Yurts - Relatively Safe Housing for Earthquake-Prone Areas???

by ziddina 62 Replies latest social current

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  ziddina

  And then there's my favorite, the Berber/North African version of a Bedouin tent...

  Modern tent - interior

  Very authentic older version - this was actually adapted from the Bedouin camels' hair tents when the Arabian Muslim forces invaded North Africa. Prior to that, SOME of the Berber tribes living far out on the edges of the Saharah built twig 'domes' covered with animal skins - these tents were used at night, and basically contained only one large sleeping area...

  Tuareg dome tent - this was the ORIGINAL 'geodesic' dome tent!!
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  Jim_TX

  One small point that needs to be brought out to the OP. While it is true that tents and yurts, etc were first used in hot arid climates, or cold northern climates, one needs to keep in mind that the personal hygiene of the individuals who used them was not the best.

  I would imagine that one could not get too close to these individuals who probably sweat profusely, and smelled to high-heaven, and didn't think twice about it.

  Nowadays, most people complain about even a one-degree change outside of their 'normal' range of acceptable temperatures - which is usually a very narrow air-conditioned climate artifically created by large A/C units.

  Now back to your fantasy...
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  Jim_TX

  Popping in with another suggestion for those who are willing to try the unusual...

  American Ingenuity makes a series of Hi-R insulated geodesic dome homes that can be bought by the individual and built into a very air-tight and awesome living space.

  http://www.aidomes.com/

  Don't forget to consider their smaller 12-foot Pod storage dome. It would be cheap enough to use as a starter dome. I think the price is somewhere around $750, and can go up to close to $1000 depending on the options you add to it. For 110 sq feet, it's a great deal, and it has an insulation of R-8. Here in South Texas, a storage building with R-8 is a good deal!

  I was thinking about getting a few of these Pods, and linking them together to create a larger living space.

  http://www.aidomes.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=385&Itemid=448

  Another company makes prefabricated fiberglass panels insulated with styrofoam. The panels can be bolted together easily, and I believe they have quoted an assembly time of like a day or so for a medium-sized dome, with four people assembling the panels.

  The smaller dome is about 333 sq feet and costs about $8500 or so.

  http://www.domesintl.com/housesplansprices76pg/domehousing72.html

  A larger one is about 777 sq feet, and costs a bit more, but is still below $20k.

  http://www.domesintl.com/housesplansprices76pg/domehousing54.html

  These Domes International domes used to be made in Mississippi - not sure where they are now... they have changed up their website and it is difficult (for me) to manuever.

  I also know of a fella who has taken the concept of the monolithic EcoShell domes, and has used papercrete, styrofoam and cement, and has made an awesome highly-insulated and easy to use building material that is strong and environmentally friendly. A few years ago, he was quoting building a 20-foot diameter dome for around $5000 - which is a very good price for about 315 sq feet of floor space. Using styrofoam and papercrete, the R-value of this would certainly be upwards of R-20 or so.

  I am also working on home plans to link several of the 315 sq foot domes together to create a much larger living environment.

  There are many more domes that I have looked at, some cost more than others, but the above three seem to have caught my interest above the others, as having the highest R-value, the lowest cost, and the most practical.

  Anyway... don't mean to hijack the thread, but yurts are not the only way to create a living space.

  Regards,

  Jim TX