Quonset Huts were Designed to be Economical and Assembled Fast

Quonset huts were first built by the British military in World War I, but were mass-produced in 1941 at Quonset Point Naval Air Station in Rhode Island for World War II. The navy built thousands of these inexpensive buildings but sold the surplus after the war. Quonset huts have been used in every conceivable way, including housing.

Some were even made of wood when metal was in high demand for other military purposes. The Quonset hut design makes it one of the strongest buildings ever. These are great homes for places like Florida, Louisiana, and North Carolina that frequently get hit by hurricane-force winds.

Many HOAs will not allow Quonset huts because their look is now synonymous with commercial enterprises. But with a little imagination, they don’t need to look like an auto repair shop. The photo above is certainly not a tiny house, but the supplier has many kits at all price points.

Quonset Hut Kits

Because the Quonset hut is a highly engineered structure, you won’t be making one out of reclaimed materials or leftover lumber. You will need to have the pieces of the structure designed and produced for you. However, even a relatively inexperienced builder should be able to successfully assemble the parts.

Here’s a small home kit from DuroSPAN. It’s 40′ wide, 26′ long, and 20′ tall in the center. The kit sells for $7,999.00*. There are other sizes available.

BUT: when you buy a kit online, READ EVERY WORD OF THE AD. This kit, for instance, is only for the metal roof part. It does not include the ends as shown in the picture.

Also, look thru all of the ads. I see this one listed over a dozen times all with different prices.

In addition, you’ll need to construct a cement foundation that meets code, then pour the concrete floor.

The DuroSPAN Steel building shown on the right is 30’x50x’16 and sells for $11,999.00* Seems pretty reasonable. But, again: read the ad closely. This is what you actually get (minus the concrete slab and foundation.)

As long as you’re aware, you won’t be surprised, and a good experience can be had.

You will have a very strong home that can withstand anything Mother Nature will throw at it for decades.

How it ends up looking is up to your imagination.

DuraSPAN has sizes as narrow as 14′ and as wide as 40′.

Quonset Huts Have a Real Problem with Condensation

As with all metal buildings, Quonset huts have a condensation issue sometimes called “sweating.” To avoid this situation, they must be constructed with a vapor barrier, a radiant barrier, and reflective insulation. The Smart Shield product shown here does all of that.

Spray foam insulation does a great job of overcoming this design peculiarity, but it’s expensive.

The “Unhappy Hipsters” have a great blog about Quonset huts as tiny homes. They say a Quonset hut can be built for as low as $5.00/ft*.

Man Builds Dream Quonset Hut Home in Hawaii

Click on image to see the story of this home.

Quonset Huts Have Some Unique Design Opportunities

Because the structure of a Quonset hut is completely self-supporting, the entire inside can be open. No walls are needed for structural support. Walls for rooms can be merely partitions, and there is no need for walls go all the way up to the ceiling. This is great for inexpensive ventilation systems in super-humid areas like the tropics.

This design opportunity actually makes the Quonset hut a perfect choice for storage buildings, barns, or churches.

The Quonset hut at the top of this page came from this website: Quonset Hut .org