Hexayurt project/Hexayurt playa checklist

Classic Construction: A Step By Step List of Everything You Need To Do

These instructions are specifically for building an 8 Foot Hexayurt using the "classic construction" technique. See this list of other hexayurt shapes, sizes, and construction techniques. This page also houses some detailed information about supplies that are used in building other sizes/shapes of hexayurt, and other construction modes. This hexayurt information references the hot, dusty environment of the Black Rock Desert and the Burning Man Art festival. In other climates and for long term use, you should look at hexayurt.com for instructions using other materials, like plywood.

Building a Hexayurt is easy. You can get everything you need on one trip to a building supply store and one mail order.

This list is not a substitute for the videos. It's designed to be printed out and carried around, to the playa and to the hardware store, to make sure that in the rush you don't forget something important or do the steps in the wrong order. It is very detailed because I know what the last minute crunch is like.

Pictures and Plans

Decide

Make the decision. Review the materials on the site, and if it's looking good, decide. Consider a semi-folding hexayurt made with simple hinges: [[1]]: they are pre-fabricated with the same materials described here, and most of the work is done at home. For the comparison of different size/shape yurts, click: [[2]]
If you need help deciding, go outside and draw a circle on the ground with a 8' radius. Your Hexayurt is just slightly smaller than this - it is the hexagon that fits inside of that circle. Big, isn't it?

Mail Order Tape

A key material involved in constructing Hexayurts is tape. Specifically, 6" wide bidirectional filament tape. In English, that's a six inch wide tape with re-enforcing fiberglass strands running in both directions, so that it will not break or tear under almost any imaginable circumstance, including howling playa dust storms. It is amazing and very expensive. Other tapes have been tried-- they aren't great in playa conditions, and those who went off the beaten path regretted it. Some innovations are underway, we'll see what results come back (and we'll take reports of success w/ other tapes in the discussion section.

Mail Order 240 yards bidirectional filament tape such as 3M 8959 "Extreme Applications" packaging tape, 6" wide. AKA as "JVCC 762 BD." 6" is not a standard width, it usually costs around $30 plus shipping. 5" tape is perfectly good. For certain steps, you can use 3" which is half the price and a lot easier to work with. 3" tape is ideal for sealing the panel edges during preparation. If you are employing the "classic construction" approach, you will seal all panel edges prior to assembly: that step alone takes 132 yards of tape.

You also use the tape calculator spreadsheet to figure out exactly how much you need.

- http://hexayurttape.com/ aka GoodBuyGuys. They know what you want the tape for and sell a good product at fair prices. $30 each.
- Findtape.com, sold as "JVCC 762-BD Bi-Directional Filament Strapping Tape." $32.67 each.
- One supplier is Tapes Unlimited, 1245 Hartrey Ave, Evanston, IL (847) 866-6060. They do not have a web site. But they know Hexayurts and are very helpful.
- http://penmar-industries.com/specialtytapes.html#sptp Penmar Industries also carries a bidirectional filament tape in 5" which looks perfectly serviceable although I have not used it personally.
- http://thetapeworks.com/ also has a 6" bidirectional filament tape available, although possibly not in stock.
Check with 3M about direct ordering because sometimes Tapes Unlimited sells out.
Also hillas.com, these guys apparently sell by the roll as well, but it is a custom order product, so give them at least 10 or so business days to deliver.
http://taperite.com are aware of the Hexayurt Project and have excellent tape...I couldn't find this tape here.
Office superstores like Staples carry 3" filament tape (strand tape) which will do in a pinch
Kragen/O'Reilly Auto Supply sometimes has 3".

Total cost: $130 with shipping, perhaps?

Mentioned in http://eplaya.burningman.com/viewtopic.php?t=26890&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=90 : http://www.goodbuyguys.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/742 ($26/roll July 2009)

European source for Hexayurt Tape: Eurobands http://eurobandstapes.eu EURO LVB 16165 TRANSPARENT 16 EUR a roll roughly.

