Yurts fascinate me. I think they have really evolved. Would love to have one lake-side as a vacation spot.

I love yurts...the look...the idea. Have never stayed in one and not sure it would work for me as I'm a tad fussy....

My idea of roughing it is when they don't turn down the bed and put the chocolate on the pillow....
;)

We did stay in a tent with a wooden platform on our honeymoon in Yosemite and that worked out fine....

lol Annie. It seems to be possible to make a yurt fairly comfortable and not too rough! It expect building a simple cabin would be easier, but yurts really do look like an interesting alternative. Value for money may be the deciding factor for us, I doubt a yurt would last as long as a simple log type cabin, but I could be wrong.

I spent the night in one - a classic Mongolian one. It was OK, and it had good floor space. It was noisy because the supports creaked in the wind.

One problem is that you can't secure them against critters very well.

You could do a platform tent (tent on permanent foundation) at first, and add walls to make a bunkhouse or workshop later for way less than a yurt.

Bears. Squirrels. Raccoons.

Give me solid walls out in the wild.

Can you just move into a Pod?

Or better yet, rent or buy a used RV and park it on the property....they can be small but have a lot of modern conveniences, esp if you have it hooked up to power....

If a yurt costs as much as a solid wall bunkie I'd choose the bunkie. Several years ago my DH built me a garden house that is 12'x16' with a sleeping loft. We did it that year the Cdn. gov't gave rebates for home improvements to stimulate the economy so could claim expenses and got some money back. Even so it cost several thousand dollars. We did find some of the building materials and all the windows at yard sales which saved. DH built it all himself except for shingling the steep roof. I only use it to store garden decor, patio chairs and table, etc. but when the Grands are older they'll likely sleep and play in it and I'll hang curtains and decorate it. I'd like to have an outdoor privy nearby but that's another project. I live on a large acreage and at the time we had farm status so could build any size outbuildings and didn't need a building permit. Without farm status the size of outbuildings are limited and I believe one needs a building permit in this province.

My cousins have one at their summer home. They use it as overflow sleeping space. When no visitors are using it, their kids use it as a clubhouse.

It's on a wood platform, so there's a solid floor. It's a lot like sleeping in a tent, but they have real beds, so it feels like cheating. And whatever their yurt is made out of does not block a lot of light, so you wake up really early on summer mornings. No plumbing, so you need a flashlight in case you have to visit the big house during the night.

I like it. Some of their visitors do not. I cannot imagine using it during a Vermont winter though.

My daughter spent three months in a yurt. Unfortunately, it was winter in northern Vermont! Even though it had insulation and a wood stove, she said she had never been so cold in her life. However, she liked the yurt itself and would have enjoyed it much more in warmer weather.

Annie, I'm with you...my DH says my idea of roughing it is having to call room service twice...so of course I vote for the bunkie, with insulation, good ventilation, a fat rug, and heat. A pellet stove could be ideal for such a structure, wouldn't you think?

The thing about nice guests is, they will never tell you when your accommodations are problematic, so it's a good idea to think about the pickiest and oldest of your likely guests, and plan accordingly.

Most of my friends enjoy winter camping in tents (I don't, at all, unless the tent is in St. Lucia), so a yurt or a bunkie would be luxurious to many in my crowd. But regardless, I'm thinking summer accommodations only.

I expect we'll go the bunkie route, but either way it won't be the pickiest or the oldest out there, don't worry (we will have a cottage with proper bedrooms too, eventually). And we'll just use the bunkie six months a year I think, so we don't have to heat it, etc. But we will have to put up something for my immediate family next summer, before the cottage is built.

Here's my favorite bunkie-type room. Not very warm, though.

Here is a link that might be useful:

One of our favorite places to stay in California is a yurt resort in Big Sur. This is really upscale hippie "camping" but with a beautiful view of the coastline. They are so cozy! And the hot tub with a view of the Pacific doesn't hurt!

Here is a link that might be useful: Yurts

One day while browsing in the outside garden center at Lowe's I walked through the cute little shed type buildings they have on the outside grounds. There was one that was so neat - it had an upstairs. Coming from humble background and living in Appalachia where families are living in homes and trailers not nearly as nice as these buildings, I immediately mentally started turning one of those into a home. I thought how easily it would be to turn one of these cute out-buildings into a little summer or camp-type house.

I'm not talking about the tiny ones for garden tools - there are some that are very good size. I'm not finding a picture of the type I a talking about.

Oregon State parks rent out yurts every year, year-round, actually. They're in huge demand. They have electricity and heating. We stayed in one once for a weekend (early summer) and it was just wonderful. Nice and roomy.

Here is a link that might be useful: loved it : )