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kanesta
Member
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# Posted: 15 Mar 2015 11:47
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Hi guys,
My original plan has been to build a largish cabin (two-bedroom) on my land, I even have the plans and the permit and the septic system. The problem is this year I can't get away from work enough to build the whole cabin, and I have need to use most of my vacation to see a sick family member. So I'm going to wait on the big project. But I would like to build something small just to be able to go there and have a place to sleep, and make some use of the land.
My original plan calls for a small log cabin/shed behind the cabin. A lot of people build their shed first and live in that while building the cabin. I'm not sure I even have time to build that much, I also couldn't hook it up to the septic I assume since it's not in the right place. If I build something small on the site of the future cabin, I'd have to tear it down or move it in the future.
The other option would be to put in a yurt, I could put it right where the future cabin would be. It's the easy option – I could get it up in a day or weekend. Maybe I could even build a bathroom and then re-use some of the parts for the cabin in the future.. At least later on I could move it more easily and use that as the outbuilding. But it seems kind of fragile and maybe not warm enough (I'm in Quebec). I'm also concerned about durability. I can't take it down every year, I'd have nowhere to put it.
What do you think?
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cabingal3
Member
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# Posted: 15 Mar 2015 13:29
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i love yurts but to each his own.good luck.
pro's and con's to both.
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silverwaterlady
Member
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# Posted: 15 Mar 2015 14:16 - Edited by: silverwaterlady
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Build a deck and hitch a tent on the deck,a nice two room three season tent. Make tables out of plywood and sawhorses,bed out of plywood and pipes,store under deck. Save money for cabin and build it when you have time.
One of the best things we bought before we built and camped was a 8' picnic table. Still using it twenty years later.
This is what we did with the exception of the deck.
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Wilbour
Member
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# Posted: 15 Mar 2015 15:30 - Edited by: Wilbour
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From what I've read, many Yurts are designed to set up in a day so you would probably take it down in the fall unless you opt for an insulated one. When they are disassembled they fit into the back of a pickup. It's all the other stuff like tables and beds you have to deal with. Tough choice. Bear in mind you can start with the yurt and in a few years buld a cabin and keep the yurt for company.
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Don_P
Member
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# Posted: 15 Mar 2015 21:44
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Quoting: Wilbour buld a cabin and keep the yurt for company.
I'd get a dog 
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Steve_S
Member
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# Posted: 16 Mar 2015 08:21
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I looked at yurts till I saw the pricing on them (for good ones).
Have you considered getting a RV/Camper instead ? May serve the purpose and you could always strip it later for parts like stove, fridge etc... or resell it. Have a good look through Kijiji.ca
Depending on how far you are from Montreal, you may also be able to get a great deal on a used Sea Container out of the port... Better security for your stuff plus wind & water tight. Can be converted into a shelter, shop or just straight storage. You can cover them over with siding, insulation etc later on to blend it into your site... * And * no building permits or anything needed ! so it beats that stupid 10 sq meter phooey.
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rmak
Member
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# Posted: 17 Mar 2015 17:26
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I just want to throw out an idea. If you want a semi temporary shelter you might investigate a surplus army tent. Not pup tents. Rather larger garrison size. I didn't have a chance to use them during my military time, but my father in law retired from the army. He has photos of tents that were put up when a unit was staying somewhere for an extended period of time. They are really canvas buildings in a way. Many in the photos had exterior walls made up of sand bags for protection. They had woodstoves for heat and a place for the chimney to exit the tent. Looks like plenty of headroom and space. Everything in these camps was in a tent, offices, mess halls, barracks, etc. I'm not sure of the availability or cost, but I know the army made heavy duty rough duty stuff.
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morock
Member
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# Posted: 17 Mar 2015 19:21
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We did the Yurt thing for 4-5 years in Quebec before we built our cabin. While it was cool and fun but it did have it's problems. We would set it up in spring and take it down before thanksgiving every year. Hauling the furniture in and out every year was a huge hassle, and we did have someone steal a bunch of stuff too. Not great in the cool weather either, we didn't have a wood stove and you need to build a floor/platform for it to sit on. See the link for the one we used, it's local http://yurta.ca/
I really like the container idea and wish I could get one into my place.
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kanesta
Member
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# Posted: 18 Mar 2015 01:22
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Thanks for all the suggestions.. I really like yurts, too. I currently have a canvas wall tent and stove, but I want to sell the tent. I can't really leave it up for six months and it's not really warm enough. I want something insulated and warm that I can put up and leave all year and not worry too much about. If I go there in the winter I can have somewhere to go, and I can store things in it. My only concerns are 1) the massive, huge snow loads and maybe a distant 2) that it's a "tent", it doesn't really add value to the land so I feel kinda bad spending so much money on something maybe ephemeral. On the other hand I find them beautiful, I really need something fast and requiring little manpower.
