future sugar shack site

[goldnut]

This is where Im going to put my new shack. It is obviously a wood shed now. Im going to enclose the left half and keep the right side for wood storage. Ill post pics as I go along this summer. Looking forward to this build. My first step will be emptying the area of wood and preparing the base. Then I am going to frame it in to pour the concrete floor. I will make sure I put a drain in it for cleaning. Any advise on location of a drain? Maybe one on each side of the evaporator? Hope everyone is having a great Sunday!

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[TapTapTap]

Hi Goldnut, Do you have elevation enough for a drain? I have a drain at both ends of the evaporator. But I like most the large grated area I have at the firebox end since it is handy to the drawoff and the filterpress pump. My grated sump with the drain is about 3' x 2' x 1' deep. It's nice to just toss pail of water into it without splashing water everywhere.
Ken

[goldnut]

Ken, It will take some trenching but there is a ditch about 50 feet to the right of the location. I do like the catch basin idea! I actually build fiberglass products. Im going to build a couple basins for this. Thanks for the advise! Ken

[goldnut]

Im starting to prepare the are for the new shack. Ive got a concrete question for you. How thick should the floor be? I was going to go 3" and about 6" on the perimeter. The building will be 14x14. Also does anyone know what a yard of concrete is running now? Thanks Ken

[goldnut]

I have been advised to go 30" deep and 6" wide on the perimeter and 4" on the floor. Sound about right?

[TapTapTap]

Hi Ken,
I'm an engineer and contractor so i'm qualified to answer both your questions.

First on the slab thickness
I'm not normally a fan of a slab without frost walls. However, it makes a lot of sense for a smaller out building like your sugarhouse. i think your 6 on the perimeter and 4 inches in the middle makes sense. For good measure i would through down a couple of #4 rebar in the thickened sides. Make sure you are building this slab on firm well-compacted earth. ideally it constructed on at least 12" of crushed stone on a well drained area.

Concrete Cost
Ready mix should be around $120 per CY. However, most suppliers will charge extra for a small load on the order of around $100 for the truck.

good luck
Ken

[Russell Lampron]

When I originally built my sugar house it was 12'x12' and the pad I built it on had a 4" floor with a 12"x12" perimeter. Thirteen years later I rebuilt it to it's current size of 24'x20' by adding 12' in one direction and 8'x24' beside that and used the same dimensions on the pad, 4" floor and 12"x12" perimeter. Neither pad has shifted although the original one did crack under the evaporator. I think that happened because the concrete was still a little green that first spring.

[TapTapTap]

The thickened slab is entirely reasonable assuming that it is on a well compacted free-draining subgrade. Commercial buildings are always built on a frost wall in colder climates. A typical sugarhouse would be considered an out-building that justifies only a thickened slab. If it was special like a post & beam with bells and whistles then you might consider a frost wall.

[goldnut]

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Been a long summer but im making some progress.

[goldnut]

Almost ready!

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[Chickenman]

Looking good Ken. Just need sap and fire it up.