High Desert New Mexico Yurt
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.