Stalled

I've been working away on the door throughout the summer.  It's a bit difficult because I am having to strip the paint and the surface of the door is uneven.  But it's almost done, just need to sand and reassemble, cut, adjust, insert windows, and paint - and when finished, I should have a TARDIS style door ready for my yurt.

Adding to the expenses list are paint scrapers and sandpaper - let's say about $30.

During the last two years, I've accumulated a few sheep fleeces that should be good for felting.  I think this is going to need a lot of practice to make large sheets of felt.  But I don't mind, any excuse to work with wool.

The thing that really has me down with this project is that I've run out of funds.  So I think I'll start selling seeds on my etsy shop.  I have some winter vegi seeds ready, like medieval fava beans, and bread poppies.  Soon I'll have some Mongolian Giant sunflowers that grow 12 to 15 feet tall.  I grew mine this year with zero irrigation, in a nasty drought year.  Ground water and dew were all it seemed to need.  DEEP roots that grew quickly to draw up moisture and deep nutrients.  Huge seeds, not to mention the stems can be dried and used as firewood (I'm also experimenting with them as a textile source).  I think, for selling seeds for this project, I want to only use my more resilient seeds, ones that have been selected to grow with minimal external input like water and organic fertilizer.

If I were to place an ad for wool - or should I say when?

WANTED: Don't toss that wool!!!

Even if you think the wool is no good.  Even if it's a meat sheep.  Even if you think I'm daft for wanting to build a yurt with traditional materials.  Please don't toss that wool.

Seeking 100 free fleeces for a very ambitious yurt building project.  I'll be making a half inch thick felted wool cover for my yurt, on a very tight budget.

I know there's a lot of you out there who feel your wools is only good for compost, but it is probably good for this project.   Please don't compost it or burn it.  You have to shear your sheep anyway - unless you have katahdin of course - but for those with wooly jumpers, here's your chance to donate your fleece to something a bit unusual.

Can pick up on the saanich peninsula.  Further afield requires a bit more organization, but can be done if there's enough wool to make it worthwhile.  

I don't need all the wool to come from the same place, so even if you have a dozen spare fleeces, feel free to get in touch.  

White wool, not-white wool, it's all good.
Moths aren't good.

Why haven't I posted it yet?  No space to keep the wool... yet.  In the middle of a big spring clean with lots of stuff to take to the charity shop.

Thoughts about sustainable wood sources

Natalie. Thank you for your comment.  Yurt Week sounds like a lot of fun. We would love to have you stay... only... I'm a complete git and misplaced your email address.  I have a horrible feeling this isn't the first time either.  It's a completely unforgivable personality flaw.  Please forgive me.



Now, let's get our wood on.

I've spent a good deal of time this winter, thinking about wood.  How can I find the yurt building materials that match my values? What are these values that I want to match?  What kind of wood is available where I live?

What I would like from the materials I choose is for them to have a story of their own, to be affordable, and to have some consideration for environmental sustainability.

There is the standard big box store supply of wood.  This is convenient, surprisingly affordable, and even sells 1x2s in 8 foot lengths.  Buy 100 of these and I don't even need to turn on a power saw.  For very slightly less I could buy 25 2x4s 8 foot long and rip them down to size.  Or x number 2x6, or ... you get the drift.  They have a large supply so I could simple pick out the best ones they have that day and go from there.

However...There is nothing amazing about this wood.  No story, no history, just clinically precise, practical hunks of wood.  I have no idea what sort of forest management these boards would come from,  Or who milled them, what were their work conditions like, or how far the wood traveled.


Next thing that came to mind was to find a local mill and buy wood from them.  These are surprisingly difficult to find, although I'm told there are many.  I managed to find one, about an hours drive from home, and visited it over the winter.  I was impressed with the variety of products and the general operation.

However... The prices from the local mill were more than triple the big box store, and well beyond my budget.  What's more, I got the 'girl treatment'.  This what we call wood, this is what we call lumber.  I try so hard to be polite.  When I told them the size range I'm looking for and the final purpose for the project, they acted all impressed and then insisted I needed to buy something that impossible to use for this project.  4 foot lengths of tongue and groove stuff, less than 1/2 an inch thick.  How does one make 8 foot long 1x2s from that without going completely batty?   It was obviously leftover stock they just wanted to shift.


Reclaimed wood has completely captured my heart.  I love this idea, of using wood that has a previous history and would otherwise be destined for the chipper heap.  If I could find this, I would be all over it, gushing poetic, happy as Larry (Larry being the name of one of our particularly joyful sheep).  I would even drastically alter the dimensions of my yurt if I could find the perfect reclaimed wood.

