DYY (Do Your Yurt)

Yurts run the gamut from DIY (do-it-yourself) to pre-fab.  Most people who live in a yurt purchased a kit from a professional company. Recently though, I was looking at some pictures from a Colorado Yurt Company customer when hit me: all yurts, to varying degrees, are do-it-yourself.  While some of our customers contract out bits and pieces in and around their yurt (e.g. site preparation and deck) the vast majority play a large role in giving shape to their yurt. Each customer builds a unique yurt; we just facilitate. Take the case of Samantha Swenson and Duncan Masters.

Envisioning

The first step in the building process for the Swenson-Masters began with a stroll across their land in eastern North Carolina. When they imagined a home there, they saw a yurt.

 

 

Samantha says their love of reading guided their use of space in the yurt. Between the newlyweds’ two collections there were a lot of books.  Samantha says, “We figured out all the possible places to put shelves and then added everything else.”  Using the bookshelves as functional walls, they divided the big yurt into quarters: the kitchen, the living room, the bedroom, and the office/craft area and future nursery.

 

 

 

Luxury

Moving into a yurt was obviously a step into an “alternative” lifestyle but not as much as you might assume.  In Samantha’s words,

"We are still interested in maintaining a relatively average lifestyle inside eccentric surroundings, finding balance between being eco-friendly and being your average active working individuals who love high-speed internet and crime drama TV shows..."

 

 

 

In addition to crime TV they love having people over.  They left the front half of their yurt, the kitchen and living room open and inviting, while moving the clutter of everyday life to the back of the yurt.


Designing the Kitchen
For their kitchen they decided on IKEA’s Varde series, which appealed to them ascetically and because it’s freestanding.  The counter space is movable and the table expands. 

 

 

Another wonderful thing about this yurt is that it is handicap accessible.

Like all great homes, the Swenson-Master’s is a work in progress.  They are currently adding a loft to the big yurt for Samantha’s craft projects.  By the time their baby-to-be is school age they hope to add another yurt to the mix.  

Some folks are more hands-off in their approach to designing their yurt than these guys, others do more. Regardless of where you fall on the DIY to Pre and Post-Fab continuum, the decision to live in a yurt is the decision to live in house that reflects you.  The round space and flood of natural light provide an inspiring place to build a your unique home.
 
Get started designing your yurt with our "Color Your Yurt" tool!

 

Yurt as Community Center

One stormy spring evening a few weeks ago, our display yurt played host to economic development officers from across Colorado.  Sandy Head, of the Montrose Economic Development Corporation, worked to bring her colleagues from around the state to Montrose for an evening of mingling, food, and wine. 

We were still glowing from being selected as one of the "50 Colorado Companies to Watch"; so, needless to say, we were pleased to have members of the selection committee with us in the yurt. 

 

 

 

As people ducked out of the harsh wind they smiled at the immediate calm of the yurt.  I watched folks move around the space.  They examined the lattice and rafters, and then moved toward the center where they began introducting themselves.  The space was abuzz with conversation.  People were asking each other questions about the yurt, "What do yurts cost?" "Where do they come from?"

The room was primed by the time I took the floor to give a bit of history about the company and our products.  The boisterous group could barely hold back questions. "Why Yurts?" "Because we believe that their circular structure and inherent closeness to nature lends itself to powerful and positive human interaction."  The party around us was proof enough and people nodded appreciatively; as they did when they found out how much a yurts costs.  

 

 

I demonstrate the compression/tension system

 

After I finished speaking, local chef Anthony Damiano announced dinner and explained his upcoming restaurant and culinary school project.  As the storm raged, the group tucked into a heartily sumptuous meal. They ate and drank well into the night. 

With over thirty of our state's movers and shakers nestled into the yurt, the structure was serving one of its original, intended functions: a gathering place where community members come together, share ideas and have a good time. Plus, as guest after guest exclaimed that they or someone they know absolutely needs a yurt, I realized that the best testimonial for yurts is a yurt. 

Find out where you can book a yurt for your next community function...

 

Susan Lange of Sweetwater Watsu Practices in her Yurt!

I love my yurt! It is a beautiful structure that evokes a kind of special magical feeling.

Last spring, I erected a 24 foot yurt in Evergreen Colorado, to house my 15 foot therapy pool.

 

 

 

 

I use the pool to give Watsu sessions to my clients. Watsu is a kind of water therapy that combines Shiatsu with water. I float people in a pool of warm water. I support their bodies while I move them through the water giving them gentle stretches and twists. It is both relaxing and rejuvenating. In July of 2009, I opened for business as Sweetwater Watsu.

