Hexayurt floor tarp taping strategy?

[sparr]

Many guides don't mention the floor tarp at all. Those that do, tend to gloss over it. Can anyone provide some guidance on how big your tarp is compared to your yurt footprint? How do you tape it (where, what kind of tape, in what order)? Do you stake it separately?

[Elderberry]

We buy one large enough that it extends beyond the entire base of the yurt. We usually roll up the excess and then tape it all the way around on the outside of the yurt using 3" bi-directional filament tape. (Same tape you use to hold the yurt together except 3" wide.) We then go around the inside with tape as well so there is no chance for water to leak in.

We then just cut the floor off when we tear down. Yes, we get new floors every year.

[rideincircles]

I was debating on just laying out a tarp to claim the space for the hexayurt and using lag screws to anchor the tarp down. Then just taping the yurt to the tarp and probably just anchoring it down drilling thru the tarp. Kinda wish I would have gotten some 3" bifilament tape also, my 4 rolls of 6" and 3" foil should be arriving this evening. Going to start on taping the edges this weekend.

[Elderberry]

Make sure you wash the panels with a good grease cutting detergent like Dawn (just around the edges where the tape will be going--foil surfaces only. There is a slight bit of oil on them from the manufacturing process. If you don't wash that off, your tape won't hold as well. (this was discovered by experience. )

[Zealous]

We cut the hexagon for our tarp about 1' larger (overall) than the floor of the yurt. After all the walls are up and the yurt is pinned down we have 2 people go in and unroll the tarp (like you would a carpet) from the far side of the yurt towards the door. The tarp is taped up to the walls with bifilament tape and folded together (and taped) in the corners.

I've seen people say affixing the tarp to the outside of the yurt is better but they all flooded last year when it started raining - it's really difficult to get a waterproof seal all the way around the outside of the yurt with only tape when the foil is so flimsy.

[Elderberry]

That's why we started taping outside and inside. Double protection?

[burner von braun]

I suspect that if it came down to torrential rains, Zealous' interior 'bathtub' method would end up better off, but given the years of experience represented here, it sounds to me like either technique is playa proven. It seems to me that the entrance is the most vunerable spot. Do either of you employ a raised doorway threshold of some kind in your design? The tradeoff of course, is tripping over the darn thing throughout the week, at least until you train yourself not to.

On a side note, if it were up to me, we'd merge these new specific little yurt threads we've seen into the main yurt thread so it would continue to grow into a robust compendium of all things hexayurt. Perhaps after the immediacy of it slows down? YMMV

[Elderberry]

We don't use anything at the bottom of the door. And for the reasons you suggested, we don't use a raised threshold. We have used the yurt every year since Green Man and really haven't had much trouble with water rushing under the door. There have been times that we had to put some towels against the door bottom, which did a good enough job of keeping everything dry.

We do however, weather strip the top and side of the door to keep dust out. We make the weather stripping with the 6" filament tape by folding one third the length together and then attach it to the door with matching pieces on the wall. Weather strip is on the outside of the door and the inside of the wall and the door opens out. (I think. I'm having a brain fart on remembering the direction it opens now.) Must be the Alzheimer's Or, it might be the cocktails!

[Zealous]

We kept a 6" lip of foam material under the door when we cut it out - this allows for both the tarp to fasten to the inside and for some foam structure to reinforce the panel. We didn't have a problem tripping on the foam because of small wooden ramps on either side - this also helped reinforce the foam. It was pretty common for other people to lean against or crash into the (door panel of the) yurt last year so this additional support really came in handy. Having a lip like this also makes it a lot harder for people to accidentally kick dust/dirt or other objects into the yurt while entering.

The weather stripping idea is a good one! I'll have to look for a way to implement something like it - we only use a little bit of tape right now and it isn't quite doing the job.