Do Yurts Make the Best Tiny Family Homes?

Would you trade in your daily commute to live life off grid in Northern Montana? Join Sean and Mollie Busby as they walk us through the Yurt that they call home and explain how they deal with wood fire stoves, bear issues and composting toilets.

Goal Zero is sponsoring a new series called En Route that’s all about folks living off the grid. They’ve really made their yurt homy much nicer than ours was!

I noticed in the comments on Outside magazine’s post that alot of folks were wonder what they do for a living way out in the middle of nowhere. He’s actually a pro snowboarder, yes that is a profession and he gets paid from his related sponsors. Also I’d say that their home may not me as remote as everyone imagines. Take the Kilcher family for example, from the popular Discovery Channel Show; Alaska The Last Frontier. They live just outside Homer Alaska, not far outside. They easily drive in for pizza bagels or go the the grocery store in Homer. It’s the show that chooses to portray them as living farther out than they really do. You can still find off grid property close enough to commute to work is my point.



Off grid yurt Screen Shot 2015-05-05 at 10.42.19 AM Screen Shot 2015-05-05 at 10.42.38 AM

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3 Responses

  1. Alex says:

    I love this! I’m an architectural designer currently designing/building my own tiny house out near the Olympic forest, and this provided some good ideas on what kinds of options are out there for things such as showering, etc. when you’re off the grid. I seem to fantasize daily about escaping the daily grind and running off to live out there full time. But even now, with it still incomplete and only a weekend place, I feel so lucky to have a little place like that to run away to. These people are living the dream! Hopefully someday, I can do the same.

  2. Good points, it’s all about balance and making the best of your situation. Our yurt collapsed in heavy snow, (our fault) but still a cabin wouldn’t have done that. A yurt can be put up without a permit, a cabin of similar size can’t really. Cabins can add value to property, yurts don’t according to the county but may in the market… maybe a could thing for taxes… But for the trump card… Yurts can be put up in a weekend. Pick your poison 🙂

  3. brocurt says:

    I don’t see things as far as being best. What’s best for me won’t be best for you or others. Sean and Mollie have set-up a beautiful home for themselves. I’ve often thought of having a yurt for my home when I grow up (I’m 64). Yurts are definitely cheaper than many types of homes, but by the time you’re finished with the whole package–special insulation packages and high now capacity canvass roof and the deck–you have invested quite a bit of money for a house that will need the canvas replaced somewhere in the 10 year range.

    I love that it is round and has no center support pole. That leaves you with infinite possibilities for placement of walls and furniture. You never need get bored with the interior. Plus, in most states it’s an up-hill battle to get permitted for a fulltime home. Regardless, they make a very good shelter to call home.

    Personally, I’m considering a vintage travel trailer so I can live in the North during the summer and go South for the winter which I probably end up staying South because gas will eventually become so expensive it would cost more to move it long distance. Plus, it isn’t very environmentally friendly to drive that much.

    That’s my penny’s worth of opinion.