Hurricane ready ????

[G.M.]

I hope I'm ready. After 2004 hurricane Charlie I decided to build a
shelter so I built this Quonset hut. It is heavy 18 gauge steel all
bolted together with the steel base plate that is held on the footing,
floor which is all poured at once with 1/2" anchor bolts 12"s long down
in the concrete. The rear wall has 3 shelves 4' wide of 3/4" plywood
and 2X6's to form a truss like structure to strengthen the rear wall. The
front wall and doors frames are all heavy to support the front wall. The
overhead door is hurricane rated with heavy cross bars. A 20' piece of
highway guard rail with 2 pins into the floor and 2 large bolts at the top
is placed against the center of the overhead door with a heavy wide cargo
strap from the door runners on each side, over the guard rail to pull the
guard rail tight against the door. My motor home is parked inside. There
are several generators, running water and toilet. If there is nothing else
left Tuesday I expect to see this building standing, hopefully. My main
concern is that most people left the area and no one gets hurt. G.M.

 

[petehoovie]

G.M., your building looks to be very substantial. Please post pictures of it after the hurricane has passed through....Good luck to you....

 

[Don W/Norfolk]

Here we are preparing for a major storm and you have to make me have garage envy. Not fair! dw

 

[jrvariel48]

G.M. I wish you luck! Sounds to me like that baby ain't goin' nowhere!!

 

[Capt Kirk]

G.M.
I'm a Structural Engineer and I think you've done all you can do to protect your things. The Quonset shape is good and it appears that you have it anchored well. The worse thing that can happen in high winds is to loose doors or windows...the wind will pressurize the interior compounding the pressures the building is experiencing. That's one of the reasons roofs blow off. The most critical element of your building is the overhead door...all the wind loading is going to the two tracks and with a big door there's lots of load. It sounds like you've thought about all of this and have taken extra precautions. I'm crossing my fingers for you...please let us know how things turn out.

 

[5851a]

A farm nearby has one that I used to pick up milk from and he told me it was guaranteed to 100mph winds. It still looks today as it did 40 years ago. Best of luck.

 

[richard crow]

pray that god likes your old fords

 

[Tinker]

I just moved after 20+ yrs from central Fl. There are times right now I just want to get in my truck and head down now to help friends prepare. Heck one friend was safe in LA and flew back yesterday just to do whatever he can.

I hope it'll just hit the everglades and not Miami (unfortunate for that wildlife area maybe it'll sling a few pythons out into the gulf). It'll slow way down once it hits land. But it'll still be a force for most of the state with all that comes with a hurricane.

I think that's a damn fine solid building that'll smile at the upcoming wind. The curved sides makes it aerodynamic! You got this!

 

[flatford8]

I put up the same thing in Maine. My concern was snow load. Hope everyone down there makes it through this ok....... Mark

 

[flathead48]

Good luck GM and God Bless all the people in the path

 

[fortyonerag]

Fingers crossed for you.

 

[adileo]

Looks like Florida west coast will be hit hardest. Good luck to all Barners in the path of this storm.

 

[38coop]

Between my house and my daughters house, we have done everything we can do to get ready. Now the wait and see what happens.

 

[G.M.]

Thanks Guys, Time of truth is nearing. G.M.

 

[oldford2]

GM,
Our hopes and prayers are for Irma to make an unpredicted turn west into the Gulf and not make a landfall. Ten years ago a hurricane was coming up the west coast and predicted to come into the Tampa area and it made a sharp turn into Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda. Tampa was spared but you folks in Punta Gorda took a heavy hit. I visited the area a month after and most buildings had a blue tarp for a roof. Skip's shop lost part of the roof. We have a winter home just north of Tampa and the shore is just across the road so right now it looks like it will be gone.
God Bless the folks still there.
John

 

[corvette8n]

Be safe all you barners in Irma wake.

 

[OLD AS I]

G.M. hope it looks just like your picture 1 here following the storm, wish you and your family well, take care, be safe ............. cheers

 

[1952henry]

Best wishes, GM, to you and all others in its path.

 

[deuce_roadster]

I hope your building is high enough above sea level. Looks like it will handle the wind.
Fingers crossed for you and Skip.

 

[Old Redneck]

GM come up and stay with us. I got a nice little house behind mine that you and your wife can use as long as you want it. Put that 32 you have in the hut plus your 39's also. I will pick you up at Pittsburgh Airport. Won't cost you a dime here. You can drive my 39 or what ever you want and we will go junk in every day. Anyway its my turn to treat you.