sugar shack build

[spencer11]

i am looking at building my first sugar shack and just wondering how big to buil it and where to build it? any tips are welcome. just looking for ideas on a first build. i have 52 taps on buckets if that helps.

[Flat47]

What size evaporator do you have now and how many more taps do you expect to add? That really points you in the right direction. We run a wood-fired 2'x4' in a 10'x12' sugarhouse and it gets cramped. I wish I'd built it 12'x20'. Always go bigger than what you think you need. By the time you put in the evaporator, the canner, some counter top (or shelving), a couple of chairs and a wheel-barrow of fire wood, you're suddenly all out of room. The University of Vermont Ag Extension used to put out a booklet called "Sugarhouse Design." Send me a pm for details. It's a bit old by now, but still helpful.

[lastwoodsman]

I just built a 12 x 16 last year and at this point for a 2 x 6 evaporator I feel it is the perfect size. At least it fits all my needs.

[spencer11]

52 is my total number of taps for next year as i have already bought more. i was thinking about 10x12 shack. i dont plan on having a canner for the next couple years. i am planning on making a homemade 2x5 or 2x6 evaporator. i cant go to big because my property is very rocky and uneven plus i live on a hill.

any ideas of where i should put it? i can put it in the woods just of my lawn but the problem becomes when half the snow melts where my trees are and some trees have a foot of snow. so i cant get my atv to alot of my trees. any idea of what i should collect my sap with?

[brookledge]

Take a look at some of the sugarhouses near you. A picture is worth a thousand words. Also ask some questions as to what they would do differently.
Good luck
Keith

[Sugarmaker]

Spencer11,
Good luck and get started. Make it high enough you could add a lean too on one side in the future.
Keep us posted. Pictures are great!
Regards,
Chris

[cvmaple]

Listen to Flat 47 he is giving you good advice. Elbow room is always appreciated. Another thing you will want lots of are windows, any light after a long dreary winter makes you feel better during your long hours of boiling. good luck and let us see your progress.

[lastwoodsman]

Ahh I agree with CVmaple on the windows, lots of light and let in the cool air!!
For movement--the less steps you have to take and can move efficiently to get the work done without tripping over things is the objective.
Think of a cab on a tractor-- its all at your finger tips you don't have to get up and walk around to preform functions.
Woodsman

[Father & Son]

Try to plan for the future. If you sometime want to go to tubing find a low location if possible so everything will run to the sugarhouse. I started with a 12 x 16 and a 2x6 evaporator. I have since added a 12 x 16 woodshed, upgraded to a 2x8 evaporator, and looking to add on again. The best advice I got after I built was figure what you need for size then DOUBLE IT!

Jim

[spencer11]

thanks for all the advice. there i a couple shacks just down my street that a friend of my parents own. i was thinking since i am planning to add a lot of taps in the next 2 years a 12x20' shack would suit me well. for wood i get pallets from a friend of mine and burn them, so i was thinking a 12x16 wood shed. as for tubing i will eventuly get tubing any tips on how to run tubing and maintain it are welcome to. i live on a nice steep hill but my house is at the top and i couldn't at the bottom.