Custom Vehicle Builder Uses SteelMaster Quonset Hut

If you enter Greg Henderson’s SteelMaster Quonset Hut, you’ll likely find him working on custom vehicle builds for his business, Unofficial Use Only.

He purchased his building about eight years ago, and it has still held up through the harsh Michigan winters and humid summers.

“There’s still no visible signs of rust anywhere, not around the bolts or anywhere else. The base plates are still perfectly fine,” he said.

Greg says one of the things that drew him to choose a Quonset Hut for his business was its unique appearance.

“I like to do things that are different than everything else, so I wanted something that looked different,” he said. “When people come in, lots of people walk through the door and everybody thinks it looks cool because it’s more unique.”

He also purchased 10 skylights from SteelMaster. Our skylights are specially designed with a flat bottom, v-shaped corrugation that matches the steel panels of our buildings. This

allows light to shine into the building at three different angles.

“During the day, you really don’t even need additional lighting. They let in so much ambient light that it’s almost brighter on a sunny day than having lights. So that’s a huge benefit.”

Another advantage of purchasing a SteelMaster Quonset hut is its column-free interior. This allowed Greg to build a partition wall out of block topped with pallet boards. The upper level serves as an office and bonus storage area.

“[Clear span makes it] very easy with running the wiring and lighting. All the existing bolts made it very easy as attachment points for wiring and conduit and lights.”

Greg, a design engineer, and master fabricator, says the fact that the building was easy to assemble was a big bonus.

“When it showed up, it showed up on time exactly as I was told. Installation was a lot easier than I thought it would be.”

SteelMaster’s metal Quonset huts are the ultimate DIY project. Over 80 percent of customers assemble their own buildings. Seventy percent of the work is done on the ground with one size nut and bolt.

“At the time, my 7-year-old was out here helping. He’d get on one side and hold the bolts in place while I screwed nuts on,” he said. “It’s basically an adult erector set.”

As his business grows, Greg wants to add 30 to 50 feet to the back of the building. He’s also thinking about building a Quonset hut home on his piece of property in Arizona.