Finally, we are making some solid progress on the yurt front. We have a 10,000L header tank on its way which will be the first of a much larger water storage system once we have shedding built and the dam cleared out. Grant bought a great, hardly used Honda generator that an older couple were selling after their trip around Australia. They ended up staying at powered sites in caravan parks so they barely used it and we got it for 1/3 of what we would have paid new. The Honda will become our main generator and the other generator will be for back-up. We have extended our solar and battery system and although it's small it generates enough power to run everything we need all at once. It will save a lot in fuel expenses and having good, reliable power brings us peace of mind. It also means we will be living more sustainably which is hugely important to us. We use 12V lighting and fans and we will eventually be purchasing a small 12V smart TV to help minimise the power we need at night. We don't have TV reception here so we stream free TV and $10 of Netflix/Stan when the urge arises. There is no contract with either Netflix/Stan so you can pay month by month. We usually pop it on for school holidays.
The loft is built and the framework of the staircase is complete, though it still needs to be enclosed to form a good size pantry underneath. Grant has never built a staircase before and he did a fabulous job in a very tight space. The stairs are carved into a big log and the steps are up-cycled from the old cattle yards on the property which had been demolished. We are cladding the walls with salvaged plywood and the walls/ceiling will all be painted white while the big supporting logs will eventually be sanded and polished, along with the steps to make a lovely rustic feature. Then there is safety rails and floor coverings to lay but all in good time.
We have been trying to workout storage in the yurt for a while now, but now we have a good plan moving forward which includes Grant building a long, narrow wardrobe against an internal wall and floor to ceiling bookshelves all around the TV unit. The wardrobe will comfortably house the boy's clothes and our linen while the bookshelves will house all our books, baskets of toys and other items. We will list the vintage gentlemen's wardrobes and a little chest of draws we are currently using for sale which will go towards the cost of nails and screws etc. Living small, and in a round home means we need to utilize every nook and cranny and it has become clear the best way to do that is with custom-built storage solutions. There will be a little cost to build these items, but most of the materials will be up-cycled and salvaged where possible. I'm really looking forward to the space being properly sorted! (My nesting urges are strong) A proper indoor kitchen and floor coverings will have to wait until we get the sustainable logging done, which has been understandably delayed due to the bushfires.
I spent a lot of time last year feeling frustrated by not having a productive garden and not having the infrastructure like fencing in place for me to start one. In hindsight, I'm glad we didn't start. With this drought, we simply don't have the water to spare. Our family of 5 is currently only using 1000L/week which we have to cart in. That means our family is using roughly 143L/day and about 30L/day per person. We do cart in an extra 60-100L/week or so each week of drinking/cooking water in separate water drums, though currently as the boys are home on school holidays that amount of drinking water would be slightly higher. We will not be starting any kind of garden until the river and creeks are flowing again and we have water to spare.
Life here is certainly not glamorous. There remains a lot to be done before the yurt looks the lovely little home I have in my mind, but getting the basics sorted gives us a great sense of security. For now, the yurt is a clean, comfortable and functional space and really that's all that any home needs to be.
Much love,
Emma
xx
