Channel: Kirsten Dirksen

Category: Howto & Style

Tags: affordable lifestylehousing crisisrental opportunityfabric homeadu rentaffordable housingdome recording studiodomedome homeunderused urban spaceoutdoor showersan francisco housing marketyomebackyard homehousing solutionoutdoor kitchenunderused backyardsava rosenrecycled materialsyurtartist housingwood stovebackyard rentgeodesictemporary homecalifornia housing crisisgeodesic domehousing workaroundssan francisco housing

Description: When Ava Rosen first slept in a yome - a hybrid between a yurt and geodesic dome - she fell in love with its geometry: “I’d never heard of a yome before, but I just really liked it and I think geodesic structures are really brilliant, and I’d read that they are more structurally sound than a yurt.” As a teacher looking for housing in the pricey San Francisco market, she decided to buy one (secondhand for $6900, including platform) and place it in an underused backyard. Ava spent some time leveling the ground and laying a cement-block foundation and insulated wood floor, but the zome structure itself went up in one day, with the help of a few friends. The heptagon shape is a series of triangles formed by small wooden beams connected by bolts at central axes. More slender beams and a tension wire hold the roof together. On top of the skeleton, Ava added foil insulation before placing the canvas covering. Inside, as one of her first “DIY projects”, she built a lofted bed leaving the floor space open as a living room complete with couch, coffee table, stereo system, and recording equipment (Ava is a musician and artist). For heat, she began with a wood-fired stove that worked well to heat the small space, but the secondhand appliance quickly stopped working and she made plans for a pellet stove. For cooking, she has a small grill on her deck or she uses her parents’ kitchen (she also uses their bathroom). She built an outdoor shower in a small dead-end alley space at one side of the house. She used copper pipes and a sloped wooden floor (made from recycled pallets) which delivers the greywater to her mint and herb garden. avasayakarosen.wixsite.com/hello Ava's band (Galore) galoresf.bandcamp.com On *faircompanies: faircompanies.com/videos/couldnt-afford-sf-then-built-a-backyard-yome-yurt-dome