This Wisconsin Couple Lives in a Yurt, and Winter Is Their Favorite Part
“There was no big aha moment,” says Elaina Jindra, a public school dean who lives in a 350-square-foot yurt with her husband, Zach, in rural northern Wisconsin. “Over time, we just grew curious about what life could look like and wanted a new experience.” Today, Elaina gives us a tour, with photos by Xee Vang…
On changing things up: Zach and I lived in a house in Milwaukee, when we realized that we were at a stage in our lives where we could uproot ourselves and do something different. So, we quit our jobs, purged 65% of our belongings, and put our house on the market.
Dining table and chairs: thrifted.
On choosing the yurt: We considered things like moving abroad, getting a tiny home, or living out of our Subaru Outback, but in the end, living in a yurt felt like the easiest and most cost-effective option. A tiny home can be expensive, takes longer to set up, and has utility costs. A yurt comes in a DIY kit that we could build in one day.
Sofa: Crate&Barrel. Light pendant: “I made this pendant using an old shade from a Target lamp we got as a wedding gift.” Basket: World Market. Desk: vintage.
On planning: It took us 15 months to find a piece of property that didn’t have any county rules, since those usually require lots of building permits. Before we officially bought the land, we were out here marking the yurt’s dimensions with our footsteps in the snow, and measuring out each piece of furniture that we’d be bringing.
Stove: Ace.
On yurt necessities: You cannot survive in a yurt in Wisconsin without a wood stove. Also, candles. You gotta have that cozy, intimate lighting.
On neighborhood critters: When living in a yurt, you can hear everything. The spring peepers and loons are incredibly loud. There’s also a big owl that perches itself on a tree nearby and hoots all night. We’ve heard howls from a neighboring wolf pack. We never have those peaceful evenings that we envisioned we would get out here! But hearing the sounds of wildlife is amazing.
Bed: West Elm. Throw pillows: made by Elaina. Rug: thrifted.
On thoughtful details: A lot of yurts have a tight lattice with a vinyl interior, which many people prefer because the vinyl is very durable and lasts for years. But we chose a yurt with a very large lattice and wool interior. Aesthetically, it’s a lot prettier. We also want parts of this yurt to decompose, so we can leave as small of a footprint as possible.
On living without Wi-Fi: We don’t have Wi-Fi but we have really good cell service for calling and texting family and friends. We also live three miles from a trailhead that has excellent Wi-Fi, vending machines, and overall good vibes. Zach is a wedding photographer, so we go to the trailhead when he needs strong internet connection to edit photos and upload clients’ galleries.
On a smart meal hack: One of the ways I clean out the fridge is by gathering whatever bits and bobs we have leftover and throwing them on a pizza. I call it ‘garbage pizza’ and it’s inspired by Anne-Marie Bonneau, the Zero Waste Chef. I’ve been obsessed with her since college. She’s inspired me to get creative about eating everything in the fridge, instead of tossing stuff out.
On an eye-opening habit: A couple years ago, Zach and I started keeping track of what we spent our time and money on. At the beginning of each month, I always predicted that my spending would be low because ‘I don’t buy anything.’ However, by the end of the month, I would realize that wasn’t true. Now we’re actively trying to avoid buying things we don’t absolutely need.
On a much-needed break: As a dean, I spend most days indoors at work. Since the school district is small, I wear a lot of hats, but essentially I am there to support staff and students. I usually do something outdoors right after work, and then I’m pretty happy to be nice and cozy with the fire when I get home.
On forming new rituals: Everything out here takes a bit longer. Sometimes, after a long work day, I don’t want to do the dishes, then haul and dump our seven-gallon jug of waste water outside. When chores come at the wrong time, they can feel annoying. But we knew about all of these trade-offs beforehand, so we try not to complain.
The yurt in the winter.
On winters: Winter is our favorite season because it’s ultra cozy. Last year, a couple days got down to the negative 30s. But we just kept the wood stove going.
On sweet realizations: Zach and I got married when we were both 23 — we were babies. I feel so lucky because even though we didn’t know who we were back then, we’ve managed to grow well together. None of this would have been possible without him believing that we could live happily in a 350-square-foot home. He pushes me out of my comfort zone.
