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It has been quite an adjustment moving from a 2900 sq foot suburban home with 2.5 car garage, fenced backyard with a dog run, outdoor kitchen and sports court to 930 sq ft self built cabin. The things I miss? GARAGE! Holy Moly, I have forgotten how much nice it was to have a simple garage. Also, miss a guest bedroom, fenced yard, and my favorite Chinese take out.
Well, one problem solved!
Having 3 Great Pyrenees, it is quite a chore to walk them 4 times a day. Rain, sleet, or snow, they need to exercise and do their business. And their ‘business’ can really pile up!
So the requirements:
Goal 1: Safe and Secure, Always, Always.
Goal 2: Low/No maintenance.
Goal 3: Self Service.
Goal 3: Ascetically pleasing and fitting in with the rustic theme.
I have always been in awe of AstroTurf dog runs. But the cost of 13$ a foot plus installation was way beyond my budget / benefit balance. I did my research and made a lot of phone calls and finally found my answer. Reclaimed Turf. For about 0.75 cents a foot (delivered), I bought turf that was salvaged from the University of Missouri Western State’s football field.
So after 3 trips to Kansas City, we finally had all the turf. So now what?? Very long story short, after wrestling with a 30 ft 2000 lb anaconda, I finally got it down. Woot! (Sorry, Juan).
Next step, build the ramp from the deck to the yard. I called in my trusty carpenter and his sidekick and in 2 days we had the ramp in and it was all down hill. Or, maybe too downhill??!? What??
The next week we had 3 days of torrential downpour. And, with the 12 percent grade and the circular drive sloping toward the back yard, the water tunneled under the turf and cut a gorge under the turf. When I un-seamed the turf, it looked like the Colorado river cutting through the desert of Arizona.
So, I bought some more 5/8ths base rock and had a friend regrade the driveway and put in a small diversion ditch to channel the water away from the the back yard. I filled in the Grand Canyon and seamed up the turf.
The final product:
Greetings! Loving your yurt, and are looking ourselves. How would you rate your experience with Smiling Yurts? Now that you’re about a year in, what would you do differently? We’re looking at soft-sided yurts as well as the wood yurts, and wondering how your total cost ended up compared to just the purchase price, considering the addition of the ceiling wood, insulation, drywall, etc. Any advice gratefully accepted! Loving your place!