However... There are concerns as to the previous life of the wood.  Was it from a home filled with asbestos or some other highly toxic whatcha-thing?  As wood ages, it hardens... if it's kept dry like in a house.  Eventually it gets so hard, you need special tools or lots of saw blades to make a dent in it.  And then there are nail and screw holes, which may reduce the structural integrity of the wood.  Also, I'm not currently dating a demolitions guy - I couldn't find one that would wrestle a ram for me on his day off... his loss I'm sure.


I could rivie my own wood with a froe.  This is a very old method to cut a log by hand, lengthwise.  Wooden shakes (shingles) are made using this tool.  It can also be used to make long boards by cutting the log to length, then riving it with a froe.  On our farm, we have a small, managed forest that we use for firewood on occasion.  I could cut down some especially straight alders - a very fast growing tree of which we have many - and use it to make my yurt wall lattice. I figure I would get 10 to 15 pieces per tree - so that's 10 trees.

However... I've never rivied before, never used a chainsaw, never felled a tree taller than myself... These are actually quite daunting to me, especially the chainsaw.  But the most problematic aspect of this wood source is that the wood I create would be green, aka wet, aka, not dry.  It will probably go a bit twisty as it drys, which I think might cause problems later on.


If I could have my druthers and acquire the most renewable wood I know, I would use coppiced branches.  This is an amazing source of wood, and highly renewable.  The root is left alive, and from time to time, the branches are cut off.  Then more branches grow from the stump, grow especially straight, and when they are large enough, are cut off and used, and new branches grow...

However... although common in europe coppicing is seldom seen here except by the occasional basket weaver.  To acquire 3/4 to 1 inch thick, 8 foot long branches, I would have to find a managed coppiced forest, or wait half a dozen years until my willow is large enough.


These are the sources of wood I've found so far.  To tell the truth, given my budget and how eager I am to get on with building the yurt, my least favourite source is the most likely.  Good old box store lumber... la sigh.  But not quite yet, there's something that doesn't feel like it's time to buy the wood yet... some sort of instinct saying that a better option is coming soon.

That's okay, I'll get back to working on the door.  It's looking good, if a bit slower going than I had hoped.

recurring yurt dreams and an idea about seeds

I've been having a lot of dreams lately about yurts.  There are three or four different dreams, that have been repeating themselves almost every night for the last two months.  Perhaps my subconscious is trying to yell something at me.

These different dreams share a similar theme, they all address food security issues.

For example, one dream occurs in the near future.  There has been a breakdown in the long distance food supply for some reason.  Lack of fuel, major strike, political unrest, all or none of the above, I don't know.  Dream doesn't say why.  But it happened and it didn't happen yesterday.  It's been several months, approaching a year without the major industrial food supply and people are slowly starving.  There is an intense interest in Victory Gardens (small home garden plots where once there was emerald green lawn).  But what does all this have to do with a yurt?

In this dream, some philanthropist has hired me to give free lessons to the community on how to harvest, process, dry and store seeds, which I give in my yurt.  Yurt is awesome for this because the walls can be adjusted to let more or less air in, depending on the weather.


Another yurt dream involves a time when it has become illegal to grow or even cook your own foods.  3D printed soy and corn based meals are considered the only 'safe' alternative, for some reason.  Maybe the bees finally bit the dust, or some major food safety scare, or whatever.  But it's considered not only illegal but impossible to grown your own vegetables.  Yet, here I am, living off-grid in my yurt, blissfully unaware of this known fact, that it is impossible, and have a lush garden filled with tasty things from grain to flax, to mangel wurzels for my goat.


The third yurt dream that really stands out is one where I live where I do now, have the garden I have now, save seeds, raise sheep, grow and cook my own foods, all things I do know.  Only difference is that I have a yurt.  A lovely large-ish yurt.  In this yurt I host small tutorials on how to do everything from plant seeds, to ferment wine, to bread baking, to miso club gatherings, to curing and smoking meat.

This dream is my favourite because it could be possible.

Maybe that's the motivation I need to make this yurt happen.  Maybe it needs to be less about me, and more about teaching self sufficiency.  That is what a yurt symbolizes to me, self sufficiency - and to use the yurt for teaching those skills to others.  Now that would be wonderful.

I have the skills to teach, and the love of sharing what I know with others.  The act of getting my arse in gear and organizing actual events - and getting the word out - that is my major shortcoming.  But here's motivation to remedy that.

