yurt plan

[onionizer]

Hi,
I'm searching for plans for a yurt.. Not the tent version..
Its for a mate I'm trying to help out.
Does anyone have any suggestions?? :)
cheers

[bitingmidge]

Yurts and/or Gers are traditionally tents, except for a few round timber structures which don't seem to count historically.

I guess you could build a round building and call it a yurt, but I don't think that would make it one, and you'd need to build it differently anyway to meet Aus Building Codes. And it'd be a bit hard to lift the outer skin to get through ventilation. :wink:

Here's one "interpretation".
http://www.geolitesystems.com/plans.html These are described as yurt-like cabins, but as far as I can see the only yurt-like thing about them is... well I can't see anything yurt-like actually!

Gers are an amazingly clever construction, there's a full description here:
http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/articles/yurt/
Or try http://www.yurtinfo.org/ for more history and some dead links to some plans.

If you would like to see some pics of the whole process, I documented the dismantling and re-erection of a Mongolian Ger a couple of years ago, and have enough to describe same, I'll post them here if there's any interest, but it'll probably take a day or so to process the pics.

Cheers,

P

[bitingmidge]

or you can get a real one here:
http://www.mongolyurt.mn/

(Cheaper if you buy one in Ulaanbaatar though)


:D :D :D
P

[Grunt]

Midge, when I first saw this post, I thought that you'd be the one to ask.

[Cliff Rogers]

Midge, when I first saw this post, I thought that you'd be the one to ask.
Because he posted a picture of the inside of one from his trip to whoop whopp?

[bitingmidge]

No, because there's nothing like sleeping with a fire in the centre of your ger, with the snow falling outside, the smell of mutton all around, and the odd whiff of wet camel from the felt insulation!!!

They are simply the cleverest structures on earth I reckon. The guys dismantled and re-erected one in around half an hour, try doing that with your triple fronted brick veneer!

Damn and blast! OK I'll do the photo thing! I'm not doing anything tonight anyway!

Cheers,

P
:D

[bitingmidge]

How to build your ger. Note, there is a ton of information out there, please use that if you are researching something serious, this is a "tourist" report so I won't have covered all the detail! :wink:

Part 1.

At the end of a hard day milking the horses (pic 1) there's nothing like a nice homely ger to put your feet up in. No, I'm not being facetious, the structure of the ger, and the weather proofing has been developed over millenia, and it's pretty darned comfortable.

Ghengis even had one on a wagon, the first caravan perhaps.

Pic 2 is inside the ger of a nomadic family of four. Typically internally there's a stove in the middle for cooking and heating, an opening in the centre which has a flap that can be drawn around the flue in bad weather, or opened entirely to let hot air out in summer. Note the irons on the stove ready for action, and the floor rugs on the walls for decoration and further insulation.

When it's really warm, the felt around the bottom foot or so is lifted, so any breeze flows straight through.

Pic 3
The base structure comprises a door unit, which remains in one piece, and lattice "walls" which are simply bent around to the required distance. Logically, the ger size is determined by the number of lattice panels. Now this doesn't look too structural does it? Well see the strap at about door head height? That's tightened to create effectively a tensioned "ring" beam round the perimeter to withstand the sideways force of the roof structure.

Pic 4
The lattice has little notchy bits in the top, and the roof "rafters" a bit of string loop, which simply slots over the notch. Gravity makes the rafters want to move outwards, the string stops them, transferring the force onto the lattice, which in turn is held in place by the strap! Fantastic!

The lattice itself is held together by horse leather thongs, knotted through holes in each intersecting bit.

Pic 5
The centre ring beam has all the rafters morticed in to it. Because of the ripper tensionstrap system round the perimeter, they aren't going anywhere!
Two posts are all that's required to hold up the whole shooting match.

[Gra]

So midge, were did you stay? Might have to dig up my photos...:2tsup::2tsup:

Have to agree with you they are very comfortable. Was considering bringing one back for our family camping trips (We only stay in one place). Would freak out the caravan park people:U

[bitingmidge]

Pic 1 Detail of the Carving on the ring beam/ rafter ends

Pic 2 Doorway unit (with rafter in the foreground) and of course Suki! :D

Pic 3 Trev the Pommie builder, as enthralled as I was with the sophistication of the thing, and with the speed of it all. Trev moonlights as Fez Townsend of the Rinky Dinks (http://www.myspace.com/therinkydinks) when he's not in Mongolia. :wink:

Note that the loop always (logically) hooks around the INSIDE lattice piece to avoid tension on the joints.

Pic 4 The whole frame in one piece. This particular ger is in a tourist camp so has a rather artificial timber floor structure! (It was a lot easier to dismantle an almost empty space than to disrupt a family by pulling their house apart for sport.)

You can get an idea of how the strap at the top is working in this pic.

Pic 5.

While this is all happening there's half a sheep and a few gibbers boiling away for dinner down there. The recipe is an old Australian one that's often used for cooking galah! :wink:

[bitingmidge]

So midge, were did you stay? Might have to dig up my photos...:2tsup::2tsup:

Have to agree with you they are very comfortable. Was considering bringing one back for our family camping trips (We only stay in one place). Would freak out the caravan park people:U

I'm sure you're not alone Gra, we thought the same. Would be fantastic anywhere really. We travelled a bit, but these pics are in a national park on the well worn tourist route. Trev and I spent a lot of time playing with the structures. Sucked us right in they did!

Cheers,

P

[Gra]

I'm sure you're not alone Gra, we thought the same. Would be fantastic anywhere really. We travelled a bit, but these pics are in a national park on the well worn tourist route. Trev and I spent a lot of time playing with the structures. Sucked us right in they did!

