To make an appointment call (808) 985-9715

Only nine major parts. Learn about the yurts fascinating history.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why a Yurt?

What's the benefit of doing business with Yurts of Hawaii?

We never add to our manufacturer's prices. Yurts of Hawaii offers discounted shipping prices, when you take advantage of one of our bulk orders. You also have the benefit of local, professional support.

Are yurts strong?

Is there a warranty with your yurts?

Our yurts come with an 5 year manufacturer's warranty.  Standard roof material comes with a 10 year material warranty and our recommended upgrade to a Duro-Last roof comes with a 15 year material warranty.

How long can I expect my yurt to last?

You can expect the exterior of your yurt to last upwards of 20 years with proper maintenance. When the exterior needs to be replaced, your infrastructure will still be solid if your yurt has been properly set up and maintained. It is a simple process to get a new exterior and is similar to a roof needing to be replaced on a hard roofed structure. When replacing roof and walls you have the added bonus of being able to add windows or change colors!

How well do yurts hold up to wind and earthquakes?

Our yurts have been proven through independent research done by Hawai'i structural engineers as well as mainland structural engineers to be able to withstand over 120 mph winds. The reason for this fantastic strength is the unique weight dispersion provided by the latticework walls as well as the circle and cone shape of the roof and walls. A yurt is a unique structure for it's great strength without the use of internal supports used by most other structures. None of our yurts showed any sign of wear in the 6.5 earthquake we had here in Hawai'i in October of 2006! They flexed with the movement of the earth and sustained no damage. Yurts are also easily moved and so can be stored or easily relocated, a wonderful option if you choose to build in potential lava zones.

Do yurts have a problem with mold?

Our exterior material recommended for these climates has the highest mildew and UV resistance in the industry. As with any structure in a climate with high humidity, it is imperative that you build with good ventilation in mind. This is easy to do with a yurt, the openable 5' skylight at the top of the yurt allows for a convection type air flow, pulling warm air up and out and cool air from the outside in. There are many ways to improve this system further, whether by vents in the floor, using screen doors, adding an additional door and windows or adding ceiling fans to increase the speed of air flow. As with any structure, the exterior should be washed once a year, a mild soap and a telescopic scrub brush does the trick, work from the bottom as well as through the dome at the top. When it has been scrubbed well, pull a hose up through the dome and rinse well. Voila!

How long does set up take?

A basic round deck takes about 5 days for our builders to complete. Yurt assembly for a 30’ yurt takes about 2 days with experienced assemblers. Smaller yurts can be set up in as little as a few hours. To protect your warranty and ensure that your yurt is erected properly and safely, we offer full set up or consultation services.

What is the cost of shipping to Hawaii?

Shipping cost is a constantly changing number with several variables. It typically runs anywhere from $4,000 - $7,000, with $6,000 being the most we've seen in recent years. Solo shipments are the most costly shipping option, but they typically allow for shorter arrival times.

Things that affect shipping costs are: Oil prices at the time of shipping, final destination, solo yurt shipment or bulk yurt shipment. We aim to provide bulk shipments several times a year. On a bulk order, our client's yurts are shipped together in a container (they are not individually crated, which allows more yurts to be included and drop shipping costs) and we pass savings on to our clients. A bulk order typically saves anywhere from $500 to $1000. Currently (June 2021), our bulk order shipments are running $3,000 - $5,000, depending on size and options.

How long does a customized yurt take to arrive on the Big Island?

A custom yurt typically takes 12 weeks to arrive on the Big Island. We can sometimes provide rush orders, depending on the availability of our manufacturers. Call us for more information.

Are yurts permittable in Hawaii?

Yes, it is very important to work with an experienced, licensed draftsman and architect to design a permittable deck plan. There are several factors that need to be taken into account to ensure that your yurt will be permittable. Be certain that you are working with professionals who are well versed in local codes and regulations. Platform plans, drafting services and permitting services are all available through Yurts of Hawai'i at very good rates.

Can I put rooms in a yurt?

Absolutely! Walls can be framed and finished inside a yurt just like any other structure, though in a yurt any interior wall framing needs to be free-standing.

What about plumbing and electric?

Plumbing and electric are quite easy to install in a yurt. They are run through the floor and any interior walls you erect inside. Often walls for a bathroom will be installed in a yurt, which doubles well as a kitchen wall to run plumbing and electric through. Rafters work beautifully to facilitate illuminating and creative track lighting. Take advantage of our experienced, licensed, plumbing and electrical

Are yurts easy to break into?

Yurts are far more difficult to break into than a standard stick house. With the lattice work frame expanding across the walls and windows, it makes it considerably more work to breach than a common house with glass windows.

How can Yurts be used?

Yurts can work beautifully as a residence, 'Ohana houses, vacation house, rental, added on bedroom or office, Jacuzzi rooms, studios and whatever else your imagination can dream of.

Ok. I want a Yurt. Now, how do I pay for it?

We get the question all the time: is there financing available on yurts? The answer, in most cases, is a regretful “no”. Some people have used non-traditional finance companies, others are able to finance with credit cards; but most traditional banks turn down loan requests for yurts. They just don’t know how to classify them.

All that just changed

There is a new option for yurt financing. It’s called peer-to-peer or social lending. In simple terms, social lending is a financial transaction between two people without the intercession of a bank. If you’ve ever loaned $5 to your little brother, you’ve participated in social lending.

These days, thanks to the internet, social lending is taking place on a larger and more complex scale. Websites have emerged that connect people that want to borrow money with people that want to lend it. The largest and most well-respected sites are prosper.com and lendingclub.com. There are some important things to know before you jump into social lending. So, keep on reading…

It works like this
To get a peer-to-peer loan you need (at minimumm) to:
Jump in:

Research the different sites. When you’re ready, put a loan request out and see what kind of interest rate comes back. Sites let you leave your loan request up for 7 to 14 days, so you’ll know if you’re going to get a favorable deal in a short amount of time (with some sites you’ll know immediately) and you can always reject the offer if you don’t like it. Be careful with this: Some sites lock you in as soon as your loan is 100% financed.

Know the rules of your site