
Do It Yurtself - NaOH
https://imgur.com/t/staff_picks/VemXvh0
======
starpilot
Some terrible, hyper-critical comments so far. A 3d-printed concrete cube with
a fridge full of Soylent would be vastly more efficient for productive
techies. Can't we just admit that this is an incredibly creative hybrid of old
& new. The end result is breathtaking.

~~~
karlp
But the problem is this is not DIY, it's professional work, the word is being
abused for some purpose.

> He has a do it yurtself website w/ all the fancy content, presumably he's
> planning on selling that.

Not surprised

~~~
broahmed
I don't think it's being abused at all. If you have the time, finances, and
willingness to learn how to do it, you can DIY. I think the same goes for most
DIY projects.

The guy who put together this yurt is also the same guy who converted a van to
a camper van (link was on Hacker News a while back:
[http://thevanual.com/](http://thevanual.com/)). I recall he had next-to-
nothing in construction experience.

~~~
iamtheworstdev
Complete with insulation instructions that will cause mold growth.

~~~
whimwell
Ah yes! That insulation! I definitely learned my lesson afterwards from the s
__*storm that ensued. Maybe there will be a vanual 2.0 in the future that
resolves these issues, but at the very least, Id like to make some edits to
correct that info on the current site.

~~~
iamtheworstdev
You should look into that. You definitely present that site like "i know what
I'm doing and this is good information."

------
jokoon
I'm more curious about the state of that yurt in 5, 10, 15 years. Heating,
humidity, insulation, energy bill, insects, hygiene, maintaining the toilet
and the hygiene issues that come with it.

Building codes don't exist without good reasons. Health and comfort don't
happen by snapping finger at good ideas. I would really be interesting if
construction engineers seriously studied yurts.

I have to say this looks pretty nice and it's pretty cheap, but humans did not
start building with hard materials without good reasons. Even without fossil
energy, humans still started to use stone, cement, etc.

I guess brick has a very long lifespan, it's worth the time spent, but I don't
know if it's cheap.

~~~
aurbano
Absolutely, I have done no research on this but on his website [1] he claims:

> Strength: The fundamental principles of a yurt’s design creates a structure
> that is surprisingly strong. The compression and tension of the walls and
> roof can hold thousands of pounds of weight from the snow. The round shape
> allows high winds to be diverted gracefully around the structure. Unlike a
> normal house, a yurt doesn’t rely on rigidity to be stable. Because of its
> flexible nature, a yurt can better withstand natural disasters like
> earthquakes.

So maybe it's true and they are actually sturdier than it seems?

[1] [https://doityurtself.com/is-it-for-you/](https://doityurtself.com/is-it-
for-you/) (scroll down to "The positives of yurts")

~~~
mikeg8
I think from a structural engineering perspective, yurts are strong for their
weight/materials but most construction failures don’t involve a structure
falling, it’s matrierials/joint failure from water/UV exposure and
penetrations. Yurts were developed to be semi-permanent structures for nomadic
peoples. I would not expect them to last more than 15-20 years because of the
toll the water and sun will take on their “cheap” materials and simple
construction methods.

~~~
whimwell
You’re not wrong per se, but the polyvinyl fabric roof or wall on a yurt can
be replaced in a matter of hours for a relatively reasonable price. If you
have to do that every 15 years, I think you’re doing pretty well.

------
cwkoss
Wow, imgur has really ramped up the ads and user hostile UX, I wonder if they
are going broke.

~~~
y7
It's especially ironic taking into account how imgur came to be: as a simple
image hosting website for reddit without ads/fluff. Now it's the polar
opposite.

~~~
codetrotter
Still, Imgur is vastly superior to the old image hosting sites. Even though
the redirects and low resolution images on mobile are annoying.

