When you think of metal quonset buildings, you most likely think of quonset hut kits, and how quickly you can get the building up and running. But there are other considerations that come into play long before your kit is delivered to you. It's easy to find quonset style steel buildings for sale, but preparing the way for a quonset hut on your land can be a little more challenging.

While quonset buildings are indeed a relatively quick fix for extra space, there are some things you need to keep in mind: metal quonset buildings are commercial buildings that require permits and land preparation; and assembly does take time and forethought.

1. Meet both zoning and building requirements for quonset buildings.

2. Prepare your land to support a quonset steel building.

3. Gird up for assembling your quonset.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Have your permits in order before you call the quonset hut manufacturers

Even if you're adding a quonset building to your own land, you have to make sure that the land is zoned to permit quonset huts. The size, shape, and even how many doors you have on your quonset are dictated by local zoning ordinances. Separately, you need to know the building codes so that the quonset steel building you purchase meets requirements for wind, snow, earthquakes and other dangers.

I recommend: How to Buy a Steel Building has a comprehensive discussion of zoning and building requirements for metal quonset buildings. At BuildingsToday.com you can find a detailed explanation of snow and rain loads for prefabricated steel buildings.

Prepare a place for steel quonsets

Land preparation for a steel quonset building varies according to your situation. Do you need to clear, grade, and level the land, or do you just need to hire a team to dig a foundation? Site prep should begin as soon as you choose your quonset building.

I recommend: Quonset Foundation, from A-Z Tech, shows a variety of methods available for steel quonset buildings. Pioneer Steel offers a DIY foundation kit, with a link to a step-by-step photo gallery.

Build your quonset

It's one of the main quonset huts basics: assembling your metal quonset building. Basic instructions on assembly will come from your manufacturer, but don't be afraid to ask the dealer for more information when you need it. And be sure to check your quonset hut kit when it arrives to make sure no parts are missing.

I recommend: "How to Build a Quonset Hut" at eHow.com goes over the main steps of assembly. If you're building big, or simply don't have the time or manpower to build your own quonset building, check out the tips at "The Right Erector for your Steel Building" at Rigid Frame Steel Buildings. Powerbilt Steel Buildings sells their Q-series quonset huts, and give you online assembly instructions.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  There are quonset huts for sale from many different manufacturers. Make sure you choose on that offers plenty of customer service after the sale, when you are dealing with assembly and maintenance. Don't purchase from a strictly-sales organization that won't be there for you once the sale is made.

Quonset huts — prefabricated corrugated steel buildings in a domed structure — were originally designed for military use. Today, Quonset steel buildings are used in many industries, including the residential, recreational, agricultural, commercial, industrial, automotive and aircraft arenas.

Metal Quonset buildings are typically the cheapest type of steel structure available and come in a few basic styles. Sometimes sold in a Quonset building kit, metal Quonset buildings are easy to erect and easy to disassemble. Another major benefit of a Quonset hut is that it is virtually maintenance free.

Quonset huts may be used for numerous purposes, including:

1. A Quonset hut is often used as a garage, shed or workshop.
2. Quonset steel buildings make excellent auto body and repair shops.
3. Metal Quonset buildings are the industry standard for airplane hangars.
4. Quonset huts are frequently the structure of choice for commercial warehouses, offices and even retail stores.
5. A Quonset hut can be an ideal structure for housing livestock or for storing agricultural equipment or commodities.
6. Quonset buildings can be used for recreational purposes, such as a gymnasium.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Types of Quonset huts

A Quonset hut can have an arched roof and straight sides, a pitched roof, or it can come with a full arch - no straight sides. The full arch style may limit storage space.

I recommend: Powerbilt Steel Buildings offers Quonset hut models with pitched roofs or high sidewalls as well as models with no interior poles or beams.

Choose metal Quonset buildings based on usage

The Quonset hut that's right for you depends on how you want to use it. For workshops, choose Quonset huts with the maximum amount of usable space - usually those with straight sides - and look for models that allow you to hang lighting, run electrical wiring or add insulation. Larger Quonset steel buildings are good for agricultural uses, including housing livestock.

I recommend: BuildingsGuide.com offers Quonset huts from a number of suppliers who manufacture recreational, agricultural, industrial and commercial Quonset steel buildings. At U.S. Buildings and Olympia Steel Buildings, you can search for steel Quonset buildings based on usage.

Buy a Quonset building kit and do it yourself

When you purchase a Quonset hut kit, you will need to assemble the structure yourself or hire someone to do it for you. Constructed Quonset huts can be placed on wood floors, concrete or on pilings.

I recommend: You can find an easy-to-assemble Quonset building kit at American Steel Span. SteelMaster Building Systems specializes in manufacturing arch steel buildings, such as Quonset steel buildings in sizes from as small as 10 feet wide up to 150 feet wide. Their Quonset building kit includes all the necessary elements to erect a storage building, workshop or other building and come.

Look for custom metal Quonset buildings

Most vendors only sell a few basic styles of Quonset huts. If you want something unique, look for a manufacturer that offers custom models.

