Quonset on loose rock or dirt???

[Frankdozer]

I want to purchase a quonset but the concrete support wall and slab, for financial reasons are out of the budget right now. Can I build it on gravel or loose rock or what? The size is 25 wide x 24 long with 14'3" height. Thanks, Frank

 

[smiley]

We put up a used temporary arch style about 30x70 at a new landfill project and anchored it to bunker blocks. These are large concrete blocks that some concrete companies make with leftover concrete. In my area they sell for $50 each I (think they're 3x3x4 ft).
The worst thing was that I had moved on to another project before the job was completed and unknown to me, they scrapped the building after the job was finished. About made me sick when I heard about it.

 

[JohninCT]

We put up a used temporary arch style about 30x70 at a new landfill project and anchored it to bunker blocks. These are large concrete blocks that some concrete companies make with leftover concrete. In my area they sell for $50 each I (think they're 3x3x4 ft).
The worst thing was that I had moved on to another project before the job was completed and unknown to me, they scrapped the building after the job was finished. About made me sick when I heard about it.

Did you st the arches on top of the blocks?

 

[JohninCT]

I want to purchase a quonset but the concrete support wall and slab, for financial reasons are out of the budget right now. Can I build it on gravel or loose rock or what? The size is 25 wide x 24 long with 14'3" height. Thanks, Frank

You could drill/dig some sonotube holes which would probably take less concrete and bolt it to them. Gravel floor.

 

[moeh1]

The concrete floor and sill beam are a large part of the load-resistance preventing the arc from spreading out under wind and snow load. I would recommend waiting until you can afford it.

 

[cmyoung2]

you have to have something to keep it from either spreading from it's own weight or snow, and someting to anchor in wind, and it doesn't take much wind to move one. If you try it on just dirt or gravel, I'll bet you lose the building in less than a year. You might not need a full 2'x2' footer, but you need something.

 

[smiley]

Did you st the arches on top of the blocks?

We partially buried the blocks then drilled and bolted the arches directly on top of them them.
Smiley

 

[bitternut]

Since you are in WNY what did you do about frost heaving the blocks and where did you get the blocks for $50 apiece? Was that a picked up or delivered price?

 

[5030]

The concrete floor and sill beam are a large part of the load-resistance preventing the arc from spreading out under wind and snow load. I would recommend waiting until you can afford it.

Not necessarily true....

I have a ClearSpan truss Arch hay and implement building, 100 feet long x 42 wide x 16 high and I built it on a pre engineered graded and retainer walled sand base. Every 8 feet I used a screw in anchor embedded in a concrete filled sonotube. The anchor is turnbuckled to the lower frame.. The truss feet sit on 2x12 PT planks tied with metal plates the entire length of the building. The front overhead roll up door wall is 4x6PT posts anchored in concrete and the rear solid wall is just framed with 2x2 galv square tube and fabric covered (supplied with the building).

It's been erected since 2007 and has never moved or shuddered even in windstorms. Best 5 grand I ever spent.

My wife and I built the entire building ourselves.

 

[smiley]

Since you are in WNY what did you do about frost heaving the blocks and where did you get the blocks for $50 apiece? Was that a picked up or delivered price?

We were not concerned with long term heaving or such as the building was temporary housing for a tire shredding operation to line the new dump for drainage. It probably would never have heaved anyway because the entire operation was sitting on gravel. If heaving is a concern and you're building on a slope, you can dig a ditch under the perimeter below frostline, install and daylight drainage pipe, backfill with stone or well compacted gravel in lifts, then set your blocks or pour a footer wall on top and put your building up. I have a near 200 year old barn that is built exactly that way except with a mud sill on rocks instead of gravel and it has never moved other than where the road was raised and the ground rotted the mud sill which I replaced with concrete.
The blocks that we used at the dump were larger retaining wall blocks. The $50 ones are advertised on the Utica craigslist occasionally. PostingID: 2608741141.
It's most likely Crainsville concrete and most likely picked up as the 2x2x6 would weigh in around 1 1/2 tons.
They show a photo using them for exactly what we're talking about here.