how to finish the inside of a quonset hut
The problem we are facing is: how to frame the ceiling in those two rooms and still keep the cool dome-shaped feature? by Earl | Oct 8, 2019 | Building the Quompound, Headquarters Hut | 6 comments. However, by the next time I went out there, I found that the wind had lifted the front third of the Quonset out of the groove. How do you finish inside a Quonset hut? I have already erected the building and tightened all the bolts and just finished putting the trim parts on both ends. My build also required a workshop to build the other components, and the Quonset hut is something that could be erected quickly, early in the construction, and provide that place. I do not sell the buildings. thanks. 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. Ours is 30x40. Inside the perimeter beam, the concrete is the standard 6 inches thick. The quonset hut could probably support a significant earth load, if it were carefully distributed, etc. Many Quonset huts round shoulders are hidden behind false fronts. And from what I hear, the water quality is about the same. The most common way to finish the interior of a Quonset hut house is to bolt some wood framing (usually 24s) to the metal, so that you can have some spray foam insulation put in, and then use the 24s to attach drywall or plywood or whatever you want for your interior ceiling/wall finish. Eventually we will add wood framing like this to the underside of the whole metal shell, as support for a plywood ceiling. The side boxes were provided by SteelMaster as part of the basic building kit. The wood we cut to build the driveway sure came in handy! While we retain the option to install one of these later, weve saved nearly $15,000 with our approach. 2023 The Taunton Press, Inc. All rights reserved. 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. Insulating on the outside makes more sense as Dana is suggesting, but I don't see how you're going to attach and cover the rock wool or cellulose on the inside.If you have to cover both sides of the metal, it seems like the cost and hassle of the project would exceed what the homeowner is trying to do, i.e., build a cheap house. Well give them a restricted free range during the summer, and then butcher them in the fall. How do you gain access to read the archives? Allow the paint to dry thoroughly before peeling the tape away to produce a lovely effect from floor to ceiling to floor. The glow illuminating the bolts is the rising full moon in the east. Compared to chickens, guinea fowl are low-cost, low-maintenance, and do a standout job as chemical-free pest control. Pros and Cons of Eating Duck Eggs vs Chicken Eggs. 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. This post contains affiliate links, meaning I get a commission (at no additional cost to you) if you decide to make a purchase through my links. Similar to the way we framed our Headquarters Hut. One of the features I like about this type of building is the absence of posts and beams. We chose to install a full slab featuring an 8-inch-by-12-inch perimeter concrete beam. They are timid but super charming, and they are starting to seem less afraid of the construction than they were at first. It allows the light to shine in at three different angles, which disperses the light 3 times better than a normal flat-panel skylight. PO Box 48343 This is an encouraging note(!) After World War II, a number of surplus Quonset huts found there way into civilian life for use in both residential, commercial and agricultural applications. A Quonset House might be the answer for you. This won't delete the articles you've saved, just the list. We had to set up a cutting station with my angle grinder and cut about an inch off each one before putting it up. 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; We are in the process of framing the living room and kitchen. While I like the look of the open joists, theyre not intended to be left exposed, as theyre rough cut, with excess glue and machine cutting marks exposed. You just have to buy them and cut them down. Simple to manufacture and easy to assemble, the Quonset Hut is an easily recognizable architectural form. The source of our 40-foot-by-40-foot building was SteelMaster, a company founded in 1982. Continue Reading Steel "Quonset Hut" type buildings How to finish inside? of floor space (a good part of it was unusable due to the slopping sides) was too small to serve as a family home, or commercial application. 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. Telephone (360) 586-3065 The building was designed in 1941 by a team of engineers at Quonset Point Naval Air Station in Rhode Island, hence the name. Since it is a self build, I kept most of my spans shorter than 15 ft. I am looking for ideas about building my end walls. The steel skin would also protect the occupants from potential outgassing of the foam, and would not need a carefully implemented thermal barrier on the interior for fire protection. 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. A jackrabbit stopped by one afternoon. Exposed duct work run along the floor/wall junction. I did a little bit of night sky photography on this trip. My research included visits to the county water resources department and talks with neighbors. Shipping and taxes calculated at checkout. However, I am concerned about the following: (1) might there be a negative chemical interaction between the foam and metal that could cause corrosion? Exposed duct work run along the floor/wall junction. 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. Bill and Lynne live in an arched steel home. Slab-level drip lips can capture up to 40,000 gallons of water per year! Coupling nut available here. Quonset Hut Village, Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, c.1944. As a result the Navy let out another contract to the Stran-Steel Company, who improved upon the design and soon took over a bulk of the production. On the sewage side of the equation, we installed a BioLet composting toilet, reducing water usage substantially. 