Six Foot Stretch Apex Hexayurt

Summary: If you are looking to build a hexayurt for two, don´t look any further ;)

"A hexayurt is a simplified disaster relief shelter design. It is based on a hexagonal geodesic geometry adapted to construction from standard 4x8 foot sheets of factory made construction material, built as a yurt. It was invented by Vinay Gupta. Hexayurts are common at Burning Man." Wikipedia

Hexayurts come in a whole range of sizes and shapes, depending on its purpose and how many inhabitants it should shelter. For two people, the standard 6' Hexayurt is pretty small. The larger 6' Stretch Hexayurt fits already much better, but with a little twist to its design - with the same amount of material required - you can build the 6' Stretch Apex Hexayurt described here, that will get you a full-size entrance and even more headroom inside. For me this is the perfect option for a home for two, it requires only a reasonable amount of building material and transport space, fits a queen size bed, leaves space for other things, is easy to enter, and allows you to stand upright on the inside.

There is an excellence resource with lots of information on hexayurts and hexayurt assembly on the web, I added the corresponding links to the respective steps of the building process.

Links:

All you need to know about Hexayurts:

> https://www.appropedia.org/Hexayurt_project/Hexayurt_playa

Assembly of the regular 6' Stretch Hexayurt:

> https://www.appropedia.org/Hexayurt_project/Schematics#Six_Foot_Stretch_Hexayurt

Find here a PDF with a summary of the building instructions:

Items to build the yurt:

7x Sheets of insulation board, each 4 ft x 8 ft, 1 in thick. I got Rmax, but there are also other options that will do.

2x Rolls of bidirectional filament tape, each 3 in x 60 yd. Obviously 6 inch tape is also OK, but 3 inch is sufficient.

Tape measure

Marker pen

Cutter with fresh blade (> 1 inch)

Cutting guide (optional)

For installation on-site:

Floor tarp

Tape (normal gaffer tape will do)

Tent stakes and rope

Hammer

Links:

General materials list for hexayurt building:

> https://www.appropedia.org/Hexayurt_project/Hexayurt_playa#Materials

More details on the bidirectional filament tape and where to get it:

> https://www.appropedia.org/Hexayurt_project/Hexayurt_playa_checklist#Mail_Order_Tape

Cut boards and label them according to the schematic shown in the picture.

R = Roof

S = Side

R2: Right-angled triangle, short side = 2 ft

R1: Trapezoid, shorter side = 6 ft

R3: Isosceles triangle, base side = 4 ft

S1: Trapezoid, shorter side = 4 ft, longer side = 6 ft

S3: Square, each side = 4 ft

S2: No cut

Tape the different board pieces together according to the schematic shown in the picture.

Have the side of each board with the print on it facing you while taping, to have the print end up on the inside of the yurt.

Pay attention to the orientation of the R2 pieces, the right angle is to be on the outer side!

Turn around the S1 pieces and cut an opening into one side for the entrance.

Keep a safe distance to the edges to maintain structural integrity.

Cut at an angle so the door will open only to the outside.

Tape the shorter side of the door to the frame.

Add handles to both sides and a closing mechanism of your choice. Tape will do, but there are more sophisticated ways to make sure the door stays shut when you want it to be (see link below).

Links:

More details on hexayurt doors:

> https://www.appropedia.org/Hexayurt_project/Hexayurt_playa#Doors

Fold up you boards, stack everything, and transport it where needed.

Do not - under any circumstances - forget the tape and your cutter ;)

On-site, tape the remaining board pieces together according to the schematic shown in the picture.

Again, make sure to have the print on the boards face the inside of the yurt.

Seal all the outward-facing edges with bidirectional filament tape.

Put the yurt on the floor tarp, roll up the excess tarp and tape it to the outside walls.

Place tape anchors (see link below) on the roof corners and securely stake down your yurt.

Links:

How to properly tie down your yurt:

> https://www.appropedia.org/Hexayurt_project/Hexayurt_playa#Staking_Down_your_Hexayurt

Done, time to move into your new home! As already outlined in the introduction, a queen size air mattresse should fit in snugly (drawn to scale in the picture), and there is still plenty of space for all your other stuff. Make yourself at home!

Adding a small swamp cooler to your hexayurt will get you to the next level and you will enjoy your yurt even more. Building one is rather easy and there are many instructions on the web, so I would really recommend to consider that.

I built one with a solar panel and a battery pack, which then also powered a small LED lamp inside the yurt at night and furthermore allowed charging of electronic gadgets (need to find the time to write another Instructable on that).

Links:

Swamp cooler for hexayurts:

> https://www.appropedia.org/Hexayurt_project/Hexayurt_playa#Swamp_Cooler

Instructables instruction for building a swamp cooler:

> https://www.instructables.com/Arobodudes-DIY-Burning-Man-Evaporative-AC-Swamp-Co