Summary: Yurt homes are unique and modern modular round homes. Yurt home construction is an engineered panelized building system.
Carl, My wife and I want to build a new home outside of Portland Oregon. We have fallen in love with a yurt home.
It is a “round house and the total square footage, (not including garages) is going to be 4000 sq ft with a 1000 sq foot loft for a total of 5000 sq ft.
The yurt home will be modular and include everything to “dry it in” including 30 year roofing, cedar siding, exterior doors, exterior wall and ceiling insulation windows and all construction or engineering plans and blueprints.
The cost from the factory is approximately $45/sq foot (not including set up and delivery which will cost an additional $20,000 or so.) My question is, is that a good price considering what we are getting or would I be better off not doing the modular option?
I am having trouble comparing the yurt construction prices for a typical stick built house to the “round” house.
I personally feel the round house should come in less expensive due to the savings in building materials, but I really don’t know.C.L.
Hi C. L.
You are not comparing apples to apples when you try to compare stick built to an engineered, panelized building system, nor do I think it is possible to do so.
Besides, the yurt homes you are looking at ARE “stick built”. They are just “stick built” inside a factory by experienced tradespeople.
Most panelized building systems are built with engineered floors, walls, and roof panels. They are delivered with roofs already shingled, siding installed (even stained), floors, walls and roofs insulated, windows installed, and all of it ready to assemble on your job site.
From the sketch you sent me, that shows two floor plans from from Deltec Homes. I think you will have higher than normal costs as you are actually building, even though they are connected, two structures.
I wouldn’t even know where to begin to try and estimate an alternative way to cost this out. The materials yes, but the labor to build all this on site? NO. I don’t even know where you would find skilled enough crews to site build this type of structure. I wouldn’t even try.
$45 per sq ft + $20,000 for delivery and setup sounds pretty good.
Get all your other costs together, foundation, plumbing, heating, electrical, etc., and see what the total cost is for the yurt home. Then find out what the house will appraise for (market value) upon completion and make your decision based on cost vs. market value. You can order your own appraisal from a licensed fee appraiser, or wait and let your lender do it.
The appraisal is done from your blueprints + cost estimate & specifications + your building site.
If you aren’t concerned about cost vs. value, your lender will be. If you aren’t borrowing money, you should still be aware of value, if not concerned.
As with any product, always get customer references and check them.
Ask the references how much it cost them to build yurt homes, how the company performed, etc.
Carl Heldmann
