Needs for a sugar house

[jrmaple]

Hi all, I am looking to build a new sugar house during the off season, it needs to be big enough to house a 4x12 evaporator and have a loft big enough to hold a 1250 tank, I will be hosting pancake breakfast's and open houses for tours and guests through out the season so I need to have enough room to breath with guests, I was thinking of a 24x34 main building with a 10 ft lento enclosed for pancake breakfast and sales, would this size be sufficient for a 4x12 and estimate 30-50 people at a time? What do you guys think are NEEDS for a modern sugar house? Any advice would be greatly appreciated, and as normal pictures are worth a thousand words a pleasure to see. Thanks.

[UpOnTheFarm]

jr - good for you!

24x34 should be plenty especially once you add your leanto and loft. My suggestion is get some string and "build" it. lay out the design on the ground. Keep in mind 3 feet clearance away from equipment - don't want quests getting burned - then add walk ways and general working room. keep people away from the "business end" firing, drawing off. Invite your sports buddies over to visit your mock-up - can you get your job done? Can they walk in & out safely and see what's going on. 30-50 people -take a look around your cafeteria - how many tables & people how much space that takes up.

Needs - seating for sugarhouse chatting. several exits. Electricity. running water - hot if possible. potty. storage for processed/jugs syrup, buckets, tubings

[gmcooper]

JR good you are planning ahead. The 24x34 might be good for sugarhouse but I would think about how to have part of that partitioned off for a bottling/kitchen area and also a restroom. As for pancake breakfasts we just built a 26x32 garage to use as a seating area for ours. We were able to set up 70 inside. There are stairs in one corner other than that everything is open. We did all the cooking outside. We did have enough space for a couple tables for drinks inside and some syrup sales. wish it was bigger.
My thoughts on a sugarhouse size for our next one is 40x60 with room to add onto all 4 sides.

[Sugarmaker]

jr,
You have a project. you cant be too big. We have 30-40 folks walking through our sugarhouse on Taste and Tour weekend. Its not over crowded but we dont set down to eat. Good luck!
Regards,
Chris

[jrmaple]

I have set up the strings and "mock" walk ways already to see the size that I am looking at and used card board to represent the evaporator and work spaces and it looks like I will have enough room for guests and working. So I started the ground breaking and had a 10x40 raised slab of cement poured for the wood storage, it is about 2 ft higher than the actual level of the evaporator so it will be easy to reach over and get wood without a lot of bending over. I am preparing the next 24x34 area for it to be poured hopefully before May comes around. Then I will use crushed stone under the other lento for the picnic tables and guest and equipment in the off season as it will one be covered from one side. I think I am off to a good start, but who knows if it will be complete by next year. And yes I have all the drains and HOT water on the radar before pouring the next slab. Also, A BATHROOM!!! I am putting a bathroom under the loft in a corner under the stair case as the space is useful for anything else really and I might as well have a bathroom if I will be having guests every weekend during the sugaring season. So in total, including lentos, it will measure 44x34, and I got not one, but TWO stainless 1,000 gallon tanks to go in the loft so I am using telephone posts as my supports to be able to hold all that weight and in the future an RO machine too. Just hoping it will be done by next year as I am only tackling this project on the weekends when I have time, and the money is available after working. If not, I am not worried, just be even better off for the next season. Thanks everybody!

[Michael Greer]

Visit a couple other sugarhouses with a measuring tape in hand. Sometimes just watching someone else's process can reveal a better idea, or point out a shortcoming.

[themapleking]

Go bigger least 40x32. think about a bottling room, Kitchen, R.O. room, Sap & Perm tank room, Vacume pump room. MAybe a cooler for drum syrup. Think about the future & how big you might get. a 4x 12 evap will need at least 12x20 work space. Don't forget you need room to take the rig apart for end of season cleaning. Most important a bathroom.

[SWEETER CREATIONS]

We have a 24 x 32 with a 4 x 12 evaporator NOT enough room with 25 people let alone 50 sitting to eat. We plan on adding another 24 x 32 to it ,build it bigger than you need now . Always have new equipment taking up more space , barrel storage filter press ,canning etc BUILD IT BIGGER ! Mike

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

might want to think about 2 bathrooms and possible making one handicap accesible. These days you need to think of stuff like that in case code officer/state fire marshal etc will get to walk through your place. Being "open" to the public opens a whole other book.

I was in Thads last week and think his is 30x60 I'm trying to imagine what you have and all those people. Barrels and filter press taking up room, pretty much what sweet creations said. All Thads storage is on second floor (6 2200gal tanks).

Like the old saying "GO BIG OR GO HOME"
Good luck with you project