When Steven W. Hatch found himself in a housing crisis, pressed for time and money, he discovered that building a yurt was his best option.

In Practical Yurts, Hatch thoroughly documents his project, beginning by explaining how a simple, round tent could fit the needs of a retired aerospace industry professional. Beyond the practicalities of easy construction and low initial output and ongoing ownership costs, he was drawn to the "feeling" inside a yurt.

Another deciding factor was learning that yurts are controlled by the building codes for alternative,...