Things You'll Need
Cement foundation with troughs 6 inches wide and 8 inches deep lengthwise along both sides.
4-man construction crew
Q-Model Quonset kit
Scissor jack
Rope
Spud wrenches with tapered ends and foot-long tapered drift
4 cordless air impact wrenches
Cheapest of all steel buildings, Quonset style buildings are light-weight, prefabricated, easy to erect and expand lengthwise. They have no interior rafters or support beams and can be erected without heavy equipment such as cranes or special tools. Also, these WWII legacies do not require any special skills to assemble and are difficult to break into. Q-Model-Quonset-style buildings feature the half-tin-can design that most people associate with traditional Quonset huts, and erecting them is relatively easy.
Step 1
Unload the truck. Have three or four men on hand on delivery day to unload the truck as the manufacturer's driver is not obligated to help.
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Step 2
Assemble the arches. Lay the sections of arches out on the ground. Bolt the sections together to make complete arches.
Step 3
Raise the arches. Lay a maintenance-free corrugated galvanized steel arch on the cement foundation with its center placed in the middle of the foundation in the same direction that it will be installed. Position the laborers. Jack the scissor jack up to the height of the center point of the arches. Climb the jack and secure a heavy rope to the railing. Toss the rope to the man below. Tie the rope to the center of one of the arches. Pull the arch up to the jack and hoist it into place over head while two men insert the ends of the arch into the trough in the cement on either side of the foundation. Attach the second arch to the first. Align the holes along the new arch with the holes in the previous arch using the tapered end of a spud wrench and a foot-long tapered drift pin. Screw the arch into place using an impact wrench and the 5000 bolts and the 5000 screws that come in the kit.
The new precision-fit arches have overlaps that fit together tightly and do not require frameworks.
Step 4
Cement the troughs. Fill the interior of the foundation troughs with cement once the arches are in place. Fill the exterior ones next.
Tip
As an option to the trough-in-the-cement method of attaching the walls to the foundation, a baseplate can be bolted into the cement and the walls bolted into the baseplate. End walls are optional as some simple Q-huts have none, while others have only one. Some Q-huts do not need a foundation if used as storage sheds or barns. Doors and windows may be built into the end walls.
Warning
Put up one arch at a time and be sure it is properly secured to the foundation before installing the next one. Improper installation can result in structural failure.
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