Quonset idea being reconsidered

Updated,

1.9.20:

The latest iteration of this concept is to use the cattle panels as usual but put in a metal sheet to attach to the panel.  Then pour some concrete to cover the metal.   It would be a thin layer of concrete alright, because of the extreme weight that a thick layer would entail.

No tarp this time.

A composting toilet would be used as opposed to a septic tank.  That would save money.

I'm thinking that a roof above the Quonset would help with the sun.

5.27.19:

This idea will be shelved as well.  It may be useful for utility buildings, but not as a dwelling.  The ergonomics would not favor it.  Not to mention that it would take a long time to construct something of any size at all.

Although it is shelved, it is not completely abandoned.  Not yet, at least.

The most efficient solution is to take the trailer out there.  It will need a septic tank installed.  I would also need electricity generation capability.  But all that planning can wait awhile longer.


5.26.19:

Just realized an error in yesterday's write-up.  Besides, upon further review, the digging option has been ruled out.  Why?  Too big of a risk of something unexpected.  For example, there could be solid rock in an inconvenient place.  I don't know how far the sand goes down.  It may go down hundreds of feet, or just a few.  Without any information about what is below the surface, it is too big of a risk to undertake.

Instead of doing that, I can scrape off the top layer of sand, and push it against the quonset.  This will shield the quonset from the elements.  That much is possible.

The quonset structure will be above ground.  That is, if it ever gets built.

One thing that I have determined so far is that it is possible to build a small one.  It may take a couple weeks, but it could be done.  The sand can be piled on later.



5.25.19:

Here is an amended plan, which would include a new idea:

Concrete covered cattle panel constructed as an arch for the quonset concept.

Moving the dirt, and constructing the structure.

Use bobcat in order to move enough dirt for a 3 ft deep trench.  It would be 8 feet wide at
the bottom.  At a 45 degree angle, the entire width should be about 16.5 feet.  That is because
You'd need about 1.414*3 feet for the hypotenuse of an isoceles right triangle.  It is isoceles
because it is as wide as deep, so the lengths of two sides are equal.  Therefore, the math
yields about 16.5 feet in width, which would angle down at a 45 degree angle to the 3 foot
level, where I would stop digging.

In order to make it wider at quonset floor level, make it wider at the bottom.  Add another
2 feet to each side making it 20.5 feet wide.  Length wise?  Depends upon how many concrete
"bunkers" I would want to make.  If only one, it would be 16.5 feet in the original
config above, plus any length desired.  Eight more feet would yield 24.5 feet in order to
allow a steep grade down below.

This layout may have to rendered to paper, by the way...

Getting into details...

A much narrower trench would be dug here on each side.  This is to set the cattle panel into
place using concrete.  Place each end of the cattle panel into the trench on each side. The
panel will be bent into semicircular shape that would be about 6 feet tall.

Fill in the narrow trench with concrete.  This will set into cattle panel into position.

Place forms on each side of the cattle panel.  These forms will be about 4 inches deep, and
about 6 inches wide.  Pour concrete into the forms, and continue doing so until ground level.
That would require 48 pours of 4 inches apiece in order to cover the 16 feet of cattle panel.

Refill the empty trench with dirt, but not all the way up at one time.  Put the forms in to
prevent dirt from getting to the boundaries of the cattle panel.  The dirt is used in order
to support the wet concrete until it can set.

Finish out the concrete pours until all of the cattle panel is covered in concrete up to 6
inches thick.  Remove the dirt and leave an empty space inside that should be six feet tall.
That height would be sufficient to walk under it.

It will be necessary to remove the last 6 inches or so of dirt at the bottom in order to
have more headroom.  After all the pours, the arch will be hardened, and therefore, does
not need the support of that dirt.

Concrete bags could be placed at each end so that it would be enclosed.  The dirt would then
be pushed up against the bags forming a berm at each end.  If concrete bags aren't desired,
then metal or perhaps wood could be used for the three feet or so of the berm.

Each section would require 48 pours of concrete.  After some thought, it may not be necessary
to fill in the dirt as the concrete is poured.  Instead, just 4" sections could be poured at
a time.  Two by fours eight feet long could be used for forms.

Each pour would take 1.65 60 pound bags.  That means for each 8 foot section would require
nearly 80 bags of concrete!  Yikes!  The calculate allows for 6" width, and 4" deep.
It is 8 feet long, yielding 8*.5*.33 cubic feet, or 1.32 cu ft.  An 80 pound bag is
.6 cubic feet.  A 60 pound bag is .75 times that or, 1.65. There are 48 pours of 4 inch
each, which yields 16 feet.

But it would not be impossible, as I could haul the concrete a bit at a time.  In order
to haul 80 bags of 60 pound concrete, I could divide it up into 5 loads.  Each load
would be about a thousand pounds.  My van can handle that.  Could I handle this much
physical labor?  Only at a slow pace.


5.24.19:

It seemed that in the recent past, this matter was settled.  Now it isn't.  Just goes to show you that final isn't final.  At least not in this neck of the woods.

A quonset holds many advantages.  Unfortunately, there are disadvantages.

As written earlier, going underground is an attractive option for this project.  The advantage of a quonset is that it won''t require much construction in terms of a roof.

But the quonset hut built before didn't hold up.  However, if it were to be built underground, then the wind cannot blow the tarp to smithereens.

Another idea is to use concrete bags without mixing the concrete.  Just leave the concrete in the bag, and let the rain seep in and harden it.  Stack the bags up about 3 feet high, while starting in the ground 3 more feet, and you have six feet of head room.

Pile that dirt from the hole back on top of the concrete.  Then all you have is a big mound, but underneath you have a livable area that is out of the elements.

Of course, you still need to cover the roof.  The cattle panels will just outline the inner ceiling.  Perhaps some insulation can go between roof and ceiling.

A bit more thought yields the thought that animals may find their way into the structure.  It would have to be fenced in, and screened.  Access could come from a ground-floor type arrangement.

The ground floor will be a fenced in area, with a ladder that would allow access to the lower floor.

Post holes would be dug in at the lower floor, and rise 8 feet about ground level.  The roof would be placed on top of this.   The dirt berm would rise 3 feet, and backed by the concrete bags.  At the top of this, cattle panels would go all around.

This plan is incomplete.  More thought is necessary, as the idea is new.

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— Greg Meadows (@BootsandOilBlog) May 24, 2019