Since portability really is not a goal here, why not just build a small well insulated shed? :) SIP panels are available in Illinois and they are pretty easy to deal with.
Hexayurts are awesome temporary structures, but once well insulated (you might have to use foam cans for all the gaps between panels), they are basically equivalent to large coolers... I can see lots of long term issues with ventilation, heating, mold growth and such. In any case, let us know what you end up doing! Good luck! Vladimir On Mon, Sep 16, 2013 at 11:35 AM, <[email protected]> wrote: > I'm planning on building a Hexayurt shelter for myself, but wanted to run > a few things by the community before as I've never done anything like this > before and have a few concerns. > > The location: > A friendly backyard in Urbana, Illinois, to be used October-May. (Climate > data) <http://www.sws.uiuc.edu/atmos/statecli/cuweather/cu-averages.htm> > > The plan: > Build a Hexayurt H13 <http://www.appropedia.org/Hexayurt_H13> out of 1-1/2" > thick > Foamular<http://insulation.owenscorning.com/assets/0/428/429/431/0538f0de-3893-4e8a-a0c0-5de11b913061.pdf> > (R-Value > 7.5) and extra wide duct > tape<http://www.amazon.com/Polyken-223-Multi-Purpose-Duct-Tape/dp/B000SQO2VY> > The foundation will be a raised platform built of cinderblocks, earth, > more Foamular, and plywood (as described at the bottom of this > page<http://www.appropedia.org/Hexayurt_materials> > ) > For waterproofing, simply cover the whole thing with a sheath made of a > tarp cut and sewn to approximate size (with holes in it for the guy-wires) > For a door, I will sandwich the necessary panels in plywood both for > stability and so I can screw in hinges, a handle, and some kind of latch. > > Obviously this location is much colder than the Playa, especially during > the time period I'm looking at. So sun reflection, melting tape, and > keeping out dust storms are not problems I expect: keeping warm and dry > are. With that in mind: > > -Is this yurt unnecessarily large for one person? A smaller one would be > easier to heat, but I'm a slightly-taller-than-average guy (6'1") and I > don't want to spend seven months living in something I can't stand up in if > I can help it. > > -Is Foamular a strong enough insulator for a 10°F winter night? I chose it > because its about half the cost of the Burning Man-approved silver stuff > with a similar R value, and I don't really want to be reflecting any heat. > Off the top of my head, I could buy some extra heat retention by > sandwiching it between two 1/4" thick sheets of OSB. > > -Snow is a potential problem for the roof. How much weight can the roof > support? I have no problem with shoveling it off my roof at a reasonably > regular frequency, but I don't really want my home to collapse if it snows > while I'm at work or worse, asleep inside it. I don't expect this will be a > major concern--central Illinois certainly gets snow, but nothing extreme. > > -Again, I have literally 0 hexayurt experience. Does anyone see any > problems with my plan? > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "hexayurt" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/hexayurt. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "hexayurt" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/hexayurt. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
