Yurt Uses For Off-Grid Yurt Homes to Commercial Properties
Explore Yurt Use Cases
What Are the Most Common Yurt Use Cases?
You might ask yourself “should I build a yurt?” And the answer is “of course”! Over the years we have worked with an incredibly diverse range of clients around the world.
Modern yurts for sale are no longer just “alternative” structures; they are high-performance, circular dwellings designed for versatility, sustainability, and durability. Because they offer a low-cost, low-maintenance alternative to traditional construction, they are the premier choice for off-grid living, secondary and temporary homes, commercial hospitality, and so much more.
Off-Grid Yurt Enthusiasts
For those seeking a sustainable, off-grid lifestyle, yurts provide a low-impact dwelling that blends ancient nomadic architecture with modern engineering. Natural airflow and high-efficiency insulation packages (like our Arctic Insulation) make these ideal for remote locations while minimal footprint allows for responsible construction without major disruption of natural landscapes.
Best Model: The Eco Yurt, featuring hand-finished, locally sourced lodgepole pine.
Affordable Housing & Temporary Homes
Yurts serve as a cost-effective temporary home while building a permanent residence. Instead of losing equity in a rental, homeowners invest in a portable asset they can later repurpose. Once your primary home is finished, the yurt transitions seamlessly into a backyard office, art studio, or guest house (ADU).
Best Model: The Big Sky Yurt (24′ to 40′ sizes) for maximum livable square footage.
Commercial Uses: Short/Long-Term Rentals & More
For the short-term rental entrepreneur, yurts offer a unique experience than standard hotel rooms or cabins. Beyond glamping, our engineered structures have been used as ski resort warming huts, employee housing, yoga studios, commercial retail spaces and much more.
Best Model: Custom-engineered Big Sky Yurts with all of our standard features in various sizes.
Personal Yurts
From full time residences to guest housing, offices to backyard play spaces, Shelter Designs yurts can be used for a wide variety of personal uses to meet your needs.
Commercial Yurts
We have seen yurts used widely as commercial businesses like retail business, yoga retreats, and more. They are incredibly economical rental units for Air BnB’s, resorts, retreat centers and campgrounds.
Glamping Yurts
Yurts are the perfect solution for your vacation glamping retreat or even a commercial rental property!
Discover Real Yurt Use Cases
The folks at Shelter Designs were great to work with throughout the whole process. The yurt assembly went well with no surprises, it is truly a quality product. We use it as a restaurant here at our ski area and the guests love it. We look forward to many years of use and would definitely buy another one.Jeff Schmidt, General Manager Red Lodge Mountain
The yurt worked fabulously last fall for our field project. The public and our crews really enjoyed the new space, and it functioned perfectly. We are looking forward to next season and having the yurt set up from the beginning. Thanks again!Greg, Idaho Bird Observatory, Boise State University
We ordered three 20 foot yurts from Shelter Designs to use at our summer camp for camper housing units to replace our aging cabins. These yurts greatly exceeded our expectations for craftsmanship and the ease of assembly. They look great and have been well received by our guests. We comfortably can fit 5 bunk beds in each yurt so we can put a full cabin group of 10 kids in each one. We went with the big 8 foot screen openings and a couple windows that overlook the lake so the views through the walls are spectacular. We had a boy scout take on the assembly of one of the yurts as his Eagle project. With no previous experience other than watching the video, he was able to assemble the entire yurt with 5 other youth in about 6 hours. We couldn’t be more pleased with the Shelter Designs Yurts.
Steve Meyer, Camp Lutherhaven, Couer d’ Alene, Idaho
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