Cooking is probably the most important thing I do in a day. I enjoy delicious, healthful foods, but it's not just that. When I became ill, I found that what I eat had a huge influence on how I felt. Most of my symptoms, especially pain, can be limited by eating well, and aggravated by eating processed and wrong foods. But then again, it's not just that either. What makes cooking the most vital element in my life is the motivation to live a life that is not wasteful. I want to be respectful to what I eat.
This last bit is difficult to explain, but let me try. If the ingredients of my dinner are something I can grow myself, I do it in a way that leaves the soil healthier than how I found it. If it's an animal I'm eating, I don't let any piece of the critter get tossed in the trashbin just because it's not pretty wrapped in plastic. Even if that means butchering my own meat in order to know that nothing is wasted. If I have to buy something, I don't want any of it to spoil out of my carelessness. This is what I mean when I say I want to be respectful to what I eat.
Although an electric hob and oven are convenient, I can also cook on a woodstove or even open fire. I'm not going to assume that electricity is going to be part of my yurt lifestyle, so I need to take into account how to cook and store my foodstuff when I calculate how much space I need in my home.
I also have the skills to live without a fridge, even though I would miss it. Perhaps an icebox for summer months would be better suited to my needs.
On top of that, a prep and cleaning area, as well as somewhere to store my food. Perhaps something like a medieval cupboard:
The walls are thick wood for strength and to act as insulation, limiting temperature variations. The holes are generally covered inside with fabric. This allows the food to breath, but prevents flies from getting at it. Once you get away from modern preservatives and air tight caning techniques, it's actually very important for food to be allowed to breath as this greatly extends shelf life.
One of these alone wouldn't be big enough for anything but daily use. Harvest from the garden is either fermented or dried, so there would need to be room for crocks and sacks of food storage. Although some things like root vegetables can be stored in clamps over the winter season.
So, food and food storage take up the largest amount of space in my life. Even though I know I will be supplementing my diet with some store bought ingredients (like salt, flour, &c) I do hope to be as self reliant as possible.
After cooking come those unavoidable necessities in life: sleeping, toilet, ablutions, cleaning, &c. Clothes and blanket storage, all sorts of things to consider here.
When breaking down life into it's most basic components, one can't forget hobbies. My craft supplies include a smallish loom, spinning wheel(s), sewing machine(s), fabric, wool, wool prep tools... Saying it's a hobby is not giving this the respect it deserves. This really is a necessity - not just for sanity sake, but also to repair things and earn some pin money.
I could whittle it down to the most basic components, one hand crank sewing machine, one spinning wheel, but come shearing time, there are many fleeces that are worked through slowly during the year, and the ones stored up for felt making for repairing yurt walls... But even still, trying to fit it all into one small space will be a challenge.
Generally, when people talk about tiny housing, they say a person need about 200 square feet for their daily life. That would mean a yurt roughly 16 feet across. It would be a major adjustment, but for the most part, 200 square feet would be a good starting point. A tight squeeze with food and craft storage, but manageable.
However, take into account that I would want at least 4 foot square cooking area, plus space around it so that things don't catch fire, 200 square feet seems a bit small. Let's pretend I have 20 square feet cooking area, so really what I would want is a living space of at least 220 square feet.
A radius of 8.5 feet gives us just over 220 square feet floor space. This means the smallest yurt I would be fully comfortable living in is 17 feet across.
A bit larger wouldn't go amiss, however, too large and I run into problems like finding space to put it, needing more materials, and needing more fuel to keep it warm in winter.
I don't have to start with the full size. What I can do later on is build a second, smaller yurt. If I put two doors in my first yurt, then I can connect the two yurts together. One yurt for living in and one yurt as a studio space.
This thought experiment has made me realize a few things.
First off, although I can live with less of everything, including space, there are a few things that I won't give up, primarily my diet and crafting. These things require space.
Although 200 square feet is possible, having extra storage space like a root cellar and crafting area would be very nice.
So to begin with, a 16 foot yurt would be perfect temporary dwelling, with a view to expand if I find myself in a more permanent place.
Also, given how limited the space is, I would want to make furniture to make the most of the limitations. So I should include this in my plans for my yurt.
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