They serve _a lot_ of traffic, and the bandwidth expenses are probably quite
big.

~~~
Nux
I also find it much faster than Reddit's own image/video hosting.

------
dewey
Looks a bit more optimized for Instagram aesthetics than being practical [1].
It seems like it would get pretty warm in there especially with the bed being
at the highest point of the whole yurt.

[1]
[https://www.instagram.com/youdidnotsleepthere](https://www.instagram.com/youdidnotsleepthere)

------
thekhatribharat
How does the construction industry work in the US? Do many people DIY? Do many
people get hands-on with building homes while still hiring experts where
needed? Is it common for city people to own farms/land nearby?

It seems it isn’t really that costly to build a nice 1000 sq. ft. place
complete with appliances and modern amenities.

The construction industry in India is shitty - carpenters, painters, plumbers,
masons, general contractors have little to no professional training and eff up
projects often, the tools aren’t modern and renovation work is infrequent
because of the poor quality of construction services (and non-existent DIY
culture and ecosystem). Also, it’s probably looked down upon in the Indian
society if a house owner goes DIY with any construction work (gardening is an
exception).

~~~
h2odragon
In more rural areas, you can still build your own home without a huge amount
of paperwork and certification. As someone else mentioned, if your funding
hasn't got strings attached you're even more free. Of course there's always
the "forgiveness is easier than permission," factor too, but that only works
if you're "somebody" to the authorities you hope to be forgiving you.

I built my house from 2003 to 2005 in rural TN with only a couple of permits
needed (electrician, one for the well, one for the septic system) and no
special laws about what contractors i could employ. This was self-funded, self
labor, etc etc as much as possible; and probably about the most benign
location for the effort in the entire USA.

~~~
organsnyder
I live in a city of ~200k (Grand Rapids, MI). We need a few more permits than
you (structural plans, foundation...), but there's nothing prohibiting DIY
work. I've found the building department to be fairly DIY-friendly.

~~~
mikeyouse
Ha. A family member built a ~2,500sq ft, 3 stall garage home near the beltline
a few years back with the help of my other family members. One of them had a
contractor's license (I think primarily for the discount and credit line at
Menards - they never worked as a contractor) but GR was very amenable to self
built homes. Just needed the normal inspections (foundation, electrical,
plumbing) and it went smoothly.

------
skybrian
If you want to read about the drawbacks, they're explained here:

[https://doityurtself.com/is-it-for-you/](https://doityurtself.com/is-it-for-
you/)

~~~
eps
With this particular project the con list also includes a compost toilet and
the need to climb up and down the ladder to get to your bed. It's OK for few
days, but I can see it getting very tiring really quickly.

~~~
ansible
I don't know about the compost toilet, but I climbed up and down a loft bed
during college for years, it didn't bother me in the slightest.

Of course, that was decades ago...

------
Abishek_Muthian
Looks great! For anyone who wondered like me whether the top hole can be
closed, it is a closed clear dome[1].

[1]: [https://i.imgur.com/JwAMOsG.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/JwAMOsG.jpg)

------
jsonne
This looks really incredible! While I see a lot of cynicism in the comments I
think this is a really neat project and would love to live in something like
this. I love how remote work and self employment let arrangements like this be
a viable way to live.

------
war1025
They had one of these (Sukup Safe-T-Home)[1] at my hometown county fair this
year and it seemed like a very interesting take on the yurt. It's basically a
grain bin that they've modified slightly to work as a shelter.

Definitely spent a few minutes fantasizing about having one of these as a
cabin in the woods someplace.

[1] [http://www.safethome.com/Safethome](http://www.safethome.com/Safethome)

~~~
devenson
Looks pretty rugged. Cost is roughly 7k.

------
broahmed
Hey, this is the same guy who did that camper van conversion a couple of years
ago!

[http://thevanual.com/](http://thevanual.com/)

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15757206](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15757206)

------
irrational
Is this Portland Oregon or Portland Maine? I thought it was Portland Oregon,
but then they mentioned the footings were 12 inches below the frost line, and
there basically is no front line in Portland Oregon since the winters are too
warm and rainy. But I assume there is a frost line in Portland Maine.

