We got started around 9am on Saturday. When we arrived the crew was finishing the process of putting all the pieces where they needed to be. The crew consisted of James and Carol and about 10 of us friends and family.

Here you can see that platform has been finished, and scaffolding has been setup on the platform to facilitate some of the work that will be done on the center of the roof.

The walls consist primarily of a heavy lattice which stretches all the way around the yurt’s circumference.

Larry is measuring to ensure that we have spread the lattice around the edge consistently. This helps to guarantee the wall height is uniform all the way around.

The lattice connects to the door. Although James and Carol chose to have a single door, the kit is configurable for up to a total of 4 doors.

The door was extremely well-made. I was impressed with the tightness of the fit.

After the walls were up, we installed a cable that sat between the slats at the top of the lattice.

We then started attaching the pre-cut rafters to the center ring and lifted the center ring so that the whole assembly rested on the cable at the top of the lattice. Amazingly simple, but strong.

With all of the rafters up, we installed some 2X4 studs to reinforce the walls. These studs were part of the optional wind and snow package that James and Carol bought. This involved a little cutting and drilling, but added an immense amount of strength to the outer walls.

The roof was the next task. After laying down a liner over the rafters, we unfolded and spread out some thin, reflective insulation that was pre-fabricated to fit the yurt.

We followed the instructions, so we spread baby powder over the insulation before we put the outer shell on in order to reduce friction between the layers.

The outer covering for the roof was then installed over the insulation. This was a large, heavy chunk of vinyl that required some tugging and adjustments to get it even across the roof.

Next we started hanging the side insulation. The insulation was pre-fabricated to James and Carol’s specifications for window placement.

The outer side shell went on next. Again, this was a single, heavy chunk of vinyl complete with pre-installed windows. (This photo actually shows us starting the installation with the side shell inside-out. Oops!)

This was one of the trickiest steps as it was difficult to remove all the slack and get a nice, tight wrap around the yurt.

Before we quit for the day, we tucked these loose ends into slots built into the door jamb. Again, this was a very tricky procedure as the vinyl didn’t want to cooperate.