The Quonset hut was erected by a WWII veteran after he returned to Beaufort following his service.  The 25′ x 48′ structure had experience a number of renovations when we bought the property in 1982. The ceiling was dropped and the shag carpeting had seen better days. We initally were planning on tearing the hut down but realized with a major renovation we could have curved ceilings. We added two separate buildings for bedrooms and the garage. They form a courtyard around a large live oak tree. The light filled kitchen overlooks the courtyard on the east and opens onto the inter coastal waterway on the west.

The corrugated metal skin on the Quonset hut inspired several details on the project. The front gate entering the courtyard has corrugated glass panels mounted in a rough cedar door. Galvanized corrugated metal panels are found in the kitchen cabinets. The glass tile back-splash mirrors how the light reflects off of the corrugation.

As we adapt and change the Quonset Hut we try to reuse the existing materials or source new ones locally. After our daughters grew out of the tree house we used the cypress from the walls for fencing around our condenser and gas tank. When we renovated the kitchen in 2007, we moved old kitchen cabinets into the laundry room.