~~~
oh_sigh
The exterior shots look way more like Oregon than Maine. And Portland OR
government regulations list the frost line as 18".

~~~
irrational
That's crazy. In the 2 decades I've lived in Portland, I've never seen more
than the top inch or two freeze, and that's typically only for a few days to a
week when a real cold snap sets in. Then it starts raining again and quickly
thaws out. I can't imagine it has been cold enough for long enough to freeze
down to 18" since the last ice age.

~~~
Rediscover
1996.

[https://www.oregonlive.com/weather/2014/11/notable_winter_st...](https://www.oregonlive.com/weather/2014/11/notable_winter_storms_in_orego.html)

------
whimwell
This is Zach. The guy that built the yurt and the website. Just found out this
was posted here! Thanks for checking it out. I’ll try to add my two cents and
answer some of the questions. Im away from my computer so I might be a little
slow!

~~~
acassara
How much did the whole project cost?

------
OJFord
This reminded me of a more traditional (but focussed on efficiency) 100% self-
build (and design) that I've been following for a while, but since the last
infrequent update I seem to have lost it.

I don't suppose that's familiar to anyone else? I expect I saw it on HN in the
first place, the URL was something focussed on the efficiency/climate aspect,
though most of the content (and to be honest what I was interested in!) was
just generally applicable how-to/DIY for each step.

Edit: Ah! I found it:
[https://www.savingsustainably.com](https://www.savingsustainably.com) (I
wasn't quite right above, I suppose perhaps the efficiency goal is a product
of 'FIRE' rather than climate concern). And some more update since I last
caught up with it, excellent.

------
purplezooey
Holy...128 80lb bags. I poured a single footing in my backyard with a 4-5 of
the light 20lb bags and said, never again.

~~~
bickfordb
No idea why they didn't have conrete pumped. Probably would have been cheaper

------
BooneJS
How do you stay warm in the winter? The drafts must be intense.

~~~
justinator
The photos of the wood stove may be a clue.

~~~
fastbeef
As far as i can see there’s zero insulation and basically no thermal mass to
buffer the heat. They’re going to need to keep a fire going 24/7.

~~~
el_benhameen
I spent a few nights in a yurt in Mongolia. You are correct. Our fire went out
at about 4 am one night and I very quickly got cold enough that I wondered for
a bit if I was going to die (spoiler: it was fine).

~~~
duncanawoods
I had the identical experience - so cold! The smell of those horse dung stoves
are amazing.

However, the most memorable thing arriving in Ulan Bator was seeing two
different yurts on fire. Fabric buildings containing wood (dung) burning
stoves and chimneys have not looked tempting since.

------
andai
I wonder if, since this roof shape can bear a heavy load, the insulation
problem could be solved with rooftop plants? In some countries the government
subsidizes you putting flowers on your roof, to make the cities greener. (In
some parts of the city, bees have to travel way too far to find a flower, and
run out of energy.) Now this yurt is way out of town, but they do seem to
really like plants!

------
gnopgnip
What are the advantages of a yurt over a pole barn or mobile/manufactured
home?

------
olefoo
Curious as to why Pacific Yurts didn't make the yurt companies page.

[https://doityurtself.com/choosing-a-yurt-
company/](https://doityurtself.com/choosing-a-yurt-company/)

if you've ever stayed in an Oregon State Parks Yurt they were built by
[https://www.yurts.com/](https://www.yurts.com/)

~~~
whimwell
Pacific Yurts is the only company that declined to complete the company
questionnaire that I created. Maybe if enough people email them, they'll
change their mind :)

------
rapjr9
Yurts can be insulated and have wood walls, windows, rafters, and metal
roofing:

[https://www.smilingwoodsyurts.com](https://www.smilingwoodsyurts.com)

From their FAQ:

"Homes built with our products are permanent and comfortable for full-time
all-season living in nearly every climate. They are built with durable
building materials to stand for generations; a fabric yurt is basically a
really nice tent. A SWY will meet and exceed the most current international
Residential Building codes and can be insulated to industry standards for
energy-efficiency using proven R-value products, a fabric yurt will not. We
have insulated glass windows whereas fabric yurts have vinyl windows that open
from the outside. SWY homes can be secured, fully-insured, and generally
qualify for conventional financing under most circumstances through a third-
party. Please note: Smiling Woods Yurts does not offer any financing on our
products."

Some yurts are tents, some are more substantial.

------
sbmthakur
I got lost somewhere there. How much all this cost him?

