Whether you are on a budget, need shelter quickly, or want a unique home, I am going to share why you should consider building a yurt on your property.
When my husband, Jonathan, and I bought eight plus acres of prairie land we were thrilled. We had dreamed of owning land, getting out of the city, and growing and raising our own food. There was one major problem, though. There was no house; It was just raw land. So, we could continue to pay the mortgage on our home while we planned and built on our newly purchased piece of land, or we could sell and figure out a quicker option so we could start utilizing the land for gardening and animals.
We soon realized that quicker meant something in the “mobile” or “tiny house” realm. We took several things into consideration before deciding: time constraints, price, safety, and esthetics.
Time Constraints of the build
We needed a housing idea that did not take long to construct. Our friends knew we did not have a lot of money to spare on a rental home and offered us their spare bedroom while we built on our property. We appreciated their generosity but knew we needed to give them their space and privacy back as quickly as possible.
Price of the Build
Whatever we built on the land could not cost too much money. We sold our home and moved in with friends so we would not be paying a mortgage or rent. Our objective was to save money. Most of our savings went to purchase the land. The plan is to build a forever home on the property but to start, we needed a cheaper option so we could get on the land as soon as possible. Ideally, we would love to pay for whatever we do as we go instead of having a mortgage. Will that happen? I do not know. But, for almost the past four years we have not had to pay a mortgage. The saving for the future build is slow going.
Safety of the Build
Since we live in Oklahoma, tornados and high winds had to factor in to our decision making. Jonathan is a licensed plumber and worked on many mobile homes. He was not confident in their security. Now, if a tornado hits any structure, it is not going to be good regardless of what it is, however, you can build with protection against the high winds as much as possible.
Esthetics of the Build
We wanted something that is unique and interesting. If a somewhat temporary structure would be on the property, it might as well look cool. Why not create a fun conversation starter? With these factors in mind, we began brainstorming which led to research. As we investigated our options, we realized one idea not only met our considerations, but it also connected us with a unique adventure we had while living overseas.
Yurt Adventure in China
A year after we were married, we moved to China to do mission work. I will share more about this in a future post. Over the course of our four years there, we made many friends and became very close with a few. One such friend is Kazakh and she invited us to stay with her and her family in the Xinjiang province of China. One day they took us to visit their family in the mountains where they were herding their livestock. It took us half the day to hike to their campsite in the mountains, so we wound up staying the night in their yurt! It is one of our most memorable moments from our time in China.
The family was generous, welcoming, and hospitable. They immediately slaughtered a sheep for our dinner and quickly started cooking over the fire.
The ladies showed us how to milk their cows.
They took us on a walk to take in the beautiful view of the valley below and even shared extra clothes with us as the sun went down and the temperatures dropped.
We ate a delicious meal of lamb and onions and once we went inside for the night, they pulled the fire in to keep us warm.
They had a platform with bedding where we all laid down in a row as they covered us with additional bedding. We were warm and cozy through the night and woke up to the beautiful sunrise over the mountains as they pulled back the yurt door. It truly was an unforgettable trip!
So, What is a Yurt?
As of late, yurts have become more popular especially in the pacific northwest and at “glamping” sites. Traditionally, yurts are the homes created and used by the Mongolians of China but are used among many nomadic groups. A yurt is constructed in a way to be safe, provide protection from the elements, and yet easily moved to the next area for their animals. It is round in structure with fabric wrapped around lattice walls. The ceiling is a dome style that allows for a chimney to extend through to provide warmth for the dwelling.
How The Yurt Fit Our Considerations
Time Constraints of Building the Yurt
Obviously, this one will vary for others based on several factors.
- The weather where you live
- How many people are working on the project
- Available time to work on the project
- Material availability
- Yurt company’s time frame
For us, we started building the platform in August and moved in the first week of November. Now, we did move in while it was off grid and slowly worked towards being fully on grid while we lived in the yurt. Jonathan was a full-time plumber at the time so most of the work got done on the weekends and in the evenings. Prior to August, we had several weeks of dirt work done on the property but if you are ready to go, this will not be a factor. We purchased the yurt in April before we ever moved and we received it on our property in October, though it was ready sooner.
Price of building the Yurt
We purchased our 30-foot diameter (706 sq. ft.) yurt in the Spring of 2021 and spent $24,215.00. We worked with Shelter Design Yurts in Montana and highly recommend them. This price included the lattice walls, the insulation, fabric walls, fabric ceiling, dome and ring, rafters, snow and wind package (studs and cable tie down), french doors, side door, real window, four fabric windows, and all the hardware. Each yurt has customizations that you can choose according to your budget. After living in our yurt for several years, there are things we would do differently, and I will write about that in a future post. This same yurt today would cost around $31,400.
We spent $2,500.00 to ship the yurt to our property from Montana.
We spent about $8,000 building the platform for the yurt. Then, of course, there were costs to add utilities but that would be true for any home we chose as the land we purchased had no utilities at the time.
In 2025, A mobile home in our area for the same square footage is averaging around $50,000-60,000.00 with delivery included.
Tiny homes have a wide range of prices based on what you get and whether you build your own or buy one already built.
While the cost of the yurt was not chump change, it was something we could pay for out right that fit our other considerations.
Safety of Living in the Yurt
We did a lot of research on yurts and realized they are great at standing up to high winds. It is all about geometry. The shapes that design the yurt are suitable for dispersing the wind. Since it is round, the wind does not hit the structure straight on but instead wraps around the yurt therefore offsetting the direct pressure. We read stories of yurts withstanding over 120 mph hurricane winds in Florida. Personally, we delt with 100 mph straight line winds one summer and it held up just fine. We cannot say the same about our garage door for our shop or our neighbor’s metal building down the road.
Esthetics of the Yurt
While yurts are more popular now, they are still few and far between in much of the country. Even if camp sites have them to rent, they are not commonly seen on a person’s daily route. They are a beautiful addition to a property that adds to the environment instead of detracting from it. People always ask questions about it or comment on our “cool” house.
A yurt was a great decision when it came to building a shelter on our property and could be for you, too! It does not take a lot of time to build and is reasonably priced. It can be used as full-time housing or as extra space for guests or an office. As with anything there are always pros and cons and I will post all those things in a later post, but we do not regret our decision to build the yurt.
Comment below with any questions you may have or experiences in a yurt you would like to share. Also, make sure to subscribe so you can be notified of future posts!
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