We also have a private Facebook group called DIY Quonset Dwellers, where we share discussion, design, and construction tips with others who are interested in building their own Quonset hut house. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook. Coupling nut available here. Keep things ultra simple. Well give them a restricted free range during the summer, and then butcher them in the fall. Quonset Hut - Photos & Ideas | Houzz Thanks. In that case, A.J. Decorative Ways to Hide a Load-Bearing Ceiling Beam, Los Banos Community: Quonset Hut Interior Eagle Field California, Ventana Monthly.com: Beautiful on the Inside, Quonset Huts.org: Chapter 6; Quonsets Today; Concluding Thoughts. The building I purchased included three sides. I was fortunate to find a local company that had experience erecting a Quonset-style building. Today scattered across the State you will find just a handful of Quonset huts most being used for agricultural purposes, repair shops and small business shops. Once it's through the pin, push the cap onto the pin and press it down to secure the insulation. Here you can see the gap more easily, where the closed cell spray foam will fill in and engage the wood while leaving a continuous layer of insulation against the metal. At MOTHER EARTH NEWS for 50 years and counting, we are dedicated to conserving our planet's natural resources while helping you conserve your financial resources. After a little more of a break in the action than we had planned on, having hurt my back on the last day of our previous trip, Eric and I finally made it back to the property on Monday the 7th of August, and worked for a week. Once our metal building was up, I was amazed at how much rainwater could be captured! Good luck. Pros and Cons of Eating Duck Eggs vs Chicken Eggs. Use the same procedure to apply the second layer, using the self-seal tab to overlap the insulation layer's edge below. However, despite the low cost, some as little as $1.50 a sq. Thats 240 labor hours. After we modified the opening, the box fit great! ThankYa, Ready to learn more about these bizarre, amazing, shiny, round, prefab structures? The monsoon rains came on schedule. Break out your woodworking equipment to craft 3D dome embellishments fashioned of delicate wood ribs that emulate woodwork found on the ceilings of Gothic interiors. In the near future, we expect to invest in a solar panel to power the toilet, which the company offers. I am looking for ideas about building my end walls. I suggest you contact SteelMaster buildings directly with this question. How do you finish inside a Quonset hut? The concrete floors were stained to create a finished look. Just spray a thin shell of the closed-cell stuff (say, 1") all along the interior to encapsulate the metal and serve as an air barrier, since moist interior air would love to condense on that cold metal in winter. The first few days, I was worried that I wouldnt have at least 4 people there at one single time. The most common way to finish the interior of a Quonset hut house is to bolt some wood framing (usually 24's) to the metal , so that you can have some spray foam insulation put in, and then use the 24's to attach drywall or plywood or whatever you want for your interior ceiling/wall finish. Our building, an S Model, was manufactured out of 22-gauge Galvalume steel. Curious about Quonsets? I have some ideas but I would still like to see how others did theirs for additional ideas. The components of the building were delivered on three pallets. Do you still design or shall look around where I live in northern Ohio. As the interior space of a Quonset hut is unobstructed, it provides a large and open interior. It has 1 of spray foam insulation as a moisture barrier, but we need to be able to add more batt insulation. To address our meat (and egg!) ft. With the same amount of living space, how much buck can you spare? This might actually be one of those circumstances where a couple of solar tubes could be useful for daylighting if the ends don't gather enough light. I will probably write a longer post on just this topic, so if youre interested in more detail on the window boxes, you might leave an encouraging remark for me in the comments asking me to elaborate. A Quonset House might be the answer for you. Thank you. Anyway, it was windy and we didnt want to try erecting Quonset sections with just the three of us. Converting quonsets was quite popular in the 70's. Do you have any pics or vids or know where I might find some? The entire south-end addition included the interior load-bearing wall, the stairs, the second floor, the electrical wiring, the plumbing, kitchen cabinet and countertop installations, exterior