There’s a certain romanticism to building your own dream home. Sure, the American dream used to mean Suburban bliss with a manicured yard and the 2 car garage, maybe a second vacation home. For certain folks, this is just a little too boring. Your dream yurt project may have arose out of necessity, conviction, curiosity, daring, or a need to challenge yourself. At Shelter Designs, two of our driving principles are necessity and environmentally friendly design.

One advantage of buying a beautiful Shelter Designs yurt kit is that it is indeed portable. While many folks go on to install all the modern amenities, it is entirely possible to live comfortably in your yurt and then move it at a later date. For those of us that like to have an investment that can adapt with our needs, a yurt can be very appealing.

We often get calls from folks who are looking to move into a new area, and are looking for advice on how to make their yurt dream come true. There are many important considerations. Please see the links below for additional information. This post will be about buying or leasing land.

Buying Land:

Step 1: Put your desired attributes down on a list.

Fresh water, southern exposure, wildlife, good soils, no neighbors, water rights, access to utilities, trees, proximity to town: list all that a ideal piece of land would have. That way when you are out shopping you can check your list, and patiently find that piece of land that is perfect. Better to think it out now! (this could also include the re-sale-ability if your project is short-term)

Step 2: Research!

If you own or are buying land, your yurt plans are limited by the relevant CCR’s, HOA’s, requirements from your county, and your own budget. Finding a local realtor can save you lots of time, as they can request and find out many of these details for you. Having your list of ideal property features (above) will help them to help you find that special place. So will your budget.

Keep in mind that Temporary Membrane structures, not being used as a residence are the easiest type of yurt to permit. If you plan on using your yurt for a business, you may have to beef up your platform to accommodate the added weight of many customers.

Relevant Building Codes

County Building Codes and Regulations

Step 3 : Make a Budget

Budgeting your project is very important! Whether you are securing a bank loan with your current home as collateral, paying as you go over the course of multiple years, or borrowing money from family a budget gives you a plan. Utilities tend to be the 2nd most expensive item when putting in a yurt. (after buying land). It makes sense to locate your project as close to utilities as possible if you plan on having these in your yurt. Use this guide to get started budgeting for your dream yurt or get right to calculating your yurt cost.

Other Considerations:

Yurt Site

Your ideal yurt construction site is flat!  Sure it’s amazing to be cantilevered out above a valley bottom, but your costs will be greater due to more bracing, materials, and hired help to construct and design.  You also will be in the direct sun, and get more wind.  Morning sun and afternoon shade will keep your yurt naturally temperature controlled.

Your ideal yurt site will also:

• allow you to bring in utilities you need
• has easy access for building supplies
• and conforms to limitations (easements, HOA’s, proximity to utilities, etc.)

Check out our Yurt Site Selection for more information on the subject!

LEASING LAND:

If you do not own land, and are looking for a land lease: think ahead! As always, put any agreement you reach in writing. (even if you are friends, indeed: this could save your friendship!) As a “tenant” you have certain rights, which can vary by state. Know those rights, and read your lease agreement carefully.

Important!!! Has the property owner found out if their county will “allow” yurts? Considerations worth adding to your potential lease:

Renters rights

Protection from eviction in winter. Since you are moving a whole home, getting a 2-3 month notice is key, especially in places where snow limits most construction projects for 4-5 months

Utilities

Do these exist already? If you are helping bring in any utilities, will this monetary value be taken off the rent?

Access

Most landlords are required to provide reasonable notice for access to the property. Does this mean the inside of your yurt? Adjacent property?

Maintenance

If you have water access or utilities who is responsible to keep this operational, and make timely repairs? ( for instance who pays/or arranges for snow plowing of your road, or a who arranges to fix a plugged road culvert, and what time-frame will problems be dealt with?)

Agreements

There is a saying “good fences makes good neighbors” Are you allowed to have animals, guests, sublease, or develop gardens, etc.? I imagine the fence is good metaphor for good boundaries. Talking these through beforehand will eliminate so many future problems!!

Insurance

Does the property owner have renters insurance?  Do you?  Fires, floods, and falling trees can be catastrophic.  However many insurance companies do not cover, or know how to insure yurts.  A general umbrella policy could be best.

For Renters

The last tip: make sure that you construct your yurt platform with easily DE-constructed materials. This means using screws instead of nails, log cabin screw for beams, and most likely pier blocks.

If you buy a SIPS platform, this very portable platform is already meant to piece together.  However you will NOT want to apply mastic between your SIPS panel pieces, or on your Bender board.  (Mastic is your industrial strength glue provided with your SIPS panels.)

In the case of your interior Yurt build, again use screws, and always be evaluating how easily something can be dismantled. This portable principle should permeate throughout the whole project.  For example, we have seen folks use corrugated metal roofing for interior framed wall coverings instead of drywall: this made the yurt much easier to later move.

It is tempting to get very excited about your yurt project, and forget all else…… It is worth considering where you will want to be in 5, 10, 15, 30 years. Thinking ahead can inform your project plans greatly. For example: If you know you are going to be building a traditional log cabin eventually, should your make your deck/platform/foundation extra sturdy, to be used eventually for the log cabin area?

If you are renting, but plan on moving in a couple of years, when you find your permanent yurt site/land, do you really want to help pay to drop power for the landlord to a tune of $5,000 each?

