"On Dec 12th 2009, we held a potluck supper in our yurt when the temperature was minus 42C outside (i.e. -49F). I was very pleased to have it a nice +22C inside (72F). Amazing how warm our 32ft yurt stayed through the deep freeze!"

Yellowknife, NWT

"We would like to thank YurtZ by Design for perhaps the most interesting and wonderful purchase we have ever made!

My wife and I have owned our 24 foot Yurt for just over 16 months now. The two of us erected our Yurt in a remote wilderness location approximately 50 km from our home in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, in Canada’s arctic. The only access is by boat or snowmobile. We always look forward to spending as much time as is possible out there. In fact, we have easily spent more than 100 days and nights out at our Yurt in every season and in many different weather conditions. From the heat and 24 hour daylight of summer, to the dark and frigid depths of winter, we have been fortunate enough to spend up to a week at a time in our Yurt.

We have been there during heat waves, wind and lightning storms, hail, torrential rains, snow and ice storms, and brutal 45 degree below zero weather. Our Yurt has handled it all, very well.

As I mentioned, our Yurt is a truly beautiful structure. It is awe inspiring to anyone that sees it. The log rafters add so much to the spectacular character of it. The amazing dome opens for ventilation or cooling, lets in light, and has even allowed for the viewing of brilliant northern lights from the comfort of bed. The snow and wind kit compliments the lattice and adds even more to the unique beauty of the interior. Our Yurt has easily stood up to strong winds and to large weights of accumulated ice and snow.

The sliding glass double pane windows were also a good choice for us because they allow for clear viewing in all seasons. We installed a small woodstove which, for the most part, keeps us warm. For a few hours a day during extreme cold spells we back up our little wood stove with a safe for indoor use, portable kerosene heater. The two heaters can warm the interior from minus 40 degrees to a comfortable t-shirt temperature in just a couple of hours. There is no modern infrastructure near our Yurt, but we installed a small solar system to provide clean power for low wattage lighting and to run a satellite radio system. We love our Yurt. It is paradise in the wilderness!"

Mara Lake, BC, Canada

"We've attached pictures of our yurt after a wind storm that reached epic proportions this August 2009 at Mara Lake in BC. Our bay is aptly named Hurricane Bay and this storm was like nothing we've see before. Our yurt held up beautifully during the storm which blew the entire forest over at a 45 degree angle and uprooted many trees. Very scary! The tree that fell on the yurt appears not very big but it was extremely heavy and took some engineering to remove it without harming our Yurt.

Before buying the yurt we had read up on their windproof natures and decided that would be the ticket for us. Well, just over a month later this storm put it to test and we're relieved and happy to report the yurt held up admirably."

British Columbia, Canada

"We bought a 24ft yurt from YurtZ by Design and absolutely LOVE it. We have been nothing but happy with our purchase. We are planning to live in it permanently and add some cob attachments and a covered porch. We have friends who have lived in their yurt for close to 20 years now. We live on Canada's west coast where it is wet and really windy in the winter, with storms reaching 115km, yet we always feel safe as could be."

Alberta, Canada

"I must say I am impressed with the insulation - it amazes me how well it holds the heat. Even the geothermal guys are impressed, though they say it shouldn't be possible. When it was minus 41, I was toasty warm, almost too warm. "

Whitehorse, Yukon

" I decided to buy from YurtZ by Design because I liked the fact that I could have log rafters and glass windows. With the french doors wide open and with all the windows it is very bright and airy, and filled with the sounds of flowing water and birdsong. I love the circular space and the beautiful douglas fir lattice walls. My yurt is my meditation & yoga space as well as writing studio, and it also serve as our guest "house". Our guests LOVE it!."

Nova Scotia

"I am really loving yurt living. I do indeed feel the closeness of nature. I have enjoyed many moose sightings and I also hear owls, songbirds, coyotes, waterfalls, ocean waves during high seas, and, in spring, a cacophony of frogs that goes on all night. I love a night-time yurt filled with silvery moonlight and, at times, a moon shining down through the dome. Dome sky watching, whether stars or drifting clouds, is a wonderful yurt activity. I am always cosy in my yurt - even on cold mornings it heats up very quickly."