But then again, I need a yurt first... catch 22.




How can I use these dreams to inspire me?  One of the biggest obstacles to having my own yurt is funding.  Why not take the idea of food sustainability and monetize it slightly?  I can sell seeds!


Yurt Seed - what do you think?  Good name for a line of seeds?

It could look something like this:

Burgundy Grain Amaranth
A. hypochondriacus
Open pollinated
Grown by me since 2012, plant has grown true every year
Seeds harvested in 2014 for planting 2015-16
Germination test (in progress)
Beautiful bright red plant, grows 1.5 to 2m tall.  Useful in floral arrangement, or mature for seed which can be used in cooking, ground for flour, or for planting.  Young leaves also tasty and cook like spinach.
Includes instructions on how to grow, how to harvest, how to save seeds, and three recipes for cooking.
$6 for 5g seeds (roughly 3000 to 6000 seeds)
$2 for 1g seeds (roughly 500 to 1200 seeds)
shipping not included

I imagine the price is okay.  The local seed company charges a couple dollars more for the same amount of seeds and includes minimal growing instructions and no recipes.  Or maybe I should charge the same amount as them because I'm harvesting and sorting by hand instead of mechanically like they do.  Then again, I also want to encourage people to grow their own food, and if I price it too high, it becomes prohibitive to those who need it most.  No, I think I like this pricing.  It is what I would feel comfortable paying for the same amount of seeds.

So far the only seed I have ready is the Amaranth, but as I sort through my seeds, I may find more ready to sell.  I don't know if it's a good idea or not, but it's worth a try.  Especially if it stops the nightmares I keep having of a dwindling food supply.

Powering my Quest for Yurt Love

How much electricity do I need to meet my basic needs?

I've looked at a lot of different housing alternatives from nylon tent to camper, and now yurt.  Watching my daily power usage, and more interestingly how I live when the hydro goes off, I think I have a fair idea of what I need to be comfortable.

Assume that water and heat are taken care of by other means, my electrical usage is really quite small.  

Lighting:

Given my druthers I have very few lights.  

• Outside lighting: When I'm outside after sunset on the farm, I seldom use a flashlight.  The moon is tremendously bright most of the month, and when it's cloudy, the light reflecting from the city against the clouds is sufficient to do my chores.  It's only finite work (small hand generator flashlight) or hunting monsters (big meg light with batteries that last 6 to 10 months) that I really need outside light.  Though, I admit, I do like having an outside light hanging next to the front door to welcome me home after a midnight stroll.  
• Inside lighting: I very seldom have lights on in the house when I'm home alone.  I like the dark not just because it's easy on the eyes but it hides me from any fictional monsters that might lurk in my closet.  There are however a few tasks in the house that one needs illuminated.  
• Cooking: Any knife work needs good lighting, as well as cleaning up the dishes afterwards.  But the main cooking can be done in dim light as it's mostly taste, smell and texture.
• Crafting: About 50/50 dim and strong light, depending on the craft.  Spinning, wool prep, some weaving... they can all manage with low light, but sewing, fancy weaving, spinning novelty yarn, &c. all need strong light... then again, I'm usually to tired to do the fancy work at night, so basically it's a day task
• Reading and writing: This needs strong light, but it's another one of those tasks I do best during the day as my head clouds as the day progresses.
• Entertainment: 
• I watch TV because it is there, but if it wasn't...would I miss it?  I don't think so, not a lot anyway.  We have lived without cable before, in fact, the only reason we have it now is so the Ancient can watch Jeopardy.  Though I do like watching occasional videos.  When the electricity goes off for days on end, the only time I totally despair is when I miss Dr Who.  Everything else is Humdrum.  Assuming there will be a garden and livestock, I'll have plenty enough to do in a day without TV, and get more done without it snaring me with it's glow.
• the only other thing would be my e-reader.  This needs charging once every 3 to 4 weeks, and takes about 2 hours to charge AC.  I think this is necessary because so many books have soy and other chemicals I'm sensitive to in their ink/paper, whereas the plastic (most) ereaders are made from is fairly stable (it doesn't off gas).  This greatly expands what I can read.
• Music/Radio: This is the only true necessity for me.  Silence is painful and having music and/or radio is the only cure.  Though this may have improved since I last looked, I haven't seen a solar or wind up radio that lasts 12 hours of play time between charges.  So something with replaceable batteries, or rechargeable ones.
• Electronics: computer?  As much as I enjoy the internet, I also find it frustrating and distracting.  I'm of two minds as to whether I want it in my future home or not.  Sometimes it's wonderful because I can look up information that I need urgently, or order books from the library.  I love blogging, but I worry that it's just adding to the clutter overload of the interweb.  And wading through that clutter when I need to find some useful information is a major time sinkhole.  There are also games that distract me.  Other electronics include camera - which would be used less with less blogging, and 
• Communication: I'm an introvert in almost every meaning of the word.  I'm awkward with people and find I'm very insecure about interacting with others.  I can put on a show, pretending to be confident, but it's exhausting.  I could see myself content with very little human contact.  The problem is we need others.  Even in my hermit life, where I spend every day with my sheep, I still need others.  This may seem contradictory, but I love teaching skills to others.  My favourite thing I did this summer was to mentor a friend to start a vegetable garden - her very first garden.  Helped her turn the soil, showed her how to plant the seeds and from there, offered help when needed.  I've spent most of my life gathering skills like gardening, spinning, sewing, cooking, fermenting... all completely irrelevant in the modern world.  However, I wonder... in the future, these might be the very skills people need.  What if global transpiration breaks down and we rely entirely on local food supplies?  Every lawn will be dug and replaced with potatoes, beans, grains... Like they were in England during The Great War.  How many people can make a four foot by 5 yard bit of dirt produce 4 crops a year and feed 6 people all the veggies they need?  I can.  Maybe in the future, other people would like to too?
• So I guess I do need some form of communication with others.  A land line is simplest, but requires hook up to the grid.  Probably a basic cellphone like I have now - my phone makes phone calls and nothing else.  Costs a fair bit for someone who uses 4 minutes a month, but if it was my only phone line, it might be up to 10 min a month.  I've tried pay-as-you-go in the past and found it beyond my capacity to keep up with.
• Also, internet.  I feel weird not having any at all.  I can always travel to the local library and use the wi-fi, but that's a pain and people expect instant email response these days.  Maybe a basic wireless system that I can hook up to my laptop just for simple things like reading, emails, forums... that's about all I would want.  Something slow enough that I don't feel compelled to use it hourly.  

