DIY Insulated Platforms
Making Your Own Insulated Platform
When considering a floor for your yurt, you may want to use our insulated platform technique. When building your platform, we recommend sandwiching Styrofoam between two sheets of plywood. This method has been proven to be effective and well-insulated. As seen below, you can use a combination of finished plywood for the floor, 2” Styrofoam, and unfinished plywood.
Remember to ask us for your yurt's diameter, as this may vary by a few inches from yurt to yurt!
Layer 1 - The Base: 3/8” Plywood
Once you've built a level & elevated substructure (we lay 4’ x 8’ panels of 3/8” thick plywood onto your subframe so that they cover the entire base area of your circle):
1. Drive a long screw into the center of your circle.
2. Attach a rope to the length of the screw.
3. At the other end, tie a marker.
4. Put the rope under tension and use it as a compass to outline the circumference of your circle.
Once your panels are in place, you can secure them to the substructure with 2 ½” nails or screws. You may also choose to cut your base layer into a circle after proceeding. At the Groovy Farm, we attach a router to a rope under tension and cut just like that. Or, if your blade is of sufficient thickness to make a 2 7/8” cut, we suggest cutting all layers as you go.
Layer 2 - The Styrofoam
We recommend using 2” tongue and groove Styrofoam panels because of how easy they are to install. Slightly offset your panels to your first layer of plywood to avoid creating air gaps and glue. You should be able to just pop your Styrofoam right through the center screw.
If your screw is still visible, retouch your rope and mark your circle. You can use a hot knife to cut this layer, but as stated above, if your blade is large enough, you may choose to wait to cut all layers at once.
Tip: Place your center rope under tension and attach a cutting apparatus to the other end for a more precise cut.
Layer 3 - ½” Plywood
Glue your ½” plywood panels to the foam, ensuring they overlap the Styrofoam seams. You have to slightly offset the plywood, just as in the previous layer.
To achieve the cleanest cut:
1. Reattach a screw to the center and tie a rope the size of the radius to the screw.
2. At the other end of the rope, tie your cutting tool and place the rope under tension as you cut out your circle. It’s incredibly satisfying.
Just like that, you've built your very own insulated platform, but you're not finished quite yet. Every platform requires a rim around its circumference. For a full detailed breakdown on how to make and add rim boards to your platform, click on the link here.
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