Depending on the model/manufacturer, all of our yurts come with a 5 – 8 year manufacturer’s warranty. Exterior materials come with a 5 – 15 year warranty. See details on pricing pages.
You can expect the exterior of your yurt to last upwards of 20 years, depending on your material choices, with proper maintenance. When the exterior needs to be replaced, your infrastructure will still be solid if your yurt has been properly set up and maintained. It is a simple process to get a new exterior and is similar to a roof needing to be replaced on a hard roofed structure, except it is done in a fraction of the time. We can typicaly replace roof and walls within a single day. When replacing roof and/or walls you have the added bonus of being able to add windows or change colors!
Our yurts have been proven through independent research done by Hawai’i structural engineers, as well as mainland structural engineers, to be able to withstand between 80 – 150 mph winds, depending on chosen components/upgrades. The reason for this fantastic strength is the unique weight dispersion provided by the latticework walls as well as the circle and cone shape of the roof and walls. A yurt is a unique structure for it’s great strength without the use of internal supports used by most other structures. None of our yurts showed any sign of wear in the 6.4 earthquake we had here in Hawai’i in October of 2018! They flexed with the movement of the earth and sustained no damage. Yurts have the ability to be taken down, moved, stored, or relocated; a wonderful option if you choose to build in potential lava zones!
We get this question A LOT. As yurt builders in a tropical climate, we have made it one of our primary missions to ensure that we can be mold-free in our yurt spaces. We make it simple – follow our recommendations to get the full insulation packet. This provides the important addition of a vapor barrier between interiors and exteriors, preventing condensation build up and moisture entry. These components are critical to preventing interior mildew issues.
As with any structure in a climate with high humidity, it is imperative that you build with good ventilation in mind. This is easy to do with a yurt, follow our recommendation to upgrade to the openable dome – a 5′ skylight at the top of the yurt. Designing this to open allows for a convection type air flow, pulling warm air up and out and cool air from the outside in. There are many ways to improve this ventilation effect further, whether by adding vents in the floor, using screen doors, adding an additional door and windows or adding ceiling fans to increase the speed of air flow.
The exterior materials we recommend for Hawaii climates have the highest mildew and UV resistance in the industry. As with any structure, the exterior should be washed once a year, a mild soap and a telescopic scrub brush does the trick, work from the bottom up, as well as through the central ring at the top (remove the dome and give that a good clean while you’re at it). When it has been scrubbed well, pull a hose up through the dome and rinse well. Voila! Our recommendation is to never use a pressure washer to clean a yurt. Cleaning solution is a simple mix of hot water in a 5 gallon bucket with a healthy squirt of dish soap (Dawn is a good product, cuts grime well) and 4 cups of white vinegar.
A basic round deck on precast piers, with 2×6 T&G flooring, stairs and a landing takes about 7 working days for our experienced builders to complete. *Note that this style is not the permittable version, it is more for temporary, off grid, simple set ups.
Permitted builds take quite a bit longer, as we are incorporating excavation, pour-in-place footings, shear walls, interior walls, and more code compliant measures. Time depends on design.
Yurt assembly for a 30’ yurt takes 2 – 4 days with experienced assemblers, depending on upgrades. Smaller yurts can be set up even more quickly. To protect your warranty and ensure that your yurt is erected properly and safely, we offer full set up or consultation services.
Shipping cost is a constantly changing number with several variables. It typically runs anywhere from $4,000 – $7,000. Solo shipments are the most costly shipping option, but they also allow for shorter arrival times. We do offer bulk shipping discounts when possible.
Things that affect shipping costs: Oil prices at the time of shipping, final destination, solo yurt shipment or bulk yurt shipment. We aim to provide bulk shipments several times a year. On a bulk order, our client’s yurts are shipped together in a container (they are not individually crated as much as solo shipments, which allows more yurts to be included in one shipment, lowering everyone’s shipping costs). We can then pass savings on to our clients. A bulk order typically saves anywhere from $500 to $1000 per yurt.
A custom yurt typically takes 12 weeks to arrive on the Big Island. We can sometimes provide rush orders, depending on the availability of our manufacturers. Call us for more information.
Yes, it is very important to work with an experienced, licensed draftsman and architect to design a permittable deck plan. There are several factors that need to be taken into account to ensure that your yurt will be permittable. Be certain that you are working with professionals who are well versed in local codes and regulations. Platform plans, drafting services and permitting services are all available through Yurts of Hawai’i at very good rates.
Absolutely! Walls can be framed and finished inside a yurt just like any other structure, though in a yurt any interior wall framing needs to be free-standing.
Plumbing and electric are quite easy to install in a yurt. They are run through the floor and any interior walls you erect inside. Often walls for a bathroom will be installed in a yurt, which doubles well as a kitchen wall to run plumbing and electric through. Rafters work beautifully to facilitate illuminating and creative track lighting. Take advantage of our experienced and licensed plumbing and electrical contractors.
Yurts are often far more difficult to break into than a standard stick house. With the lattice work frame expanding across most walls and windows, it makes it considerably more work to breach than a common house with glass windows. There are further installations that we can custom build to reduce break in potential as well, including intermittent solid interior wall panels, removable, interior lattice covers for glass windows, additional industrial locks on doors, and more.
Yurts can work beautifully as a residence, ‘Ohana houses, vacation house, rental, added on bedroom or office, Jacuzzi rooms, studios and whatever else your imagination can dream of.
We get the question all the time: “Is there financing available for yurts? The answer, in most cases, used to be a regretful “no”. Some people have used non-traditional finance companies, others are able to finance with credit cards; but most traditional banks turn down construction loan requests for yurts, although they will refinance at great value once a permitted yurt project is complete.
ALL THAT JUST CHANGED!
There are many fabulous new options, including in-house financing through Secret Creek, peer-to-peer lending, and several reputable lending companies like Timberline or Lightstream, that have popped up since the trend of the tiny house movement. Inquire for more details!