Sauna: SaunaLife.
On a wood-fired sauna: We don’t use the sauna much in the summer but love stepping inside it in the winter. It’s our #1 party move when hosting friends.
On living off-grid: We have a generator that we charge with solar panels, so there is running electricity. We also have a back-up gas generator that we use every three to four days in the winter. But if things ever stop working, we’ll be okay. We’re both avid backpackers, so we’re used to going days without access to hot water or electricity.
Solar-powered shower: Outsunny. Outhouse: “It was actually made by some people in our local Amish community.”
On showers: We have a solar-powered shower, which we use in the summer. For the rest of the year, we take our showers at the gym! Getting a membership to a nice gym and utilizing their shower is a frugal minimalist hack. Ours is only nine minutes away, and it has all the amenities we need. We often end our day there and have made friends with the staff.
Yurt: Yurta.
On mixed reactions: It’s funny to hear people’s responses when we tell them how we live. Some people are like, ‘You know, you don’t have to live like that, right?’ or ‘I can help you out if you need it.’ And then other people are like, ‘Oh my god, that’s so cool!’ and want to know every detail.
On big realizations: Living here has clarified what resources we need to actually thrive, not just survive. And we’ve learned that we don’t need that much. We feel so lucky to be able to take this chance and explore. Living sustainably was one of our motivators for living in a yurt, but we also wanted to slow down. To notice when the wind is blowing and pay attention to the fullness of the moon.
Thank you so much, Elaina!
P.S. Many more house tours, including an architect couple who lives in a spaceship apartment and a 175-square-foot apartment in New York City (“I just call it ‘my room’”).
(Photos by Xee Vang for Cup of Jo.)
Comments
127 commentsImagine if …. we all lived like this? 🥹
One of my favorite things to think about!
Oh this is so dreamy 😍😍😍
Thank you, Katt! It really has been a dream come true for us. A beautiful life experience for sure.
A yurt sounds pretty cool but living in Oklahoma, tornado alley to be exact, that probably wouldn’t fly… or it would, which would be the issue. But! The cat has his own yurt, and he loves it! Haha
Yurts actually stand up pretty well to strong winds compared to square houses because of the round nature of them. Pretty interesting!
This is the 21’ yurt, right? Curious, if you are planning on keeping this yurt after your house is built or selling it? Is there a “yurt for sale” website somewhere???
Yes! I think there is an after market for yurts. I would keep an eye peeled on Facebook groups and reddit, etc.
Who made this beautiful yurt?? As a builder im very curious!
Yurta in Canada. It’s linked under one of the pics.
Do you have a toilet? Any exotic fauna,flora,flyers?
We have a composting toilet! And nothing overly exotic, but some pretty amazing local species that we love seeing around. One of my favorite lessons I’ve learned while living in the yurt is that even though something is ordinary, like a mallard, doesn’t mean that it can’t be wonderful and incredible!
This is so cool – and beautiful, to boot! I definitely appreciate the way this is not only minimalist and functional but beautiful too. We’ve long wanted a cabin or something rustic in the Colorado mountains (we live down closer to Denver) and this is a compelling idea for weekends away! Thanks so much for sharing and inspiring!
Thank you, Hilary! I really wanted to prove to myself that we could live in a functional and beautiful way in the yurt. It’s been an amazing challenge and has taught me so much.
This is great. When we began homesteading in 1996 we actively looked at yurts. Even though we were remote they weren’t allowed for full time living. Many building codes are ridiculous. Lived very nicely off grid on our farm for 20 years.
After our land search, I am not at all surprised to hear that! The restrictions in place sometimes make sense to me and sometimes really frustrated me. It’s just a little out there for most people I suppose!
I live an hour from the beach in nc but reading what this couple has done is very inspiring Living in nature and doing what is right for you is a blessing The scenery is beautiful
Thanks, Beach! We really do love our little slice of paradise! We feel lucky every day that we get to steward this land. And especially lucky when we come home from a trip to a big city!
Love this! Fellow Wisco native – grew up in Amherst, now live in SoCal – dreaming of finding my way back to the motherland at some point. Following the rhythm of seasons, being immersed in nature – nothing is more life affirming. You are missing nothing, gaining everything. Well done.