decks, and lots of other interior and exterior work. Say bye-bye to thermal bridging! That might not sound like much by itself, but it translates to 40,000 gallons of water per year that falls on our building. The windows were fabricated too wide to fit the openings in the arches. Others can be found on our States military bases, but these are quickly disappearing. With over 6,000 members and counting, the Facebook group has grown into an amazing resource all of its own! Because these new steel arch sections were were bolted to the rest of the Quonset hut, which was already bolted and concreted to the slab, and because they were very heavy, I wasnt too worried about the new section blowing away. Spray foam insulation left natural, covering up conduit runs to suspended pendant lights. Sometimes called arch buildings, they are typically used for storage, or as a workshop, carport, or garage. Some, like the Butler and Cowin Companies, developed Quonset-type structures to sell to the Army or anyone else who wanted to buy them. Olympia, WA 98504-8343, Law Enforcement, Medical Examiners, and Coroners, Inadvertent Human Remains Discovery Language, Researching Washington's Historic Cemeteries, Governor's Executive Order 21-02 (Formerly 05-05), Standards for Cultural Resource Reporting, Mid-Century Modern Architecture in Washington State: Quonset Hut - Michael Houser - June 2014, "Mass Production + Light Steel" Progressive Architecture, Sept. 1947, "Men Fed Up with Peace Time Jobs are making history at Pacific Huts", Polar Inertia: Journal of Nomadic and Popular Culture, "Driverless Auto Plunges 25 Feet Off Bank Into Quonset-Hut Home". You can take inspiration from them and build and decorate your own Quonset hut. With American preparing for the possibility of war, the Navy had approached the George A. Fuller Company to design a prefabricated, portable structure that could be shipped in pieces to faraway military outposts. This south wall includes seven 3-foot-by-6-foot double-hung windows, a double door, a single door, and a 2-foot-by-3-foot office window. We live in Tn. By the end of the week there were lots of people volunteering and I was buying a few extra half inch sockets and wrenches so there would be tools for everyone. Row of ceiling fans at the apex. Avoid over-decorating your Quonset hut's interior or you might add too many stimulating elements to your nest to allow you to relax at the end of the day. That water is channeled through pipes into a 1,000-gallon concrete cistern buried underground. Step 3 Once the insulation is secured, snip the end of the pins. I am interesd in building an arch roof building ..And I would like to know the measurements of the parts used,with the largest opening of the arch,and how much will it costs? Cool Quonset Hut Home in Louisiana; 5 Questions You Must Ask Before Building a Steel Home; 5 Critical Questions Before Ordering a Steel Garage Kit; See below. On the sewage side of the equation, we installed a BioLet composting toilet, reducing water usage substantially. Another thought. When we live here full time, well sustain a flock of chickens year-round. Their exteriors can have horizontal or vertical sheets of metal (depending on the model), and the ends can be clad in just about any material and configured with a variety of doors and windows. Thats pretty stiff and hard to bend, so I used my grinder to cut slots all along the edge. Our first challenge was to erect a building we could live in during the spring, summer, and fall, and store our garden equipment in during the winter months. The most common way to finish the interior of a Quonset hut house is to bolt some wood framing (usually 24's) to the metal, so that you can have some spray foam insulation put in, and then use the 24's to attach drywall or plywood or whatever you want for your interior ceiling/wall finish. Wood framed metal roof Quonset Hut roof sheathing/insulation. If this should happen, could moisture from the ambient air get between the metal and foam, condense at times, and lead to corrosion? The corrugated, arched wall design is self-supporting. By the time the full four-layer arch was in place, it was really strong! What is the purpose of a Quonset hut? - Snappy1 Demand for the prefabricated structure by the various military branches was high, and the Fuller Company couldnt build them fast enough. eHow may earn compensation through affiliate links in this story. I estimate that using the cistern saved us about $1,500 versus drilling a deep well. 21.0 Finishing the Quonset Steel - YouTube Your email address will not be published. