As the Garage-in-a-Box neared completion, my level of misgiving steadily rose.

Yes, the Garage-in-a-Box provided protection (some) for my Gator, and yes, it had space for me to store some tools, water, herbicide and gasoline. But the amount of protection was very limited, and I had mental images of the tent (Yes, it is a tent) lifting off in a strong breeze. And it provided no protection at all against unauthorized entry.

Several weeks after it was built, I was surprised to discover that there was water from an adjacent field draining directly underneath the Garage-in-a-Box, making the floor perpetually wet.

I needed a new strategy.

I have always been fascinated with Quonset Huts. All-steel and bolted together, these portable buildings were produced in large quantities during the Second World War (My Dad and older siblings lived in one when he was in the Navy at Camp Schoemaker, California.)

The design has been improved upon since then, and it stuck me that an inexpensive Quonset Hut might be the solution to my storage and shelter problem. Durable, easy to assemble, and resistant to high winds, falling branches, and the occasional nosy animal, two or four legged. I investigated further on the internet…for example:

All that would be necessary for me to build a Quonset Hut in the forest would be clearing a small area (already done with the help of the Forest Mulcher), pouring a concrete slab (I could hire a guy to do this), have the disassembled hut delivered, and then hire some helpers to put it up.

Later, I was to discover there were some complexities to this I hadn’t anticipated.

A simple concrete slab would not be sufficient. To be durable, it would have to have 4-foot “footings” to go below the frost line.
While durable enough, Quonset Huts are known for not being particularly water tight…they leak.

I couldn’t find anyone locally who had ever actually put up a Quonset Hut. If there were to be an expert, it would be me.

I was also troubled by my observations in looking around at other farms in my neighborhood. Very few Quonset Huts, and many, many Pole Barns.

Hmmm.