Laptop, phone, ereader, some lighting, radio, perhaps a fan in the summer, and... I can't think of anything else.  But there will always be something else that comes up.  I'm thinking that if I calculate the absolute maximum I think I'll ever need and double it... things should be golden.  

For those of you who craft, you may wonder why I'm not including the sewing machine.  The truth is, I don't get on well with electric ones.  All my sewing is either by hand crank or treadle, so why would I want to convert to electric?

And a clock... Well, I have a beautiful clock that winds up with a key.  It lasts about 8 days between winding.  No electricity needed there either.

How to power my yurt?  I want to be as independent and off grid as possible, so solar, wind, water... all these are possible ways of producing my own power.  A small wind generator may only produce a tiny trickle, but it adds up over time.  Water... well that depends on proximity to a stream or other flowing water, but can be quite powerful.  Solar would have to be my main source.  Which is convenient because I just happened across a system that would be perfect:  Goal Zero Yeti 150 Solar Generator Kit has both solar panels and battery/controler thing.  At the time of writing, it's $400 plus shipping, customs, duty, exchange rate...except, apparently there are shops nearby that sell this company's products, so a bit of research is needed.  Based on previous orders from the US, I'm assuming that shipping and customs will total $200, so a total estimate of $600 for a simple solar power system for my yurt.

If it was just me living in the yurt, that system would be ample.  However, with friends and/or family, we would need something greater.  

Not anywhere near ready to order a system yet, so I'll keep researching and if I find something that else that catches my fancy, I'll let you know.

Better calculating the wall and door costs

My last post was a bit despondent.  Now I've had time to reflect on things, I don't think that the dream has ended just yet.  I just need to plan smarter that's all.  There is a lot I can get started on my own and once I've made a move towards my goal, I just have to trust that something or someone will happen when I need it the most.

I'm also thinking that a yurt will be very handy for teaching.  I'm amazed to discover that people are interested in learning some of the things I do regularly here on the farm, even cooking related things.  There have been requests for lessons.  The problem is, I don't have a proper space to teach any of it.  Maybe the yurt will serve as a teaching space.  I would really like that.



When it comes to spatial thinking, I'm pretty useless.  Translating a bunch of measurements into an image of what it will actually look and feel like - and the other way around - is a challenge.  To compensate for this, I got out the sidewalk chalk and did some life size drawings of what the yurt wall needs to be like.