I recommend: SteelMaster Building Systems offers custom Quonset hut designs for complex building and design challenges. In addition, you can customize basic models by purchasing trim kits that tie into other materials, such as wood, brick, block or vinyl siding.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If you buy a Quonset building kit, remember that it is only a portion of your total investment. You may be responsible for other costs, such as building permits or land preparation.
• •  With metal Quonset buildings, doors and windows can only be placed on the ends of the building, not the sides.
• •  Many Quonset huts come without ventilation, so the building may 'sweat'.
• •  Quonset steel buildings are the most basic of all steel structures. Unlike other steel structures, they usually don't come in a variety of colors.

There are many factors to take into account when you're budgeting for the pricing and costs of quonset huts. It's a balancing act that requires you to be willing to pay more for quality steel upfront, and then able to pay the more hidden costs of outfitting and maintaining a quonset metal building.

Quonset huts are a great option for permanent add-on space. Quonset buildings offer strength and flexibility for future growth, and quonset hut kits allow you to assemble your quonset on your own schedule. When pricing steel quonsets, keep the following costs in mind:

1. Choose the right type of quonset hut for your needs.

2. Insist on high-gauge steel for your quonset hut.

3. Know the hidden costs of quonset buildings.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Focus on your needs in a varied market of quonset huts for sale

There are two basic types of quonset hut: 'full arch' and 'mailbox.' Different styles mean different prices, for basic construction and for accessories. Mailbox, or 'straight wall' quonsets are more expensive than full arch, usually by about $1200 to $1500.

I recommend: Read a very in-depth discussion of the different types of commercial-use quonset buildings, their uses, pros and cons, at LawnSite.com (be sure to go to page 2 of the discussion for the meat of the discussion). BuildingsGuide.com has quonset building prices and samples for many industries.

Go the extra mile when it comes to the quality of your quonset steel building

Choose quonset huts for sale that are made of 26-gauge premium steel rather than the lighter 29-gauge steel. 26-gauge will cost more, but it will save you a small fortune in maintenance, as well as set your mind at rest about safety. In general, you should expect to pay $6 to $10 per square foot for a basic quonset, and $11 to $18 per square foot for a more elaborate quonset.

I recommend: "Selecting an all-steel structure: questions to ask" from the Oklahoma Building Guide not only describes the benefits of 26-gauge steel but offers good advice on other aspects of steel quonsets. See a Standard Building Components Detail comparison for a quonset hut from SteelMaster Building Systems.

Avoid falling into a money pit by pricing the hidden costs of quonset huts for sale up-front

Quonset huts themselves can be assembled quickly and easily, but the job--and the costs--don't stop once the walls go up. Pouring a concrete foundation costs about $5 to $10 per square foot, while shipping the kit, and installing insulation, wiring, and plumbing also add up quickly. If you choose to hire someone to put up your steel quonset, labor costs usually run $3 to $10 per square foot.

I recommend: "The Top 7 Mistakes Most People Make When Buying a Steel Building" has a comprehensive list of hidden costs under number two: Not Figuring Your Total Cost. BuildingsToday.com gives tips on how to keep costs down by keeping tabs on your quonset hut manufacturer at "Picking a Contract Manufacturer or Broker for Any Steel Structure System Project."

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Steel building manufacturers that provide high-gauge steel buildings often add on inferior grade accessories, such as doors and windows, that supposedly save you money but actually drive your maintenance costs up. Verify that all parts of your steel quonset are commercial grade.

The original Quonset hut was designed as a sturdy, portable shelter for use by the U.S. military in World War II. It featured a corrugated steel shell over sturdy "ribs" and could be assembled in a day by unskilled labor. The Quonset hut was so successful in war that it has lived on in peace time, often serving as an aircraft hangar, garage, product warehouse or agricultural storage facility. If you're considering a Quonset hut for your business, you need to know the different styles and materials available, along with other applicable terms.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Q-model

The classic, full-arch Quonset hut is built in the shape of a half circle. It is the strongest, most durable and least expensive model of Quonset hut available.

I recommend: Powerbilt Steel Buildings features photos of and comparisons between the Q-model and other types of Quonset huts, including the purposes each is best suited for.

S-model

The S-model Quonset hut has straight walls up to a certain level, often about four feet up, offering more space for storage of equipment and inventory.

I recommend: The BuildingsGuide.com Online comparison-shopping site outlines the types of Quonset huts and compares their features and pricing.

P-model

Similar to the S-model, the P-model of Quonset hut has upright sidewalls, but this variety is gabled at the top to offer more headroom and a more traditional building look. It is commonly used as a garage or backyard workshop. This is generally the most expensive style.

I recommend: The Metal Building Site Network offers yet another comparison of the three models of Quonset huts and features pricing comparisons and tips on buying metal buildings.

Galvanized steel and Galvalume coating

Most Quonset huts are made of galvanized steel for sturdy durability, but some include Galvalume (TM) coating. Galvalume is an aluminum-zinc alloy that resists corrosion and high temperatures.

I recommend: The Galvalume website explains their product in detail.

Pre-engineered

The term pre-engineered refers to the way the components of each steel building are individually designed by engineers based on the buyer's needs and specifications.

I recommend: An article at Buildings Today offers insights into the differences between modern pre-engineered buildings and the older Quonset hut.

Endwalls

The endwalls are the flat pieces of steel or wood that form the walls at either end of the Quonset hut. They generally feature a door and often have windows as well.

I recommend: U.S. Buildings shows pictures of several types of endwalls for various Quonset hut styles on its website.