Glenn & Sha's Gher Page

How we made our own Gher or Yurt

or

How to avoid our mistakes

This page is intended to give out information that we have gathered on our quest for a Yurt, and is not intended to be historically accurate.
Where possible I try to note the historical method (Historical), the way we did it (We Did), the way other people did it (Other People Did), and what did not work (Don't). Now including improvements that we have made (Update).

This is a Gher:

Our Gher is about 15' diameter, with 5'6" walls and a total height of about 9'. Where possible I will note the quantity and sizes of the materials we used, but the best way to do it is by starting with a rough plan and measure for the tarps when the rest is done.

The Walls

Also called the Hana.

Historical:

Many small saplings were tied together with leather thong to make the latticework.

We Did:

I took 1"x4"x8' boards and rip them on a table saw into 1"x1"x7'. If you choose the boards carefully you won't have many scrap pieces. I then drilled the slats (3/16") and used leather lace (bootlace or equivalent) to hold them together. I used a 5 hole pattern leaving 3" on the ends past the laces. You may go with more holes (more stability and more knots) but I wouldn't suggest less than 5. Our 15' gher has about 44 slats in the walls.

Update:

We have rebuilt the outer walls in a 9 hole pattern (adding another hole between the original 5). The new wood came from a cabinetry shop in Seattle; they have a bin out in front containing their scrap wood from their operations. Also we have started tying the slats using nylon binding string around the slats through one hole, the nylon doesn’t rot and the tightness is not necessary. (We used coffee straws to thread the string through the holes.) We also have split the wall sections into 2 parts that are tied together for ease of transport.

Other People Did:

Other people have used wood lathe (thin strips cut from a 2"x4"), and even aluminum bars for the wall pieces. And bent nails or rivets to fasten them together.

Don't:

Don't make it too rigid, it has to flex or something will break. Don't use steel anything, it will stain the fabric when it does rust.

The Door

Historical:

Pretty much the way we did it, but hewn from logs, not 2" x 4". And pegged, not nailed.

We Did:

Ours is a 2"x4"x3' at the top and bottom notched to fit 4 1"x4"x5' so that there are slots for the hana ends to fit into. We have also made doors to fit into the doorframe but those are not necessary.

Update:

Our door had to be rebuilt. The old one fell apart after about 2 years. The new one is pegged and glued and also contains an extra 2 pieces of wood inside the vertical portions to keep the hana from poking through

The Tension Cable

Historical:

Probably was just a rope.

We Did:

We use steel core plastic coated cable, about 52' with U clamps at the junction.

The Roof Poles

Also called Oiyn.

Historical:

Saplings, sometimes steamed and bent at the lower end to be tied to the hana.

We Did:

5 1"x2"x8' and 20 1"x1"x8' cut at an angle at one end, and a hole drilled 3" from the other end with a string loop to hook over the hana.

The Center Ring

Also called the Tono

Historical:

Either a solid ring (arcs of wood joined together) or a hoop made from layers of bent wood. Both styles had holes carved into it for the oiyn to fit into.

We Did:

We used wedges of 2"x4" sandwiched between 2 layers of "OSB" (A cheap plywood.) We used nails between the wedges to keep the oiyn from going all the way through the tono. Ours is 24" outside diameter.

Update:

New ring built using cedar fence boards instead of the OSB. Much lighter and less prone to disintegration.

Don't:

Don't use particleboard. It is water soluble and too heavy. Don't make it this small if you are planning on having a fire pit inside.

Gher Covering

Historical:

A white felt-like material was used.

We Did:

The roof section is 10 oz canvas, and the walls are muslin. The roof is cone shaped, with a hole in the center for the smoke to get out, and a 9" apron at the bottom edge. The wall is just a 72" wide strip of muslin that we tuck over the hana, this does not need to be waterproof. Use a square piece of canvas to cover the center hole when it rains.

Other People Did:

I have heard of a felt cover done but they seem heavy. Look for canvas tarps that can be reshaped and trimmed, this can be cheaper and easier than starting from scratch. I have heard of people using ‘Thompson’s Waterseal’, but my method is about $3 less per gallon and has no smell. I have also heard of placing ‘belt loops’ on the apron portion of the roof to run a rope through to secure the roof to the sides (we may be doing this next year.)

Update:

There is now an inner wall, about 15 yards of Polartech (a wind/rain proof Polarfleece.) that is just tucked over the hana from the inside.
We have now done the waterproofing. It took 3-10.1 oz tubes of “GE 100% Silicone Rubber Sealant – Clear” and about 3 ½ gallons of “Paint Thinner – 100% Mineral Spirits”.  I took a gallon can of paint thinner and squeezed the contents of one tube of silicone into it, shook thoroughly poured into a paint tray and applied it with a paint roller to the outside of the roof. Do not try to pour out the last of the can into the paint tray; the paint thinner will not dissolve all of the sealant. Add some more paint thinner to the can to thin out the last bit (about 3 cups guesstimate). After doing the entire roof, we have about 1/3 gallon left over for touchup and other projects. This treatment only adds about 2 pounds to the finished roof, has no smell after the paint thinner evaporates and causes the water to bead up and roll off.
We also use a patio umbrella to cover the center hole, while we are aware that this is not ‘period’ it is much easier to use quickly. Merely poke it up through the hole, spin and lower. To remove, simply lift it up and bring it down slowly.
Further update: We created an insulated liner for the roof for desert use. It uses sheets of Reflectix (Mylar coated bubble wrap.) taped together to keep heat out in the summers.

Don't:

Don't forget to preshrink the material first! Don't rely on calculations for your patterns, MEASURE THE FRAME!!! Don't use plastic or nylon. Don't skimp on this part, it is the largest single part and the most costly to replace later.

Putting it all together

This is the fun part; trust me.

• Gather enough victims, I mean volunteers; you will want at least one other person other than yourself but not more than four total workers. If you have too many, it takes longer.
• Clear an area for the gher. The entrance should be on the south side to be traditional, but if you are expecting really bad weather, place the entrance on the side away from the prevailing wind.
• Outline the area to place the gher. One good way to do this is to have a tarp the size of the finished gher and lay that out first. Another option is to drive a stake in the center of the area for the gher to occupy, loop the tension cable three times, and draw a circle with this radius (there is a slight, 5% larger, difference between this distance and the true radius of the finished gher, however, this will help ensure roundness when evening out the walls.)
• Spread out the hana (wall section) and insert into the door frame. Use the cable to make it the right size, running it around the top portion of the hana by resting it in every 3rd X made by the hana. Remember not to put the clamped ends of the cable over the door. Try to make the walls all about the same height all the way around.
• Take 3 of the thicker oiyn (roof poles) and place them evenly around the hana. Place 2 of them in their corresponding holes in the tono. Now for the tricky part. Use the 3rd oiyn to lift the tono. Now just put up the rest of the oiyn. We have 2 oiyn with notched ends to go over the door.
• Hang the wall covering.
• Put on the roof covering.
• Tie a rope (we use bungee cord) around the top and bottom of the wall covering. The upper rope should also hold the apron down from the roof covering.
• Use 4 ropes in a # shape to keep the roof covering in place (optional).
• Tie shorter ropes to the rain flap and pull into place.
• Decorate!

Page history:

Originally published in 1997 and updated until 2006, when I left that provider. Re publishing here for easy updating and access. I will be updating the images with Sketchup diagrams later. The original drawings were done with MSPaint or GIMP. (Hangs head in shame.)