This has given me a much better idea of what the lattice needs to be.  I estimate that if the laths are 8 foot long and closer spaced together, I can use thinner bits of wood - like a 2x4 sliced in 4 lengths.  Note, a 2x4 may claim to be two inches by four inches, but in reality it's significantly smaller than that.

I calculate that I need a little under 100 laths to make the wall section.  That's 25, 2x4s which comes in at a little under $100 for the lot (after tax and stuff) plus a blade to rip them with.  Assume the rawhide for joins will be made with materials here on the farm, that gives us $150 total for the wall, or $1.50 per lath.  This is a hundred dollars less than my original estimate.  Amazing what a little sidewalk chalk can do to make the day more cheerful.


Now the door - very intimidating part of the project for me.  But then I saw to my surprise that the ramp to the chicken house we took down last week is actually a well weathered solid wood door.  Perfect!  It's even got that panel look to it I was hoping for.

It's in major need of love, but I can manage taking it apart, cleaning it up, putting it back together and painting it TARDIS blue.  It will have to be upside down (the way it is in the photo) and I think I would take out the other two panels from the 'top' of the door and replace all three with something to let in the light.  I also like the idea of making it a Dutch door by cutting out the center part and having a top and bottom section.  This will also make the door just the right size at 5 foot high.  Add the door frame in, and we will be just about the same height I estimate for the walls.

I still need to buy the frame, hinges, handles, latches, locks, primer, paint, sandpaper, &c.  I don't know how much any of that costs, but I know a great salvage shop that has a basement full of that kind of stuff (excepting the frame, I'll have to make that).  I have no idea how much that will costs, but I'm guessing a lot less than my original estimate.  For now, I'll say $200 for the door and door frame.

So, yes, the door itself will be a lot of work, but it's something I can get started on right away.  An actual physical action I can take in the real world towards acquiring yurt love.  This makes me hopeful.

Update: I've upped the wall estimate back to $250 after doing more shopping around.  Hopefully it won't be anywhere near that much, but we'll see.

Budgeting the Yurt - is this the end of the dream?

I've had a look at how much it will cost to make a 16' yurt.  I estimate that the frame, roof, felt, canvas, and door will come in at about $2,300 CDN to make from scratch.  I hate to admit this, but a number that large is unobtainable for a person like me.

I haven't even begun to calculate flooring, finish for the wood, and furniture for the yurt.  Or if/how I will power it.  Plumbing... 

Doing the work is fine, it's basically a bunch of repetitive tasks; measuring, cutting, drilling, sewing, &c.  Though there are a few skills I don't have yet like how to make the hub and door.  But they can't be that difficult to learn... can they?

It's the material cost that has me stumped.  I look at this estimate and look at all that isn't included and I despair.  

Sure it's a good deal less than buying a new yurt.  I calculated a beautiful Mongolian 16' yurt, with basic furnishings, delivery, flooring, tax, &c. would cost roughly $25,000.  More than 10 times more than my guestimate for a DIY yurt.  This should make me feel better because a home build yurt will be so much less, but it doesn't.  

The time has come to evaluate whether or not a yurt is in my future.  I have good reasons to want a yurt, not just for future security but also as a sanity sanctuary.  There is also an overpowering desire for a simpler life that yurt living brings.  It is my dream, and I feel that I need to make it happen.  If not this year, then the year after... or the one after that.

When I estimated the cost of building a yurt, I did round up some numbers.  There is always things that one forgets to include, and the price of things has a habit of increasing.  But I also assumed I would have to purchase the materials.  Maybe I can find materials, either in nature or salvage them from discarded items.  This would make the financial cost more manageable.  

What I'm toying with is the idea that I budget $2,500 for making the yurt.  If I can save money on materials, for example finding wood that could be used to make a door instead of buying one, then I can take the money saved on the door and apply it to the floor, or furniture... So even though it would costs far more than $2,500 to buy the materials, maybe with a bit lot of creativity, it can be made for less.

But to find the money, the skills, the people... this means asking for help.  How is it making me independent if I need help to get there?  What could I possibly have to give back to people to thank them?

I think I could never ask... But I also know if someone asked me, and it was something I could do, I would help.

Then I think about crowdfunding... Some of the campaigns online seem so frivolous, and yet people have money to give, and they give it.  Is building a home anymore frivolous than making potato salad?


I don't think I have what it takes to run a crowdfunding campaign - I barely ever answer my emails, how can I pretend I would be any good at social media.  I blog as release, not because I expect people will ever read it.  With social media, we come to yet another skill and another area I need help with.  It's never ending.



Or maybe it is ending.  Maybe my yurt dream ends here.
I have a lot to think about.