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Q. Who makes your yurts?
A. I (Paul King) make all of our yurt frames. My wife
and I make the covers. We are a small business making
about 20-30 yurts a year. So when you buy a woodland
yurt you can be sure that it was hand-built by one of
the most experienced yurt builders in the West, author
of The Complete Yurt Handbook.
Q. How long have you been making yurts?
A. I started yurt making in 1991 and have been making
them full-time for nearly ten years. To date (Nov 2006)
I have made 250 complete yurts. I have studied yurt
making and all associated skill both here and in Mongolia
and Kyrgyzstan. I have written three books and several
articles on the subject and featured in the television
series “Home wasn’t built in a day”.
I plan to be building yurts for many years to come.
Q. Why are you prices so reasonable?
A. We are a small business with low overheads. We have
been making yurts for a very long time and know exactly
how long it takes. We do not spend money on advertising
and sell our yurts directly to the end user. We do not
compromise on quality, we use top quality local timber,
which we select and process ourselves. As we are a very
small business we do not charge VAT.
Q. How much do your yurts weigh?
A. A nine-foot coppice yurt weighs about 40 Kg, a twelve-foot
yurt weighs about 120 Kg, a sixteen-foot ger weighs
about 220Kg, and a twenty-one foot ger weighs about
450Kg.
Q. How long does it take to put up a yurt?
A. A nine-foot yurt takes about 20 minutes to erect.
A ten or twelve footer takes 30-40 minutes. A fourteen-foot
yurt takes about an hour and an eighteen footer can
be put up in two hours. It may take double this time
the first time you put up the yurt, but once you know
how it works it should go up very quickly.
Q. What are your covers made from?
A. We use 12oz. (393g/m²) white cotton canvas,
which is waterproof, flame retardant, and rot proofed.
The 12oz. Canvas is very strong and durable and transmits
light very well, it dries fairly quickly. We can make
covers in heavier 15oz. Canvas but this takes a long
time to dry is less suitable if the yurt is to be put
up and taken down a lot. There is no extra charge for
15oz. Canvas but you may have to wait longer for your
yurt.
Q. How many people do your yurts sleep?
A. This is a very difficult question to answer; it depends
on the level of luxury you like. A nine foot yurt has
plenty of room for two adults and two children to sleep
in comfort. At least ten people can sit on chairs in
a circle around the wall. A ten-footer can sleep four
adults, and is big enough for a couple to live in full
time (wood-burning stove, kitchen area etc.). A fourteen-footer
is a spacious home for a couple or a small family, and
a great space for a party and can comfortably sleep
ten or more. A sixteen footer makes a very spacious
home for a family, room for yoga workshops, classrooms,
a well stocked shop etc. Eighteen and twenty-one foot
yurts are huge spaces for wedding receptions etc. We
had room for 35 people seated around six tables with
a wood-burning stove at our wedding in an eighteen foot
ger.
Q. Do you rent yurts?
A. No.
Q. Do you offer trade or bulk discounts?
A. No. Our prices are already as low as we can make
them. Each yurt is individually made so the unit price
is the same however many you order. We only sell direct
to the customer, so no trade discount.
Q. Do you sell used yurts?
A. No. We occasionally have new yurts in stock at reduced
prices. See our news page.
Q. Do you run yurt-making courses?
A. No. If you would like to make your own yurt there
are instructions on this website. For more detailed
up-to-date plans see The Complete Yurt Handbook.
Q. Do you export yurts?
A. We can send yurts to European Union countries. We
do not export yurts to Asia, America, Australia, or
New Zealand due to import restrictions on untreated
timber.
Q. Are your yurts waterproof?
Our yurts are made from the best waterproof cotton canvas available, they are carefully designed and stitched to prevent leakage. The canvas is a natural and breathable fabric. The first time the yurt is used a small ammount of water might pass through stitch holes, once the canvas is wet the coton fibres will swell and permanently seal these holes. During extremely heavy rain especially after a long dry period a very small ammount of water may enter the yurt.
Q. Are your yurts suitable for year-round use?
A. The yurts can be left up for years if it is in constant
use. Many of our customers have lived in their yurts
for years. However, a major part of the beauty of a
yurt is its portability and the ease with which it can
be taken down and put up. Recent warm, wet winters and
autumns do favour the growth of mildew. We strongly
reccommend that the yurt is taken down for these months
if it is not in use. If the yurt is left up year-round
it should be heated a couple of times a week in wet
weather to prevent mildew formation.
Q. Are your yurts suitable as permanent homes?
A. Yes, many of our customers have lived in their yurts
for years. Throughout Central Asia Millions of people
live in yurts in some of the harshest climates on Earth.
Q. How long do your yurts last?
A. Many years: If you are using your yurt just for summer
holidays it should last a lifetime. We have customers
who have lived full-time in their yurts since the 1990s.
The frame is protected by the cover and should last
indefinitely. The canvas will last very many years of
normal use. The canvas is waterproof but does not like
being permanently damp, if you leave it empty in a damp
wood the cover could need replacing in less than a year.
Q. What maintenance does the yurt need?
A. Very little: As with all tents make sure it is dry
before packing it. Store the yurt in a dry place. Do
not store the wall sections flat- lean them against
a wall. If you lay them on the floor put something under
the top ends. Make sure it is securely pegged down at
all times. If, after several years use the frame looks
a bit dry it should be oiled with Danish oil, or boiled
linseed oil. If, after very many years, the canvas begins
to leak reproof it with Fabsil or a similar proofing
solution. If the yurt is up during prolonged wet weather,
light a fire in the stove a couple of times a week to
dry the cover thoroughly.
Q. Do you sell yurt covers or other separate components?
A. Generally no. We make each yurt individually; each
part is fitted to its neighbours. I believe a good yurt
cannot be made by bringing disparate parts together,
they do not lend themselves to mass production. Our
covers are fitted to their own frame and not made to
measurements or patterns alone. We can sell complete
frames, or covers fitted to our frames (you can make
a frame to our specifications).
Q. Do you do coloured covers?
A. Generally No. We only do white or royal blue (limited
stock). Coloured canvas needs to be ordered in large
dye batches, so if you order several yurts in one colour
we can supply them. A coloured cover makes the yurt
very dark inside. Coloured canvas is available in a
non-flame-retardant finish, but I would not recommend
it.
Q. Do you supply timber floors?
A. No. But we can offer advice if you want to make your
own.
Q. Do you supply yurt furniture?
A. No.
Q. What about wood-burning stoves?
A. Most of our customers have a stove in their yurt.
It makes the yurt warm and cosy in all weathers. We
can supply an aluminium flue collar in the cover. We
do not supply stoves. Click
here for our recommendations. As with all
tents it is dangerous to light fires inside –
BEWARE!!!
Q. Where can I see one of your yurts?
A. We have a yurt on display in here in Clevedon. If
you visit on a dry day we can put one up to show how
it is done. Telephone (01275 879705) before you visit.
There is often one on display at Wakehurst Place, West
Sussex (Kew Garden’s country estate).
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