Man Builds Quonset Hut Workshop With Repurposed Materials

When SteelMaster customer Jay B and his wife bought their property in New Hampshire, it came with something unexpected. An old barn had collapsed in the backyard, which to most people would be an obstacle. However, Jay, who is a retired shop teacher, saw it as an opportunity. Initially, his plan was to salvage the barn, but he quickly learned that the building was not repairable.

Jay had always been attracted to arch style buildings and realized this would be the perfect opportunity to build one. He purchased a Quonset hut and erected it on the existing slab, while using salvaged material from the barn to use to frame the end walls.

His goal was to have a building on his property to utilize as a man cave and workshop. After a quick internet search, he found that our buildings and prices were the most reasonable.

He purchased an X-Model building, which is ideal for the harsh snow in New Hampshire as the building is designed for the snow to fall off the sides. Once his arches were delivered, he erected them quickly with the help of two friends. Then, he got started on the end walls. As he deconstructed the old barn, he kept a pile of “good wood” that would be useable.

He bought two 8×12 garage doors off craigslist including the hardware, which kept his costs to a minimum and installed them himself.

In total, building his new man cave took about eighteen hours to complete.

Jay said, “It was fun to build. I built the end walls completely by myself which is fulfilling.”

Once the exterior of the building was complete, Jay began customizing the interior. He built cabinets, installed a TV and stereo, and added a wood stove to heat the interior to combat the cold. Additionally, Jay built a loft with a moveable access ladder to maximize the space and the 17-foot ceilings.

When asked what he likes most about his Quonset, he stated that he loves the uniqueness of the building and that it makes his property easy to find. “We live on a country road and when people are looking for our house, I tell them to look for the shiny steel Quonset hut.”

Overall, Jay states he had a good experience working with SteelMaster. “Everyone I spoke to was great to work with.  Delivery was easy, and I had a great experience with the customer service department.”