Good ideas tend to stand the test of time and the yurt is no exception, hence the number of modern options on the market. Aurora, Colorado-based Freedom Yurt-Cabins offers its own updated take on the nomadic dwelling, with improvements including energy-efficient windows, a proper front door, and modern insulation. It's available in a number of sizes, with the smallest 217 sq ft (20 sq m) model starting at just under US$12,000.
Freedom Yurt-Cabins comprise a roundwood frame made from Lodgepole pine, and an integrated floor. The walls feature SIPs (structural insulated panels) and fiberglass insulation, offering an R-value (a measure of thermal resistance) of R-9.7. The ceiling, meanwhile, consists of Polyisocyanurate (PIR) rigid foam insulation board, which is rated at R-13.7. The interior features an attractive wooden ceiling which is supported by a lightweight steel roof ring. This is topped by a DuraLast heavy duty vinyl roof and clear acrylic roof dome.
Concrete foundations aren't required, so it can be moved with relative ease – though perhaps not as easily as the Jero – and depending on what size model you go for, it sports two or three Low-E (low thermal emissivity) windows as standard (additional windows can be added at cost). Access is gained by a single insulated steel door.
Freedom Yurt-Cabins can serve as an additional bedroom or workspace, for hosting events, or as a tiny house or cabin. On this note, the firm told us that while it delivers the yurt empty, buyers can have a chat with its in-house designer to help come up with an interior plan which can then be taken to a contractor to realize. The company will also be offering pre-fabricated interior accessories later this year.
The structures are delivered in kit form, and the firm states that it should take a couple of people a weekend to assemble. The 217 sq ft (20 sq m) 12-wall model will set you back $11,995, while the 14-wall 296 sq ft (27 sq m) and 16-wall (35 sq m) units fetch $13,995, and $15,995, respectively.
Source: Freedom Yurt-Cabins
Side windows should be optional. The skylight should allow a complete block of light. No mention of plumbing? Why? Surely that's included along with wiring and the enclosure. Otherwise it's not a cabin, just a room.
We at Freedom Yurt Cabins sell an engineered shell structure for less than $20,000. Obviously the insulation is not comparable to a modern home with a much more hefty price tag. Also, our Yurt Cabin can be assembled and disassembled as many times as needed because of the integration of our insulation into the modular structure. FYI, we do use PIR in our roof, and 2" of foil backed PIR provides the R-13.7 number provided. We offer an option for a 3" PIR roof which would be R-20, and will soon offer a 2" PIR option for our walls. The light from the dome can certainly be blocked completely with a small fixture, and electrical integration into a Yurt Cabin is accomplished with similar ease.
You are comparing our structure's features with those of a far more costly tiny house or cabin. The reality is that most of these features can easily be installed in a Yurt Cabin to make an affordable residence which is engineered from top to bottom.
Perhaps it could be a retreat, a guest room or perhaps a study. It has - IMO - much potential.
Also, may I suggest you look at the paint with NASA-developed, insulating ceramic spheres, now applied to plain old non-insulating paint that they claim kept the heat shield of the space shuttle from burning up. www.hy-tech.com. Might help with the insulation issues JoshBarry pointed out. I used the white membrane paint on the roof and the aluminum reflective paint for concrete in the basement with very measurable and satisfactory results. Use it inside and out, up and down. Reasonably priced, in my opinion.