Attention-Grabbing Quonset Hut Lake House in the Midwest

Among all of the unique houses and architecture on a large recreational lake in the Midwest, you’ll find Tom and Kim W.’s SteelMaster Quonset hut lake home.

“In this area, about anything goes,” Tom said. “There are houses where trees are growing in the middle of the living room.”

Tom and Kim chose a Quonset hut to replace their three bedroom ranch-style cabin that was built in 1957.

“We looked at prefab homes, log cabins. I wanted something that was maintenance free and was neat-looking. [Kim] found [a Quonset hut] and fell in love with it,” Tom said. “We love the open floor plan and efficiency of such a modern structure.”

Inspired by Quonset hut houses on the internet, the couple contacted SteelMaster Buildings.

“We did a lot of research; there are a lot of manufacturers out there,” Tom said. “My wife talked to [Sales Manager] Scott Matthews and we got one of the best deals.”

Tom said he particularly liked SteelMaster’s bolt system and that the building was covered in Energy Star-rated Galvalume Plus coating. Galvalume Plus helps protect the steel arches and makes the building more energy efficient.

The steel coating makes it so the building does not require painting or a lot of maintenance. It also repels light, keeping inside temperatures 10 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than the outside air.

The couple opted for the classic Q-Model, the most popular model for Quonset hut homes.

“There are many shapes and styles of Quonsets, but we chose the most rounded style because it gives us the most headroom on the second floor.”

Tom and Kim began construction of their home in fall of 2017. The couple enlisted the help of professionals to help with the interior floor plan and support system of their home.

The couple ran into a few problems due to lot issues and had to reduce the size of their building to a 51′ x 40′. However, they say SteelMaster was very supportive through it all.

“SteelMaster was great when we were having trouble,” Tom said.

Their construction crew was able to erect the shell of the building in just one and a half days. Tom says as soon as construction began, the home started garnering attention from boaters.

“There is a resort with 50 cabins a quarter mile down the cove, so we get all kinds of people from the Midwest down here. Many boaters took pictures during the construction phase.” He said.  “Especially when the endwall went up and the deck was out front, that’s when it started popping.”

Many passersby inquired asked about how the contractors handled the roundness of the home. Tom says there were times when the contractor had to get creative with construction, but overall the inside of the home is fairly traditional.

After completing construction in fall 2018, the couple is now happily enjoying their one-of-a-kind Quonset hut lake home.

Overall, they say they were very satisfied with their SteelMaster experience.

“We didn’t have any problems with SteelMaster at all, it was a nice experience,” Tom said. “We recommend them.”

Tom’s detailed video about his Quonset hut home won first place in our 2019 video contest!

Click here to see the other winners of our 2019 Photo & Video Contests.