Thank you so much, Sera! I’m going to hold onto those sweet words for awhile 😊
I love this. I don’t want to live this way myself anymore, but I’m so happy there are people who still do. Also, 10/10 for making it beautiful.
Thank you, Hannah! I’ve always wanted to show that it’s possible to live small, sustainably, off grid, and still look good doing it. Thank you for noticing that 😊
I love northern WI! I lived outside of Minocqua for a few summers while working for the WI DNR. The best thing was falling asleep to the sound of the loons calling. Also: the absolute *nicest* people, so welcoming and friendly. Thank you for sharing.
Fun! I grew up in Tomahawk – I wonder where this couple is located? It’s a little surreal to see the small corner of the world where I grew up mentioned on my favorite blog.
Mariah! We are in Winchester! SBE, I generally believe Wisconsin is underrated! Come back and visit!
Good stuff.
The QUILTS and pillows!
Thank you for noticing!
Yes, here to wonder aloud where the sewing machine is, and whether it’s a treadle, because…well? Why not?
Love this!! I too am a Hobby Hour fan which inspired my love for knittting! Thank you Elaina!! Dreaming of the day when I have a yurt of my own! Although, when I bought the Humanure handbook a few of my friends started to question whether or not I was okay 😅
Yes, Joe Jenkins’ Humanure Handbook! Paying attention to and learning about human waste/compost is so taboo and gross to most people, but the “flush it and ignore what happens after” mindset that most people have… is actually dangerous, wasteful, and often (ironically) unsanitary in the long term and global sense.
I am flattered to have contributed to your knitting love!
I’m curious how living in a yurt is more sustainable than living off grid in another structure? Also not to be an a-hole but I was alarmed to read that wood burning stoves release more carbon than coal! https://www.dsawsp.org/environment/climate
There are definitely some drawbacks to burning wood. We follow all the eap guidelines and invested in a high efficiency stove for cleaner burning. If it’s not one thing, it’s another. 😊
I wish I had the courage and determination (and a like-minded husband) to make such a lifestyle change! I love reading about how others dared to rethink the way we generally map out our lives.
At the risk of sounding over-dramatic here, it’s been life changing in all the best ways for me. There are some moments of frustration and exhaustion with the lifestyle, but I think it’s been a great course correction from the consumerist rat-race I used to participate in. I wouldn’t trade the last 2 years of living in the yurt for anything.
Such a pleasure to read this :)
I love northern Wisconsin and the yurt looks lovely, BUT having to go outside in the winter to dump waste water and use an outhouse – yikes.
Composting our wastewater and using an outdoor composting toilet are certainly less convenient than a modern home setup of water utilities, but it was exactly the type of inconvenience we desired. Cutting out the wastewater middleman and regeneratively composting ourselves is more work, but it has been enlightening, educational, and sustainable. We might not have this setup forever, but in the meantime we’ve learned a lot and it feels good to take care of our own cyclical composting system.
Thanks for your enlightening reply, Zach. Best wishes!
Y’all – – I have a friend who lives in a yurt with her husband and three kids. They moved in when she was about 22, and once they had their third kid, they kind of added 2 rooms onto the yurt. I lived with them for a summer and slept on the floor of yurt, before kids, when they had just moved there and we’re getting their farm going. The shower was a in the middle of a field, which was then upgraded to a hose inside one of the greenhouses. Greenhouses. The toilet was a bucket outside that was composting with a humanure system, And if you sat on the toilet to poop, you would literally just wave at people walking by since the bucket was just right next to their house with no outhouse LOL somehow, I was fine with this arrangement at the time. When her parents visited the first time, her dad built an outhouse. I really can’t believe that I lived like this. Lol! I remember one day I was driving to a wedding, and I was shaving my legs under the hose in the greenhouse. It was honestly such a beautiful time, living so close to nature and a little too close to friends. You could see the moon from the hole in the top of the hurt. They had a mini fridge only. They were very frugal and trying to live off the land as much as possible–rarely even bought coffee or chocolate or a beer, like once a month. 15 years later, they’re building a house!