~~~
SergeAx
Happen to have the answer in my clipboard buffer: "Our yurt came in around
$65k which included all the building materials, furniture and appliances."

------
jay-anderson
The 'Living Big In A Tiny House' youtube channel put up a video of this yurt
today:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f05NYU3kmFs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f05NYU3kmFs).

------
speedplane
Is it just me, or are yurts currently popular just because they have a funny
sounding name?

------
RileyJames
Having lived in a van for the past year, building a yurt is my next plan.
Probably once I’m back in Australia.

I’ve looked into earthships, bagged houses, abodo, containers, small houses
and other DIY methods.

These yurts seems like the right balance between cost, DIY capability and
results.

Particularly this loft design, which I’ve seen on some NZ YouTube videos.

My plan, a yurt on land approximately 2 - 3 hours from Melbourne, plus a
sprinter van or troopy. And I’ll buy a private parking space in Melbourne, for
when I want to weekend / overnight in town.

Zero mortgage. Fuck your house prices, keep em.

------
bane
This is pretty cool and looks great. It has a lot of themselves in it which I
think will make it a cherished place.

If anybody wants to see how a traditional Yurt/Ger is put up, you should watch
this video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLO-z-
XJ7_U](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLO-z-XJ7_U)

It's quite different in some respects and the main difference is that the load
is shared between the lattice walls and an interior post structure as well as
the heating being centralized under the oculus.

------
rodolphoarruda
The Photo of the bedroom strikes me the most. You filled in your sleeping Room
with plants that Will release CO2 at night as any other plant would do.

------
jotm
I'm always intrigued by the way Americans build the foundation. I've seen it
before, seems to be rather standard. Concrete pillars, OK, but then it's
raised on wood and the whole house is placed on it? I can see some benefits
but it doesn't seem good for the long term.

Around here we pour the whole thing on the ground, with rocks and concrete,
the whole ground is covered, then the house is built on that.

~~~
Gibbon1
That foundation isn't really standard. At least for houses. More typical are.

Footing and stem wall construction. Basically a perimeter concrete wall with a
treated lumber mud sill. Fairly common for wood framed houses. Advantage is
you can get under it to repair electrical, plumbing, and heating vents.
Disadvantage : You probably don't want to if you hate small spaces and
spiders.

Slab foundations on grade. Probably more common in newer construction. Cheap.
Disadvantage: Sadness when you realize a leaking water pipe has created a
spring in the middle of the living room floor.

And there are basement foundations. Common in areas where the ground freezes.
Basements are either concrete or cinder block.

------
anthony_doan
That's pretty neat, I was hoping for a Mongolian style Yurt. But this is a
nice take on a modern Yurt.

------
ravitation
I love DIY homes but, in the negatives it lists...

> Poor temperature control, noise level, and not so temporary

I'm wondering why you would build a yurt instead of one of the numerous more
traditional wood frame green pre-fabs, which would essentially eliminate all
of these negatives?

~~~
mikeg8
My guess is cost would be the biggest factor. Materials and construction
methods in a tiny/pre-fab home are on a different level.

~~~
ravitation
This yurt cost $65k though. That's easily on the same level as small pre-fabs.

------
cwkoss
Beautiful build! I haven't seen a yurt with a raised bedroom like that before,
very clever.

------
Timucin
I may have missed but it seems nothing discussed for the amount o plants in
the comments.

Is having that many plants around your bed safe? Can they release enough CO2
to effect your sleep quality or is it a myth I remember from my childhood?

~~~
filleokus
Release co2, to the air? Wouldn’t we expect them to sequester co2 and release
oxygen? Or is my mental model of plants maybe to simplistic?

~~~
dna_polymerase
It's reversed at night (absence of light).

