Authentic Mongolian Yurts

Yurts have been developed in a country with an extreme climate. They are aerodynamic and resist the strongest winds, although they’re normally not anchored to the ground (Mongolians do not want to hurt the Earth). In case of extreme winds, Mongolians usually attach a big stone to the rope that hangs from the centre of the tonoo (central dome). You can use a ring bolted to your platform. Also, make sure that the yurt is “air proof” on the ground and that there’s no risk for the wind to rush from underneath the yurt. We have a lot of experience to share on the subject and you might find more info in our installation notice.

If the yurt is well installed, it should normally resist heavy snow loads. But for more safety, we advise our customers to regularly get rid of the snow on the roof. Should you leave the yurt unattended for a longer period and fear heavy snow falls, you can always place two additional central post under the tonoo at 6 and 12 o’clock on yurts up to 6 walls.

We actually sell yurts that are made of almost 100% natural material. Our cotton based canvas is of very good quality and is water resistant. In certain cases of prolonged rains or long lasting melting snow, you might experience some humid spots here and there. Although not always 100% natural, here are a few ways to adapt your yurt to extreme humid conditions:

• In general, we strongly recommend placing a layer of house wrap (We use a combination of Mento 1000 on the roof and Tyvek on the walls. Ask us about our Mento Exclusive) between the felt and the outside cover on the roof and walls. These house wraps are not organic, but TYVEK for example claims to be completely biodegradable. You can also purchase a house wrap directly with your new yurt.
• If you’re not using the above-mentioned wrapping and see humid spots after heavy rains, heat the yurt for 30 min with a good wood fire in the stove.
• Waterproof the seams (or even the whole outside cover) regularly, every year for example. Especially in cold winter climates, ventilation is crucial as excess of humidity can build up under the cold surface of the house wrap.

The toono (central dome) which is very wide in an authentic Mongolian yurt and brings natural light all around the yurt. In addition, we introduced a double window door frame (together with the main door) as a standard on all our yurts, allowing to close the yurt and have a view outside, without compromising too much the original Mongolian look. We leave it to the customer to add glass, plexiglass, screen or a combination of those or can supply these as an option. However, you can also order a certain amount of windows or additional doors, depending on the yurt’s diameter. Our toonos (central domes) are all equipped on their front half with 4 window frames covered with a very basic clear vinyl cover (one of them having a hole for the stove pipe). The other half is usually covered with the urgh (top flap). For more light, you can very easily cover the rest of the toono with Lexan (high quaity Plexiglas). We sell clear vinyl top flaps as an alternative option for light and optimal rain protection of the toono.

We now offer bow windows for our yurts from a 4-wall (16ft) to a 12-wall (40ft) size. Our bow windows are sold in sections that are either fixed (do not open) or ones that do open. Up to 3 sections can be connected together to create a larger bow window. Only a limited number of sections can be added to a yurt. It is possible to install a bow window in an existing yurt.