Quonset Huts Are Great for any Purpose
Quonset huts, those ubiqutous arched metal storage buildings that you can still find in use today, were named for the town of Quonset, Rhode Island, the location of the U.S. Naval facility where the huts were constructed during World War II. Originally modeled after the semicylindrical British Nissen hut, Quonset hut creators modified the Nissen design to include a wooden lining, insulation, and tongue and groove wooden flooring. The Seabee Museum and Memorial Park in Davisville, Rhode Island, houses a Quonset huts display to honor both the original Quonset huts factory in Davisville, Rhode Island and the historical connection between the Seabees and Quonset huts.
The beauty of Quonset huts lay in their durability and mobility in the field. The military needed a structure that could be easily and quickly assembled and disassembled for transport to different battlefield locations, sometimes on a daily basis. Quonset huts successfully addressed the need for lightweight and movable storage and housing and gradually evolved into structures that could be used as bakeries, showers, latrines, dental offices, and isolation wards. However, the initial Quonset huts design presented problems with its expanded uses and was subsequently recast from a sixteen feet by thirty six feet sized building with wall curve beginning flush with the floor to a structure with sidewalls and multiple interior designs. After the war ended, the military sold its surplus Quonset huts to the public for one thousand dollars per unit. They proved so attractive that universities purchased some for student housing and returning soldiers purchased some of the huts for their personal housing.
The Quonset huts of today are so versatile that they are perfect for machinery or grain storage, backyard workshops, or even airplane hangars. How about turning a Quonset hut into a guest cottage. With no trusses and beams to get in the way, Quonset huts give you 100 percent useable space and can be expanded to any length just by adding sidewall panels. You can also customize Quonset huts with skylights, insulation, wiring, and colors that match the exterior of your home. Constructed with corrugated steel, the rounded arch design makes Quonset huts amazingly strong; that design is, in fact, one of the strongest structures in architecture. Quonset huts have been known to withstand heavy rain and snow, earthquakes, tornadoes, and hurricanes.
With the help of a few buddies, you can assemble your Quonset hut in just a few days. Once you have laid your foundation (on a graded and level surface), you simply bolt the steel panels together and your Quonset hut is ready to go. Adding a durable and attractive storage or workshop space to your property could not be any easier.
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by: fredthompson
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