About Us
Yurts For Life started as a family business. The initial impetus was the 2004 tsunami and a later realisation that up to 45 million people worldwide were displaced and living in temporary accommodation at any one time.This lead to an extensive investigation of sustainable housing in all of its different elements. We studied the range and quality of different yurt makers and imports. Many of the UK yurtmakers are craft-based, using only hand tools and local wood.
Convinced that modern manufacturing techniques could be enlisted to improve quality, father and son started to develop a yurt design in the family garage. That first yurt took thirteen weeks to make - with a skip load of useless wood at the end of it. We persevered and became more knowledgeable and skilled in the processes required. Over the years our expertise has matured.and we have now turned what is usually seen as a craft industry into a production process, with all the benefits of consistency of product quality and cost reductions which this brings.This allows us to give customers a reliable and aesthetically stunning product at an affordable price.
The Team in May 2011- from left to right Keith, Tim, Nick, Owen and Rod
We have recently moved to bigger premises and now occupy a workshop of some 3,500 sq. ft. in the beautiful South Devon countryside, surrounded by farmland including Riverford Organic Farm and the Dartington Estate.. Early in our development, we appreciated that the quality of our finished product was dictated by the quality of our starting point - our timber. After a great deal of searching we found a saw mill in Dorset who could provide us with the consistent quality of product, from sustainable sources, and we have worked with them ever since. Recently we have negotiated the provision of additional timber from the Riverford Estate, Dartington Estate and Stourhead in Wiltshire.
The business continues to grow and to develop a yurt hire facility. It is now a partnership of equally committed individuals. We have not lost sight off our initial objectives, and realise that the need for sustainable housing is increasing dramatically in the present economic climate. More and more people, all over the globe, are seeking alternative quality housing solutions that they can afford - without mortgaging their own and their children's lives to achieve it. We are convinced of the worth of yurts as low-cost, environmentally responsible, low-carbon and efficient means to house large numbers of people in relative comfort.
We just need to convince the politicians and decision makers of the potential of yurts (and geodomes) in this context. However corporate businesses are already receptive to our products. These include the National Trust, Embercombe and Riverford Organics.
For the future we intend to continue to focus on product development both with yurts and also further structures such as round houses and more permanent sustainable housing. We will continue to operate from the highest ethical standpoint with the most responsible environmental credentials we can deliver. Be assured that all who work for this organisation are committed and passionate about what we do now, and what we wish to do in the future. We welcome the opportunity to engage in discussions and projects with like-minded people and organisations.
Our greatest commitment is to you, the customer. We love the products we make and the time-honoured processes that we use. We aim to deliver the same inspiration to you that we ourselves get from making yurts..
