Building a Sugar Shack

[SeanD]

Way down the road I had planned on converting the old rotting shed in my yard into a sugar shack. The now caving in roof and side wall tell me that I may have to work on it sooner than later before I have a pile of rubble.

I have a couple of very preliminary questions for you all before I decide which way to go with this.

Is a sugar shack basically a shed with a cupola?

Will standard kiln-dried pine framing and sheathing handle the humidity levels? I'm planning on leaving the inside unfinished/exposed framing.

I have a million more questions, but this should get me started.

Sean

[peacemaker]

if u pick up the producers manuel they have some suggestions ... but here is a few of my thoughts ... one the size u think u need is to small ...as far as kiln dried yup thats fine ... but if u have a saw mill near you ruff saw will be much cheaper as far as sheathing for you walls play will work make sure is a good grade ext but i also would atleast figure on a good marine finish on the inside so u can wash her down when your done boiling my last semi temp shack was all metal roofing for my walls and i can hose it all down the one year i didnt any everything grew a nice black mold film everywhere the steam touched
... but again check the price of of rough cut board and batten ... and for roof many people will agree here i believe sold wood deck before a tin foof and you will not be taking a shower all night as u boil ... i would tend to go with ruff cut blanks only cause i think the ply may break down faster but i might try to get the roof down early enough for it to dry out nicely before you where to boil ... and if u have the ability dig four foot foootings for you arch to sit on and you will have alot less if any movement during the season ... ... and lots of windows for free light ... oh and i like tin roof for many reasons but if u have no real good water u can atleast collect your foof water for clean up ... and as far as coupla i have made my two as long as my arch ...

[Revi]

You want to be out of the weather, because that means you can boil in the rain and snow no problem. The shack will be an instant draw to all your friends when you are boiling. You might want it a little larger to accomodate more people as well.

I like to be able to store buckets and tubing supplies as well.

See our shack below. We built it and then added on a room in front.

It's my hunting camp in the fall, and pouting shack anytime.

I reccomend it highly.

[Sugarmaker]

SeanD,
I looked at a lot prior to building and have boiled in several. I did get a set of general plans and used those as a guide.
The idea I had was to have a place that friends and family could come in and visit. It has worked out real well. They (sugarhouses) are never quite big enough as some one noted. Always seems to be other goodies that you can find to fill em up.

Check out our web site.

Regards,
Chris

[SeanD]

Thanks for the ideas. I'm going to try to use the footprint of the existing shed - 12x20. It's got an old, uneven concrete floor, so hopefully I can work off of it.

I'm currently boiling on a block arch now that I've closed up with a front and next year I will use sheet metal behind the fire brick to keep it as tight as possible. Buying/making a new arch AND a sugar house is not even close to possible. Actually neither was in the forecast for this year.

Can I use my block arch inside the shack?

Can I still use the shed for lawnmower, etc. storage?

How close to the wall can the stack end get?

Be gentle. These could be deal breakers.

Sean

[TapME]

I would say yes to the first 2. You can transfer your block arch indoors, Just make sure it is tight and no leaks letting in the smoke and co2. Storage is no problem as I can see. Just a beginner and my 2Cents.

[tapper]

The stack end of my evaporator is about 12" from the wall. I have a sheet of metal roofing suspended about 1" from the wall. Leave an airspace behind it and the wood will stay at room temperature. Without the metal the wall became too hot. Constant heat on wood members will change the chemical composition of the wood to the point of possible spontaneous cumbustion. I have seen it happen. No flame needed. The simple suspended metal barrier will stop this. I did the same in the rafters where the stack passes thru the roof even with the recomended 18" clearance from pipe to nearest cumbustible.

[3% Solution]

Hi SeanD,
I am thinking of a few things here; 1). You say you have a sagging roof and side wall, make sure the building is in fairly good condition before sinking too much into it. If it is sound other than the wall sagging, then do it up!
2). 12' x 20', nice size, ok, so will you be storing wood in there also, or will that be done in an attached wood shed (I have an attched wood shed, much cleaner).
3). I guess the most important question is; What do you want it to look like?
4). A sugarhouse is like a garage, it's never big enough!!! So you may have to use some restraint as far as storage in the off season.
5). As far as the block arch goes, sure put it in there, you have a cement floor, that's a good base!
6). The stack should be no closer than 36" from any combustable material, however, if a heat shield is used it can be as close as 18" (not busting on you Tapper, just my experience as a firefighter).
7). I do get "Black Mold" on the plywood roof decking, so when the season is done, I stray it with a bleach and water solution, which seems to work.
8). I would go with a metal roofing (no shoveling) on at least a 6/12 pitch.
9). The roof vent needs to be big enough, remember that!!!
Our roof vent has the same square footage as our pan and even with the Evaporation Enhancement Unit it was big enough!!
Sorry, didn't mean to get carried away!!!!
Just my few pennies worth!