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook. The base plate is the weakest link in the whole assembly as far as potential for leaking. We chose to install a full slab featuring an 8-inch-by-12-inch perimeter concrete beam. Eventually we will add wood framing like this to the underside of the whole metal shell, as support for a plywood ceiling. If your client lives in the desert, it's probably safe to omit the spray foam from this assembly entirely, provided the drywall is done with an eye towards airtightness. Endwall Insulation Procedure Use the same procedure as with arch roof/wall insulation when installing end-wall insulation. Is a wood frame house cheaper than steel? We will have no debt related to the farmstead, and expect to generate some income from our labors through the sale of our excess crops, shiitake mushrooms, and honey. Then, when the threat of frost has passed, well slide the greenhouse away to expose the plants to full sun and weather. By the end of 1941, other companies began developing their own versions of the Quonset Hut. No worries, we had other work to do (not captured on film). I did a little bit of night sky photography on this trip. The clouds were slowly, constantly swirling and evolving, and it went on for at least 45 minutes. A collection of one thousand construction details organized by climate and house part. Here again we had trouble with the factory parts provided by SteelMaster. Kevin, SorryThis particular building is a 3050. As always, I feel compelled to note that this is just a generalized description of what we did. Can you bury a Quonset hut? - TipsFolder.com It should show up on the right sidebar on desktop/laptop or way down at the very bottom on mobile. It sounds like you have already sprayed your 1 of foam insulation, is that correct? Mount them to the ceiling of your Quonset hut with screws made especially for metal, wood or the medium lining your interior space. Thank you for all the great ideas and information. I briefly touched on the bolt-on method in this post from 2017, and again in this more recent post. There's also the fact that you'd still need to deal with one or more of the ends that are often open or have a garage door type thing and that this place would have no windows on the long sides unless you cut them yourself, possibly compromising the structure and substantially complicating the detailing. I have a client interested in building a home inside a metal Quonset hut. We are planning on doing something light and thin up there, like paneling or corrugated metal. At each end of the arch we built a little wooden base, which was supported on 1/4 shims in lieu of using pressure treated material to get it up off of the concrete. By paying with a credit card, you save an additional $5 and get 6 issues of MOTHER EARTH NEWS for only $17.95 (USA only). Both were insulated with ccsf approx 20 years ago and are holding up fine. How to Build a Quonset Hut Steel Building in 7 Steps The views out to the trees are really lovely in that spot. I only share affiliate links for things that: a) we have actually used (or comparable items if the original item is no longer available), b) that I would use again, and c) that I think would benefit your build. The rest is framed and has 8 ceilings with a storage area above. How to finish inside Archives - Quonset Huts This is the only room well need to heat during the winter while were away. Each panel had to be checked, measured, and cut. The help I receive from my brother Duane has been a big bonus. When it came time to stand the tall metal panels in place, we were more than a little disappointed to realize that SteelMaster cut nearly every one of our end wall panels too long. Better too long than too short, but there was a certain amount of frustration that something that should have taken about an hour or less took much longer. And while were at it, how many couplings would you suggest? Where you located? Or are you just tired of the same old same old and want something unique and beautiful? 7 in under two hours. Kevin. The most common way to finish the interior of a Quonset hut house is to bolt some wood framing (usually 24's) to the metal, so that you can have some spray foam insulation put in, and then use the 24's to attach drywall or plywood or whatever you want for your interior ceiling/wall finish. After that, you could build framed walls inside the quonset hut, perhaps with a cathedral ceiling, drywall it, and then fill the cavity between the drywall and the spray-foamed metal exterior with cellulose. If I can get a chance to go back through and see if I can figure out what video that might be Ill leave it here. Fax (360) 586-3067, 1110 S. Capitol Way, Suite 30 To improve the look, I sprayed a diluted drywall compound