In Northwest legend, the eagle is strong, powerful, and protective. Our top-of-the-line, luxury yurt model is true to its namesake.

The Eagle soars above other yurts with quality and innovative features that make up the most beautiful, safest, and hardiest yurt available today.

The Eagle’s standard options are nothing to scoff at. Featuring the widest and clearest windows in the market, real full size doors, our exclusive radial roof construction, and aircraft grade stainless steel 1/4″ tension cable (the strongest in the industry!)

Even better, the options to upgrade and customize your yurt are limited only by your budget and imagination! The Eagle offers the flexibility to suit your unique needs and desires.

Whether you want to get closer to nature or simply prefer the cost and efficiency of this unique structural alternative, our Eagle model is the ultimate, luxury yurt – built to be the best.

http://www.rainier.com/yurts/products/the-eagle-yurt/

Yurt History

The first yurts have been traced back to the time of Gengis Khan. Marco Polo, observing the nomadic people of Mongolia, noticed their sturdy, round tents made of rods and felt which they carried on carts. Yurts (or gers, as they are called in Asia) are still used today throughout parts of Russia, Mongolia, and Siberia.

The traditional yurt walls were made of slats lashed together with leather thongs to form a collapsible trellis, or lattice. The lattice was set up in a circle and the door lashed into place. The crown or center ring was set on two posts in the center of the yurt. Roof poles connected to the crown and rested on top of the lattice. Finally, the entire lattice was bound together with a tension rope. The yurt cover was constructed of felt, beaten soft by rolling and kicking wet sheep fleece. In cold climates, up to six layers were used to insulate the structure.

Yurts have been used in some of the most inhospitable and barren regions of the world: the deserts of the Sahara and Gobil the central Asian steppe; the polar tundras.

There are two types of ancient yurts which our modern yurt is based on – the Mongolian Ger and the Turkic Üy. These structures were used by nomadic tribes because they were light, easily transportable, and could be set up and taken down quickly. For the nomads that lived in them, the circular construction of an ancient yurt provided the sturdiest possible structure, as well as a connection to the earth.

http://www.rainier.com/yurts/yurt-info/yurt-history/

The Modern Yurt

Acclaimed by Architectural Digest as an “architectural wonder,” yurts are among the strongest and most efficient structures ever created.

Modern yurts, based on the ancient Mongolian Ger and Turkic Üy, improve upon the circular structures with smart and beautiful design.

Yurt design uses tension and compression to create a stable and sturdy structure. As the rafters push down and out, the tension cable (which circles the top of the lattice) resists the forces. The low profile, pitch of the roof, and circular shape keep the yurt standing strong in high winds.

Rainier Yurts are engineered to meet or exceed International Building Codes, and we use the strongest materials we can get our hands on to add extra protection against the elements.

Our lattice is the strongest available, and we use an aircraft cable tension band that sits on top of the lattice wall. The roof uses premium structural fabrics and walls are made with premium grade fabrics with superior coatings and warranties. Our cinch-seal offers Kevlar removable jib hanks to securely integrate the ceiling, wall, and deck.

Environmentally Friendly

Many people are attracted to yurts because of their minimal impact on the environment.

Yurts are built on a platform, instead of a permanent foundation, so when the yurt is moved there is no lasting impact to the area it rested on.

The materials used to build a yurt are all sustainable and recyclable.

The round shape of a yurt leaves less surface area for heat to escape, and along with it’s durable wall fabric, this makes yurts very efficient to heat.

Raising Your Yurt

Rainier Yurts arrive as a do-it-yourself kit with detailed instructions to make the process as simple as possible.

The time spent to install your yurt will vary depending on your site, weather conditions, the number of people you have to help and which options you’ve chosen to customize your yurt. Assuming the deck is in place, a smaller yurt can set up in a day, while a large yurt may take a couple days.

Customize Your Interior

Depending on your preferences, the interior of your yurt can be customized to the comfort levels of even the most high-maintenance glampers. We’ve seen everything from kitchens and interior bathrooms to cozy wooden lofts (that’s right, with our tall Eagle walls your yurt can actually have two stories!)

Electricity

Typically, electrical wiring in a yurt is fed through the deck platform (floor) by a licensed electrician. Outlets can be flush mounted in the floor of the yurt or on support posts around the perimeter of the wall. If interior partition walls are added to the yurt, electrical wiring can easily be run into these walls where outlets and switches can be mounted.

If electrical service is not available at your site, consider photovoltaic (solar) systems or propane systems such as lights, refrigeration, heating, cook stoves, etc.

Lighting

Virtually any type of lighting can be used in a yurt. Customers have installed track lighting on the rafters, overhead lights to the center ring, floor or table lamps and propane lights, among other things. Many prefer the safety of low voltage lighting in their yurts.

Please contact local lighting professionals or your Rainier representative for ideas.

Plumbing

Plumbing can easily be brought up through the floor of the yurt, or you may install plumbing in interior walls after it is brought through the floor. If your site has plumbing and septic hookups, you can use standard fixtures.

