Building a timber-framed Yurt – An interview with ‘The Yurt Retreat’

At July 25, 2018

“The Nest” a self-build 6m (Yurt) Roundhouse Credit Photography Matthew Heritage @ http://www.matthewheritage.com/

The Yurt Retreat.

As a proud mother bird may admire it’s fledgling, we too look back with pride at the self-build kits and frames which leave our joinery workshop. Bound for somewhere beautiful to call home, on to the next stage of their development; the final stages of build and second fix joinery overseen or undertaken by the new owner.

All too often, we declare to the world that each and every Rotunda is unique; but none are more so than the self-build structures. One, in particular stands out as a very good example of what can happen when two firms work together to acheive a spectacular result.

For Paul at ‘The Yurt Retreat’ https://www.theyurtretreat.co.uk/ , his vision was for a Roundhouse he could design and build himself to the standards and aesthetics which would tie in with his existing style. His site is a set in rolling Somerset hills and is a luxury retreat for adults only. Already boasting four luxury 20ft yurts, a treehouse, luxury shepherds huts and boutique barn conversions, Paul needed something he could be sure would complement his site.

Guided by his requirements, Rotunda designed and built the cassettes only (the structural framework) and provided him with the walls and the roof panels which cleverly slot into their positions and bolt onto the structural steelwork at the dome aperture.

As with all of our self-build kits, we always install the structure and leave it watertight prior to handing it over to the client on site. In this instance, we erected the walls and roof. We gave him the bolt-on service of tiling the roof with the 100% recycled flexible eco-slates and then left Paul and his team to work their magic.

Six months later, we were emailed photographs of his building in situ which blew us away! So we caught up with him to ask him how the project went.

Your site is beautiful. Could you please explain when you decided to set up the Yurt Retreat and what your primary driver/vision was?

Owner of the Yurt Retreat – Paul Irish

The Yurt Retreat was a collaboration between my brother and I. Having seen some inspiring places while traveling I was looking for a new challenge after 5 years of working for an eco building company. Andrew had tested the water with two fantastic self catering barn conversions on the farm. Neither of us were instinctive farmers but we were both aware of the beauty of the farm we had grown up on and were excited to share it with others.

Has the business lived up to your early expectations?

We are now 8 years into running the business and we are still constantly learning. Developing a site in a beautiful location, away from services, is expensive. Initially we were the builders, house keepers, gardeners, laundry and marketing. As we have grown so has our team which enables us to deliver a great experience whilst constantly evolving the site. The sector has changed very rapidly and we have seen a major shift from the adventurous 25-35 year old demographic to guests from 18 to 80! It means that the expectations are higher which raises the running costs but more people now are looking for a hotel experience in a field and delivering that is going to be one of the few ways to stand out in what is now a very busy market place.

Your treehouse is a real jewel in your crown – when did you decide to install it and who built it?

The Treehouse was a personal labour of love. Designed on the back of an envelope it was a two Winter project for myself and a carpenter friend. My brother sketched an initial idea over breakfast one morning and the Birdhouse was born. 15 years of construction has taught me one simple design concept and that is contrast. It was very important to have a building that blended beautifully with its environment on the outside but offered a bright, light interior. The tree views and details like the clad kitchen bring reflections of the outside in to tie the experience together.

The Bird house. the luxury Treehouse at The Yurt Retreat

What motivated you to install a Roundhouse on the site?

After 7 years of running the Yurts I was looking for a replacement building that would keep the same aesthetic but have a longer letting season and be durable built. Canvas doesn’t last!

Why did you choose to contact Rotunda to build the frame for you?

I had spent several months working with a local architect trying to design a truly modular round building. I knew that we would figure out all of the details eventually but it took a surprising amount of time to work out every detail and in the end time got the better of me. Rotunda were the obvious choice as they had a great product and had already done all of the hard design work themselves.

The interior of “The Nest” @ The Yurt Retreat

How did the build go? What did you design yourself?

I chose a frame only option as I wanted to incorporate our existing bathroom building and use the existing Yurt deck. Unsurprisingly, every element of the project not undertaken by Rotunda took more time and money than initially predicted and we completed the build a whole 15 minutes before the first guests arrived. It took Rotunda 2 days to put up the frame complete with excellent recycled rubber roof slates but it took us 2 1/2 months to do all of the finishing work, and that was with plenty of help.

The kitchen – designed and built by Paul @ the Yurt Retreat

How have your guests responded to it?

The Guests love it. It is already much more popular than our Yurts and will hopefully end up with the same occupancy rate as the Treehouse.

Are there any pearls of wisdom which you could offer to others looking to build a Roundhouse?

Don’t underestimate the project if you opt to go for the frame only option. I did get the bespoke finish that I wanted but I didn’t make the savings I thought that I would. Do use Rotunda’s expertise wherever you can. Both Gemma and Joanna were excellent to deal with and Gemma had an impressive wealth of knowledge that helped me out on several occasions.

Credit Photography Matthew Heritage @ http://www.matthewheritage.com/

Thanks Paul for allowing us to share your story and inspire others who might be hoping to become spectacular.

From all of us at Rotunda, have a glampingly splendid summer season!