning Man and a bunch of other festivals. My son commandeered the yurt and has been living in it off and on for the last 16 years.

yurt-hub.jpg

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burning-Man.png

yurt-inside.jpg

yurt4.jpg

Ben Skiba

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Posts: 213

Location: Herding farming god of travel and fast horses.Holy fool.

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posted 2 years ago

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Wow I'm really digging all the idea's on this thread.I am long overdue for an update.I really like the cedar posts idea.I think with the cedar posts you could just put a canvas tarp on top.Wool blankets like a traditional yurt for insulation for cold or for heat.If yall go to yurts all things yurts there's a video I posted of a rocketmass heater inside a yurt.I think that'd be pretty awesome to heat with.Could also do a 3 inch stove. or just a small rocket stove. So I have still yet to sew the old jeans together for the canvas at this point for another model of this.I would also like the roof poles to some home be able to be put up and put down without screws more like a mongolian ger.I think this would be more classified as a hogan at this point.I plan to insulate the walls and ceiling inside.This has survived extreme winds.Without a foundation.I think hogans and yurts/gers because of there shape our stronger in the wind.the wind just kinda goes around or bounces off.It doesn't get caught like a sail like a square building would.Stay tuned for the next prototype.I'll post pictures when I get a chance.Feel free to post pictures of your creations any input is much appreciated.

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Marc Dube

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Posts: 248

Location: Saskatchewan

posted 2 years ago

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Wow thanks for the update pics it looks great!

I took inspiration from this post and built one as a hunting blind. And somewhat portable as I built it at home and then transported it as 5 pallets, 1 door, and the roof to its final destination.

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jackie woolston

Posts: 84

posted 2 years ago

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Hi Ben, I love your pallet yurt. I have a project that this might morf with. I have 4 old 5'x13' Gothic window frames, The pallets would be perfect to connect the window frames. The same shape idea, with pallets staggered with window frames. Probably need to stack pallets higher or shorten the old frames.?? Thanks for the awesome idea! Now I will be on the hunt for good pallets. I use alpaca wool to insulate buildings...recycle 50lb paper organic flour sacks, stuff with wool and do a bit of quilting to keep the wool from settling. These would fit inside the inner part of the pallets. I always build things in my head before I tackle them. I have been dragging these windows around since 1988. Where the glass used to be I think maybe twin wall polycarb might be easy to cut to the shapes...I want to find color twin wall for the upper cross potions. I love your creativity!
Best, Jackie

jackie woolston

Posts: 84

posted 2 years ago

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Ben, I am brain storming here, depending on the size recycling "giant" satellite dishes for a roof?

John C Daley

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posted 2 years ago

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Jackie, I love your concept of using the windows.
And a satelite dish! Can you get them?

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jackie woolston

Posts: 84

posted 2 years ago

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Hi John...I think they are getting harder to find with advances in technology, but there are still folks out there that never throw anything away. The dish we have came from a friends mom, sometimes really big ones can be had from broadcasting companies. For a roof they need to be turned upside down to dome. I don't know if you have any swap or recycle places near you. Here we have Craigs List.

Douglas Alpenstock

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jackie woolston wrote:Ben, I am brain storming here, depending on the size recycling "giant" satellite dishes for a roof?

Dang, that's a good idea for a woodshed or whatever. Kinda late to the party (like 15 years late), but if you post an ad on Kijiji/Craigslist and say "free removal" you might get lucky.

Ben Skiba

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Location: Herding farming god of travel and fast horses.Holy fool.

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posted 2 years ago

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Marc Dube wrote:Wow thanks for the update pics it looks great!

I took inspiration from this post and built one as a hunting blind. And somewhat portable as I built it at home and then transported it as 5 pallets, 1 door, and the roof to its final destination.

Yoooooo! Marc that's awesome i'm diggin he little window.Also Your joinery pretty awesome.Good carpentry skills.Ben law would be proud.

Ben Skiba

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Location: Herding farming god of travel and fast horses.Holy fool.

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jackie woolston wrote:Hi Ben, I love your pallet yurt. I have a project that this might morf with. I have 4 old 5'x13' Gothic window frames, The pallets would be perfect to connect the window frames. The same shape idea, with pallets staggered with window frames. Probably need to stack pallets higher or shorten the old frames.?? Thanks for the awesome idea! Now I will be on the hunt for good pallets. I use alpaca wool to insulate buildings...recycle 50lb paper organic flour sacks, stuff with wool and do a bit of quilting to keep the wool from settling. These would fit inside the inner part of the pallets. I always build things in my head before I tackle them. I have been dragging these windows around since 1988. Where the glass used to be I think maybe twin wall polycarb might be easy to cut to the shapes...I want to find color twin wall for the upper cross potions. I love your creativity!
Best, Jackie

Cool I like the idea.I wanted to experiment with a little bigger sized version.maybe double the pallets.Could also lengthen the high of walls.i like the walls being low for some reason tho.But hey to each there own.You could cut the window frames with an angle grinder to make shorter or like your saying make them longer.I like the idea of using the alpaca wool.I think the walls our also good for Cob.Could totally ending being an adobe yurt/hogan.Awesome ideas.

jackie woolston

Posts: 84

posted 2 years ago

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Ben, I started using alpaca wool because I have extreme chemical sensitivities due to a liver function issue. I have been able to de-tox using Calcium d-glucarate for accumulated fat soluble toxins and and Food grade Diatomaceous Earth for water soluble toxins and heavy metals. This is the main reason I do not have a standard house and am building a totally natural home to share with my livestock. Once bitten ...twice shy! Dirt, rocks, natural fibers and wood and to limit sun damage, metal siding.

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