The biggest mistake we made when we ordered our DuroSpan steel building kit was NOT ordering the hand welded base plates along with it. I don’t know what we were thinking. The base platse may not be necessary to install the quonset hut, but they definitely make it 1,000% easier. Had we ordered the base plate at the same time as the building, we would have saved close to $1,500.00 in extra freight charges and would have been able to erect the building six weeks earlier. But life is all about learning from your mistakes, right?
Once the base plates arrived, we set to work installing them. First, we laid out all of the sections so that we would know where the holes were. Then, we used a hammer drill (98 times!) to make 3” deep holes in our concrete pad. We coated the bottom of each base plate section with roofing tar to prevent water from seeping underneath the base plate. Finally, we bolted each section in place.
While we were waiting for the base plates to arrive, we started assembling partial arches. (I strongly recommend getting a head start on this if possible; your hands will get tired after putting several together because there are SO MANY BOLTS!) Often, it’s just the two of us working on the barn, so we opted to stand it up in sections as opposed to full arches. I will be sure to post again as we begin erecting the structure.
I’m sure there will be a bit of a learning curve with this next step!
My problem is the base plates were installed level. They overhang the concrete pad fine but because the plates are level, water pools along with dirt, leaves, etc. Is there a flashing or remedy to keep the water from pooling? No matter how much i clean ive got rust pits now. PS the building is 25 years old and im sure theres a better way for the water to drain off. I did not build the concrete nor mount the base plates. Just put in 10,000 bolts.
Hey James, there’s not much you can do if they were installed level, but I’m wondering if a coating of flex seal would help protect your base plates!
How much would it cost for a base plate for a 90’ building cell number 218-556-5363
Hey David, I’m not sure what a base plate would cost nowadays. We built our Quonset hut before the COVID price increases. We bought ours from Durospan.
I had a price of 7K for a 48′ X-frame building. It is not square sides and there is more to it, but I have an idea that may work well. Look for a You-Tube video in a 2023 December. No matter how I sliced it 5 K was the absolute most I could justify the baseplate. This is going to be a careful accounting.