~~~
puetzk
It depends, [CAM
succulents]([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crassulacean_acid_metabolism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crassulacean_acid_metabolism))
do their gas exchange at night, and then close their stomata and do the
photosynthesis during the day. It's a dry-climate adaptation, to lose less
water in the process of exchanging the previous day's O2 for fresh CO2.

------
technotarek
Inspiring. Love the thoughtful design touches. My only immediate practical
issue would be climbing that ladder in the middle of the night to wee!
Regardless, the builder and family should be incredibly proud. Enjoy.

------
meerita
I have some concerns. Doesn't seem too resistant to winds. The plants inside
the house, specially on the bedroom part, not a good idea. I wonder how good
is that house to keep warm on winter and fresh on summer.

------
sriharis
Video:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f05NYU3kmFs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f05NYU3kmFs)

I'm such a fan of these tiny homes!

------
jonathankoren
What is up with the composting toilet? All these off grid houses you see on
YouTube are using composting toilets. It’s like these people have never heard
of a septic tank before.

~~~
spraak
If you're sincere, it's likely cost and sustainability — it's much cheaper to
make a composting toilet than install a septic system; and a composting toilet
is environmentally beneficial compared to a septic tank.

Edit: I just noticed that you also specify off grid. That as a foundational
principle would lead one to simpler choices. A composting toilet is much
simpler than a septic system.

~~~
jonathankoren
If you’re stuck with a mobile dwelling, then it’s reasonable. If you’re
permanently siting it, then there’s no reason not to simply dig a hole, and
put a septic tank in. It’s a proven technology, that maintains itself. I grew
up with one. My parents’ house has had one for 60 years without issue.

You may argue that it is more complex, but almost everything is more complex
than defecating into a bag.

------
lostlogin
There is reference to the posters taking a week of peace to help out. How much
leave is the statutory minimum? Is just one week common?

~~~
irrational
There is no law regarding time off. At my work I get 10 fixed days (christmas,
thanksgiving, etc.) + 1 day per pay period - so about 36 business days off a
year. However, the days can roll over from year to year and I hardly ever take
time off because I enjoy working. I currently could take off about 3 months of
paid vacaton. Every 5 years I get a 6 week paid sabbatical.

~~~
ehnto
Make sure you check your state laws around paying out acrued leave. You won't
feel like it now, but eventually your current job will come to an end and if
it's during turbulent times for the company you may find yourself really
missing that 6 weeks of pay if they don't pay it out.

I am the same, typically accrue a bunch of leave then when I move to a new job
they have to pay it out. But I have been burned before.

------
simplecomplex
I don’t get the fascination with Yurts. It’s a tent. People stopped living in
tents as soon as they could, because they don’t stay cool, don’t stay warm,
and don’t stay dry. They only work well in gentle, temperate climates.

The one advantage to tents is mobility, but Yurts are pretty much permanent
tents. They’re the worst tent.

If you’re a nomadic group in the plains with not much wood around and a herd
of animals it makes sense. Build tents with skins, burn the poo for fire.

~~~
oh_sigh
How much house can you build for 65k all in?

~~~
rbritton
Doing as much as possible yourself, you’re around $80-100/sq ft finished in
normally-priced housing areas. Source: my dad’s a builder.

~~~
thekhatribharat
What about when you hire professionals? $200/sq ft?

------
karles
The spiders...

------
jalgos_eminator
I'd be interested to know where this is when they say "20 minutes from
downtown".

------
dsego
Is it safe to have plants in the bedroom, don't they use up oxygen at night?

~~~
ses1984
Where did hear it's not safe to have plants in a bedroom?

~~~
txcwpalpha
It's a common Feng Shui belief that plants in the bedroom are bad, which is
probably reinforced a bit by the recent uptick in worrying about sleep CO2
levels. If you do a quick Google, you'll find a decent amount of Quora answers
and blog posts asking about if it's safe or not, so it seems to be a not-
entirely-unheard-of concern.

------
cryptozeus
Amazing job.

Wish the plants were real.

Pic from the glass roof of the starry night is a must.