Building Supply Run

Building Supply Store. You will need.

12 sheets (13 if you want a spare) of 1" thick Tuff-R, Super-Tuff-R or Thermax. Other manufacturers make foil covered polyisocyanurate insulation boards too. Only one side (the outside face) has to be foil. Do not use the bendy bright pink or blue polystyrene boards you see - they are too flexible and smell bad.
12 large tent pegs. You could use rebar, or I have also seen 17" bright orange plastic pegs which work very nicely.
A heavy duty snap-blade craft knife to cut the panels, and one packet of extra blades. You should be able to extend the blade at least two inches. You may need 1 blade per panel (6).
Two or three light duty knives for cutting tape when you are assembling the buildings.
A 16'x20' tarp. It can be 14' x 16' but 16'x20' is the closest standard size.
100 feet of rope.
A pair of gloves, safety goggles, and a dust mask or N95 mask. You are a Burner. You have these things already.
12 6" long pieces of PVC pipe for the tape anchors. You can find things like this in the plumbing section, or you can buy a pipe and cut it with a hack saw.
Bubble wrap or foam pipe insulation to pad the ends of your tent pegs.
Six rolls of 3" or wider foil tape. You will use this to cover exposed filament tape to reduce fire risk (see the Hexayurt Safety Information
(optional) Mallet to drive the pegs.
(optional) A 10 ft very straight 1"x4" or other device you can use as a ruler.
(optional) Plastic sheeting for windows.
(optional) Furnace filters to tape over vents for dust-free ventilation.
(optional), but recommended) a one gallon pump sprayer with a misting feature.
(optional) Something like a broom, or a squeegee on a long pole that will help your tape seal as you make the final seams on the roof cone
(optional) If you choose the 2D/'Grounded' Assembly Strategy you may want something to use as a guide for making the gaps between panels.

Total cost: under $300, even in San Francisco.

Make the Hexayurt at home

At home, prepare the panels.

Take the six panels which will be used for the roof cone.
Draw a diagonal line, left to right, corner to corner, on three of the panels using the ruler or another panel as a guide.
Draw a diagonal line, right to left, on another three panels.
Put on your gloves, mask and goggles. This protects you from little bits of fiberglass from the panels.
Using the snap-blade craft knife, extended about two inches, cut the panels. Expect to change the blade every panel or so, and change the blade as soon as you feel the knife tearing the material rather than cutting cleanly.
You now have 12 right angle triangles.
Tape the edges. The best way of doing this is to start the tape about 6" from the point of the triangle, and then have one person run the tape down the edge of the triangle while another person holds the triangle in place. Once the tape is all the way down the edge, have a third person fold the tape down on to the sides of the board smoothly. Then rotate the board and do the next side. This comes easily enough if you think "wrapping presents."
Now do the same for the 6 boards you are using for the walls.
You have now completed the first stage of panel preparation.
Do a test assembly. Instructions are below. You will regret skipping this phase. You do not need to fully tape everything, just a six inch blob top and bottom of each board rather than fully taping the seams. Get a sense of the process (full instructions below.)
Practice making tape anchors. Instructions are below.
You will notice there is no door, nor are their windows. You should cut a door now. The strongest door is two feet wide, cut one foot from the end of a wall. It should go from the ground to about six inches from the top of the wall. Cut the section out completely, and tape all exposed edges. If the door doesn't quite fit now, you can crush the door flap a little by banging it on the ground (really.) Then tape the top edge of the door into a hinge, like a cat flap. This is not the most convenient or aesthetically pleasing door. See the "Doors and Windows" section for other ideas.
Tape the door back into place in the panel in such a way that you can cut it open from the outside. If you do not do this, the panel may break above the door in transit or construction.
Total time: with three people, probably three hours including the test assembly.

Transport the Hexayurt

Transport arrangements.

