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    "For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others."

    Nelson Mandela
    from "Long Walk to Freedom" 1995

    Living Diary

    Here my thoughts and brain storming on housing, and general issues of life including political issues:

    Tag <Yurts>

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    2009/12/21
    Moving to France, Pitching my Yurts Again
    last edited 2009/12/24 17:56 (*)


    It has been over a year since I took down my yurt. May 2009 I made contact with a small eco-village like project and visited them in the summer twice on my travelings with my recumbent. I decided to join the project provisional and move with most of my stuff (over 2000kg) to Midi Pyrenees, a trip of 1100km total.

    October 23, 2009 I arrived, and things in France go slow, as I'm part of a group project I had to wait until legal issues were resolved to pitch the yurts with the agreement of the local authorities.

    Here a quick overview of the multiple steps:

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    2009/11/04 15:48
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    2009/11/11 11:28
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    2009/11/11 14:39
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    2009/11/12 17:34
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    2009/11/13 17:24
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    2009/11/15 16:39
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    2009/11/16 10:46
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    2009/11/16 15:38
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    2009/11/16 17:58
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    2009/11/18 11:09
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    2009/11/21 17:59
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    2009/12/10 13:58
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    2009/12/11 11:57
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    2009/12/11 12:17
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    2009/12/11 14:54
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    2009/12/12 12:50
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    2009/12/13 11:56
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    2009/12/13 12:44
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    2009/12/13 13:35
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    2009/12/13 14:22
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    2009/12/13 14:55
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    2009/12/13 16:22
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    2009/12/16 15:31
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    2009/12/16 17:36
    Pics/2009.Yurt/PICT0639.JPG
    2009/12/18 11:06

    The surrounding is very beautiful, yet, very exposed to winds (south, north).


    And a surprise, there is a legal way to live in a yurt, and it's rather simple solution.

    What does it mean? In Germany, Switzerland and Austria yurts essentially aren't permitted to be lived in, either you ignore the law and get along with the local authorities, or make a touristic hotel like setup with yurts, it might work.

    In France you are allowed to pitch a tent, a caravan or a yurt or some sort of temporary building for at least 2 years after you have been given permission to build your own house. To get permission to build your own house is a multistep procedure (e.g. first get a "Certificate of d'Urbanism (CU)) - so, I was given permission to pitch the yurt before I even filed the details of a house building; but also that the parcel I'm on will be used for a future yurt camping facility - either way it seems a legal way to live in a yurt for a "limited time".

    With all the feedback from readers of my SimplyDifferently.org it seems the easiest way to live in a yurt is when a "legal" house is nearby.

    Back to my place, I arrived to a spot:

    • without (direct) access to water, 20min walk to a small water source; solution: rain water collecting and filtering, use water wisely
    • without (direct) electricity; solution: solar panels
    • without waste water connnection; solution: dry/compost toilette

    I have choosen a shady place a slope facing east, open area from North, East and South, and in the back (West) a small forest, supposed to slow down storms from the atlantic. In the summer I get shadow around 11:00 until rest of the day, this will lower the UV impact to the cover I have. Summers are rather hot, 35-38C, and very dry. No rain for weeks, and rain only briefly.

    The eco-village project owns about 55ha of land, about 140 acres - and some is located in a narrow valley, with at summers is nice to be, at winter only brief sunlight and rather cold. I have chosen a spot at the plateau, exposed more to the winds, and in summer time to the heat - that's why the shady spot. I positioned the yurt between two or three trees, at winter they loose the leafs and sunlight reaches me until 15:00 or a bit more, in summer, with all the leafs I have shadow, as mentioned, around 11:00.

    Anyway, I will post some of insights and experience living in my yurts here in the future. If you are interested in the technical details of yurt living, check my SimplyDifferently.org and my yurt diary there.

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