In remote areas, people often use composting toilets and alternative gray water systems. Consult with a licensed plumber for more information.

Heating and Cooling

If you use central heating or a heat pump, ductwork can be professionally installed under the floor of the yurt.

When using a stove, it should be vented through the sidewall of the yurt, not through the roof. There are many benefits to venting through the wall, which include easy access to the chimney for regular cleaning, having the chimney away from the yurt’s roof (to minimize the soot that falls onto the roof) and keeping an open floor plan. (Note that if you put the stove pipe through the roof you will void the roof warranty.) When venting through the side wall, proper wall penetration must be followed to prevent heat damage – contact Rainier for additional information.

In hot, sunny climates you will want to choose the full insulation package (which does a great job of keeping the heat out), the tinted dome option (which reduces the solar gain significantly), along with installing fans or an air conditioner. Rainier Yurts can be upgraded with an opening dome with a screen. We also feature windows that open with screens for excellent ventilation. Some of our customers have used swamp coolers and even heat pumps to cool their yurts.

Kitchens

Kitchens have been added to yurts in a variety of fashions, usually with standard cabinets and counters. If you wish to have a custom curved counter along the wall of the yurt, you can usually utilize smaller standard cabinets set at slight angles. Customers who have framed a bathroom into the yurt will often put the kitchen against one of these interior walls so the plumbing can be installed into the partition wall and shared between the kitchen and bathroom.

You can use off-the-shelf cabinets, sinks, refrigerators and stoves. If you would like to vent your cook stove we recommend a Jenn-Air style stove that vents through the floor. Many people choose to cook on a propane stove. Keep in mind that a by-product of burning propane is water vapor and remember to open windows and the skylight in your yurt to minimize any build-up of moist air. If you are off the grid, there are excellent on-demand hot water heaters, propane refrigerators, propane stoves and more.

Bathrooms

Many people with larger yurts choose to build a bathroom inside their yurt. This could be done (after the yurt is installed) in much the same manner as in a conventional site-built structure and is typically done by a local licensed contractor. The plumbing would be brought up through the floor of the yurt into the bathroom.

Venting from the bathroom can be accomplished with downdraft vents through the floor or through the wall of the yurt using a flashing kit. Proper ventilation will reduce moisture inside the yurt and prevent condensation.

Alternatively, many customers choose to build a separate bathhouse for their shower, toilet, tub and laundry and add a covered walkway, breezeway or enclosed hallway between the yurt and the bathhouse.

Lofts

Lofts are a great way to maximize space inside larger yurts. The Eagle’s tall walls allow for a second story. Over the years, we have seen customers build lofts of all different shapes, sizes and heights in their yurts. Lofts should be freestanding structures built into the yurt after it is erected and not attached to the roof rafters of the yurt. They can create private space below for a bathroom or bedroom or simply be left open.

Rooms & Partitions

Interior partition walls are often added to provide separate bathrooms, bedrooms or kitchen areas. You can easily build these walls into the yurt after it has been erected.

The partition walls should be freestanding or attach to the floor; you cannot attach anything that is load-bearing to the rafters or the lattice wall.

http://www.rainier.com/yurts/yurt-info/modern-yurt/

What is a yurt, anyway?

Dome

The yurt’s dome serves as a skylight for your yurt, allowing natural light to pass through and brighten up your yurt’s interior. Rainier yurts come standard with a clear, fixed dome, but can be upgraded to a tinted dome and/or opening and closing dome. Typically, for an opening and closing dome, a small hand crank can be used to adjust the dome from floor level.

Roof

A yurt’s roof is made of durable fabric that’s stretched over the rafters and attached at the top of the yurt walls. If roof insulation is desired, it is installed between the rafters and the outer fabric layer

Ring

The compression ring is the yurt’s focal point, but more importantly, an engineering component that secures the top ends of the rafters. It also serves as the base for the dome.

Rafters

The rafters are wooden beams that connect the lattice to the compression ring. They provide the frame for the roof as well as structural support for the entire yurt

Lattice

Lattice is the wooden accordion-like wall structure for the yurt that stretches around the circumference of the yurt, attaching to the platform and roof structures.

Walls

Yurt walls are made of a durable fabric supported by the lattice. They can be lined with a layer of insulation if desired.

Windows

Yurt windows can come in a variety of sizes, styles, and materials. Soft windows are are built into the exterior wall fabric, while hard windows are set in wood and built directly into your yurt frame.

Doors

Your yurt door is always built into the frame. The size and model of your yurt will determine how many doors, and what door styles can be installed.

Floor

Your platform structure is covered with a layer of plywood, cut to the same diameter as your yurt. The bare plywood can serve as your interior flooring, or you can install custom flooring on top of it.

Platform

Without an in-ground foundation, yurts are always supported by a platform, which is typically anchored with concrete blocks and raised off of the ground with wooden posts.

http://www.rainier.com/yurts/yurt-info/yurt-101/