Smiling Woods Yurts

What Smiling Woods Yurts does

Smiling Woods Yurts, operated under Concentric Design, is a Winthrop, Washington-based manufacturer of precision-machined, panelized wooden round home kits sold direct-to-consumer to homeowners, short-term rental investors, wellness retreat operators, and schools across the U.S., Canada, and select international markets. Founded in 2006 by President Hanz Scholz and operating with a team of approximately 9-10 people, the company occupies a niche between traditional canvas yurts and conventional modular rectangular construction by producing permanent, code-compliant round dwellings engineered for site-specific wind, seismic, and snow loads. Its product portfolio consists of five core models ranging from the 320 sq ft Birch Twenty (starting at $37,250) to the 1,300 sq ft Sequoia Forty One (starting at $89,570), plus a Roof-Only Kit ($25,500-$62,000) for alternative wall constructions such as hempcrete or straw bale.

The business model is direct-to-consumer, consultative sales with no dealer network or on-site assembly service. Customers engage through website-driven inquiry (quote calculator, downloadable lookbook, schedule-a-call) and phone/email outreach, then progress through a design consultation, customization decisions, site-specific engineering (performed by licensed engineers in the customer's state or province), and permit-ready plan preparation. Payment milestones include a $10,000 deposit to initiate, 50% due 120 days before production, and 50% due 30 days before production; production lead time is 1-2 weeks per kit, with on-site shell assembly achievable in roughly 10 days using local contractors. The company is bootstrapped and founder-owned, with no disclosed venture or private equity investment, and ships worldwide using 20 or 40 foot shipping containers.

Marketing is content-led and inbound, combining SEO-optimized blog content, Instagram project galleries, downloadable lead magnets, paid search and targeted advertising on Meta/Google/Bing, an affiliate referral program, and earned media features in publications such as Sunset Magazine and Chronogram. The strongest commercial narrative targets short-term rental investors with quantified outcome claims including 35% higher nightly rates, 60-70% occupancy versus 52-55% for traditional rentals, and a 46% increase in annual rental revenue, positioning the round-home kit as both a primary residential product and a hospitality yield investment.

Name

Smiling Woods Yurts

Legal name

Concentric Design dba Smiling Woods Yurts

Website

https://smilingwoodsyurts.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Smiling Woods Yurts is a Winthrop, Washington-based manufacturer of precision-machined, panelized wooden round home kits sold direct-to-consumer to homeowners, short-term rental investors, wellness retreat operators, and schools across the U.S., Canada, and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Prefabricated Round Home Kits

NAICS

Engineered Wood Member Manufacturing (321215), Custom Architectural Woodwork and Millwork Manufacturing (337212), Cut Stock, Resawing Lumber, and Planing (321912)

SIC

Lumber & Wood Products (No Furniture) (2400)

akta.pro primary industry

Yurts, Tipis & Nomadic Tents (THAMADAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Planing Mills & Lumber Surfacing (IMAMABAE)

Keywords

• Panelized building kits
• Round home kits
• Yurt home manufacturing
• Prefabricated wood structures
• Kit home construction

Headquarters

HQ city

Winthrop

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Complete Round Home Kits: Primary revenue from selling complete round home kits including wood walls, metal roof, windows, skylights, ceilings, and all shell components. Five sizes from 320 sq ft (Birch Twenty) to 1300 sq ft (Sequoia Forty One) with base prices ranging from $37,250 to $89,570. Additional revenue from customizations including taller walls, upgraded ceilings, additional door openings, painted roofing, and alternative packages.
2. Roof-Only Kits: Roof kit packages available without walls for customers wanting to build alternative round structures (hempcrete, straw bale, stone) or for those with custom wall-building preferences. Includes rafters, birdblocks, eve boards, metal roofing, skylight, segment ring, roof sheathing, ceiling, and tension cables. Prices from $25,500 to $62,000.
3. Design Services: External designer services for layout customization, window/door placement, interior layout, and permit-ready plan preparation. Design services typically begin 120 days before production.
4. Engineering Services: Structural engineering analysis and stamped engineered plans for permitting. Complete engineering study for entire structure (foundation, floor, walls, roof) performed by licensed engineers in customer's state/province for code compliance.
5. Affiliate Marketing Program: Referral commissions paid to affiliates who refer customers to Smiling Woods Yurts. Company tracks referral sources for marketing purposes.
6. Shipping and Logistics: Optional shipping arrangement services. Kits ship worldwide; shipping charged based on truck space required and distance from Winthrop, Washington facility. Customers can arrange their own shipping.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Smiling Woods Yurts manufactures and sells precision-machined, panelized round home building kits in five standard sizes ranging from 320 to 1,300 square feet, along with roof-only kits. The company complements these physical kits with in-house design services and site-specific structural engineering so that each kit can be configured as a permanent, code-compliant dwelling for owner-builders and contractors. Kits ship worldwide, primarily to U.S., Canadian, and select international customers.