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. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Inside a Quonset hut, how do you finish? The rib forms needed to be built on a large flat surface, out of the weather. Trace the silhouette on sheets of plywood, cut them out with a jigsaw, sand and stain them. 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. I wanted a 3 car garage for practical purposes and decided to use a Quonset hut to form the wider span. Steel Quonset Hut type buildings How to finish inside? With American preparing for the possibility of war . No worries, we had other work to do (not captured on film). My build also required a workshop to build the other components, and the Quonset hut is something that could be . I originally thought I would erect the building myself, with the help of friends who volunteered. So lets get on with it already! Use the same procedure to apply the second layer, using the self-seal tab to overlap the insulation layer's edge below. 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. You can find their contact info online. Then, build the Quonset for the ends of the structure for living at one end and garage/shop at the other. By eliminating the bolts, coupling nuts, etc., and hanging the ceiling joists off of the arch(es) and end walls, we could put the joists a few inches away from the metal instead of touching it. 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. 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. One way to minimize this is to apply an open joist system for the second floor. I estimate that using the cistern saved us about $1,500 versus drilling a deep well. When we live here full time, well sustain a flock of chickens year-round. Canadian Subscribers International Subscribers, Canadian subscriptions: 1 year (includes postage & GST). It sounds like you have already sprayed your 1 of foam insulation, is that correct? Once we have insulation well be in great shape to get through the winter at high altitude, while continuing progress on the Loft House. Get FREE metal Quonset building quotes from several metal building suppliersand compare them! Stran-Steel issued a press lease in late 1946 which listed 257 adaptations. The concrete floors were stained to create a finished look. Every project is different and unique, and what worked for us shouldnt be taken as a recommendation as to what will automatically work for you. Learn how your comment data is processed. Probably a spiral staircase to get to it, and definitely a firemans pole to get back down stairs into the living room. Brad54 from the www.garagejournal.com, Here are some old already-posted pics of my 2460 shop with a bedroom/doghouse upstairs and 3/4 bath downstairs TurnipTruck from the www.garagejournal.com. A window on the south wall addition provides plenty of light and passive solar heat to the living room. Your email address will not be published. Weve also added a food room to the house for the freezer and for storing canned food and other items that may be damaged by freezing. Hello Earl, 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. We are very, very excited to have the side windows in this building, but we wont likely be putting side windows in any more of the buildings at the Quompound. How ya doinI saw on one of your videos, where you described a wedge shaped piece of wood, that mounts between the corrugations. 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. Later that afternoon we were rewarded with a rainbow. Wood framed metal roof Quonset Hut roof sheathing/insulation. Keep things ultra simple. The next big issues were water and sewage. ThankYa, It was like a Baroque painting come to life. And while were at it, how many couplings would you suggest? It took the three-man Amish crew four days to finish the south wall, including installing the windows and doors. Considering going off-grid? Were near Williams in northern AZ. His skills and knowledge of construction techniques have been invaluable. When the crane came out, it did lift them straight up and over, but I noticed that it actually had a telescoping arm. This project is a work-in-progress and everything depicted in this photo essay of a not-yet-complete structure may not meet code. Another mistake that I pretty much accepted was that my building was a little longer than it should have been and ended up hanging over the edge by a few inches. We used coupling nuts and threaded rods to bolt the wood wall to the metal wall. To address our meat (and egg!) Then you decide. Once our metal building was up, I was amazed at how much rainwater could be captured! 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. Kevin, SorryThis particular building is a 3050. Inside the perimeter beam, the concrete is the standard 6 inches thick. With 13 people working in parallel to bolt the sections together, I didnt want to interrupt that flow and make everyone stand around while I drilled and bolted the steel sections down. Im in the process of building one as well but looking for solutions for the roof caps. Your email address will not be published. Looking at the small load, I couldnt believe it was all there: Not counting the end walls, the arched structure involved bolting together 160 panels, each approximately 2-feet-by-8-feet in size. Its fully insulated and includes a small, electric baseboard heater. Thats pretty stiff and hard to bend, so I used my grinder to cut slots all along the edge. See my disclosure for more info. Good luck. All contents copyright Clever Moderns, LLC 2015-2023. On the other hand, a Quonset hut homes start as low as $5 per sq. During last summers stay at the farm, we tripled the size of our garden, adding 50 blueberry and raspberry bushes, 13 beds for beans, pumpkins and asparagus, a two-bin composter, and a few fruit and nut trees. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. 