Posted by Jennie Redwine on Wed, Apr 28, 2010
written by Colorado Yurt Owner Michael Drummy
In April 2007 we purchased about 15 acres in rural, picturesque northern New Mexico – “O’Keeffe Country” its called because the painter Georgia O’Keeffe lived there for the second half of her life. At first we were grateful just to be able to spend time there – but tent camping soon got old. After buying the property outright we didn’t have the means to build anything very expensive down there. My wife and I had spent a few winter nights in a CYC yurt in the Never Summer Mountains of north central Colorado some years back and really enjoyed the experience. So we thought – what about a yurt? After looking into it and being amazed at how affordable it was, we purchased a 20’ yurt with all the bells and whistles in the spring of 2008.
We erected our yurt in early September 2008 after hiring some locals to build our deck earlier that summer. And they did a great job – its well-built and reliable. Besides my wife and myself, there were three others who helped with the the yurt-raising – our 21 year-old son and my father-in-law and his wife. Once the materials were delivered it took us about 3 full days and we had an airy, cozy, and utterly unique space filled with light and possibility. It was truly a memorable few days – loads of fun and laughs and a great sense of accomplishment. Here is a picture of our son Bill tying up the protective sheet for the roof.
In the past year and a half we’ve made it more our own. We’ve installed a 40-watt DIY solar system, a composting toilet, and ventless propane heaters. We have a little kitchen area, a big convertible dining table, the de rigueur futon, several rugs, and we even created a space to hang and store our clothes. It feels roomy and cozy at the same time. We are completely off the grid, but we’re able to run laptops, watch DVDs, charge cell phones, and run the nearly silent exhaust fan for the toilet. By adjusting the windows, dome, heaters, roll-up wall, and a simple tower fan we can regulate the temperature in the yurt to make it comfortable year-round. Opening the windows from the
outside took a little getting used to, but once we did we began to enjoy it. Spending time in a yurt you are much closer to the elements and to the natural cycle of things. We’ve been there during pretty severe snow-and thunderstorms as well as spring days when the dry wind can be unrelenting. The yurt has withstood everything and we are absolutely thrilled with it.
Watch a video about a yurt in the mountains of Durango Colorado surrounded by hand crafted musical instruments.
Posted by Heather Martin on Tue, Mar 23, 2010
Former State Senator Jim Isgar presents a symbolic check for $13,071 to the Colorado Yurt Company
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Renewable Energy Program for Small Rural Businesses is offering grant monies to offset up to 25% of your overall project cost. Last summer, the Colorado Yurt Company submitted a grant application and four months later we received a call from our local USDA office congratulating us on our nomination for the award! Our project: a 5kw Solar Photovoltaic System to be installed on the rooftop of our existing yurt and tipi manufacturing facilities. The $13,000 grant will help us shed 27% of our energy usage.
How to Write a Successful USDA Grant
1. Attend grant writing workshops offered - USDA holds workshops in many locations, making it easy for you to attend one that literally walks you through the process.
2. Get to know your local grant office and use their assistance - USDA Area Director Pattie Snidow and Area Rural Development Technician Dan Hays from the office in Delta proved to be a wealth of assistance, even meeting me to walk through our grant application package page-by-page.
3. Submit early - If the granting agency will allow your early submission for feedback and recommended changes, use it!
4. Be very, very organized - If your grant application requires a hardcopy submission, put it in a binder with tabs and be sure it's organized to the "n"th degree. Don't add anything that the application doesn't ask for.
5. Use photos, but don't overdo it - Photos should be of high quality, should carry lots of white space with a short description, and should be completely relevant and well-organized within your application
6. Don't miss crossing a single "T" or dotting a single "I" - With spell and grammar checks available within your Word Office software, and the ability to have multiple sets of eyes read through it (again and again - including your own), there's no excuse!
7. Ask questions, assume nothing - If you don't quite understand what's being asked of you in the application, call your local representative and ask. But be sure you've done your homework because asking questions that are easily answered without their assistance can send the wrong message
8. Use someone else's expertise when necessary - Don't expect to be the expert at everything. The local company that was ultimately selected as our solar provider for this project, Alternative Power Enterprises, Inc., was a key player in our grant application.
Granting agencies often make the application process easier than ever by offering application documents and instructions that can be filled out on-line and the capability to print your entire application when you're done to mail in. Some can even be submitted on-line. Even further, previous grant awardees are typically posted so you can see what's been successful.
The photovoltaic system at Colorado Yurt Company will be installed by Alternative Power Enterprises