For the past two year or so I have been enjoying yurt life
on the slopes of Mauna Kea. I am located
at about 1500 ft. on the Hamakua coast, east Hawaii. Here we get frequent trade winds and plenty
of rain, sometimes over 200 inches per year.
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| This window gets the most wind and rain, and is not easily reached. |
This rain is often driven by the wind makes adjusting the
windows a challenge. The windows need to
serve two purposes here: To keep out the rain out while allowing in cooling
breezes. Even with the dome lifter open
and three windows and two doors open, ventilation of the 80 degree heat is a
challenge. And because of the windows
are adjusted from the outside, reaching them on my sloping land is almost
impossible without a ladder. I have
tried various adjustment combinations of the privacy flap and the clear plastic
storm window, but I still get wind driven rain on the inside floor.
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| I can reach this more easily. |
There seems to be two options. Colorado Yurt now offers a fully operational
window, which can be opened and closed from the interior, for an additional
$1650.00 plus shipping and instillation.
I don’t believe these were available when I purchased my yurt three
years ago.
The second option is an awning kit which converts the
privacy flap into an awning. I have 3 on
order at $175.00 each. I am hoping these
will help. It is suggested you could build your own. Plans would be helpful.
So take into consideration the wind and rain at your site,
if you are planning a yurt. Locate the
windows and doors appropriately. A
little extra expense for the special windows might be worthwhile.
Aloha,P