Put three wall panels on the spread-out tarp. Stack six roof panels on one side, and six on the other, forming a neat 4' x 8' stack. Put the three remaining wall panels on top, and wrap the bundle very tightly in the tarp. One person lost their panel materials on a roof-rack because the force and the vibration wrecked the panels. I think they were directly exposed to the full force of the air.
The entire package is an easy carry for two people. It weighs significantly under 100 lbs. It is quite large.

Do read a few hexayurt transport horror stories on the Burning Man discussion boards--because transport would be a terrible way to lose your yurt, injure another car/person, etc. It's recommended to have backup living quarters (even a cheap tent) in the even that your hexayurt sails away during transport or assembly. Remember: this is extreme self-reliance.

Playa Assembly Instructions

Set Up

On the Playa.

General procedures
1. Never peel tape back off the boards carelessly, because you can rip the foil right off the boards.
2. Never cut the board material on the playa because it generates moop.
3. Careful juggling sharp knives and heavy rolls of tape!
4. Now we have dust and heat to consider. Plan on working when dust and heat are minimized - early morning is the best time to do construction. If you arrive in the day, you can try the late afternoon, before dusk. Start early or you will be racing against darkness, which is no fun. No matter how eager you are, don't stupidly lose your yurt by setting up in high wind.
People. Plan on a core team of three to five people. You will need an additional half a dozen for about fifteen minutes when you lift the roof cone on to the walls.
Start with a little magic. Visualize clearly what you are about to build. This helps you do the construction efficiently. The clear picture in your mind helps you work correctly and coordinate with your helpers.

---Under construction: below are the instructions for classic hexayurt assembly in 3D, or by holding the panels in midair to keep them in the desired shape during construction. Coming soon: instructions for assembling the panels on the ground, using 2 people for most of the work. In the meantime, review the gaps employed in building a Camp Danger hexayurt and that's basically all that's being done.---

Draw a 8' radius hexagon on the ground. A little high school geometry helps!
1. Put a tent peg in the ground at the center of the Hexayurt space.
2. Take an 8' piece of string, and tie it to the tent peg.
3. Tie the other end to another tent peg, and draw a circle in the Playa. This is the edge of your hexayurt.
4. Now pull out the central tent peg. You have two tent pegs separated by 8' of string.
5. Push one into the playa at the edge of the circle. This is where one corner of your Hexayurt will go.
6. Have somebody take the other peg and walk across the circle until the string is tight and they are also at the edge of the circle. Have them push the peg into the ground there. Together you are dividing the circle into six equal pieces - a hexagon, the basis of the Hexayurt.
7. Repeat six times. You are basically using the string and tent pegs as a compass. At the end, you will come back to the beginning.
8. Marking the ground this way is very satisfying. Ancient builders and geometers did exactly the same thing you are doing now.
9. You may wish to complete this step using a marker pen on the tarp instead.
Unwrap the panels from the tarp. If you do this right, you should wind up with the panels sitting on the tarp, never having touched the playa.

Assemble the Roof Cone

Do the roof cone.