Cheers,

P

Sounds all to familiar. We did the same thing. Spent a week up in the national park. only people in the group of Ger's. no-one else for miles it was an amazing experience. Really need to do it again. Even UB blew our minds, just the strange mixture of architecture (Sorry to hijack the thread, but never met someone else who had been)

[Cliff Rogers]

Where do they get the red paint?

[bitingmidge]

Pic 1
The first layer of felt goes on, usually camel or horsehair. The number of layers depends on the season.

Pic 2
Here's a complete view of the structure, ready to be skinned. Door in place, and what appears to be one rafter spare! :oo:

Pic 3
All the felt on. The door looks low (because it is) but the ceiling rises steeply and there's more than enough standing headroom inside.

Pic 4
An ancient Mongolian secret waterproofing membrane goes on over the felt, or sometimes clear plastic does just as good a job!

Pic 5
Canvas over the top, and two straps to keep it all snug. The bottom strap also marks the line where the walls get turned up in summer.

[bitingmidge]

Where do they get the red paint?
Well for starters there's
NeiMongol, China Mengxi High-Tech Industrial Park, Erdos City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region

Or I s'pose they go down to Bunney Khan's market on the edge of the Gobi?

Cheers,

P
:D

[bitingmidge]

So here's the next morning, outside temp about minus 5°, but we're happy.

And a gratuitous ger in the paddock scene.

As Gra said, Mongolia is just the bestest place in the world to visit, an extraordinarily poor country full of extraordinary people who have true wealth not born of consumerism!

I don't think there's such a thing as one visit there though, so be warned.

Oh! onionizer, sorry I've not answered your question, but I've had a lovely night dragging out the photos anyway, and I've found someone to swap lies with to boot!

cheers,

P

[Andy Mac]

Hi BM,
Fascinating stuff, and I can understand your passion for them ,as they haven't left anything out of the equation. I'm a bit confused about the floor though, is that timber-sided dias already in situ?? Or do they transport that too?

Thanks for sharing the pics,

[bitingmidge]

Andy,

The timber floor is just an innovation for the tourist camp, makes for a scenic location further up the hill. Normally they are built on flat ground as per the previous photo, with felt and lino flooring keeping the moisture out. Although in Mongolia moisture isn't too much of a problem!

The tourist camp setup is a bit like our caravan park, with a common ablution block somewhere on the grounds, but with a LOT more space between the tents :D and the gers often elevated in the middle of what is really wonderful country. So the permanent floor is not typical.

Oh, those Mongolians know how to make mountains too, I think that's where Disney got all his ideas.

Cheers,

P
:D

[Gra]

Might have to find my albums and join in the Ger fest...:U

Hay have we answered the guys question yet???

[bitingmidge]

Hay have we answered the guys question yet???
Yep, first and second post! :wink:

Onionizer, do you need more info?

cheers,

P

[TEEJAY]

Trev the pommi builder's yurt must be the backpackers special. Never seen one that small before :)

Aaaahhh Mr Midge reminiscing again - when ya goin??

[bitingmidge]

Trev the pommi builder's yurt must be the backpackers special. Never seen one that small before :)

That's why the guys picked it to dismantle for us! :wink: It was actually the staff accomodation at the tourist camp! I can't emphasise how proud those blokes were of their country and their life or to what extent they'd go to to answer a simple question, like "can we pull one of these things apart please".!


Aaaahhh Mr Midge reminiscing again - when ya goin??

October. :D

P
:D :D :D

[bitingmidge]

http://www.cco.net/~str8jkt/yurt.html


The best link I've found this lunch time for a modern gert construction so far. For lots of reasons, I haven't bothered posting ones with solid walls and aluminium windows, which I figure are gazebo's anyway. :wink:

Cheers,

P
:D :D :D

[onionizer]

HI remember me??:D
Thanks for the info so far , haven't quite had a chance to really go into it , but I will this evening.
Basically, my mate wants to build a 'yurt' and is trying to get plans for DA etc, ..
I'll haver a proper look at all the links tonight.
Thanks again

[Grunt]

We must of used Yurts in Australia at some point. After all the national anthem has

'Our home is yurt by sea.'



The yurt has some appeal to me. I've been wanting to build a circular movable chicken coop (a chicken tractor) for a while now. I just want it about 2m in diameter. Mmmm. Liking this.

Chris

[Gra]

We must of used Yurts in Australia at some point. After all the national anthem has

'Our home is yurt by sea.'



The yurt has some appeal to me. I've been wanting to build a circular movable chicken coop (a chicken tractor) for a while now. I just want it about 2m in diameter. Mmmm. Liking this.

Chris

What about a small Geo dome?

[derekh]

Have a look here http://www.greywater.com.au/yurts/yurtmenu.htm and based in Brisbane.

There is also a Yurt place outside of Goulburn, NSW, Yurt Works http://yurtworks.com.au/

cheers

[TEEJAY]

That's why the guys picked it to dismantle for us! :wink: It was actually the staff accomodation at the tourist camp! I can't emphasise how proud those blokes were of their country and their life or to what extent they'd go to to answer a simple question, like "can we pull one of these things apart please".!



October. :D

P
:D :D :D


We had better drop by before you go :D - see you soon :wink:

[onionizer]

Thanks BM and all for all the info, I'm a pommie too and before moving here I understood the 'yurt' to be the mongolian tent jobbie. I lived with a couple of people in Holland who had a workshop and they built Yurts in this huge warehouse. Fascinating to watch.
My mate wants to build a scabin like structure like the ones in all the links that got posted up.
I reckon we are well on the way now with all these links!!!!!
Good stuff and interesting reading
cheers:)