Product overview

Smiling Woods Yurts is a manufacturer of round home building kits—prefabricated, panelized wooden structures inspired by traditional yurts but built as permanent, code-compliant dwellings. The product portfolio consists of five core round home kit models (Birch Twenty, Maple Twenty Five, Cedar Thirty, Ponderosa Thirty Five, and Sequoia Forty One) ranging from 20.5-foot to 41-foot diameters (320 to 1,300 square feet), plus a Roof-Only Package option for alternative wall construction. Each complete kit includes wood walls (with cedar siding option), galvanized or painted metal roofing, triple-pane skylights, insulated windows, and birch or pine ceilings. The company also offers design and engineering services, and ships kits worldwide with assembly support through contracted designers and local contractors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Round Home Building Kits (5 standard sizes, 320–1,300 sq ft) Precision-machined, panelized round home building kits shipped as a complete package of pre-cut wood components, custom-engineered connections, and finishing materials for assembly by an owner-builder or contractor. Available in five standard sizes from 320 to 1,300 square feet and intended as permanent, code-compliant dwellings for individual homeowners, short-term rental investors, and retreat/education operators in the U.S., Canada, and select international markets.
• Roof-Only Round Kit

Quantifiable outcome

• 15-20% lower utility costs compared to traditional homes
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment processor used to securely handle payment information including credit and debit card transactions. Processes customer orders and payment collection.
• Sunset MagazinecoreOthersFeatured in Sunset magazine article about green living and sustainable home design. High-visibility lifestyle publication reaches homeowners interested in unique, sustainable housing options.
• ChronogramcoreOthersFeatured in Chronogram publication covering architecture and design. Regional lifestyle magazine covering Hudson Valley and surrounding areas featuring unique home designs.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Deltec Homes: Established North Carolina-based manufacturer of round and circular prefab homes. Comparable in circular-form residential construction, with broader catalog, longer history, and larger scale.
• Method Homes: Washington-based modular and prefab home builder producing custom and standard residential units. Comparable in Pacific Northwest geography and prefab construction, though at much larger scale and with conventional architectural offerings.
• Plant Prefab: California-based sustainable prefab home manufacturer offering panelized custom and standard homes. Comparable in panelized kit-home manufacturing and sustainability positioning, though focused on conventional rectangular forms.

Direct peers

• Shelter Systems: California-based maker of yurt-style shelters using a tensile fabric system. Comparable in circular shelter category and target customers (alternative-dwelling buyers, campers), though with fabric rather than solid-wall construction.
• Avrame: Estonian manufacturer of modern A-frame and triangular prefab kit homes sold globally. Comparable as a panelized kit-home manufacturer targeting distinctive-design self-builders, with similar direct-to-consumer and shipping-container logistics model.
• Backcountry Hut Company: British Columbia-based prefab kit-home maker focused on distinctive, nature-immersed designs. Comparable as a design-forward kit-home manufacturer in the Pacific Northwest region with overlapping customer demographics (remote-lot, recreational-property buyers).
• Pacific Yurts: Largest U.S. yurt manufacturer (Oregon-based) producing traditional fabric-covered yurts and modern lattice yurt kits. Direct competitor across the yurt-kit product category, with broader product range and longer market presence.
• Nomad Shelter: Manufacturer of yurts and round tent-style structures for residential, glamping, and event use. Comparable product format (circular dwellings) with overlap in customer segments and customization options.
• Colorado Yurt Company: Colorado-based manufacturer of custom yurts and round-style structures for camping, glamping, and residential use. Directly comparable in target customers (glamping operators, homeowners) and product format (round structures), with overlap in engineering and customization.
• Rainier Yurts: Washington-based manufacturer of welded-platform yurts and round structures. Comparable in geography (Pacific Northwest) and core product (yurt/round kits), competing for residential and commercial buyers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Smilingwoodsyurts
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/smiling-woods-wa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Smiling Woods Yurts