DIY yurt made out of trash

DIY yurt made out of trash
gertee.jpg

Niki Raapana designed a DIY shelter called a Gertee.

Gertees are round houses made of sticks and poles tied together with zipties and covered with cloth or other materials. Each one is as unique as the owner who builds it.

All ger/yurts can be tailor made to fit any kind of budget. Many builders world-wide offer varieties of the yurt at prices ranging from 2 to 25K. My variations, based on the original Mongolian Ger design, expand the concept to include more people who don’t have the 2K.

American made, high end yurts are so well constructed and modern they are getting HUD approval. In English towns residents are overturning municipal codes prohibiting odd looking tent homes. Yurts are a growing option for camping in National Parks and Wilderness areas. They also have an emerging fan base in the sustainable development-green community.

These may be perfect for creative people who want to try something new or they may be an optional shelter for homeless disaster victims in areas full of scrap lumber and salvageable materials. People from all backgrounds and income brackets can build these very comfortable little round home for themselves, and even the lowest end ones are very cute and sturdy.

Read the instructable to learn how to make your own. [via Beyond the Beyond]

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8 thoughts on “DIY yurt made out of trash

  1. Donald Haas says:

    I like the idea of living in a yurt. The problem is convincing my wife.

    If I ever get that land for a cabin in the woods in upstate PA, I know what I’ll build instead of the traditional cabin. :)

  2. John says:

    Let me just make sure I understand this. A Yurt is a high-class tent where there is a movement to use it as respectable almost main stream housing by showing just how high class it can be. That a Yurt would look nice next door.

    And your want to “help” this image with a heap thrown together from scrap material that looks like something you’d find under a bridge or in a shanty town?

    Am I missing something?

  3. Alan says:

    This is a much, much better idea for post-disaster housing than some of the over-engineered solutions people have crowed about in earlier posts. I especially like the cross-beam design of the wall panels, with diagonal joints helping them stay square. Scrap lumber is widely available in any disaster zone – just pick through the rubble of former houses – and plastic sheeting and rope are extremely easy to airdrop.

    Make up some leaflets with this design printed on them in simple graphics (to bypass language and literacy problems), and people will be able to help themselves to temporary shelter anywhere, anytime. Once the disaster recovery gives way to proper rebuilding efforts, the temporary structures can come down as quickly as they went up.

    But no, this isn’t a good choice for upscale neighborhoods.

  4. dambskippy says:

    Yurts are great. I made a small version for about $35 bucks ($65 when I replace the plastic tarp with canvas). I originally made it as a test for a local scout troop that was looking for something different the scouts could build and sleep in for as little money as possible.

    http://www.maryostler.com/past-works/35-yurt-stuff/

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My interests include writing, electronics, RPGs, scifi, hackers & hackerspaces, 3D printing, building sets & toys. @johnbaichtal nerdage.net

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