Love this! Our family of 6 decided to do a yurt in a Colorado mountain town instead of booking a hotel one trip. It fit all of us easily, we needed only food, and our four kids spent all their time either exploring the land or reading books inside and out of our yurt. It feels so good when you realize how little you actually need. We spent a few good weeks wondering how we could pull off a yurt, but like she mentioned, it isn’t easy finding a spot for a yurt. Especially when you live in a suburb of Denver. You know what? You hear about people getting/building mountain homes (that’s not our life), but now my wheels are turning to building a yurt on some land in the mountains as our family getaway. Oh man, let the discussions restart.
Love this. I always feel wonderful when I am part of everything that I’m a part of! I’ve known many a child and their families who have lived like this. There are endless possibilities, and this one is as wonderful and doable as any (: The connection and intentional living are a wonderful gift.
I’m curious. Do you have to hike and in out or do you have a car that you can drive to the yurt?
We have a long gravel driveway, but all the roads to get to us are paved, so we drive 😊
I loved this tour. I work at a school with an outdoor campus and have taught in yurts (two grades have their homerooms in yurts), but never thought about what it would be like to live in one! It’s been fascinating to see how adaptable the students are; they grumble about learning in yurts (as all kids do about everything at some point or another), but then someone discovers a bluebird nesting right outside and calls everyone over, and they forget about the things that annoy them.
That last line about the moon!! Also I want to live a wifi free life!!
I am entranced and inspired. I don’t want to glamorise the real challenge of this lifestyle, but the ‘normal’ way of living has some serious challenges and costs as well — namely a loss of our own humanity.
Loved reading this so much
Can I ask what specific solar generator you use? We’ve been looking into getting one!
We have an EcoFlow Delta Pro 3 with two 400W Solar Panels.
Great read. Bless you and Zack.
Love this couple and their lifestyle! I want this life so badly! Trying to work up the courage, but living as small as we can in the meantime.
I had to work up the courage to do it also, and diving into minimalism helped me a lot. I devoured everything I could learn from other minimalists and thought long and hard about every single item in my life. I realized at some point that I didn’t need to wait to get started.
I like to test drive this kind of thing on vacation and via hobbies for sure. Living simply is great even if you have an indoor shower :)
This is so awesome! It is a gorgeous place and Zach and Elaina make their living arrangements seem very easy!
Unbelievable. a whole different view of life. And the bathroom?
Asking the most important question! Let’s see, they have a sauna, membership to the gym, surrounded by woods. So many options LOL. They have an outhouse. This really is unbelievable, but doable since they are young, no kids and up for an adventure. To actively choose living in a yurt – it really gives you an idea of their priorities and character right?
I too am a fan of Anne-Marie Bonneau, aka the Zero Waste Chef. It’s so refreshing to see this alternative way of living. Wow, the wool walls are something else. I imagine they create such a warm, cozy atmosphere while helping soften the acoustics. And they’re biodegradable too: win, win, win!
The wool walls are amazing. I wasn’t sure about yurt life before we saw this specific yurt. The wood beams and wool are so gorgeous and haven’t gotten old yet!
I love that they’re living their dream, but it’s not for me.
Our family has kept our footprint small and nimble so we can work from home, homeschool and live where we’d like. Hope to keep doing this, it’s true that if you live aligned with your values (as someone else noted below), the rest is malleable. Not always easy, but worth it. We’ve lived in big cities and small towns but haven’t quite made the leap to a tiny or offgrid house (yet). Based on this house tour, I could be persuaded though. What a lovely life.
I yearn for this life with a few wildly insignificant, teensy adjustments: flushing toilets, an extra yurt for my two kids, and yet another extra yurt for my home library. Otherwise this is right up my dream alley, haha.
What a dream!! Lovely.
wow, what a fascinating interview! I loved that they still have “normal” jobs – this isn’t two people traveling the world with saved money for a year or spending their parents’ money or something like that. They’re just choosing to live in a different type of home! Curious how long they have been living in the yurt and if they think they’ll stay for many years? What is the plumbing situation like? My husband and I stayed in a yurt outside Glacier National Park and while we loved it, my only major gripe was the composting toilet. I just couldn’t get the hang of it and really missed being able to flush as normal!
