Rémi Donelle - Grande Digue, NB

The first time I saw a yurt I fell in love with the beauty of the structure. It seemed something that would not be that hard to build but I didn't know where to begin.

A few months later I saw that there was a yurt building workshop organized by Little Foot Yurts in Wolfville, Nova Scotia and I registered in 2007. The workshop was two days and confirmed that the frame was a project that I could build. The materials were accessible and easy to prepare using simple hand tools. The central wheel however needed more skill and equipment than I had at the time. Thankfully another participant from the workshop had also built a frame and we decided to do a wheel workshop under the guidance of Alex. This was the hardest part of building the yurt but with Alex' help and patience we finished the wheel and had a completed yurt frame!

I choose to have my canvas fitted to my frame by Little Foot Yurts as well. I find that the cotton canvas has a much better look and feel compared to vinyl canvas. Also, I was aiming for a structure that used mostly natural materials. The canvas is very well made and has resisted ten seasons with some yearly maintenance.

The yurt served as a camp on my land before I build my house and now it's our guest cottage in the summer months and as a ski cabin in the winter. It's a remarkable structure that can take good snow loads, strong winds and rain. I highly recommend working with Little Foot Yurts. They are always ready to answer my questions and gave good service.