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Did you dig a foundation?
The essential premise of a yurt is its portability, so a dug foundation per say is contrary to the intention of a yurt. Our yurt rests upon a series of cinderblock piers with beams across them to create a level surface on which the yurt deck sits. We had one spot in March that seemed to heave a bit with the freezing/warming trends, but for the most part, things have been fine.
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Whats it like to live in a yurt?
The feel of the yurt is wonderful. The space is homey, warm and light. Most people are initially surprised at how comfortable it is here and they often seem disappointed that we aren't roughing it a bit more! We have enough "space" to live in one big room despite different sleep schedules and habits. We like to joke that we have the largest kitchen of anyone we know, and the largest bedroom, etc. etc. We have a garage on the site that holds all of our woodworking equipment and extra stuff. Without that, we'd be really cramped in here.
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How was the winter?
We live in one of the snowiest parts of Vermont. We had 5' of snow our first December here and it got down to -27 one night a few weeks later. We had no problem staying warm though the woodstove requires regular attention. We went through 3.5 cords of wood our first year. We had initially worried about heavy snow loads on the roof, but in most cases, it slides off after a few inches accumulate. The sound of the cascading snow is wonderful.
When we leave for a weekend in the winter, we have to think about what might freeze in here, as even things in the fridge can freeze. We haul a few things over to a neighbor's house prior to leaving. This last winter, we returned one Sunday night to find that it had dropped to -20 outside while we were gone; inside the yurt, it had dropped to just 14 (above zero). Without the neighbors, we'd need a root cellar -- a long-term goal for us is to build one.
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Where do you go to the bathroom?
Great question! We compost all our waste, both human and otherwise, such a food scraps and garden refuse. With careful attention to what you are doing, you can safely and easily compost your human waste almost exactly the same as you would with other compostable materials. Our source of inspiration and information in this process is the Humanure Handbook, written by Joseph Jenkins. http://www.jenkinspublishing.com/humanure.html
Specifically, we have a couple of humanure toilets set up (both inside and outside) for use. The system works well for us as it does not require running water.
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Really? The yurt has DSL?!!
Yeah, we are proud of the hi-tech/low-tech aspects of our home. We dont have running water, but we do have running DSL, electricity and propane for our cook stove. Occasionally we encounter the expectation that our lifestyle must conform to some measure of "roughing it" or that there is something contradictory in having some modern amenities while living in an unconventional low-tech home. It works, and it makes sense given our lifestyle and professions.
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Some of the unexpected joys of yurt living for us are:
--Just how livable and comfortable such a modest sized home can be. It well exceeds our hopes in this regard. This home has proved to be functional and fulfilling.
--The unique challenges of creating our living space in a round environment. You have to curve a desk to make it fit against the wall in a round room.
--The closeness to the outdoors. Although it feels very secure and sturdy, we are only separated from the outside by a thin membrane. We hear everything, from the sounds of the wind and the birds, to the sound of the snow falling on the roof, to the drumming of the rain on the roof. On a trip to Cape Cod to visit Nancy's family, we looked out of our bedroom window and laughed to see the trees bending in the wind. We were laughing because we couldn't hear it. Here, you can hear a big gale of wind coming and then you feel its force as it arrives.
--How cozy and comfortable it is at night when the little holiday lights strung around the perimeter of the lattice are lit.
--Just how well we have achieved the goals we started out with. We now have our home, we have an abundant garden, we have minimized our expenses, and we can now look ahead to what's next.
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