Cupola Windows

[MaynardPorter]

We are currently in the process of building a new sugar house and trying to figure out how to make quality, operational cupola windows. I'm thinking of three potential options:

- casement windows that are laid on their side so the hing is on the bottom (could potentially have them open remotely)
- sliding windows that I could run a steam stack to (with fan)
- a fixed window hooked to a pulley system to open an close the window (don't think I can get a good seal when it's closed)

The sugar house is a post and beam structure, 22' x 62' ( 1/3 of the building is a separate kitchen area with a full basement and 2/3 is for the evaporator room which is on a slab w/ radiant heating.

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[VTnewguy]

Looks awesome! Just a thought but you could run a steam stack straight out and leave the cupola sealed tight with any windows you might want.

[MISugarDaddy]

WOW is an understatement!!! Sounds like you are going to have a great looking and functional sugarhouse. Although we did not put windows in our cupola, we went with your third option and could have easily put them in. Our cupola doors seal tight and have weatherstripping to keep the insects out. Just a thought to consider...last year was our first year with a steam hood for which we terminated the vent pipe in the cupola. We found that some cold days the steam did not escape out of the cupola fast enough because we had limited windows open to keep a draft off the pans. As a result we accumulated steam in the peak of the sugarhouse. This summer that required us to wash a majority of the ceiling to remove a film that had accumulated on it. (If you follow the link in my signature you will see that we covered our entire sugarhouse with FRP to allow us to wash it.) Because of that, we are extending the steam pipe vent out through the roof of the cupola so the steam is released directly outside instead of into the cupola. We will still open the cupola doors to release any steam from the syrup pan area as that only has a half hood and some steam escapes out of it.

Good luck with the rest of your build and continue with more pictures showing us your progress.
Gary

[Wanabe1972]

I just built a new cupola for my sugar house. I never had one before just had an open gable. I got the sides to shut with a rope but what is the easiest way to make them open. The doors fit tight in their frames and I need to push on them to open.
Thanks Jeff
.

[Spanielslovesappin]

Beautiful! A basement in the sugarhouse is must for tanks and ro's!

Casement windows on their sides will not hold up over time as moisture will not be able to drain away properly, you will rot the window and surrounding frame over time. Even if you use vinyl the the drain paths and sealing only work if you install the window in the proper orientation

Sliders will just not look right and will be difficult to operate.

This leaves you with awning windows which would probably be your best bet off the shelf though they may not open as far as you like or getting a hopper window that opens out rather than in. The hopper option i think could be done but is likely custom.

If i was solving this problem i think i would just build it custom as a fixed window with pulley system. Build or or find a fixed window with either single glass or thermopane. I used cedar 2x4 for this on a leaded glass window in my SH. Then you just need to built a custom casing that will fit the window and drain moisture away from the bottom; cedar or white oak would be best, i incorporated the sill flashing on my cupola openings into the roof flashing . If you use thermopane glass and add weather stripping to the window and frame it will be tight. My SH has radiant heat but is not "heated" and at this point i still just have hopper doors in my cupola that lay down on the roof but i want to switch to windows and this is how i plan to go about it minus the weather stripping. Your windows need to be able to fall open, the walls on my cupola are not square; they have an 5-10 degree outward angle to them so that the doors will fall open; i still had to add some SS stock to them to get enough weight on the doors to pull the cable up to allow the window to open. Also i have a spring at the end of the cable that allows me to put gentle tension on the doors. It would probably be simpler to just use some good quality cord to operate them BUT i could not resist a complicated pulley system that is more or less invisible.

Good luck and nice work!

[johnallin]

Maynard,
That truly s a beautiful building.
I have attached some pics of our cupola and the doors I made for it. I am unable to attach a drawing file I have, but will keep trying.
Doors are made out of maple I had on hand. I used plexiglass where panels would be for added light.
They are hinged on a 3/4" steel pipe, fastened to the doors about 1/3 of the way down from the top, and extending beyond the door about 6" into pillow blocks lagged onto the main frame of the cupola.
By pulling on a line attached to the inside top edge, they swing outward from the bottom thus offering protection from rain and/or snow while boiling, and infinite adjust-ability once the line is cleated off. Because they are "bottom heavy" closing is a simple matter of easing off on the line - gravity does the rest. The design is not mine but was offered up by Scott Carlson, the timber framer who designed our shack.

Polish Wizard had sent a private message requesting pics, but I could not post by replying in the private msg area for some reason. With luck, he will see this post.

Hope this is helpful. John
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[MaynardPorter]

Appreciate the advice, and apologies for a late response...was a busy Fall trying to get the Sugar House buttoned up before Winter. So, I ended up going with regular sliding windows with the idea that I will have to manually open them prior to the season and attach the steam stack to a custom attachment to the windows. there are 4 windows (two on each side) each 2' high x 4' wide. they open from the inside out and there will be power in the cupola, as I plan to have fans in the steam stack to help vent the steam.

Current status of Sugar House:
Roof on and shingled by late Oct
All windows and doors installed (with some trim) by mid-Nov
Cupola sided by late Nov...just before the first snow....

2017 projects:
March: Siding is Finished being installed (we spent all Fall staining all sides....took forever)
April: rough-in electric
May: finish installing radiant heating system and rough in water/plumbing
June: Install insulation
July-Sep: improve exterior grade/landscaping
Fall/winter: Install sheet rock and wood siding on interior walls..

....another busy year ahead

[claystroup]

I am planning on building a 14 x 18 sugar shack this coming summer with a 8/12 pitch. I was at Menards the other day and was looking at their vinyl hopper style basement windows that measure 16" x 32". For the size shack I am building I think 2 of these type windows on each side of a 6' long cupola could be made to work fairly easily and they are only $59 each. Made of vinyl they will never rot out and it would be nice to get some natural light in from the cupola when not boiling.

[johnallin]

Maynard, That building, and the ground it looks over, is a thing of beauty. Especially like the evergreen perched up on the gable end in true timber frame tradition. Scott Carlson (fellow who framed ours) did exactly the same thing. Good luck this season and congrats on your beautiful build. John

[MaynardPorter]

John - thanks, a fellow by the name of Brett Pullium framed ours - it definitely was a cool thing to watch being constructed.

now just trying to get some lights and heat there.. good luck this year - Mayne

[Helicopter Seeds]

Looks beautiful, I always liked the idea of post and beam. It looks like you used conventional 2x4 framing outside of the post and beam, not sure I understand why, is it to have the post and beam be an interior look? Are those 6x6 beams or 8x8?

[MaynardPorter]

Yea, the 2x6 framing is for the walls which are exterior to the Beams, so you can see the structure. the main posts are 8"x8", top plates are 6x10, braces are 4x4.