How hard is it to assemble a quonset hut type bldg

[stevenf]

I'm sorry to do this, I know double posting is frowned upon but at least I kept it in the same category so I'm not being sneaky just desperate for responses, I have a chance to pick up a 30' X 40' "A" frame type quonset style building at about half of retail from U.S. Building Systems tommorrow morning. Is this a project better left to professionals, the literature seems pretty straight forward and I've got a loader on my tractor to help with lifting the arch's into position to bolt up. It looks like a good way to get a storage barn on the cheap but if it takes a year to assemble it the savings is eaten up in time spent. They claim you can assemble the 20 arch's in less then 20 hours and I'd bet you'd spend an equal or greater time standing them up and bolting them to each other once they are assembled but I just don't know. Anybody have any experience with these things. Any insite would be greatly appreciated Please! Their web site is www.usbuildingsystems.net
Steve

 

[beenthere]

I drove by a farm where an older man put one up pretty much by himself. He had a farm wagon with a wood scaffolding on it, and it just rolled down the middle as he bolted the frames together. He didn't go too fast, but got the job done. I suspect the loader would help get them up and the wagon idea helped with reaching the connections.

After about a year, the farm seems abandoned now, so maybe bad times fell on him, but he did finish the shed. Looked like it was a used one.

 

[jeffinsgf]

I put up a 40 x 76 arch building last year. We broke ground the first of September. Had the foundation finally done the middle of October. Started raising arches then. Fought rain every step of the way. Had the arches up in about 2-1/2 weeks. End walls took another couple of weeks -- much of which was spent waiting for a replacement part. Finished off 600 square feet for office space and had our business moved into the building between Christmas and New Years.

This was done by me, one pretty skilled carpenter, and one willing but clueless guy -- who could climb like a monkey. The 40 foot wide SteelMaster building has an 18' peak. We rented a scissor jack for three weeks to get the arches up.

Personally, I would not hesitate to take on your project single handed or with one or two extra hands. If it is the project at hand, you could knock out the assembly of a 30 x 40 in less than two weeks with a couple of helpers.

Buy a couple of good quaility cordless 3/8" impact wrenches. You have a lot of nuts and bolts in your future. Mine calculated out to 10,500 -- more or less. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[geneP]

My neighbor bought a building that looks like that. I'm not sure of the manufacturer. It isn't up yet, but he has his slab poured. His contractor told him that the building has no frame or base at the bottom and there is supposed to be a channel formed into the slab to hold the base of the walls straight. The contractor's solution was to buy angle iron and bolt it to the slab and anchor the building sides to the angle. Either way adds expense to the assembly.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">(

This was done by me, one pretty skilled carpenter, and one willing but clueless guy -- who could climb like a monkey. )</font>

Moe, Larry and Curly? /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[billbill1]

I put up a 40 X 60 USSteel building 5-1/2 years ago. It's much tougher than they lead you to believe. I think they told me that a crew of 4 good men could assemble and erect one of these buildings in 3 to 4 working days-hogwash!! I spent 6 weeks before the building was completed. Now that it's done, I like it alot. Some pointers if you go this way, get some bars with pointed ends to align the holes, get the impact wrenches as previously mentioned, and get a scissor lift to help pick up the arches. The arches are flimsy until upright and bolted together and can fold up when erecting them. I wouldn't put sliding doors on the building, get overhead doors and put in plenty of them- it will give you more usable space. The angle iron bolted to the concrete is a good idea too, it will give you something solid to attach the panels to. Everyone that I know that has one of these buildings were told that the building was ordered but never delivered, therefore, the lower price. I paid $12,500 delivered to my property. Nice buildings when completed but lots and lots of work. My $.02

 

[stevenf]

Thanks to all who responded, the guy crawfished on the deal this morning when I started asking more questions then he was prepared to answer. Oh well after reading some of the replys I'm thinking a pole barn will be on my todo list.
Steve

 

[beenthere]

What were the price deals? Wondering why the 'chance' at half price, and wondering what the retail price would be too ??

 

[stevenf]

He said the retail price was $1499 for a 30' X 36' he was willing to make it 30' x 40' throw in the bottom attachment piece for the foundation and sell it for $7891. They call all the time and have ads in the classifieds for buildings ordered with deposits already paid and not delivered it always sounds like a scam and I'm sure it is but the price sounded good until I started researching others on the net and then it was about average for posted prices for the size I wanted from their competition.
Steve

 

[Highbeam]

"He said the retail price was $1499 for a 30' X 36' he was willing to make it 30' x 40' throw in the bottom attachment piece for the foundation and sell it for $7891."

Maybe missed a digit in the first figure.

I just can't get over the ugliness. Or I should say my wife can't. She made it clear that the quanset hut type metal building was not attractive and wouldn't want a smashed garbage can in the yard. Oh well, square buildings are nice too.