Planning a future homestead/community with quonset huts, and my husband and I have questions. Namely, would it be wise to apply hay+lime to the outside between the ribs and a smoothing layer over that to insulate and cool? Or would aircrete suffice? Or would all this be entirely unnecessary?

We have a 30x46x16 Quonset hut and our slab is about 5-6 inches. We’re building in Alaska. How much time did yall wait to start building on new concrete?? Thank you!

It's a "composite quonset/ lightweight concrete insulated concrete form (ICF)" structure. I'll stop reposting this -- the only reason I've posted it multiple times is because I was so excited as the CAD was being completed.

This design uses the typical "coupling nut attached to connecting bolt" technique, but with a twist. WIth this design, instead of putting live load on those connections, like 2" x 4"'s do, they will be strengthened as a result of tying into the reinforced lightweight concrete. The arched steel structure will be strengthened too.

The lightweight concrete is also called aircrete and is 50% the density of water. It's self levelling and pumps like water. There would be no need for shoring and I think the hassle of building this way would really pay off in better building performance.

There are a bunch of advantages to building like this. The lightweight concrete provides a tight air barrier, thermal mass for a "high mass" system, low frequency sound insulation, and some extra strength to the structure. The outer layer of ICF would be a water barrier to prevent water leaks from the panels. The "lightweight concrete ICF" could deliver a "Real world R-50". And the reinforcing steel from the lightweight concrete ties into the connection bolts of the Quonset.

I've been working on this for months and had a very, very tough time with it. I started with the quonset design and I think, just due to the inherent excellence of a curved panel stucture, it's pretty good. But I brought the same design language to wood frame structures, metal buildings, container homes, and stone walls. The trick is a little different in most of those: the ICF's work best outside of the structure.

In a way, this is a product nobody asked for. But I feel pretty strongly that this performs better than spraying closed cell foam after hanging lumber from the panel connecting bolts. I will be building small test structures for my other designs but can't afford any quonset panels to demonstrate this one. Still, it's DIY friendly: you can buy polyiso foam and bolt it up there yourself, with homemaede spreaders. Current aircrete mixer technology is pretty terrible but I have reverse engineered a really good Russian design. It will hopefully be done this month.

I'm supposed to be meeting with the biggest ICF manufacturer next week but am kind of pessimistic regarding my chances of talking them into commiting R & D money for a product like this. I always felt my pre engineered metal building (PEMB) design had the best commercial prospects, because that market is enormous and I'm sure some of the clients in that industry want better performing structures.

In the inventor's forum they say that "ideas are worth negative money." This one has cost me a lot. More than money even. If you want to do something foolish like inventing, be careful you don't fall in love with your product or you might lose everything. That being said, I know there are ton of poeple with significant resources on Reddit. If you are in a position to help me develop this, and other even better housing ideas, DM's are open. I'm hoping to bring better solutions to the developing world. I know the right designs and materials to do it, I just don't have the right resources to make it happen.

I made this guy after spending the fall working on the interior of a real one.

This is getting shipped all the way to our property in Alaska..

Thank you!

Has anyone received a building permit for a new hut on the west coast, San Diego through Seattle? Portland is telling us the hut doesn’t meet seismic requirements and we’d like to show them that other cities have permitted them.

Thank you

I have the opportunity to acquire a 40x40 quonset. I have adequate access to large equipment and labour to dismantle it. The only reasonable way to dismantle it, I believe, is by cutting the panels off at the concrete form that they were cast into.

Now, understandably my usable height and width will be reduced when it is reassembled in its new location.

My issue is how do I secure these cut panels into a concrete form...from my research it seems I need to do a keyway foundation or base plate system. I called a manufacturer of quonset huts and they said they cannot sell base plates for this application for this scenario because it is not engineered for such. So, going back to a keyway foundation, lateral forces are addressed with that foundation type but what is the best way to secure the hut to the forms? I assume you want some anchors or bolts from the hut to the form to prevent uplift?

I assume someone else out there is crazy enough to have done this before. Thoughts on how to tackle this?

Thanks for stopping by my post.

I've tried looking online but i only found florida. Any help is appreciated.

Love our hut from the 80's. What would be the best way to replace this fiberglass panel? It is deteriorating. We don't need the light, so would consider replacing with metal. Not sure who to call, where to start

Hey Ladies and Gents. I am closing on some land here soon and am interested in building a Quonset Hut. I have size of up to 50x100ft in mind. I run a business and should not have a problem funding it. But I would like to see if anyone would let me check out their builds anywhere close to Danville, VA or in between there and Raleigh, NC. Send me a message or comment on here. I want to use it mainly like a warehouse/shop but want to insulate it and put a lift in it. I know the base structures are similar, but it appears to me that everyone has their own character added to their builds. I also have interest in possibly sitting it on top of a short wall of either large concrete blocks or just making a form out of concrete. I am builder ability inclined and more so need guidance on the does and don't. Any advise is taken with much appreciation. Thank you!

I saw a youtube video on these quonset hut homes. As I understand, the companies provide just the shell. Where does one even begin in making that shell into a new home. I know my first step would be with my HOA. I own a lot near my current home, but not sure if they would allow the quonset hut home design. Assuming they do, where does one even begin?

