DIY Network

Yurt Home: Marian and Betsy's Build, Part 2 From "Assembly Required" episode DASR-111

Betsy and Marian are in the thick of tacking an unusual project - setting the insulated concrete forms for the foundation of their yurt vacation home.

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	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D
	Figure E

Marian and Betsy's Build

Their friends, John and Chris, help them fill in the forms with concrete and rebar. The couple’s weary foundation crew starts the process with exhaustion and a learning curve. There’s a lot of math involved in a circular design and when one number is fudged, it can turn into a big mistake.

When yurt expert Jim Pelkey arrives onsite, he discovers that the foundation is off and the project is a half-day behind schedule. After readjusting the mud sills, momentum kicks in and under Jim’s leadership, the team of friends installs the floor panels. The long end sets down on the mud sills along the perimeter and the point of the pie on a center support. They secure the floor panels in place with construction adhesive and nails. One by one, the 18-cornered floor takes shape (figure A). With Jim’s trouble shooting, Marian and Betsy’s crew turned the first build day around.

It’s now time for the wall panels (figure B). Normally, these completely framed and finished panels are lifted into place with a crane. Marian and Betsy need to conserve construction costs, so it’s all human strength doing the lifting. Each wall is 200 pounds, so the crew must combine their strength. The numbering system from the factory is the key to a speedy build.

With the wall panels in place, the crew moves on to raising the pedestal for the roof system. Weighing in at close to 300 pounds, the pedestal acts like the hub of a wheel for the entire roof system (figure C). Betsy, Marian and their friends all take hold of the pedestal and prepare to lift. Jim Pelkey tells the crew to use all the momentum they have and push. It’s difficult, but in one swift motion, the crew lifts the pedestal. They go home with high spirits and a sense of pride in their work.

On day three of the build, the yurt kit is starting to look like a home (figure D). The team carefully lifts rafters up the pedestal and bolts them to the center ring. This structural compression ring is the key structural element to the entire yurt (figure E). The force of the beams on the ring, combined with a steel cable that cinches the ends of the beams tight, makes this yurt roof system support strong.

As the shell is completed, the couple realizes how far their friends have pushed themselves to complete the project. There’s a sense of satisfaction after taking part in the process, as their ideas went from blueprint, to shop kit, to a finished home.

RESOURCES :

Oregon Yurtworks, Inc.
1285 Wallis St.
Eugene, OR 97402
Telephone: 1-541-343-5330
Toll Free: 1-800-211-8470
Fax: 1-541-344-0165
Website: www.yurtworks.com

Mujaan
Website: www.mujaan.com