Hi Sarah. We’ve been living in the yurt for just about 2 years now. We always said we’d do it for around two years… We’ll see if we keep it going- there’s so much we love about it.
Sounds dreamy but ticks and healthcare costs infect my thoughts.
Since I’m from MN but live far away now I always forget about the lyme disease until I remember and 😰
Healthcare costs? The same as what they would be if we lived in a traditional home down the road… As for ticks- we’re maybe slightly more exposed simply because we spend more time outdoors, but we spent a lot of time playing in the woods and amongst ticks well before we started living in the yurt! The time outdoors in nature is worth the potential risk in my opinion.
Love seeing people choose their own path! Incredibly inspiring. Also appreciate her honesty about the trade-offs and the reality of what it takes to do something like this. Life can be idyllic and challenging at the same time.
I’ve stayed in yurts in Northern WI and near the Boundary Waters in the dead of winter but none as lovely as this one. GORGEOUS. This is how many of our great or great-great grandparents started out in these very woods (mine, at least). What folks don’t realize is in the winter, you need to get up and feed the fire at 3 am or 5 am or it’ll go out. They don’t know what it’s like to run outside to an outhouse when it is -5 or Mosquito City. The dark up there is so so dark you can’t see your hand 3 feet in front of your face. But people also don’t realize how quickly you adapt to less. (but i’ve never done it for years, just days!!) We still have my grand-grandparents farmland and there’s an awesome river through it. You are inspiring me to maybe put up a yurt there. Subscribing!!
The Drolet Bistro cookstove they have says: Up to 8 hours burn time with a single load of wood. Maybe that doesn’t apply at all -5 though.
Beautiful home! I visited a couple of friends in their yourt and the feeling of being in a round space is so different, I am sure it makes you a little different. I would love to spend a little time in a yourt! Love from Paris
I live in Wisconsin, but not up north like that. I think they are brave just for that. If the sound of nature ever gets too annoying just get a cheap sound machine. My Alexa at night has made noisy neighbors much less of a nuisance. I envy the ability to do this.
This is so interesting! I am always curious when people say, “I quit my job to do xyz unconventional thing” – how?? The yurt alone cost about $15,000 USD from what I can tell. What jobs did you have before that may have allowed you to save for this? How long did you plan it out? What do your bills look like now for electricity, etc.? How long do you think you’ll live in the yurt? So much to learn! lol
They sold their house so I assume they were able to pay for the yurt etc with the money from selling their house :)
Sarah, so many good questions in here! Zach was a sommelier/ wine merchant and I was a special education teacher. Financially, we were able to roll over the proceeds from the sale of our home into the yurt. It took us a lot of planning but then the execution was only about a month. Our bills are basically now just for firewood and occasional gasoline to supplement our solar generator. We love living in the yurt but are putting our feelers out for a new home since we have a baby on the way now (!!). Maybe we will take her home to the yurt, though!
Ah, Elaina, congrats!! I was just thinking, this is really cool but could be tough with kids, especially once they get a bit older.
I think it would be lovely with kids. Imagine growing up in this environment, inside and out. I’ve always been interested in alternative living. And admire people who take the leap.
Congratulations Elaina! I was thinking while reading how much my girls would love living in a yurt (they’re 8 and 6). But, I understand if you think it feel better to live in a home with a sweet little babe. I am so inspired by the grace and intention and joy with which you describe your home, and seem to live your life. Thank you for sharing!
Elaina, thanks for the reply! Super interesting and CONGRATS!!!
I love this tour and you have the most beautiful yurt I’ve ever seen! If you do bring baby home to the yurt, I just ent to say it’s doable. I have good friends who lived out of a camper with a baby while building their small home on out in the woods. Not a yurt, but similar setup with the outhouse and no running water. They have expanded and upgraded the house over the years, and their family. The kids love it. Although now they have bidets instead of a composting toilet!
Thank you so much for featuring this home, I love this! And thank you Elaina for being réal about the pros and cons of this kind of living. I loooove sleeping in a tent, being closer to elements and nature, stepping in the morning directly into grass… It’s so refreshing and anchoring for me. But I’m not sûre that I would be able to live in a yurt on a daily basis. That’s very courageous of you!
