ZACH BOTH AND
NICOLE LOPEZ BUILT
THEIR MODERN YURT
WITH FAMILY AND
FRIENDS, GIVING A
CONTEMPORARY
AESTHETIC. FROM
PALETTE TO LAYOUT,
LINES ARE CLEAN
AND THE SPACE
MINIMAL, BUT HIGHLY
FUNCTIONAL, SMARTLY
APPOINTED AND
ENVIRONMENTALLY
FOCUSED. ZACH'S DIY
BUILDING GUIDE—
DOITYURTSELF.COM
—OUTLINES THE
CONSTRUCTION
PROCESS.
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Why a yurt? As a filmmaker who traveled
North America in a self-converted
campervan, I was introduced to various
alternative-style homes around the
country. My girlfriend Nicole and I [were]
drawn to the yurt time and again because
of its rich history and unique construction.
As building evolves, where do you
see the yurt? It's an opportunity
to improve the natural environment
with sustainable building practices,
along with the added benefits of more
affordable housing and a deeper, more
intimate connection with our homes.
How doable is this? The popularity of
prefabricated kits has made the process
of building a yurt similar to putting together
a massive piece of furniture from IKEA
with simple to understand instructions and
pre-made parts that come together with
relative ease. Nicole and I were complete
novices at the beginning of this build.
We stumbled through every step of the
construction process from plumbing and
electrical, to framing walls with sheetrock
and installing salvaged wood flooring. The
yurt acted as our construction laboratory
where we could experiment and learn
many new skills that we'll carry into future
build projects.
Who might build a yurt? As a place of
permanent residence, the yurt's ability to
bring you close to the nature surrounding
it means it is best suited for people who
own large swaths of untouched land.
However, you can also find yurts in an
even wider variety of environments,
used in a multitude of alternative ways—
from backyard yoga and art studios to
makeshift bars on the bottom of ski slopes.
The A-to-Zach on building a
modern yurt.