Over the years, I had the chance to spend a lot of time living in remote parts of northern Canada. Without exception, the only source of heat and cooking was a woodstove. Most of these stoves were of a heating-only design with cooking on the stove top, but a few were models with a built-in oven. With all these years of experience with woodstoves of different models, about 10 years ago I decided to build a wood heating and cookstove of my own design.

Using the basic scientific principle that heat rises, I built the oven directly above a large firebox that would take 2-foot logs. The oven was made with two large opening doors on opposite sides, and of a size that would cook four large pizzas or 10 loaves of bread at once. Overall, this design worked very well and if I ever built another one it would be pretty much the same.

Building a Mongolian Yurt Shelter

The only problem with the stove that did arise was: where to put it. Our last house was insured and homemade stoves were not allowed. So we used it for a few years as an outside oven where it performed very well. Then about seven years ago I built a remote waterfront cottage where insurance was non-existent, so the plan was to put this stove in the cottage when finished. Surprise, surprise. The day we delivered the stove to the cottage by skidoo, we discovered it was 2 inches too large to fit through the door. Bummer. Back to plan B, which was once again to use it as an outside cookstove in the new location.

Still, it always bugged me that the stove didn’t have a small building of its own, that would allow it to be used in comfort, even in the middle of winter. Enter the Mongolian Yurt design. Having read many books on Mongolian culture and history, you can’t help but be impressed with their horse and archery skills, their world conquest, and their portable shelters. 

Fixed Mongolian Yurt Design

So this fall I decided to build a Yurt-style shelter for my woodstove. The main departure from tradition is that mine would be constructed in a fixed location, so there was no need to make it very light and portable.

Having decided on a 16-foot diameter size, I first made a 16-foot-square plywood base. This allows for a 16-foot circle with triangles protruding from four corners. Good places to store firewood. Next, out of ¾-inch plywood I cut two layers of 3 ½-inch wide arcs to allow the 2×4 stud to sit upon. Also, the same for the top plate for the 5’10” studs, giving 6’1” wall height. Initially I had planned on using 2×2 for the studs and rafters, but as the price was nearly the same, I went with the 2×4 material for both.

The unique feature of my Yurt design was I wanted the 7-inch chimney pipe to pass through the centre of the conical roof. To accomplish this, I made a ply wood collar consisting of 8 layers of that same ¾-inch plywood, making a total thickness of 6 inches. The layers were glued and screwed together. As the stovepipe was 7 inches, and I wanted 2 inches inside clearance all around the plywood collar, the inside circle was made 11 inches in diameter. And because the width of the collar was 5 inches, it made a total width of 21 inches. A big advantage in having such a solid wooden peak is that now the rafters could all be screwed into it. The only real issue in the roof framing was holding that heavy wood piece in place while the first four rafters were fastened.

A Crack in the Plan

So by the time the frame was completed there was 2 feet of snow on the ground and all access was now by snowshoe and toboggan. At this point I decided to put one layer of plywood horizontal all around the outside of the structure. Having decided on 3/8-inch plywood for this purpose, you can imagine my disappointment when it was found that the plywood could not be forced to the curvature without cracking.

Oh well, I know now I should have bought the thinner ¼-inch material instead. As I was not anxious to purchase and haul in more plywood, I decided to use some 1/8-inch plywood purchased previously for an aircraft project that never happened. By the way, si pieces of plywood laid on its side (48 feet) was just enough to cover the circumference since material was not needed for the door opening. I can’t remember, something about a piece of pie?

So the only framework left to complete was to put a circumference of short 2×4 pieces around the walls and roof for stability. Next summer I intend to put a second layer of ¼-inch horizontal plywood on the walls, and get a custom-made clear tarp for the roof. Presently, the roof is square tarps fitted to a convex shape. I will also make a proper door to replace the existing weighted fabric enclosure. And two or three small opening windows would be nice for visibility and summer ventilation.

Mongolian Yurt House Warming

So, two days ago five guests snowshoed out and we had a Yurt Warming party. We roasted chicken, ribs, veggies, and I think there was some alcoholic drinks consumed, but I can’t remember for sure. I do remember, however, that the woodstove and the Yurt both performed admirably.

So, there you have it. A year-round Mongolian-inspired cook house. A note of caution might be in order before you consider building such a design. A round building is more work and costs more to fabricate than a similar-sized square one. But it is more wind-resistant and visually way more pleasing.

So next week I’m looking forward to making a big pot of beans baked in my Dutch oven, sitting warm and cozy next to the cookstove, wile a winder storm rages without. Smart cookies, those Mongolians.