What's your opinion of my carport+hexayurt idea?

[Kampy]

(I originally wrote this as a direct message to FIGJAM, but would love to get other opinions as well. Please chime in with your thoughts!)

Hi FIGJAM... I've been scanning ePlaya for some info re: shelters at BRC, and I've seen your bucket-based solar swamp cooler plans, and some of your posts in other threads, and I think you know what you're talking about and I'd like to get your opinion on my current plans before I start buying all the materials this weekend...

Last year I brought my two big geodesic domes to the burn (my first) and they were great, but then all the struts for both domes were stolen from their storage box in my apt's parking space. Without the domes, I need a new shelter strategy, and I've had a hard time deciding between the hexayurt route and the carport route, and then last night I thought, 'why not combine the two?'

My current idea is to buy a 10x15 Carport to go over a simplified hexayurt design made of insulation panels... possibly an 8x8 cube made of 10 insulation panels (if there's enough headroom in the carport for that, if not, I could trim it down to 7' tall, or add an pitched roof, or something.) The carport would be heavily staked and secured so the yurt wouldn't need to deflect wind. I'm a tall dude (6'4") and I would love to be able to stand upright in the yurt section. That's one of the things I definitely miss about my geodomes- the headroom!

I originally thought of attaching the panels directly to the frame of the carport, but then I thought better of it, and decided that it would be better if the two structures weren't physically connected (so if the wind starts pummeling the carport, the walls of the yurt won't be shaking too)

I'm thinking the "cube" made of insulation panels COULD be built without any internal frame/structure, but I think that maybe a wooden box frame made of 2x2's might make it sturdier, and possibly eliminate the need for so much tape... like, I could screw the panels to the wood skeleton, or velcro them, or something. And then I could hang coat hooks, etc inside the yurt, attaching them to the wood frame...

I think the cube would be already be pretty cool inside just by virtue of being protected under the carport, so adding your little 5 gallon bucket solar swamp cooler design would be all the cooling help it would need to get it down to a comfortable temp during the day.

So, basically, an 8x8 cube made of 10 insulation panels, cooled with the small bucket swamp cooler, and covered by a heavily staked 10x15 carport, leaving room for a social/living room area in the front part of the carport.... I think this setup would be pretty sweet (in theory), but it seems like such an obvious idea, I'm wondering why I haven't seen it done before, or at least heard of someone doing something like this.

Whatcha think? Do you foresee any potential pitfalls in my idea?

KAMPY

[slvrnmph]

Having lived in a hexayurt on the playa for the last 3 years I have to say it really doesn't need the shelter of the carport. And I have never even bothered with swamp cooling mine, although I have thought about, just usually lacking additional funds and time to do it. At 6'4" you've got a little over a foot in height on me, but I would suggest checking out the H13 design. You would have a pretty full height door and a lot of interior space and head room and no problem standing upright. Some pretty tall guys that were neighbors of mine checked it out and were completely comfortable standing upright in it. They were also kind enough to help build it some, but people on the playa usually are. I would have the entrance to the hexayurt right up against the carport and use the entire carport as the protected outdoor hangout area. This would also protect the entrance of the hexayurt from the dust and wind and likely keep what is already a very dust free environment even cleaner.

There is a long thread in this section of the eplaya on hexayurts and it seems like you have probably read it, but if you haven't there is a bunch of good info in there, as well as variations on yurt builds. Jkisha is very knowledgeable on the subject.

[offarock]

From your description I have a 10 panel Cube that seems like what you are describing. I did cut the 8 eight foot Panels for the walls down to 7' tall as I am 6' 4" and that was plenty of head room.

Here is my cube type Boxayurt in photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/64084674@N ... 778778884/

I used angle iron as stakes for the four corners and used a post hammer to put them 18" in to the ground. Then I tension the four stakes together compressing the cube about a foot from the top of the cube.
The rebar stakes around the cube cross (make an "X") on the top of the roof, pushing/securing the roof down on to the cube.

There is an internal crossbeam keeping the roof from collapsing as well as providing a place to hang the light inside.

it was out there 2008, 2009 and 2011 and stayed solid in the worst storms.


If you are putting one up, let me know where you are located. I would love to come by and compare notes.
Mine will be on 6 about halfway between d and f, look for squirrels.

[Kampy]

offarock, that looks great. Good to see that the 10 panel cube has been successfully executed before, and without a windbreak even. Does using the angle iron eliminate the need for tape on those seams? Or do you still have to tape?

Thanks for sharing. If I do end up building a similar cube, feel free to come check it out. My camp is "Cohesion" at 4:15/H I'll try to swing by and check out your "punishment box"

[offarock]

Just sent my contact info in a personal message.

I do not tape the corners that nest into the angle iron stakes. Those corners are cut at 45 degrees and when I tension the box they make a good seal and are really pushing together. Each pair if panels that make up a side are taped into a hinge that opens OUT rather than IN. The wind, if it is hitting a side directly, is pushing that wall closed rather than open in relation to the seam.

I do tape the roof on to the "box" every year on all sides. The AC unit is overkill and runs very little and only when I sleep in there during the day. I work some shifts for one of the volunteer positions on Playa, and sometimes finish a shift at 6am. I'd upgrade to a swamp cooler but I already owned the old AC unit when I built the thing.

Hope to hear from you and I would love to check out your box while on the Playa.

I should probably word that differently...

[FIGJAM]

Kampy you have a PM!