Building the loft and deck

We knew we wanted a loft in the yurt, as it would add about 30% more floorspace. Our first drafts of the loft had it as a simple rectangular loft. However, the landowner, S, had a great idea to make the loft "teardrop" or "yin-yang" shaped. This way it flowed with the "circle-ness" of the yurt and also appealed to our penchant for eastern philosophies. To save money and resources we went down to the river to look for beaver-cut logs that we could use. We ended up finding exactly what we needed, and the helpful beaver had even cut the logs to the perfect size! We used the beaver cut posts in the front of the loft where they could be seen, and cut our own lumber for the back pieces.

S is a master craftsman when it comes to pretty much anything. He builds lightweight teardrop trailers that mid-sized vehicles can pull, so anything with curves is his specialty! He started by ripping thinner, bendable layers from a rough-cut cedar 2x4 and bent and layered them into place along the edge of the loft so that it resulted in a full-sized 2x4 yin-yang shaped cedar wood beam.

Cross-bracing was built and then we put cedar decking over the top to finish it off. 

While the loft was being built I worked on de-barking a large log. We then cut it in half and used it for posts on the deck. 

Once the deck was complete along with a Hopi Kiva style wooden ladder, S hand crafted a cedar door with upcycled tempered glass.  The kitties love looking out of this beautiful door!