 

 

 

 

When I was getting ready to establish my Watsu practice, I looked at a variety of structures that would work as a housing for my therapy pool. I chose to erect a yurt because I loved the round shape. I am so glad that I made that choice. The interior of the yurt is incredibly beautiful with the ceiling pattern of beams radiating out from a central dome. And the clear ceiling dome provides a view of the blue Colorado sky.

 

 

 

 

When people first step through the door of my yurt, their eyes light up when they see the inside of the structure. They frequently comment on the beauty of my space. As I work with my clients, the yurt lends to the calm feeling of healing energy. When people lay back in the warm water of my pool, they look up at the clear dome surrounded by radiating beams. It is a beautiful sight. My clients frequently comment on the shape of the yurt and the wonderful feeling they get when receiving a Watsu in the warm water inside of the peaceful yurt. It seems magical. The shape and energy of the yurt definitely lend to my Watsu practice.

For more information about my yurt or my Watsu practice, visit http://sweetwaterwatsu.com or become a fan of Sweetwater Watsu on Facebook.

Susan Lange
Sweetwater Watsu
http://sweetwaterwatsu.com
303-638-9843

 

Haiti Tent Update:

     Since our first donation of five tents to volunteer aid doctors, we've built eight more and given them to organizations taking them to Haiti!  (Read more about tents below.)

So far, we've received donations covering the costs of five tents! 

We'd love to receive some more donations to cover our costs, and keep on making and sending tents.

Four of our new tents went to the Colorado Haiti Project and four went to Fireside International. Fireside's tents are going to educators made homeless by Haiti's earthquate, who are working to get schools up and running again. 

Partners in Health is also in desperate need of tents.  If we can build more we will be sending some to them. 

We've streamlined our donation process and opened up a new channel for donations:

You can now make checks out to Colorado Haiti Project.         

Send checks to: Colorado Yurt Company/ 28 W. South 4th St./ Montrose, CO 81401

• We'll forward your donations on to the Colorado Haiti Project
• They'll send you a receipt for tax-deduction (please include contact info so that they can do so.) 
  
• If you'd like to donate online with a credit card please see previous post, send me an email or call me (Sam) at (970) 240-2111.

As an added bonus, author Becky Kemery and Gibbs Smith, Publisher are giving the beautiful book Yurts: Living in the Round, $25 value, to our first 15 donors who give $100 or more. 

Check out some photos and a video of the tents: 

 

 

Out new tents include:

• Durable, waterproof roof.
• Light weight privacy walls. 
• Bug-proof screen walls. 
• Waterproof floor.
• A bag for easy carrying and shipping.

When in the bag the tent is acceptable as checked-luggage on commercial airlines.  The bag is 48 inches long, 15 inches in diameter, and, with the tent and accessories, weighs 47 pounds.

We appreciate your help in getting more tents to Haiti!

 

 

More Tents to Haiti! Wanna Help?

Hello,

When the earthquake hit Haiti we, like much of the world, wondered what we could do. It was a relief when we found a small way to help by donating tents made in our shop. After I wrote about the experience of sending five tents down with a group of doctors, I was amazed to find that you too wanted to help in our efforts.

We finally found a way to get more tents to Haiti efficiently and to make your donations tax-deductible. We’ve partnered with an organization called Fireside International. They were operating in Haiti before the earthquake and have a wide network of friends down there.

• How You Can Help – Donate to Fireside International and earmark the funds for Colorado Yurt Tents by emailing arrenner@firesideinternational.org, the accountant at Fireside. Checks can be sent to: The Caribbean Institute of Media Technologies, 3203 Grassy Lane, Anderson, IN 46012. Earmark by writing Colorado Yurt Tents in the memo section of your check. $420 will buy a tent. Donate more or less as you can afford. 
• What Colorado Yurt Will Do – We’ll make eight tents at a time which maximizes the efficiency of our materials and production. The tents would normally retail for $650. The difference represents our donation.
• What Fireside International Will Do – Connect the tents with experienced aid workers who will hand-deliver them to Haitians in need.

 The 1st in our fresh batch of tents (now with built-in floor)

As the quake gets further away, aid into Haiti is dropping off but need is actually increacing.  Haiti is a mere two weeks away from its rainy season.  This means not only that over a million newly displaced Haitians will be exposed to the elements but also that they will face increased risk of contracting disease.  You don't need me to tell you how bad it is down there. 

 

Photo by UNICEF Sverige

What we're doing is modest but, we think, worth it.  Your donation will buy something real (a tent) and a family will have a place to stay for as long as they need.  The tents are about 7ft by 7ft by 7ft tall at the highest point.  They are made with care and constructed from high quality, waterproof materials. 

We are paying our employees their normal wages so your donation also goes to support local, USA business.

Thank you for your help,

Sam Kigar

sam@coloradoyurt.com

(970) 240-2111