onto all visible joist surfaces, and finished by spraying white paint over the joint compound. Immediately after the war, many were being used as temporary spaces on college campuses, and a variety of federal agencies such as the Bureau of Reclamation, used the Quonset hut to meet postwar building demands. ft. of land and it cost about $150 per sq. We also installed rain gutters at the ground level of the building. In the images above and below, notice the edge of the trapezoid block. How cost-effective this approach would be is another question entirely, of course. Theres something really great about the open-ended shell of a Quonset hut. In today's Q\u0026A, Earl talks about Quonset hut end walls, explaining how he put together the end walls that came with his huts. I figured I would come back and take care of the anchor bolts next time. So, we wanted to come up with a method that would (1) eliminate the extra hardware necessitated by the bolt-on method, and (2) eliminate or greatly reduce the thermal bridging in the assembly. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Then I got the MC cable cut to length and screwed on with little hold-down clips. Were super excited about how this is coming together. It's pretty basic, just a subpanel and some outlets. Or want to see some latest Quonset hut interior designs and ideas? Measure the area, calculate the ceiling arc and make a rib pattern of brown Kraft paper. We expect the movable greenhouse to provide a total of 12 extra weeks of production, six in both spring and fall. We added much more than just the south-facing exterior wall. Step 2 Push the insulation on to the pin. A Medium to large-scale Quonset house may cost somewhere between $5,000 to $35,000. 144K views 3 years ago Watch as SteelMaster Buildings customer Tom W. gives you a detailed tour of his Quonset hut home, along with some helpful tips. Become a GBA Prime member and get full access to GBA articles, enyclopedia, videos, CAD library, and more. Headquarters Hut Framing Progress - Clever Moderns To get the window boxes to fit, we had to bend back the edge of the arch panels on either side of all six openings. Recent Posts. Some have both. No square or boxy rooms here. We mounted some plywood around the door to attach the conduit to, and I used blue tape to map out where the conduit would be attached. The most common way to finish a Quonset hut house's interior is to attach some wood framing (usually 24s) to the metal so that you can install spray foam insulation, and then use the 24s to attach drywall, plywood, or whatever else you want for your interior ceiling/wall finish. This made it possible to bend with pliers. How to Finish a Quonset Hut Interior | eHow Install chair rail halfway up dome walls on both sides. If you're about to finish the interior of this type of shelter, take a few design liberties so the result is unique, fun and comfy -- and don't forget to hang the "Quonset Sweet Quonset" sign when you move in. Were calling our solution the plywood arch method because, as the name suggests, it employs an arch we built out of plywood to support the ceiling framing. Headquarters Electrical System Allow the paint to dry thoroughly before peeling the tape away to produce a lovely effect from floor to ceiling to floor. Good luck with your build! He also. A pretty encouraging sign! How ya doinI saw on one of your videos, where you described a wedge shaped piece of wood, that mounts between the corrugations. I wish you had reached out before you sprayed your foam! One of my favorite Duane tips before starting a new project is: Dont be scared. Thats a good motto for anyone attempting a project theyve never done before! Quonset Hut Village, Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, c.1944. Its a short one this week, and the end is rather abrupt, but here it is anyway. How did you boot off your wet vents ( roof vents ) do they make a special boot or did you have to modify a lead boot ? We just glued and clamped and screwed it all together as we went. In addition, we distribute graywater to the fruit and nut trees next to our home through a system of underground pipes. Under a move-out/move-in deadline, I doubted I could meet my schedule with a weekend-warrior workforce. It was great to have a real roof over our tent in time for monsoon season! Adding skylights is another way to allow the sunshine to make that steel shine. How long will a Quonset hut last? - denverremodelgroup.com BIG doors on both ends for access. With the end wall up, we started the wood framing. We bought a bunch of 12 ones at Home Depot and cut to length as we use them. A quonset hut requires a Radiant barrier, Vapor . A steel home