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. Howd you design the side boxes? These advantages include: Unrestricted Interior Space - Quonset huts do not require any internal structural support poles. In my opinion, the finishing work done in American construction can be overly expensive and time consuming. 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. It should show up on the right sidebar on desktop/laptop or way down at the very bottom on mobile. 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.2019-10-08 Keep things ultra simple. The basic Quonset Hut came with multiple pieces of curved steel ribs for the frame; a one-inch tongue-and-groove plywood floor; wood fiber insulation between an outer shell of corrugated metal and an inner lining of Masonite; plus doors, windows and a chimney. Wanting to get a jump on spring planting, we recently installed a movable greenhouse/cold frame. Or are you just tired of the same old same old and want something unique and beautiful? But in my design, it is really just fancy formwork to hold up the rebar and shotcrete that will actually support the earth. It was great to have a real roof over our tent in time for monsoon season! As the interior space of a Quonset hut is unobstructed, it provides a large and open interior. Your mileage may vary; do your own due diligence and hire a local expert familiar with your local conditions and building codes when in doubt. This is the only room well need to heat during the winter while were away. 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. My parents came down to visit and to pick up their camper. I know of two insulated quonsets in my area. If I could get one fairly cheap, in the 100-foot long range, thatd be perfect for me. 2) Underneath there where you cant see it, there are a couple of holes drilled through the vertical leg of the base plate, with lag screws going into the 46 block. He also discusses insulation - spray foam versus blanket insulation, and interior framing.=============================For more Quonset Hut Resources: Check out my awesome email tutorial series about Quonset huts: https://www.clevermoderns.com/youtbQuonset Hut Home Plans: https://www.clevermoderns.com/plans/To join our Facebook group, where we share information about our Quonset builds, either search DIY Quonset Dwellers on Facebook or go to https://www.CleverModerns.com/group, answer a few quick questions about your interest in Quonsets, and you'll be added.FAQs: https://www.clevermoderns.com/faq/BLOG: https://www.clevermoderns.com/blog/ ft. With the same amount of living space, how much buck can you spare? The purpose of those kinds of buildings is cheap clear span space. However, the Quonset hut quickly fell out of favor. Curious about Quonsets? Row of ceiling fans at the apex. If this should happen, could moisture from the ambient air get between the metal and foam, condense at times, and lead to corrosion? 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. I would love to know the type and length of the threaded extensions you are using to frame the inside. With over 6,000 members and counting, the Facebook group has grown into an amazing resource all of its own! The large windows provide passive solar warmth in the interior space and heat the concrete slab. BIG doors on both ends for access. Or want to see some latest Quonset hut interior designs and ideas? For example:opening of the arch 15 meters and length 20 meters is what I need. 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. by Earl | Aug 15, 2017 | Building the Quompound, Headquarters Hut, Workshop Hut | 19 comments. 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. Mount them to the ceiling of your Quonset hut with screws made especially for metal, wood or the medium lining your interior space. Jason. One square foot of rain, 1-inch deep, provides .625 gallons of water. My house design is an experiment with a variety of different arch forms. 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! The heavy-steel Armco Hut was intended for ordnance storage and air raid shelters, and the Jamesway Hut was designed for even quicker assembly in cold Arctic regions. The base plate is the weakest link in the whole assembly as far as potential for leaking. Additionally a few of the companies continued to make and sell versions of the Quonset Hut. But in my design, it is really just fancy formwork to hold up the rebar and shotcrete that will actually support the earth. I figured I would come back and take care of the anchor bolts next time. With the end wall up, we started the wood framing. The following week, I put out help requests on Facebook and at work. A Medium to large-scale Quonset house may cost somewhere between $5,000 to $35,000. Over the past several weeks weve made great progress on interior framing in the Headquarters Hut! Strength and Durability - Quonset hut buildings feature high-quality steel with a coating that helps to prevent rust. You'll find tips for slashing heating bills, growing fresh, natural produce at home, and more. 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. I should have known better because this is a pretty typical fluid dynamics problem that I had to do several times at school. The two-story buildings were custom-engineered to achieve the height required for the second floor. BIG doors on both ends for access. Add the illusion of more room and reflect light emanating from windows and glass doors by choosing white or another light color as your paint choice and then use it throughout the interior of your Quonset hut so it optically expands the space. Andy, Nathaniel's description of how to finish the interior illiterates the fundamental problem with trying to insulate quonset huts: their chief appeal is their shape and materials. Recent Quonset Hut Pricing. I strongly recommend sealing it up more vigorously than the manufacturers seem to think is necessary. The complete source for building, designing, and remodeling green homes. Steel doors were custom-built in-house. Emulate the ribbed design of Gothic architecture when finishing your Quonset hut. Here again we had trouble with the factory parts provided by SteelMaster. How do you finish inside a Quonset hut? It has 1 of spray foam insulation as a moisture barrier, but we need to be able to add more batt insulation. If you have already sprayed then you can no longer do it this way because your bolts are buried in foam. Living area downstairs (kitchen, living room, office) and bedroom upstairs. 