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Yes, my partner and I decided to create a unique living space inside a Quonset.
We live in Canada, on a 10 acre piece of land, in a very small community(about 500 people) in a serene mountain/lake setting.
We bought a 45" wide, 22' tall, 32' deep steel quonset and started from there.
We broke ground in March 2004, and have been working on it constantly ever since.
We had to dynamite parts of the (1km long, steep, 4X4) road, and have done virtually all the building ourselves:
Concrete, framing, plumbing, electrical...
Everything is done to local building codes with permits, etc.
We started living here in June 2005, got our water running in August/05, hot water in November/05, and just got grid power at the end of November.
We'll be keeping this tribe alive as our document, to share our experiences with friends, family, and interested surfers.
Pictures will be updated on a regular basis.
Feel free to contact us with questions and feedback.
Ciao
Will & Michella
We live in Canada, on a 10 acre piece of land, in a very small community(about 500 people) in a serene mountain/lake setting.
We bought a 45" wide, 22' tall, 32' deep steel quonset and started from there.
We broke ground in March 2004, and have been working on it constantly ever since.
We had to dynamite parts of the (1km long, steep, 4X4) road, and have done virtually all the building ourselves:
Concrete, framing, plumbing, electrical...
Everything is done to local building codes with permits, etc.
We started living here in June 2005, got our water running in August/05, hot water in November/05, and just got grid power at the end of November.
We'll be keeping this tribe alive as our document, to share our experiences with friends, family, and interested surfers.
Pictures will be updated on a regular basis.
Feel free to contact us with questions and feedback.
Ciao
Will & Michella
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Re: Living in a Quonset!??????
Tue, December 27, 2005 - 9:58 AMI have always really admired the quonset hut, I even looked into buying one earlier last year and found an excellent deal on one up in austin that came with plans for only $5,000 brand new, never used!!! The architect that was selling the hut had a website that featured the plans and designs for quonset huts and i think its posted here nontraditionalhousing.tribe.net/
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Re: Living in a Quonset!??????
Mon, March 13, 2006 - 2:29 PM
OMG, it looks like one of my quonset designs!!!!
(Our project got derailed when we ended up with a different property...now because of solid rock shelves I think we will have to do a split-level octagonal instead.)
I was going to put the insulation and earthbags on the outside, and spray quickcrete over it...we have low rainfall here. Then I could keep all the off-gassing outside (I'm sensitive to the foam insulation) and also do some earth-berming and make it very inconspicuous.
Wow, your house is gorgeous!!
How is it to heat in winter? This was always what nay-sayers would bring up when they saw my designs, that it would be hard to heat, but somehow I didn't think so....
LOVE your photos.
wistful...
Grandma -
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Re: Living in a Quonset!??????
Wed, March 15, 2006 - 7:59 PMWe had -19 for a week or two this winter - a zero clearance high efficiency insert (wood fireplace) is our primary heat and we had NO problems. We have a very open floor plan, so the heating and ventilation is quite simple. We added a few baseboards so that on days when we spend 8 or 9 hours going to 'town' and back, our tortoise doesn't get too cold, and as a backup so we can escape in the winter if we desire.
The place has been an amazing adventure. People thought we were nuts originally, (our driveway is 1km of 4X4 terrain) but now they come and can't stop drooling.
We have about 250 square feet of windows in our living room, so it does get hot in the summer. This year we'll get some curtains up to couteract that.
The insulation has been great. I too was worried about off-gassing, but that only happens in the first 4 seconds that it's sprayed at 140 degrees. It is the only way to be certain of zero condensation.
Thanks for your response.
w
;0)
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Re: Living in a Quonset!??????
Mon, March 13, 2006 - 6:58 PMBefore our quonset plans got sidetracked, we had planned on doing a split level desgn of our own, with bedrooms and den upstairs opening on a mezzanine to a great room. We were planning on earth berming ours on the north side, and then have a deck coming out from the master bedroom for the hot tub. Alas, plans do change however. We still plan on using parts of the quonset design in our upcoming project. When we get the rough plans drawn up, I would appreciate any critique you may want to voice. Ultimately it is our goal to be totally self-sufficient and basically off-grid. Using supplied utilities only when necessary.
Kudos on your design and accomplishments so far.
Namaste
MH
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Re: Living in a Quonset!??????
Wed, March 15, 2006 - 9:43 AMI never expected anything less from you two than this unique addition to the glorious landscape that you have chosen to dwell in. The pictures are fantastic and it was a pleasure viewing each one. I can't wait to come and visit, and soon I hope.
Be Well and Always Loved,
Melanie
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Re: Living in a Quonset!??????
Fri, April 7, 2006 - 10:16 PMHi, your place looks great!
If there were an award for the best looking Quonset house, you guys would win hands down.
Although you probably spend a small fortune on windex.
