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quonset hut house

2971 Views 7 Replies 7 Participants Last post by  Kaos
Anyone on here ever built a quonset hut into a house? Would love to ask you a few questions if you have....
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I have seen a few, I doubt it would be much different than a A frame for living in,

the curved side walls I would think would be a pain the lower end,

there are the modified units with straight walls up to about 6 foot,

I think if your starting from scratch one would do better with a pole barn or a plane stick built unit,

by the time one either add the framing on the inside, to support the walls and insulate wire and plumb the unit, you will end up spending as much most likely as if you just stick build from the start,

many old Quonset hut type buildings that were used for farm shops leak a lot, (not enough to hurt for a shop but would be a pain for a house),

some of the university have plans on how to build your own hut from scratch, I think mid west drew them up,
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When I was in the WAC back in 1969 I went through basic training at Fort McClellan and we lived in Quonset huts. They were orig. built for men though cause the bathroom had 20 wall hung urinals in it...we planted flowers in them LOL.

There are two of the same old ones not far from me but I think they are asking like 250 for the two huts and a couple of acres with a well.
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I've spent entire summers in quonsets.... can't imagine wasting money trying to convert one into a permanent dwelling... they're pretty much impossible to keep rodents out of... and trying to 'build' around the curve??? If you had unlimited money, maybe. If you're actually using new building materials? just go 'normal' from scratch. I can build new, w/store bought materials, for right at $10/sq. foot.

Doubtful the metal frame would stand up good, to a real plywood, insulated, shingled or metaled roof....
I have never lived in one but I remember, when I was a child and my father was in the army, the huts they had were prone to leaking - a little settling of the founding shifts the panels a little and you have a leak.
My neighbor and I both built quonset style shops. Both are 15+ years old and have never leaked one drop. We built them ourselves and used lifetime silicone sealant on every overlapping joint.
IMO it would be fine for a home shelter. One important thing to remember is to be sure there is upper ventilation from one end to the other such as an exhaust fan if your area is humid. I put a fan in mine and never had moisture issues, my neighbor did not and he has issues.
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