I’m a designer, artist and maker. I’ve loved to create and build things ever since I was a kid.
Back in 2006, I was camping for several weeks in a tent in the high desert in Nevada, with 30,000 of my closest friends. My tent was uncomfortable; the wind kept flattening it, I couldn’t keep the dust out, and it just wasn’t a welcoming space to come back to after days working and playing.
As a maker, naturally I became curious about tent alternatives. When I returned home, I started researching portable living structures. I looked at different tent designs, tipis, hexayurts, and finally, round yurts of the kind I make today.
I’ve always had a fascination for yurts – a traditional Mongolian round house that is transportable and adaptable to different types of climates – and as I researched structures, I realized that yurts met all of my parameters: they’re easy to set up, can be transported on the roof rack of a small car, can stand up to severe weather, and are roomy enough for at least four people to sleep comfortably.
So, shortly after I returned from my unpleasant tent-camping experience, I built a prototype yurt, and a year later, I brought it out to the same desert, where I stayed in it for five weeks. We had sustained winds of up to 50 miles and hour, with gusts up to 70 mph, and yet the yurt stayed undamaged, and was more comfortable than that tent. Yurtastic was born.
Now I build, sell, and rent yurts from my studio in Vallejo, CA, home of a thriving maker and artist community.
The skins of my yurts are made from upcycled vinyl billboards with a birch frame, and they can be installed and taken by one or two people in about 90 minutes. I offer custom designs to fit your needs, and can either deliver and install the yurts for you, or have them shipped to you for you to install. They’re perfect for studios, extra guest rooms, Airbnb or Hipcamp rentals, chill spaces, a unique party room, and even offices!