Dave

[RileySugarbush]

If you set you block arch on a concrete slab, make sure and lay down some firebrick under your grate. Exposing the slab directly to the heat of the fire can cause the concrete to spall, sometimes explosively. Speaking from experience here!

[peacemaker]

i agree with dave because of my temp set up this year i had to push my arch way back against the back wal and as i boiled i had to once in awhile sparay the post behind to keep it cool and the cider block arch inside is fine as long as u keep it air tight and one suggestion is as u lay it up fill the blocks with sand they will last longer and the insulation value will help the boil and keep the heat levels down in there as one thing u will find boiling inside is its alot hotter as the season warms up ... and i dont know what u use as a door but one thing i found was a barrel stove kit has a nice door u still need more draft but its a nice cheap sealed door

[Russell Lampron]

Sean,

If you can go tour some sugar houses in your area. Talking to the owners will help you avoid the mistakes that they made. It will also give you a better idea of how to set your sugar house up.

[SV Sugarer]

Sean,

Russ is right - I wish I would have visted more sugar houses before building mine. I think you may only be an hour or so from me. You are more than welcome to see my shack. This is still all new to me, but the layout worked out well this year (and I do have some changes in mind for next season). PM me if you are interested.

Dave

[tessiersfarm]

I use a run-in-shed. I raise beef cattle and the shed is in a summer pasture. Once I move the cattle into the Barn for the winter, I pressure wash the inside and move the evaporator in. I store the equipment in my hay shed for the summer. The run-in-shed has a sloping concrete floor so I have to shim up the evaporator to level it. The front is open but it faces south and is sheltered by some pine trees. I do not have a coupola but the steam just rolls out the front. It works great for a small operation. I can't justify building a new structure just for 6 weeks per year, but I have bills to pay, some people don't.

[SeanD]

No bills? Wish I knew the secret!

Thanks for the offer, Dave. I'd like to take you up on it at some point. One of these days, I'm going to head west and try to take in some sugar houses and pick up some supplies to save on shipping.

The current shed is a total loss. What can't be saved for next year's fire will be thrown in the dumpster this summer one way or another. I'm hoping to build upon the foundation underneath it. I'll try to get the building inspector to take a look at it and okay it. If not, I'm outside another year.

Mold is a big concern for me. Does it just go with the territory? Do people pressure wash their sugar shacks after the season?

The sawmill down the road could save me a bit on the budget. I like the rough cut vertical boards as sheathing that I've seen on some shacks. How do they fasten with the vertical studs? Do I just nail them to the top and bottom plates, headers etc.?

I'd also like to keep the area above the evap. free of rafters if possible so the steam makes a straight shot out the roof. Any potential problems with this? I'm going to have a gable roof.

Thanks for advice. It's great to have the Trader up and going again!

Sean

[tessiersfarm]

I know of a couple of guys who have a payback on their investment of around 150 years give or take, that is if they don't count any labor costs. One of them regularly posts on this site. I do not have that luxury.

[SeanD]

The building inspector gave me the green light as far as using the existing foundation, so some part of this project should get going this summer.

I think I have the cupola framing figured out, or at least in my mind, but as I was thinking that through I came across another hitch. I was planning on having the stack go straight up through the peak, but realized the ridge beam would be right there. Should I frame out the joists around the stack and cut out the ridge beam there? And if so, am I still trying to maintain a 36" clearance from combustible surfaces? That's a long run. The flanges on the roof jacks I've seen don't seem much more than 12".

In lieu of hiking out to maple country I'd appreciate any pics of interior framing around stacks and venting.

Thanks for all the input!

Sean

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Sean,

I have my trusses on 24" centers and roofing boards in close proximity to the stack but I have all the boards around it and the trusses on each side insulated with ceramic blanket.