Measurements for the yurt: the Sums & Measuring Out
This is the mathematical bit, so just look at the pictures if you are not interested in this.
I wanted a yurt about 5 metres in diameter and after some measuring-out came up with a diameter of 529cm, allowing a bit of extra space for the central fire flue. I intended to cover the yurt initially with a recycled parachute from e-bay, which was about 40ft wide.
Using π [that’s meant to be pie] x D, 3.14 x 529 = 1661cm circumference.
1661 divided by 12 gave me 12 sections of 138.42 spaces between the centres of uprights.
The radius of the yurt is 529cm diameter divided by 2 = 264.5
The 12 floor beams were bolted through sheet of marine ply which sat on top of the plinth so that the weight of the beams transfers to the plinth [not just the ply]. I will come back to the chimney hole later on a separate section about the fire.
I used a spirit level to determine where the beams should lie vertically and attached them to uprights, placing them on treated fencepost caps, placed on hefty stones from around the garden. Overall the yurt would be a hefty weight and was sited in a wind protected area.
I had determined that the height from the floor to the top of each upright would be 160cm. Since I was building on a slope, adding the space between the ‘floor’ and the ground gave me the height of each individual upright.
