Yurt Living in Humid Climates?

Has anyone lived, or know of someone who’s lived in a yurt in humid to tropical climates? We’re probably going to end up in Florida (where I’m originally from), and we need to know if there’s anything you/they have learned that will help us. Also, I quite enjoy the bugs, heat, and odd weather so that’s not a problem. We’re more worried about mold, and moisture related problems.

Thank you
Kinch-

Kinch (aka "Perma-Nerd") wrote:
Has anyone lived, or know of someone who’s lived in a yurt in humid to tropical climates? We’re probably going to end up in Florida (where I’m originally from), and we need to know if there’s anything you/they have learned that will help us. Also, I quite enjoy the bugs, heat, and odd weather so that’s not a problem. We’re more worried about mold, and moisture related problems.

Thank you
Kinch-

I currently live in a yurt in Oregon.  I do stay in a yurt in Fiji when I do work there.  It's definitely a good idea to get one with as many windows as possible, also it's key to figure out a way to put noseeum screens over the windows!  You have to be careful about mold and mildew, and the hot tropical sun will limit the life of the vinyl roof and walls even with UV inhibitors.

NP

Thanks. We’ll be flying down to Florida tomorrow to visit family, and one of my missions is to contact a tent/awning company down there, and ask what cover material holds up best. Also I found a great free yurt plan online at;

http://www.yamakaminari.com/HowTo/Yurt/yurt_construction_document.pdf

-but we’re keeping our minds open to any ideas. When we get back from working in Alaska we plan to visit the company Laurel Nest Yurts outside of Asheville, NC. I have a really good feeling about their work, and ethics. You can check them out at;

http://www.laurelnestyurts.com/

Like I said we are very open to ideas. So if anyone wants to share yurt stories, or what you’ve learned please post them , because it would really help.

Hey brother. If you don't make a deck, make sure your floor is built up and tamped down enough. We built ours up with gravel but didn't tamp it so, as time went on, ruts formed at our walking paths. In the near monsoon type rains we experienced last year, these ruts became in inlet for water, especially where there was a seem, sealed with waterproof tape, in the poly. Make sure your poly is wide enough to cover the entire floor in one piece and come at least a couple of inches up your lattice.

Sunforger marine canvas seems to be the best thing for walls. We made a "stemwall" out of poly that was doubled up (there's probably something better for this). We put outdoor carpet over the poly in the floor - an idea we got from the $50 underground house book.

Talk to you soon, M.

hi,
why not a ferrocementyurt?
it last longer,
is typhoonproof,
with a shadowscreen maybe "the" method in florida.

some facts of the net:
The wall thickness of ferrocement constructions lies in general between 10 and 30 mm (3/8 to 1-1/8 inch). Like other applications of cement, a considerable amount of time may be necessary for the material to fully cure and reach its final strength. Curing time is dependent upon the span or application load, and ferrocement can take a month before it is ready for use. As the cement hydrates, it becomes increasingly strong.


With many available types of coverings, from Thatch, Woven Bamboo, Fiberglass Panels, or other preformed panels  and even Gunnite, or Ferro-Cement  Imposed on chicken wire, the cost of a Structure such as this is variable, and the Costs can be Arranged to the Finances of the person/s that will Occupy  the Structure.


http://ferrocement.com/tankBook/indici.en.html

http://www.unhcr.org/49d089a62.html

http://www.geodomehome.com/dome%20plans.pdf

ty
auer

Hi Kinch ~
Did you make it back to Florida?
Husband and I are looking for FL land and thinking a yurt would be a low impact way to live for awhile.
Did you visit the N. Carolina yurt maker?
I was thinking of doing that, since we live in TN now, and they are the closest manufacturer to FL, as far as I know.
Happy summer day!

I'm giving this a bump.

