If you’ve ever visited our hometown of Montrose, Colorado- you know about two of our most spectacular sights. First, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is just east of town and offers amazing sheer canyon scenery surrounded by juniper and pinon forest. To our south, we enjoy incredible views of the San Juan mountains. There is one lucky couple who are living in their Colorado Yurt– with the canyon in their back yard, and unmatched views of the San Juans from their deck.

Matt is a Colorado native, and very much a renaissance man. He currently works in medical device sales, but has also been a firefighter/paramedic, deputy coroner, a small business owner and sign painter. He hunts, climbs, rides his motorcycle and enjoys his family. Matt’s one true love is his wife Rebecca, whom he met as his EMT partner in Albuquerque, NM.

Matt and Rebecca found their beautiful forty-acre parcel about four years ago. It had a metal shop building when they purchased it, and their first plan was to live in an RV while building an apartment in the shop. After spending time on their land, they found a perfect spot to enjoy the views and the abundant wildlife- and came up with the idea of building a yurt instead. They’d stayed in yurts on vacations, so they were familiar with the unique experience of the round space with the soaring ceiling up to the dome with views of the sky. As they planned the site, they decided a 27’ Colorado Yurt would fit perfectly. After site preparation, installing the septic, water and power- they poured a concrete slab- 27’ in diameter. We delivered the yurt in our trailer. Matt says, “Colorado Yurt Company was the obvious choice. We researched it, and realized the quality they offer is unmatched. We just got lucky that they’re in our hometown!”

A crew of five friends and family pitched Matt and Rebecca’s yurt in one weekend, and had it ready for interior finishes. They sealed the slab with a gorgeous rust-colored finish, installed a divider wall between the kitchen/living room and the bedroom, and created a loft above the bathroom for storage. They built a spa-quality bathroom, and finished the kitchen with English oak cabinets and granite-looking countertops. Their heat source is a wood stove that sits in the living room, and they have a large ceiling fan in the center of the yurt for air circulation.

Matt and Rebecca did most of the work themselves, and found many elements of the yurt second hand. Their gorgeous custom cabinets were from a local remodel, and cost $125. The slab was contracted out, and they hired a carpenter to help with the yurt divider and window frame. With all costs considered, Matt and Rebecca estimate they spent approximately $50,000 to get the yurt pitched, interior finished and utilities. Since then, they’ve added a raised deck on the San Juan side of the yurt, a fire pit and hot tub pad and installed two glass windows.

They have lived full-time in the yurt for nearly two and a half years. Their advice for those who want to experience yurt living: “Understand that heating and cooling will not be like a traditional home. But, it’s totally do-able. The yurt is such a great space, and we love that it’s close to nature. We hear the snow slide off the roof, the wind through the junipers and sometimes even bugling elk and turkeys who hang out by the fire pit.” The space is perfect for the two of them, and their hope is to build a “real” house in the next few years and offer the yurt as a guest house and vacation rental.