Victoria's Cottage vs Yurt cost

[travcojim]

I have a friend who is thinking of placing a Yurt on his property, his cost for the Yurt with all the extras is going to run right at 18,000, of course that is not including foundation and interior finishing, he is going to add a loft and a few walls, (30' Yurt by the way.)  He is thinking after its all said and done he may have almost 30 grand or more into it.  Alot I think for something that is only warrented for 15 years,  Am I wrong in thinking that with the right combination of building materials, maybe searching out items at the Habit restore store, and doing alot of the work yourself that you should be able to come close to getting a Victoria's Cottage in the dry for that price.  Correct me if I am wrong or if anyone who has built one can chime in on general costs.
 

[CREATIVE1]

I got a quote on all the lumber of about $22,000.  Obviously more labor cost, but a basic foundation, plumbing, and electric should be about the same.  I looked at yurts too.  Depends on the climate, whether it is a vacation or year round home, building codes, and available funds.  Can you get a mortgage on a yurt?

[CREATIVE1]

Has your friend looked at these?  Really cheap. http://www.redskyshelters.com/

[C.White]

Hi there,
I have a 16 foot yurt on a platform that I use as a guest house.  It has electricity, but no plumbing.
Since  I already had the yurt and used it to go camping in, it was a very reasonable dwelling to use, but when I actually looked into building a 30 foot yurt from each of the major manufacturers in the US (I live in Georgia), they became unrealistic.   I only paid $1800.00 for mine about 4 years ago.  They are over twice that now for the same size.  I would not attempt to make a 30 foot one.

I've decided on the design here on this site (1 1/2 story 20 X 30) as an alternate.  

My decision is purely personal, but a yurt is a great space as long as it uses it's "space".  When you chop it up into rooms and put lofts in them, the yurt is no longer as pleasing to be inside.  Also,  your point about the 15 year warrantee is iffy.  That is the fabric roof and walls.  Now, if the manufacturer is still in business 15  years from now and still uses the same dimensions, your friend may be able to order new walls, and a new roof, but for how much?  

A yurt makes a terrific temporary dwelling, but to live in full time, they lack storage, and being able to retain heat.  Their recommended insulation is only reflective, so you must have a constant source of heat to stay warm, and certain weather conditions are not easy to conquer in a yurt.  The humid south is one of those challenges.  

I recommend that your friend go see a yurt that has been up several years (the walls are drooping by then), and stay in one that is being heated.  The ones at the home shows are new, shiny and very appealling.  The small ones in the National Parks are extremely temporary.  

A yurt also does not have much value after it has been put up, and in "many" places does not have to adhere to building codes being classified as a temporary shelter.  

We built our platform in about 2 weeks for about $400.00 including the wire to bring a circuit out from our nearest building.  

Christina

[desdawg]

I kinda like bricks and sticks and stones and stuff like that there. I don't believe the Yurt was ever designed to be a permanent structure. So if I were to spend that kind of money a tent is not where I would choose to spend it. JMO. Real estate improvements are an investment that should pay you back with interest over the long haul. So I would move toward something of a more permanent nature.

[Amanda_931]

The honest-to-gosh Mongolian yurts are tents.  Presumably not moved as often or at least as easily as a teepee, but still, a couple of times a year anyway.

Some of the store-boughten "yurt"-shaped buildings seem to be solid buildings, IIRC with plastered walls and so on.  I think somebody on some thread or other ended up at cross-purposes because he was thinking the solid building type, and the rest of us were thinking "tent."

[fourx]

...another consideration ( and there are Yurts aplenty in my area, although none under 25 to 30 years old) is theproblem of the wasted space behind pieces of furniture, and keeping that space clean. Seen any round-backed beds, or stoves, or lounges around?

[glenn-k]

There is a company in Oregon that makes the solid ones.  A friend is looking at them.

http://www.yurtworks.com/

[travcojim]

The wood ones are nice.  But the costs can get high very fast.  My friend was looking at pacific yurts, but like someone else said, after its all said and done, its a tent.  And that is alot of money for canvas, no matter how nice it may look.  I thought about trying to build a wooden sided yurt at one time, just using maybe 8 foot panels and ending up with a 40 foot or so sized place.  But like most things, there isn't the time nor the money, and of course I found this site and now there are too many possiblities to consider, the yurt is down the list a little farther now.  

[CREATIVE1]

Or--if you just gotta have a round/octagonal house, check out this panelized home builder.  The price is right, and in business a loong time.

http://www.eaglesnesthomes.com/Homes_Contemporary.htm#