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SantanaWoods
Member
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# Posted: 18 Mar 2015 17:44 - Edited by: SantanaWoods
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This may sound funny, but here my two cents worth of advise:
Yurts are great solutions for their environments and cultural setting, but both the environment and culture are a bit different in North America.
For example:
1. Ger or yurts are made to be mobile on horseback (with at least 4 people to set up and dismantle it).
2. yurt people hardly ever leave the yurt unattended, there is always somebody there to watch over the belonging and livestock. People live in large groups and respect the territory of one another because they know - and fear - each other's clans.
3. the lovely people I am talking about are always armed.
4. when and if one of the two factors mentioned above fail often there is start of very long and troublesome clan feud
So, although I like to encourage cultural exchange I think you should not expect to get the same thing out of a ger (yurt) as you would from a cabin.
But properly made they are really neat. But for the love of God get one made with proper Turkman construction and workmanship. No nails, no synthetics, only wood, ropes and felt, ...... anything else would be like a Turkman wanting a skyscraper made of sheepskin.
best of luck to you anyways
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leonk
Member
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# Posted: 20 Mar 2015 22:19
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I was going to say tent too.
I don't have experience with NA yurts. Can you live it up in the winter? Where r u located? I'd say here in ON the snow will collapse it...
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SandyR
Member
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# Posted: 21 Mar 2015 08:22
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We tented on our land for a year before we built our cabin. We did not tent in the winter because there is too much snow. Haven't been to the cabin in months because of the snow regardless if it was a tent or not.
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silverwaterlady
Member
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# Posted: 21 Mar 2015 08:41
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Yurts are not built to withstand a snow load. Campers and trailers are not either.
Adding value to your land raises the taxes you pay. Hope you can get your cabin insured. In a rural area you will pay a lot more. I pay 4 times the amount I pay in the city.
Kinda makes tenting not such a bad idea until you have time to spend there.
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creeky
Member
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# Posted: 21 Mar 2015 14:03 - Edited by: creeky
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if you want a yurt. get a yurt. hey it's an adventure.
there's a real nice one on kijiji (montreal) right now. it's been up for over a month. i imagine it's getting to the negotiable stage.
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RandallD
Member
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# Posted: 20 Jul 2015 17:18
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Polyurt!
I looked into this for a temporary build until the time and funds allowed for a permanent cabin. These can be purchased in a kit and assembled at the site. It can be insulated with ESP foam or they offer a SIP version.
http://fullcircleshelters.com/index.html
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rockies
Member
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# Posted: 20 Jul 2015 20:14
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I would put in the foundation (probably piers ?) and the beams and then some decking material exactly as you would if you were building your cabin in its final location. Put the tent or yurt on the platform and enjoy. Next year when you start construction, remove the decking material (you can even re-use it if you screw it down) and continue on with the rest of your build.
If you do get a military tent, here is a supplier in Ontario.
http://www.herooutdoors.com/military-tents/
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cabingal3
Member
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# Posted: 20 Jul 2015 22:21
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i love yurts...
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Julie2Oregon
Member
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# Posted: 21 Jul 2015 02:24
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Have you ever checked the Tiny House Listings? People post used yurts and all sorts of converted what-nots for sale, some in Canada. It's always worth a free browse! If nothing else, you could pick up an idea or two!
There are lots and lots of them and it's updated every day.
http://tinyhouselistings.com/index.php?s=viewmore
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CountryGal82
Member
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# Posted: 22 Dec 2015 12:28
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My dream is to live in a yurt. I'm going to live vicariously through you and have you buy the one I always think about from WeatherPort. HAHAHAHA!
No really, a yurt seems like a lot of fun and something I always wanted to try. I've stayed in a few in Oregon and it was always a blast. Living there permanently might be a different story and it's one of the reasons we are hesitant about buying one.
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bowtie1
Member
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# Posted: 23 Dec 2015 16:12
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when we got our property it had a 28"hard sided yurt on it. My wife and I fell in love with it right away. We used it the first fall heating it with a kerosene heater till we could not get to it any more. We had lots of plans for it come spring including a wood stove i had got for it.Unfortunately due to heavy snow load and a raccoon chewing a guide rope the ceiling caved in. We found the raccoon still tangled in the rope dead under the deck. due to the amount of water damage and price of new roof, we decided not to rebuild and move on. It was about 5 years old when we bought it and the roof tarp was starting to show wear and would have needed replacing in the next few years. So that was another cost factor not to rebuild. It was cool just not for long term use in snow country.
yurt
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inside
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futon
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bathroom and kitchen
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deercula
Member
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# Posted: 23 Dec 2015 18:25
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I am doing the RV thing until my cabin goes up next year. So far so good. Plan is to sell it after the cabin is built. Comes with all you need. Beds, stove, furnace etc. Best solution for me. Very comfortable in all weather.
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