All yurts are NOT created equal

We fell in love with the Fortress yurt by Spirit Mountin Yurts (SMY) when we first saw it.  It seemed perfect for what we would like to do and the comparative price was great after we had priced in all the options like insulation and such.  We sent off a request for a quote and kept on searching other yurt company sites for comparisons. 
We requested a quote from Shelter Designs yurts and received a promt email response as to pricing and delivery options.  Hays, their sales rep, mentioned that he encourages all of their customers to thoroughly research any yurt company they are interested in as some makers have a less than stellar reputation for quality and customer support. He said that when it comes to yurts you really do get what you pay for.  Taking this into consideration we went back over the list of yurt makers that we had interest in and did a BBB search as well as a search of customer reviews relating to those makers.  Unfortunately, that search revealed that Spirit Mountain is one of those with a less than stellar reputation.  It seems that everything goes swell until money is transferred, then support stops.  Their previous clients have had issues such as seams and roof leaking, wind collapse and other things to which SMY has failed to respond.   This was not what we had hoped for, but better to find out BEFORE the order is placed.  We have since gone back to the drawing board, making sure that the makers we look at have a well deserved positive reputation amongst the community (including the National Yurt Makers Association). 

Laurel Nest Yurts

We stumbled across Laurel Nest Yurts in North Carolina.  They have a great concept.  They understand that cost is a major factor in the buyer's decision to choose a yurt as a housing option and so encourage the buyers to travel to their manufacturing facility and help with the making of their yurt in an effort to keep cost down.  This, they say, also gives the buyer a sense of pride in the home once it has been constructed and errected.  They still offer a complete package for those who are not inclined to take advantage of the cost saving option.  Check them out at www.laurelnestyurts.com

A man's home is his castle

When one has finished building one's house, one suddenly realizes that in the process one has learned something that one really needed to know in the worst way - before one began. ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

Having taken the first steps toward a freer, more independant, life; we now turn to housing options.

We are considering three options at this point:
1.  30' Yurt
2.  Tuff-Shed style house
3.  Travel Trailer

Each of these has pros and cons.  We like the instant gratification of a travel trailer but are a bit uncertain how it would perform during the harshest winter months in Montello.  If anyone has experience with this we'd be very happy to hear your thoughts.  A yurt would provide the most square footage, but we aren't sure about how to errect the platform/base on our own.  Lastly the shed option offers the most comprehensive option of insulation with a traditional living space, however, it would limit the livable square footage that we could attain within our desired budget.  Again the foundation (post and pier) gives us a bit of pause.  Choices, choices...  Let the research and planning begin.

In April of this year our plan is to lay the foundation for our off grid home.  We are still undecied as to what it might be,  a yurt, or a small cabin? 

After several years we are now ready to make the move out west.  We recently purchased 10 acres on the old Gamble Ranch,  it borders forest preserve on the west and south and has views of snow capped mountains in three directions.