or steel framed house can save you money, building time and energy costs, but you must know what to expect. For us, the future is now. Jason. DIY Home Biodiesel Production: Make Your Own Fuel. The result is one large 40-foot-by-40-foot open square with an 18-foot peak. Ours is 30x40. One square foot of rain, 1-inch deep, provides .625 gallons of water. Your email address will not be published. I have used it to weld steel arches, store materials, and most importantly, to form my large concrete ribs. Some of the plywood was a little warped and twisty, so we got everything heavy we could find and weighted them all down overnight. The following week, I put out help requests on Facebook and at work. Applying a closed-cell foam directly to the interior of the structure seems like a plausible option that would be like creating an invented roof assembly. I plan on putting 1/2 OSB on the outside then cover it with Hardy Lap Siding or just Hardy Board 48 sheets. Our primary task for this visit was to frame up the wood stud walls enclosing the bathroom in the Headquarters building. They are 5/16 threaded rods but the length varies by what you are doing with them. But people, out of curiosity or nutritional reason, might be interested in trying some other type of eggs, like duck eggs. Not only did they remind veterans too much of service life, but the Quonset 20, with just 960 sq.ft. All contents copyright Clever Moderns, LLC 2015-2023. Ready to learn more about these bizarre, amazing, shiny, round, prefab structures? Were active, growing our own food, and were much healthier for it. Required fields are marked *. by Earl | Oct 8, 2019 | Building the Quompound, Headquarters Hut | 6 comments. About Us - Contact Us - Privacy Policy, Can you Have a Dropped Kerb without a Driveway, 15 Different Types of Houses Around The World, Building a Pole Barn Home Kits, Cost, Floor Plans, Designs, What to Know before Installing Metal Building Insulation, Wick Buildings; the Best Company for Superior Structures with Fair Cost, Lester Buildings: a One- Stop Solution Post-Frame Building System, Resin Crafts Basics That Every Beginner Should Know, 20 Inspiring DIY Candle Holders Ideas to Enhance Your Place, 20 DIY Platform Bed Ideas: Simple and Strong Constructions, 20 DIY Hat Rack Ideas for Beautiful Headgear Display, 19 Creative and Easy Ideas to Build DIY TV Stand. This is called a floating slab, as it sits on a foot of gravel. Im planning on using ridged foam board insulation and than covering that with metal siding/roofing. Im thinking a pair of doors like a hangar has, that open the entire end of the building. Pointless for this form. Repeat this process on the other side of your structure, starting with the floors and working horizontally. Bill and Lynne live in an arched steel home. Department of Archaeology & Historic Preservation I wanted a 3 car garage for practical purposes and decided to use a Quonset hut to form the wider span. Cheap and easy to build and very changeable in use. This may increase to as much as $10,000 to $50,000 or more, depending on various factors mentioned above including labor costs. by Earl | Aug 15, 2017 | Building the Quompound, Headquarters Hut, Workshop Hut | 19 comments. I hate to sound like Im promoting Facebook here, I am soon going to create my own private community here as part of my website and not rely on FB any more for my online community. Telephone (360) 586-3065 Considering going off-grid? The steel ribs went up very quickly. Canadian Subscribers International Subscribers, Canadian subscriptions: 1 year (includes postage & GST). Uses included housing at Universities, hay barns for farmers, smaller models for milking sheds and storage, repair shops, and other small businesses, as well as use as temporary churches and Sunday school space. We marked the edges, and then drew the arcs. Most folks have deep wells or springs. ft., the Quonset Hut never became as popular as stick built structures. One of the features I like about this type of building is the absence of posts and beams. Eventually we expect to live in Pennsylvania year-round, but for now we enjoy exploring the South during the winters, leaving Pennsylvania after the harvest and returning in time for spring planting. Ep. I will probably write a longer post on just this topic, so if youre interested in more detail on the window boxes, you might leave an encouraging remark for me in the comments asking me to elaborate. 2023 The Taunton Press, Inc. All rights reserved. No obligation. This is definitely easier to explain with photos! Reportedly, the Quonset hut did work well for other uses. The T-Rib Quonset hut was very closely modeled after the Nissen Quonset hut, but there are a few design differences such as the fact that the exterior has corrugated metal and the interior has masonite. Compare Quonset Hut Prices and save up to 30%! 