Many people already live, or wish to live in yurts in a wet/humid climate. From England to the Tropics, I'm guessing that many methods are applicable to both regions. The big difference is of course cold winters. Since yurting is very popular in the UK, I want to think the knowledge is already there. What I've found is this;

* Some form of water resistive barrier between the outer liner and the cover (for example Tyvek)
* Avoid the traditional untreated wool insulation used in windy dry Mongolia, instead go for the processed and treated variant if you decide to use wool
* Nylon ropes (if you use cotton-based or horsehair, get new ones every year)
* Treat the wood well and proper
* If you don't raise it from the ground, be mindful of water (perhaps put some work into good drainage)
* A good wood-stove, or even better, a RMH as it dries much of the moisture out from the inside

Feel free to continue the list.

Wondering about;

- The prefect balance between water-proofing/allowing moisture to travel outwards? Some prefer polyvinyl as outer cover, others cotton. Anyone with experience willing to share?
- Any tips when sowing your own canvas? Like general methods, type of seams etc.
- Anyone using a portable foundation?
- As I'm building my own I'm stuck in trying to find suppliers of wool insulation in the EU (or not that far away from it). Anyone know anything? I'm also looking for a good supplier of canvas material (as this is a running cost).

Cheers.


Edit. Perhaps I should have made a new thread named "Yurts in wet/humid climates (necessary measures)" or something.

I'd like to add this: http://thedelmeryurt.blogspot.se/p/canvas-exterior.html She takes you through the sewing process. I've heard good things about Sunforger Marine Canvas.

McCoy, I think ferrocement yurts are a great idea if you are allowed to build one. Such innovation. A local guy here has built several. However I haven't got the opportunity to build one and need to stick to the portable alternative.

Another thing to add. Bamboo seems a lot easier to handle, comes ready to work with, can be relatively cheap and is also lightweight.

Example

I wish I could find it now, but there was a blog where they made "summer sides" for their yurt. They bought a roll of shade cloth the right width for the height of the sides and just made continuous screen sides. They used a tight enough mesh for mosquitoes (didn't have noseums to worry about). It basically turned into a screened gazebo tent for the summer.

That's a great idea. I wonder what would be cooler, to leave the insulation in the walls and roll them up a bit (perhaps cover the opening with a similar shade cloth for bug protection) or do as you described they did. My gut tells me that having the shade cloth for walls would be cooler, but I've also heard that insulation helps keep the heat out. I might try both, as we don't have that many noseums here. Thanks.

DIY AC from a Burning Man thread. Supposed to be good for cooling up to 3000 cubic feet, and with a 105ah battery it can be run a week on low.

I’ve heard that yurts aren’t necessarily the best choice for humid locations, but I think you can definitely still make it work. I would definitely get an insulation kit to go with it. I know that sounds silly when heat and humidity are the issue, but it will help keep the yurt somewhat cooler inside.

I would build a wooden platform to place the yurt on, and have it raised off the ground at least a foot, maybe more if your area is prone to flooding. I’d also suggest doing concrete footings for the vertical supports. It’ll make the whole thing more stable. Having the yurt off of the ground will eliminate water from seeping into the yurt.

I would also add at least three windows for ventilation so that when it’s hot you have the windows and door open to create a cross breeze. A screen door is optional, but if you’re going to need to keep the door open for airflow I’d highly recommend it.

Adding Tyvek (or similar product) was mentioned in an earlier comment. I think that it’s a great idea. It’ll give you a moisture barrier between the covering of the yurt and the yurt frame, which if you’re using wood for the frame would be needed to keep moisture off of the wood.

A wood stove will give you a couple of advantages. It’ll heat the space, give you something to cook on, and keep the inside dry as well. If you run electricity to the yurt you could add a dehumidifier as well. That would probably be a good investment for humid areas and they don’t cost too much.

You may want to research fabrics for covering the yurt, I’m not sure canvas would help or hinder. It does keep rain out when it’s raining on me, I just don’t know about humidity. I bought mine through https://www.simpleterra.com/yurt-kits/ and I’d check with them, they’d probably know more.