I think it’s actually easier (over time) to do it all the time than it would be to do just a weekend away or something. We have all of the normal routines and rhythms figured out and it’s not so bad!
I love this so much- and I can only imagine how much time/money you save by not having WiFi (once I forgot my phone at work and was too lazy to get it and I felt like I had SO much free time… and of course no WiFi means no online shopping). Can anybody recommend places like this for travel? We’ve been glamping before (and loved it), and have looked into places like AutoCamp and Under Canvas, but sometimes the weeks we want to go (summer vacation) will cost more than fancy luxury hotels! We’re OK with more rustic than those places, but would love it if the property had access to water (pond, lake, swimmable river, etc.) and/or hiking without the need to drive. (Note: we’ve also already heard of Postcard Cabins, Collective Retreats, Mendocino Grove, Ventana Campground, and Firelight Camps but want to add to our list of options around the country! :)
Create a HipCamp account and look for one that way — I’ve seen some cool options.
Door County WI had a lovely campground with yurts. We loved our stay.
Thank you for the suggestions ladies! :)
The Minnesota State Park system has really upped their cabin game. Not exactly yurts – but essentially camper cabins. Flying in and out of MSP is pretty easy – and there are a ton of super cool options within 3 hours of the cities…
You can rent a yurt in certain MN state parks. I’ve gone with my kids to Afton State Park and stayed in a yurt there – it was so fun! We swam in the river and cooked over the fire and heard coyotes at night. Here is a website I found with someone’s photos from their stay: https://wanderthemap.com/2016/04/camping-yurt-at-afton-state-park/
The Porkies up in the U.P! (https://www.michigan.gov/recsearch/parks/Porkies) The cabins and yurts there are lovely, and the Lake of the Clouds and Mirror Lake ones come with canoes. All are near a water source, either a creek, river, or lake, since you have to haul and filter or boil your water. All are along hiking trails, since they’re hike-in. Super fun! We’ve been going with our kid since he was 2.
I’ve camped/stayed in yurts twice, and was really pleasantly surprised both times! Big Arm campground in Montana and Ignacio Springs Bed & Breakfast in Baja are both wonderful!
Enchanted Forest in New Mexico and Tennessee Pass Nordic Center in Colorado!
my favorite cup of jo house tour yet! thank you for sharing!
I agree !
Wow! I already want a follow up! I’d love to see more of their winter living. And as a teacher I feel as though I have so many clothes. I’d love to see how Elaina stores them and what this looks like.
Aaaaand I want to do this.
Absolutely beautiful! I can see the appeal, but it’s still in my “good for her, not for me” camp (pun intended) ;)
Gosh this article was incredible. I went through a travelling phase where I lived with 2 small bags of stuff. At the time it was incredible. Now I have a large apartment I can’t keep clean by myself and lots of clothes I don’t use etc etc. I wouldn’t swap it but I love the reminder to live simply with less. I’m guessing this couple doesn’t ski – where do they store all their winter gear ? Where do they hang coats ? So many questions. Totally admire their courage to actually change their life. I also just shower at the gym and it has helped keep the bathroom clean :) thank you so much COJ team!
Hey! Cross country skiing is our favorite sport and preferred way to move our bodies in the winter. We do have a10x20ft garage/shed that houses our ski gear, bikes, my workbench, tools, snowblower, etc!
@Zach Okay so you do have some outdoor storage, makes sense! I saw a photo on Elaina’s substack with a bicycle. Did you also build that shed when you bought the land?
Such a beautiful home! I lived in Milwaukee for over a decade and am so glad that sauna culture has been growing! Makes the winters so much more enjoyable.
Whoa! I read a Hobby Hour and live seeing this home on COJ. I love hearing about anyone forging a different path and rethinking what they want and need in life. I would love to see more content around frugal living on COJ amongst all the other amazing work!
I agree! Sustainability and conscious spending are what most of our ancestors did by necessity, and I would love to see a shift back in that direction culturally.