The subject of owning and buying land can be very complex and then you have your local building department that can really help or throw a wrench into your building plans.  We have seen customers ask for a list of “yurt” friendly counties.  As you can see, there are simply to many moving pieces to be able to provide such a list.  Our goal in writing these blog posts is to walk you through the yurt building experience as painlessly as possible!

Planning on the proper piece of property for a yurt is similar to buying land for other types of structures, but there are some special things to watch out for. Here are the steps we recommend you consider.

1. Research Your Area

This First step in planning your dream yurt is very important. I have outlined a lot of information for you, but this subject is in no way exhausted. While we get questions about these details on a regular basis, it is the customer’s responsibility to research your own site. Below you will find a list of the most common regulations will likely impact your project. You may also view our yurt site selection guide.

CCR’s, HOA’S, Easements, etc:

CCR’s are usually attached to the deed of the land and are hard to change. Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions control if you can subdivide, where you must give access to neighbors, and in some cases the types of structures or buildings you are allowed to build. Home Owners Associations may have imposed additional restrictions. (on height, type of structures allowed, even if you can have chickens or a garden!) Easements are public/neighborhood access right of ways. It is important to secure legal easements on the property because handshake deals may not hold up in court, and would certainly not transfer with the sale of your land.

Here is a link for more info about restrictions: Understanding CCR’s and other restrictions

County Building Requirements:

As much as possible, make friends with your county building inspector. The building department may be contacted through the County Planning Department, or in rural areas the Fire Dept., and inspections agency may all be in the same Department. You also may need to check with your local Health Department regarding septic or sewer issues. Many counties require a perc. test for septic systems.

For instance, some rural counties have NO building codes. Some counties in CO have been requiring metal roofs due to recent fire risks. Regardless of the building codes required, we ALWAYS strive to build to withstand snow and wind loads for your area. It is usually reassuring for the county to know that your yurt can be Engineered to withstand wind and snow loads. So far, we have not met a site that could not be designed for, and we have build some heavy-duty yurts in some intense snow country, and had our yurts in hurricane areas! The details of what your yurts project will be required to have in terms of snow and wind kit, additional cables and blocking will be determined by your site. Stamped plans can be provided for a separate fee. (in most cases) Shelter Designs works closely with a local engineering firm that is licensed in all 50 states.

If you just need general information, you can say you are looking at buying land and building in the area and need to know the information outlined below. If you are ready to take the plunge, you can describe your project and get a feel for whether the county will work with you. One of the determining factors for the regulations will be the yurt’s intended use.

In general, office and yoga studio spaces along with occasional or temporary use yurts will result in fewer requirements than full-time residences.  

If your yurt will be used for residential purposes, it will also have to meet local regulations for residences (heat source, size and type of openings, egress windows in sleeping areas, etc.). If you are using the yurt for commercial purposes, you may have to meet an additional set of commercial regulations.

Important Questions to Ask Your County Departments:

1. What building requirements are they using?
2. More specifically does your building need to be engineered?
3. Are there any other special requirements?

Are they using the 2009, 2012, or 2015 ICC (International Code Council) codes, or are they still using the UBC (Uniform Building Code)? The two ICC rule books are: the residential IRC (International Residential Code) and the commercial IBC (International Building Code). The IBC is more comprehensive than the IRC and supersedes the IRC in the case of conflict. The building department will base their recommendations/requirements on these codes.

The typical engineering requirements encompass ground snow load, seismic rating, and wind speed. Your building inspector may be willing to work with you to make your yurt dreams happen. The discretion of the code official is written into the code. What we have seen is that most building code officials want to know: is it safe, and efficient.

As a membrane structure, yurts are usually classified in the “alternative structures” category, which has a unique set of code regulations. View our blog regarding relevant building and energy codes.You may also find this International Energy Code useful along with the 2015 IBC requirements.

*** Be aware that engineered plans cost additional time and money and there are usually time delays and permit fees from the county.

2. Will your foundation have additional requirements?

Again, this varies widely. We have seen customers be required to pour concrete slabs at great expense, be directed to pour a footer and tubes, or be allowed to use pier blocks. The intended use will impact this aspect as well. Commercial uses that expect large numbers (yoga studios, seminar space, etc.) may be required to build extra strong foundations to support the additional weight of crowds.

3. What are your Counties’ Energy Code requirements?

By far and away this is the requirement that causes the most consternation. There are a few factors at play here. Some counties will use this requirement to limit or exclude alternative structures such as Tiny homes, trailers, and yurts. The main criteria called out for in most Building Codes is R-Value.

In a nutshell: If your building department requires Energy Code compliance (usually high R values in roof and walls) you have 2 choices:

1. Pay for a Energy code compliance report from a firm, which demonstrates that with our SIPS floor system, thermal pane windows and Arctic Insulation there are typically enough trade-offs to pass
2. Establish that this structure qualifies for an exemption as lined out in the IBC (see link above)

View yurt energy compliance reports to get more information on how to get an Energy Compliance report. In short: Yurts are not insulated like traditional structures, have good U-values, and can pass energy compliance report with trade-off measurements.

****Be aware that an Energy Compliance Report will cost additional time and money!

4. What are the fire-rating requirements (for the insulation and outer fabric)?

All of our fabric come with flame ratings that pass normal building codes. We can provide this information to you if needed.

To summarize Step #1, Once you know what to expect from the county, know what your land limitations are, and feel comfortable with those, proceed to purchase land, leasing, or skip to Step#3 if you already own land!

---