Using a former horse barn?

[heus]

I have a 24x36 hip roofed horse barn on my property (built new in 1993). I would like to convert it to a sugar house. Is anyone using a building that formerly had animals in it. I just wonder if that would be a sanitation issue. The barn is very clean, with concrete floors. If I pressure wshed everything would that be ok?

[davey]

I am using the back room of an old barn that started as a bull pen and has held pretty much everything else since then. I sprayed it down with deck cleaner and then powerwashed it really good. If you use the deck wash, be smarter than I was and put some fans or something in to ventilate it very good, the fumes were a little rough.

[RileySugarbush]

Here is what we did to clean up an old camp bunkhouse that was mouse infested for years:

Clean, sweep, vacuum.

Power wash all wood surfaces, Twice.

Let dry, then soak all surfaces with nature's miracle to neutralize odors.

Let dry, then spray all wood with shellac to seal in any remaining odors.

Results have been great. No bad smells even when saturated with water vapor.

[3rdgen.maple]

Steam clean that sucker by boiling some sap in her.:)

[buck3m]

I just wonder if that would be a sanitation issue. The barn is very clean, with concrete floors.

I milked cows for years in a barn. People drink milk!

[KenWP]

I don't think the horses would mind. I have seen barns converted into houses so a sugar cabin should not be to much harder.

[heus]

buck,
Great point!

[Big maple]

Are you positive about this? Horses are less expensive, less work and are worth something when you are done with them.
I would not think twice about it, after you have cleaned it out you have a good looking building that is already there and big enough tha you wouldn't have to add on to for at least two years.

[heus]

This is a very old thread that I started, but I am once again thinking about moving into this 24x32 2 story barn at my house. Now that I am becoming a "serious" sugar maker I think it would be much more convenient to have the sugarhouse at my residence. Main drawback would be trucking sap a half mile from my woods down the road. I have grand plans for this barn which would include a separate boiling area, ro room, wood storage, retail room, upstairs sitting area, upstairs sap storage, and more.
How in the heck do I rotate this picture???

[heus]

I would like to hear opinions on this. Either stay where I am at where the sap gets pumped to the shack, or make this barn my sugarhouse. Drawbacks to having the shack at my original location: 800' from the road up a muddy hill, not at my house which makes it prone to theft. Drawbacks to having it at my house: have to haul my sap down the road a half mile, not as "nostalgic" or peaceful, we may be building a house at the present location in 5-10 years.

[mapleack]

If you're going to be building a new house at the existing sugarhouse then stay there. Exapand the business and make it pay for the driveway = tax deductible driveway. Put up a nice big sign to direct visitors up the hill.

[heus]

Well I have decided to move into the barn. I gave it a ton of thought but now I will have a sugarhouse and a hunting cabin!

[Revi]

Our sugarhouse is also used as a hunting cabin and poutin' shack during the off season as well.

[jrgagne99]

Our sugarhouse is also used as a hunting cabin and poutin' shack during the off season as well.

What's a "poutin' shack"? Someplace you go when you're sad? Or used for horned-pout? (Why do you need a shack for horned-pout fishing?)
Confused... :)

[heus]

Must be a Maine term. :)