Would you live in a yurt to get off debt? I would...

[marylander1940]

College is an inevitably big expense that often results in debt from student loans. But one clever student at Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia has found a way to soften the financial blow: Instead of shelling out to live in a traditional dorm room, he built his own yurt.

 

A member of the school's adventure guide program, Michael Jeffery is no stranger to alternative living-he's resided in cob houses (which are made out of natural materials like soil and clay) as well as a geodesic dome before. "I'm really interested in both nomadic and round homes," he told CountryLiving.com. "A moveable, tiny home on a trailer is certainly attractive, but I didn't have the time or resources to build one before school."

 

According to Jeffery, once he decided to build his own yurt, everything just fell into place. "I'm convinced the more effort a homeowner puts into their house, the more it becomes a home," he said.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/college-student-built-himself-yurt-155440979.html

 

An original version of a yurt.

 

http://www.motherearthnews.com/~/media/Images/MEN/Editorial/Articles/Magazine%20Articles/1971/03-01/Building%20a%20Yurt/yurt.jpg

 

Some modern versions of a yurt.

 

http://www.highroad.org/ranch%20images/yurt/yurt-wall.jpg

 

http://c0263062.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/content/images/sized/yurt-houses-garage_cc34512a6ffa2d04ae941b7a5f309d99_3x2_jpg_570x380_q85.jpg

 

http://www.highroad.org/ranch%20images/yurt/yurt-wallouter.jpg

 

http://www.weatherport.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/weatherport-18-wide-yurt-interior-gallery-1.jpg

[+ nycman]

The "original" is soooo much sexier!

 

Modern versions?....are just dumb round tents.

[seaboy4hire]

A tiny house on foundation yes. A yurt? Thatd be hard cause I think they're ugly.

 

Hugs,

Greg

[marylander1940]

The "original" is soooo much sexier!

 

Modern versions?....are just dumb round tents.

 

I certainly would love to have sex at a tipi.

 

[bigvalboy]

I like them. I think they are a workable solution to those looking to cut the cost of housing, and those who want live more off the grid. Even counting the cost of land, they can be a fraction of the cost of traditional housing. For me, tiny houses, although cute, sexy, and transportable, are in the end...well...too tiny. If I were going that route of something non-traditional, I would opt for a multiple container home. Inexpensive, easy to build out, and versatile...if you know what I mean.

[+ friendofsheila]

This is an acutely special situation.

 

1 - He lives somewhere where there is a lot of open land really near a university. If not "near", he eats into study time having to commute.

 

2 - That land is cheap.

 

Those are the biggest factors. A few more might be:

 

3 - He doesn't pay for the convenience of running water or sewage; he has to move those materials himself, daily. Less study time. (Unless he sponges off his landlords by using their toilet or outhouse, which - true - might be included in the rent.)

 

4 - He doesn't have refrigeration. This means he

a) eats unhealthy convenience foods (what'll you bet he brags how he lives on ramen?), which are more expensive, or

b) eats out, which is more expensive,or

c) buys and brings in fresh food almost DAILY (more study time lost).

 

(I wonder what a nutritionist would say about what he REALLY eats on a daily basis. Yeah, he's young, his body can handle stress, blah, blah, blah..... That's not much of an excuse for introducing bad eating habits that can last a lifetime.)

 

5 - How long has he lived there? Maybe he hasn't hit winter yet, when trying to stay warm will be a huge element. Bet he spends a LOT of time at the library.

 

It's an interesting story; it's just not helpful to very many with student debt. And not as practical as it looks at first glance, just like that dreamy-eyed young woman in Europe who says she's saving money by "living" on trains between classes.