Completed - Our Non-traditional Looking Sugarhouse

[MISugarDaddy]

In June 2013, my wife and I started construction on a new sugarhouse to replace the leanto that we had boiled under from 2008 through 2013. Originally I had planned on a smaller structure to house only the evaporator so I wouldn’t have to deal with the wind, snow, and rain that occurs often during syrup season. However, when I approached my wife with this idea, she suggested going larger and having running water so we could do all our bottling and washing of equipment in it as well. She also suggested finishing the interior to meet food sanitation regulations so we could apply for licensure. As a result, we ended up with a 16’ by 24’ structure and now use the original leanto for wood storage. Although we have used this building for the past two syrup seasons, it was not until recently that we finally finished with all the interior work, which included upgrading the evaporator. It took us this long, because my wife and I did all the work by ourselves. Attached to this post are 5 pictures showing our original leanto and evaporator; getting ready to break ground in June 2013 (our property is not at all level); footings poured and blocks laid to provide us with the required 48” deep footings; ready to pour the concrete floor; walls up and sheeted with rafters in place. I will add two more posts with more pictures.1285812859128621286312864

[MISugarDaddy]

The pictures attached to this post show the roof ready for shingles; setting the cupola in place (my wife did a nice job of doing this – not bad since this was her first time using a unit like this); interior walls insulated and sheeted, and ceiling insulation going up; two pictures showing the finished exterior of the sugarhouse and woodshed. The green pole barn structure in the last picture is used for additional wood storage and for storing sap prior to processing.1286512866128671286812869

[MISugarDaddy]

The pictures attached to this post show our new evaporator setup for 2016; storage closet with an insulated 100 gallon feed tank on top and the entrance door to the right; our bottling area with our movable storage table; sink for washing equipment, hand-washing sink, and stove (the hand-washing sink had to be added to be able to be licensed according to the food inspector); filter press cart and entrance to the wood storage area. All wall and ceiling surfaces are covered with fiberglass reinforced panels to allow for washing if needed. All trim work and ceiling firring strips are made of vinyl, held in place by stainless steel fasteners. As shown in the last picture, we also installed satellite TV for a little entertainment when needed.1287012871128721287312874

[Urban Sugarmaker]

Nice job. Very clean and modern. What material is that on the walls and ceilings?

[Midwestguy]

Great work! As the people who were fortunate enough to purchase MISugarDaddy's Patrick Phaneuf evaporator through Maple Trader, we've seen their beautiful new sugar house and it is a dandy! We look forward to our first year of sugarin' on our own here in central WI, albeit in a much more humble setup. We have a few more items to install and will post photos during the upcoming season.

[BreezyHill]

AWESOME!
Gold Standard.

[jmayerl]

Nice job. Very clean and modern. What material is that on the walls and ceilings?
I'm guessing it's fiberglass panels like menards sells. We just did our bottling room with the same.

[MISugarDaddy]

Nice job. Very clean and modern. What material is that on the walls and ceilings?
The walls and ceiling are covered with fiberglass reinforced panels (FRP) that we purchased from Menards. We went through a lot of glue and fasteners attaching it.
Gary

[Woodsrover]

That's very cool! Interesting concept.

[TerryEspo]

WOW,,,,Top Notch Job!

Speechless.

Thanks for sharing.

[MISugarDaddy]

Thank you for the very nice comments. We really appreciate those of you who took the time to comment. It means a lot to me and especially my wife. Through part of the construction process, she underwent breast cancer surgery and treatment. Thank God, though, it was caught very early.
Gary

[Cedar Eater]

Beautiful. You can be very proud of that project.