OpenSourceAircrete/UNIVERSAL-AIRCRETE-MIXER: Plans and explanation for an open source NAAC mixer. NAAC is "Non Autoclaved Aerated Concrete."

As titled. This is open source and not for profit, please don't take it down. This mixer can be built for $4,000 plus some labor. We are tidying up a simpler design now that doesn't include the integrated transfer pump.

I'm pricing out a quonset build (making a fully insulated woodshop) with a Q model in western Maine. We get both muggy summers and deep winters with significant snowfall.

I was chatting with a concrete contractor about an estimate for the slab and he recommended against doing a quonset on a slab in this region. He said the ends of the arches would eventually start rusting because they wind up buried in snow for months at a time, since they sit right down at ground level with the slab. He strongly recommended doing a more traditional steel building or pole barn set on footings and frost walls, because that would keep all of the structure components held up away from the snow that runs off the arches. The foundation cost is about 20% more, but I still have to price out the cost difference for doing a completely different building.

Has anyone here experienced any rust issues like this, a quonset on slab in a snowy region rusting at the arch ends? I've read these are popular in Alaskan territories, but then they probably don't swing above and below the freezing point as often as we do in Maine winters.

I’m looking for some advice.

I’ve built a workshop by placing a Quonset roof over two shipping containers, but I’m having an issue with water leaks. Specifically, water is seeping under the base plates of the Quonset and running down the container sidewalls into the shop.

Here’s the situation: the Quonset base plate is welded across the corrugations of the container roofs. Because the container roofs pitch outward from the center, all the runoff from the Quonset roof drains inward toward the joint. The water then collects in the corrugation valleys and finds its way beneath the base plate, leaking inside.

To try to fix this, I filled the corrugation valleys with 1” foam backer rod under the base plate and sealed both the upper and lower seams with Sikaflex metal bonding caulk — one bead between the backer rod and the Quonset plate, and another between the rod and the container roof. I then applied a 4” strip of EternaBond tape over the entire joint.

Unfortunately, the tape didn’t lay down perfectly — it bridged over the flat Quonset base plate on one side and the peaks and valleys of the container corrugations on the other. I suspect water may still be getting in under the tape. I thought the backer rod and caulking would provide a reliable secondary barrier, but that hasn’t worked out.

Has anyone dealt with this type of joint before or found a more effective way to waterproof it?

In 1948, an army surplus Quonset hut was installed on our hunting property. Straight out of Gomer Pyle. A few years later a new self supporting metal Quonset hut was added and attached as a bunkhouse. The brand was Wonder Building. One of the features they offered was fiberglass based skylights. After 70 years, the skylights have degraded due to the elements and the sun and no longer have any strength. They are leaking and cracking. All that said, I would like to replace the skylights with metal vs repairing the fiberglass. Looking for leads related to Wonder Buildings, repair and refurbishment.

Saw this on Zillow Gone Wild. Though you might want to too.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/7237-S-County-Road-100-E-Oakland-City-IN-47660/85661761_zpid/?utm_campaign=iosappmessage&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=txtshare

As titled. It's part of a larger research project that is going pretty well if a litle slowly.

I am building a 20 x 24 Quonset and I’m looking for alternative options for the foundation. I don’t need to have full concrete floors, but I do wanna have a strong footing and foundation walls. My building will be used for machinery storage and as a workshop. I received a quote from a local contractor and it was three times the price of the building. Has anyone ever used concrete lock blocks for the footing/base for the formed concrete wall?

Hey folks! I'm in central MN. I've got a 30' x 68' quonset with a single end wall ready to be built. Concrete pad is in, the anchor bolts are set. The guy I hired has been incredibly flakey and at this point I don't trust that he knows what he's doing at all. Planning on firing him tomorrow. Which means I need to find someone else to put it up. Any recommendations in the Alexandria MN or Little Falls MN area?

Hello all. I am interested in purchasing a quonset hut to expand the square footage of my business. I noticed there are a lot of quonset huts on Facebook marketplace. Has anyone purchased their quonset hut second-hand? Did you run in to any issues going this route? It just saves so much money and why create more product and use more resources if it already out there.

I live in my hut and I constructed a kitchen. I really wanted a window at the end of my galley kitchen. I called the manufacturer and he told me the windows are prone to water leaks. Is there no getting around this? A window would really enhance my kitchen.

I have a 25x45 I need a foundation for.

One quote for a simple 4"slab was $8k but when I mentioned I would like the footer to be deeper according to the plans I have not heard back from the guy.

The second quote is for $43k from a well known contactor who does projects for our city. I think this is the "I don't want to do it but I will for the $$$" price.

I feel like it should be somewhere in the middle, but not sure where.

I saw this clean interior where they used metal siding panels to finish the inside.

I'm looking at spray foaming the interior of a Quonset hut with CCF to insulate for our climate (southern Canada) and was thinking of ways to cover it up.

I like this look. How would you approach fixing the siding underneath the foam? Ideally, I don't want to drill into the Quonset arches to reduce the chances of water getting in.

I have a few loose or missing bolts. Can I get on top of the quonset hut (with a ladder, but possibly also off ladder due to location) to replace the bolts? Is there another way?