This is incredible! It sounds like a dream to me; I’m also working on realizing what I actually NEED, and embracing the idea that there is actually very little pleasure in living a completely frictionless life. I also love what you had to say about you and your partner growing together, since I’ve often thought that about me and my husband. Our lives look radically different than when we first met and even when we got married (we moved to another state and got goats!) but somehow we both arrived at this place together. I guess when your fundamental values are aligned, the rest is malleable.
“when your fundamental values are aligned, the rest is malleable.” this!!!
LOVE!!
Mind blown. This was such a fun read. I am that person who wants to know every detail. Can we get a part 2 where readers can ask all their burning questions?
I’m sure Elaina would be thrilled to answer your qs! But she also does an excellent job answering a lot of nitty gritty Yurt qs on her Substack: https://elainajindra.substack.com/p/one-step-closer-to-off-grid-living https://elainajindra.substack.com/p/off-grid-yurt-faqs-part-1
Love this! We camped and stayed in a yurt in Ontario many moons ago. Our kids were little and they loved it.
Loved this! It brought back great memories of staying in a yurt at a state park in the Pacific Northwest.
this is what i want for my children and me. cozy slow intentional living. i feel like i have robbed them of so much goodness in the world by raising them in this scary consumeristic lonely society. this is truly living!
My sister-in-law and FAMILY (1 husband, 2 kids, 3 dogs) live in a yurt in Alaska. She loves it. I can see the appeal. But in case anyone is considering it: they have a foam mattress and discovered that foam FREEZES SOLID if they leave town in the winter. They have to come back, heat the yurt for 1 – 2 days before they can actually sleep!
Our foam mattress is definitely very hard when we come home to negative temps after some days away! Can take up to 2-3 hours for it to warm up and normalize after starting the wood stove.
Lovely home. I used to be semi-obsessed with yurts. This is perfect!
Amazing! Thank you for sharing. My partner would jump at the chance to live in a yurt. I just want an indoor bathroom…the thought of getting dressed with socks and boots in the winter just to go pee is too much for me. I wonder if their outhouse is heated?
I have a friend with a yurt that has a composting toilet inside! There are lots of possibilities.
We camp a ton, and stay in FS cabins in the winter (never anything but am outhouse). You don’t need anything but a couple squares of tp and crocs to pee. You just walk a couple steps out and pee. It’s never so cold that you can’t do 30 seconds ;)
I’ve stayed at a yurt that had a full indoor bathroom. Curious if you saw those when you were looking at yurt options and whether it was more cost effective to have an outhouse?
Oh i am so here for the comments on this one– definitely understand the desire to pare down and throw tech out of the window, how nice to just get to be, and I am sure we will see a lot more of this in the future as we collectively thumb our nose at tech oligarchs and their stranglehold on all the things (sorry a bit salty about the space x 401k disaster that is impeding and would love to go this off the grid, truly, eff that guy and all the other guys like him.)
Wow, this place looks amazing, and my first thought was that my husband and I would go crazy living together in a space that small. How do they get their alone time, or do they just not need it? Also, I’ve never been to Wisconsin, but don’t they get several feet of snow in the winter? How do they deal with it when it piles up around the place? Their lifestyle is fascinating. I really loved this profile.
I live in northern Wisconsin, and the shoveling is not so bad. They likely have a vehicle with a plow to take care of their driveway and around the house. My question is, how often does their road get plowed?! Or do they plow themselves out down to the trailhead? I’m in a semi-rural area, not off-grid at all, and waiting for the plow to open up the road is the worst part even here.
Alone time is outside!! If you live this lifestyle, the goal is to be outside as much as possible, no matter the weather.
Wow, what an amazing house tour, this is just what I love about CoJ, there is always a surprise. :-) you guys are amazing to be living in such a conscious and sustainable way. The pictures just breathe beauty and peace. I love it.
definitely in the “how COOL!” camp over here! our family bought a plot of land with a very rustic cabin in northern WI a few years back and it’s our goal to be there year-round one day, too! what an inspiration, such a wonderful way to live.
Sounds like you figured out how to live thoughtfully. It looks like a fun lifestyle, except for the shower being off campus, but I think you found a clever solution!
Elaina and Zach, I know my heart really likes something if I re-read the text 4x and look at each picture like a meditation (that actually works for me) thanks for letting us having a feel of your life. It feels beautiful to me.