What is a yurt?

Yurts are a type of portable house - developed by Mongolian nomads. They are generally round, tent and wood structures, and they are said to be very comfortable and efficient.

We began looking at yurts because we needed a house we could put up quickly - I refused to live in a trailer because I loathe the look and feel of a long, thin house just plunked down. Yurts are less expensive than most trailers, and they look as though they're nestling into the earth.

We are still shopping around for our yurt, but there is a company in nearby New Hampshire that builds and sells the pieces for yurt construction. All we would have to do is build the platform and erect the structure. Then we would be able to fit the building with our woodstove - generously donated by my in-laws, electric, and some sort of plumbing system.