21.0 Finishing the Quonset Steel - YouTube 0:00 / 1:21 21.0 Finishing the Quonset Steel Home in the Earth 17.7K subscribers Subscribe 15K views 6 years ago This is a short video showing. The corrugated arch-style building that we used is based on the Quonset hut. With over 6,000 members and counting, the Facebook group has grown into an amazing resource all of its own! The ribs were taking me a long time to make and closing off the building would save me a lot of hassle, so that seemed like a good idea. Quonset Hut Homes: Top 7 Design Ideas for a Tiny House Ive always dug their style40s/50s utility/war surplus type stuff especially when used as auto repair shops and garages. However, the Quonset hut quickly fell out of favor. Goofy ideas are goofy ideas. Row of ceiling fans at the apex. Living area downstairs (kitchen, living room, office) and bedroom upstairs. If you built another one exactly like this, and flipped it over on top of this one so the single layer areas overlapped, you would have one full arch, two layers thick. The question is this: Does anyone know how do the interiors get finished if you were going to put walls/ceilings in them? Or are you just tired of the same old same old and want something unique and beautiful? Thirty years ago, thermal bridging wasnt seen as a big problem, but in more recent years the building scientists have started taking on thermal bridging as one of the problems to solve, in order to make buildings more energy efficient. Now I need an architect to design construction drawings. We built four of these sections like the photo above, gluing and screwing all the pieces together with generous amounts of heavy-duty Liquid Nails. To withstand wind and weather and secure the 30-year warranty, these steel buildings must be attached to the earth, either by narrow concrete footers along the base of both sides of the structure, block or wood walls erected to support the structure, or a concrete slab the full width and length of the building. Choose a canopy of trees or a beautiful sky with clouds for the ideal design element. 2023 Cost of Quonset Hut - Estimates and Prices Paid - CostHelper Wood Framing in a Metal Quonset Hut - Clever Moderns Exposed duct work run along the floor/wall junction. Drop your info below and Ill start you off on my email tutorial series. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. I quickly realized this project would take a more concentrated effort. The wood we cut to build the driveway sure came in handy! document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. And from what I hear, the water quality is about the same. Interior Finishing of Steel Quonset Hut buildings The 20 measured twenty feet by forty-eight feet, while the 40 (also called the Elephant Hut) stood forty feet wide by one-hundred feet long. The question is this: Does anyone know how do the interiors get finished if you were going to put walls/ceilings in them? The ends of the space could be living (With big glass panels in those doors), on one end. This is an encouraging note(!) My parents came down to visit and to pick up their camper. Inside the perimeter beam, the concrete is the standard 6 inches thick. On the other hand, a Quonset hut homes start as low as $5 per sq. After reviewing the information on the website that I can, I am sure the archives would have valuable information for someone building a cabin using a Quonset. Above the dining is the sleeping loft/bedroom with his and hers closets and bathrooms, one on the left and one on the right over the kitchen and utility/bath below. BIG doors on both ends for access. How would you insulate a metal Quonset hut - GreenBuildingAdvisor I would leave it an open floor plan for flexibility with a small fixed utility core at one low side for heat, water, electric, gas, etc., and bundle my bath, utility and kitchen there. It took the three-man Amish crew four days to finish the south wall, including installing the windows and doors. Our building is situated on a slope, so water can escape from under the concrete slab should any get underneath. Steel doors were custom-built in-house. Recent Quonset Hut Pricing. Measure the circumference of the ceiling before deciding on the number, width and color of the stripe that best suits your design aesthetic. Later that afternoon we were rewarded with a rainbow. Emulate the ribbed design of Gothic architecture when finishing your Quonset hut. Earth Tubes as Part of a Home HVAC System, Installing QuadDeck ICFs for the Mezzanine Roof.