~~~
dvh
I wonder what is carbon dioxide concentration before sunrise, it must be quite
high.

~~~
dvh
This is second time in a row I posted factual, on topic information and I am
being downvoted. It is well known fact that oxygen level is lowest just before
sunrise [1], [2]. In the first photo there is absolutely ridiculous amount of
houseplants for such a small room so obviously CO2 levels before sunrise are
concern. What are the numbers? Did they measured it. Few plants are fine but
so many plants? I would do the measurement just to be safe.

[1] [https://www.picotech.com/library/results/plant-
measurements-...](https://www.picotech.com/library/results/plant-measurements-
during-day-and-night) [2] [https://www.quora.com/Is-the-level-of-oxygen-
maximum-in-the-...](https://www.quora.com/Is-the-level-of-oxygen-maximum-in-
the-morning)

~~~
cthalupa
Because you're linking measurements to small enclosed containers to try and
make a point and it's simply nonsensical.

A small dog will put out significantly more CO2 sleeping beside your bed than
all of those plants will. A person even more - if it was a single person,
would you caution them against having another person sleep over due to co2
production? What if they were bringing in a third person to spice things up?
Or more pets? Friends crashing on the couch downstairs?

We should pay more attention to CO2 levels than we do, especially in offices
and particularly enclosed meeting rooms, but plants expire so little co2 in
comparison to animals that there's really no reason to worry about them in
anything regarding a normal situation.

------
nabaraz
Neat project but no hard hat?

------
amos19870630
Thats so awesome. I love it! I need it! I hate renting.

------
minmemory
So interesting.but cooling and toilet are major problem

------
m0zg
Normal house tax structure: $800k land / $400k structure. This: $800k land /
$150k structure. What's the point?

~~~
quickthrower2
I guess the point is people like different architectures. They have different
opinions of what feels like home. And what's with the $800k land? Maybe in
cities.

~~~
m0zg
Nope. Seattle area suburbs.

~~~
quickthrower2
Well that sounds like near a big city.

------
nine_k
tl;dr: man builds a home out of 30ft yurt, with modern amenities, in the
countryside. The post is a photo report.

------
pnako
Ted Kaczynski did it before it was cool.

------
SkyPuncher
This was on /r/DIY earlier this week. I was a heavy critic to say the least.

The post just didn't feel like a genuine DIY project.

\------

OP is a very talented videographer/photographer and it definitely pushed this
out of feeling "DIY" for me. I'm glad to see that OP removed some of the
forced marketing content to focus purely on the DIY side of this project. I
don't really get the whole yurt thing (especially on cost compared to a more
traditional route), but it's a neat project.

~~~
djsumdog
Even though parts of it were kit, it looks like they designed and built a lot
of the interior themselves. I wonder if either one took off a sabbatical from
work or if they did this all on weekend or after hours.

It's pretty neat and a lot of work, even if not entirely DIY. I mean, at some
point you're going to buy pre-made parts. It's not like people grow their own
trees, cut them down and cut their own planks. It's not a log cabin.

~~~
txcwpalpha
I don't agree with the negative comments, but I do understand them, and I
don't think it just has to do with the use of a 'kit'.

A common theme I see on r/DIY is that for a project to be popular with other
DIYers, the project itself has to seem like something that can be reasonably
accomplished by am average person with only a little bit of help here and
there. For example, something like remodeling a bathroom is still a popular
DIY project even if you use a 'kit' for stuff like the shower and sink. The
big appeal though is that installing new tiles, lighting elements, sinks etc
are something that a lot of people can look at and say "yea, I could do that!"

This post, on the other hand, has a very "professional experience required"
feel to it. From the use of heavy machinery, to having help from friends who
are professional designers and hiring professional electricians, to the
professional-grade photography, and even just the scale of the project itself,
this definitely doesn't seem like something that an average person could
reasonably expect to be able to actually "do it yourself".