You will need to learn this from the videos because it is hard to visualize from written instructions. This list is a reminder. Anybody want to take a crack at an illustrated guide?
- VIDEO: 30 minute roof cone construction video
- VIDEO: Video Clips Homepage
Take one wall panel and set it on its side. This panel is a prop to rest the roof cone on as it is assembled.
Take four roof triangles, two right and two left. Place them into two isosceles triangles. These triangles should be directly opposite each other, resting on the prop.
Make a tape anchor.
- VIDEO: making and attaching a tape anchor, another clip
1. Cut 12" off a roll of tape and keep it.
2. Take one of the 6" plastic pipes and the roll of tape. Roll the pipe in the tape two or three times.
3. Now take the 12" piece of tape and stick six inches of it to the sticky side of the tape just above the pipe. This sticky-to-sticky connection is very strong.
4. Then take the remaining length of the 12" piece of tape and wrap it around the pipe, so that the pipe cannot unroll from the tape.
5. You need to see this done.
Position the tape anchor about six inches below the ground edge of an isosceles triangle, where the split in the two boards is. It is still attached to the roll of tape!
Have one person roll the tape about half way up the panels starting from the tape anchor.
A second person stands by the prop and reaches down to take the tape from the first person, and rolls the tape all the way to the top of the boards.
Make sure there is a gap between at the apex of the roof cone before going further. Pause, because this is important.
- VIDEO: mind the gap!
1. At the point of the roof cone, where you are about to tape, there must be a gap. There is no gap between the two right-angle triangles making one roof triangle. That is not where we want the gap. We want the gap at the apex of the roof cone, between the point of the two triangles.
2. If this gap is not left, then as you get to the end of the roof cone process, it will become impossible to fit the pieces correctly. It is like trying to jam 105% into a pie chart - the pieces seem too big for the alloted gaps. If you wind up in this position, you will probably wind up trimming one of the boards and that is frustrating.
3. So how big should the gap be? About an inch and a half between the closest points. Possibly two inches. Too much is definitely better than too little.
4. The prop, however, won't hold the pieces in quite that alignment. Perhaps wad up a T-shirt and put it on top of the prop? I usually just fudge this, but I think making a tool by padding the prop is likely a better idea.
Now, gap assured, roll the tape down the other side. The person by the prop will roll it about half way, and a third person will take it down to the ground edge.
At that place, make another tape anchor. You must not cut the tape in the wrong place.
1. To make this anchor, roll the tape out about 18" past the edge of the roof boards and do not let it touch anything. Cut the tape at this 18" point.
2. Roll the piece of plastic pipe up the exposed piece of tape coming off the roof, and finish the tape anchor as you did the first one.
Breathe. It's a lot when you see it written down. The first time you will wonder if you are doing it right. Many things which start that way turn out very well. You are now well started.
Take two more boards. While the previous tape ran along the 8' vertical edge of two boards, the next straps of tape run up the hypotenuse. This is easy to see - you just take the next board, and fit it along side of what you have taped already, and you see you're taping slightly differently. Now the tape runs up the edge of the roof, and the boards meet at a slight angle.
But the procedure is exactly the same. Position the board, make an anchor, run it up half way, pass it off to the next person, ensure there's a bit of a gap (less important with each passing board), position the board on the other side, run the tape back down again (without cutting), make the anchor on the other end.
Keep going. In about 40 minutes, you will have done all the pieces but the last boards.
The last boards are different. Firstly, they can be really hard to get into position if you did not consciously leave a gap as you went about taping the apex.
Secondly, there is no place to stand to hand off the tape from one person to another.
Finally, the taping of the last board snaps the entire roof cone into its perfect geometrical shape. Right now, with an open edge, the roof cone can be too high or too low and you won't really notice. That is about to change.
Have one person get under the roof cone. Sit, don't crouch, you're going to be there for a while. Take the weight of the roof cone (it's light!) and pull out the prop. Your job is to move the roof cone up and down a little to help get all the pieces fitted in correctly.
Now position the last boards. The easiest way to do his is to splay the roof by having the person inside lower it a little, then slide the last two boards into position.
- VIDEO: adjusting a roof cone board.
Then, if they fit nicely, have the person inside lift the roof cone gently until the ground edges of the boards come tightly together, forming a perfect roof cone.
If it worked that way, thank your gods. Now quickly make another tape anchor on a roll, and stretch out 20 feet of tape between you and another person. Keep it pulled very tight indeed. Walk so you are on opposite points of the roof cone.
- VIDEO: taping the final roof cone seam.
Now gently, gently lower the tape until the tape touches the very point of the roof cone. Keep it tight. If it is positioned correctly, then lower your end of the tape towards the ground edge, patting it down against the seam with a stick or a broom. Make the final tape anchor, and laugh at your friend who is stuck under the roof cone.
1. It's never quite this easy. Usually those last boards need some force to position them correctly. There's shoving and swearing and cajoling. Sometimes you have to trim a board.
2. How far out of whack can it be and still work? How precise do you have to be? Well, that tape is six inches wide. Any gap should be bridgeable by the tape, and still have good adhesion on both sides, so you have about two inches to play with. However, I've seen much wider gaps handled. You can actually kind of screw this up and still have a perfectly sturdy Hexayurt.
3. When in doubt, remember this golden rule: it's better to trim the boards at the point, so they all fit, than to trim them at the base, which distorts the shape of the roof cone where it joins the walls.
(Optionally) lift the edge of the roof cone to let your friend out.