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? These panels were 16 gauge, which is .06 or about 1/16 of an inch thick. With over 6,000 members and counting, the Facebook group has grown into an amazing resource all of its own! The rest is framed and has 8 ceilings with a storage area above. Sometimes called arch buildings, they are typically used for storage, or as a workshop, carport, or garage. Dining would be open to the living end. What does it take to live in a tiny home? Let's take a look, 1. However, that is a good number for assembling the steel arches, so we spent most of the afternoon doing that. Ep. However, despite the low cost, some as little as $1.50 a sq. Curious about Quonsets? Your email address will not be published. For Less Than K, We Built a Quonset Hut Home. 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. Would be glad to hear more about the window boxes. The quonset hut could probably support a significant earth load, if it were carefully distributed, etc. This was tedious and time consuming, but in the end it wasnt all that difficult to do. The windows were fabricated too wide to fit the openings in the arches. Images may not be used without permission. This thermal bridging as its called, is an issue in any conventional wood-framed building, and is not an issue that is specific to Quonset hut homes. 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. Here we have two layers forming approximately half of an arch, placed so that the joints are staggered, and at the far end its only one layer. . It's pretty basic, just a subpanel and some outlets. Perhaps someday well take some of the end panels back out and frame in some windows on this wall. I would normally suggest that you use the Quonset bolts on the inside, with a coupling nut, to attach 2x4s for ceiling framing. Others can be found on our States military bases, but these are quickly disappearing. We were also rewarded with possibly the most dramatic sunset we had ever seen. Chicken eggs are the most consumed eggs all around the world. Id like to watch it again! 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. Thanks. These are classic wooden high chair plans free of charge. The structure had to be able to be set up quickly by untrained personnel and had to serve a variety of purposes. Both were insulated with ccsf approx 20 years ago and are holding up fine. Originally a British design dating back to World War I, in the United States they were first manufactured on Quonset Point in Rhode Island during World War II in response to the need for lightweight, portable buildings that could be assembled without skilled labor. The question is this: Does anyone know how do the interiors get finished if you were going to put walls/ceilings in them? A shallow-well jet pump brings the water into the house from the cistern and feeds it into the PVC plumbing system for the kitchen and bathroom. So for now you can get to the FB group at https://www.clevermoderns.com/group (that will redirect to the group). 's advise is the one to go with. A Quonset House might be the answer for you. We were actually done before the Pizza lunch I ordered arrived. I hope that makes sense. 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. Thank you for all the great ideas and information. Steel Home Are you considering building a steel home? I could use that sheltered space at the back to form the ribs. Strong enough to support my 170 lbs. By the end of 1941, other companies began developing their own versions of the Quonset Hut. Im thinking a pair of doors like a hangar has, that open the entire end of the building. Move inside, and rather than being able exploit their soaring curves as part of the living spaces, you end up trying to square things up, leaving strange voids. Russell Mullin shares ways to plan, design, finance, site, build, and move a tiny house to fit your dream, lifestyle, needs, and budget. We ended up wasting several man hours and a lot of sweat getting it back into place. The buildings didnt leak! With rain in the forecast, we set up our tent right inside the Workshop Quonset, since it now had an end wall in the back, and a partial front wall as well. Now when we have the foam insulation sprayed in, there will be a continuous layer of insulation that is uninterrupted by the wood. Theyll be frozen, canned, or eaten. 7 Stylish & Trendy Quonset Hut Homes Ideas in 2023 Are you planning to build a Quonset hut home? I was fortunate to find a local company that had experience erecting a Quonset-style building. Turn the arc of your Quonset hut into a dramatic focal point just as long as you have no plans to load up the space with lots of furniture, colors and art. One storm was particularly intense and I captured about a minute of video with my phone. Olympia, WA 98501, Mailing Address 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. A quonset hut requires a Radiant barrier, Vapor . Were super excited about how this is coming together. This will allow us to insulate between the plywood ceiling and metal shell. Others created hut designs in response to special needs, such as the wooden Pacific Hut (built in Seattle), and the Emkay Hut (built in Boise), which were created to save metal resources. He also. Install chair rail halfway up dome walls on both sides. Or are you just tired of the same old same old and want something unique and beautiful? Traditional decorating techniques rarely work with a uniquely shaped building like a Quonset hut, so always follow the building's lines to achieve interior harmony.