Assemble the Walls

Do the walls. This is the easy bit.

In terms of positioning, you can either move the roof cone away and work on the tarp, or you can "open" the walls slightly so they fit around the roof cone. Either way works. Watch, if you move things off the tarp, that they do not get dusty. If they do get dusty, wipe them down with a damp cloth and dry them before attempting to tape them to things.
Have two people take one panel each and hold them in position while a third person handles the tape.
Put the walls roughly in position over the hexagon you drew. This helps tape the angle correctly. Also the angle that the boards make to each other stops the walls you have taped already falling over.
Tape all six of the walls into shape, but leave one connection open. It can be very useful to be able to get in and out of the walls quickly.

Put the Roof Cone on the Walls

This bit is pretty easy too!

VIDEO: joining the roof to the walls.

First, find some helpers. 9 is a good number.
You want six people to lift the roof cone. Each should stand in the middle of a wall with their hands spread as wide as possible, and they should lift in a coordinated fashion.
If the walls are positioned just outside of the roof cone, around it, the lifters should now step under the roof cone and lower it close to wall height.
If the walls are beside the roof cone, the lifters should carry the roof cone over the walls.
Either way, the hustlers should now position the walls under the roof cone.
Before you start to tape, get things lined up. Make sure that all the corners, all the way around, are about right.
Now tape. Start in the middle of a wall, and put the end of the tape over the seam between roof and wall. This part is pure magic! You run the tape all the way around the building, a single unbroken strand that acts just like the tension ring in a yurt. It's also fun because the tape makes a nice noise as you zoom it out along each side, and people get very excited.
When you get to a tape anchor, you have a choice. Over or under? I've tried it both ways and I can't figure out which is best, so I'm going to suggest you go over the tape which holds the tape anchors, so that the actual plastic tubes stick out just under the tension ring. Going under the tape anchors is fine too, however.
Now cut the tape that is currently holding the door closed and let your friends in/out.

Tie it to the Playa

Almost done! Almost Done!

The Hexayurt sits on the tarp, and is not yet guyed down.
Go inside of the Hexayurt and tape the joint between the wall and the floor. If you are feeling fussy, do this inside and out. This is your dust lock and really makes life much more pleasant.
Now cut away the excess tarp, or just leave it. This may depend on your siting.
Now drive in your tent pegs. They should be pretty close to the bottom of the yurt. Make sure to pad the ends and mark the guy lines with something easy to see at night.
Run the rope through the plastic tubes at in each tape anchor.
Guy that puppy down. I, personally, favor the "trucker's hitch" to get a good, tight guy line.
Basically, tie the rope through the plastic pipe, and run the free end down through the tent peg and back up. Put it through the triangle made where the rope is tied through the pipe, and pull until it is tight enough for your liking. Then tie it off just below the triangle.

Final Finish Work

Tape your furnace filters to the outside of the hexayurt, over your vents, so that if you bang the dust off them it falls on the outside of the building, not the inside.
Put the foil tape over your exposed filament tape seams to protect them from fire. This is really important. In 2009 we'll have a tape which combines the filament tape and the foil tape in a single product, but it is not here yet.
You are done.

Congratulations!