i need plans for a 10x16..

[Tapmealot]

i need plans for a 10x16 sugar shack built the cheapest way possible. any help would be appreciated a ton. thank you

[Haynes Forest Products]

The cheapest way to build anything is to keep all your sizes based on standard lumber length's. When I have a customer ask me to build a 10 x 16 deck I say ill build you a 12 x 16 deck for about the same price because I dont want to cut everything down to fit. I have customers that want to save money by putting wall studs at 24" centers instead of 16" that is a savings of about $25 on a 24 ft wall. From the slab to the shingles its more about the labor than the materials so plan on full sheets and standard lenght's.

[KenWP]

Try to have 8 foot ceilings so that full sheets of plywood fit the walls either vertical or horizontal. When you go higher then 8 ft you end up cutting sheets off. Also its cheaper to make the roof running across the short way instead of the long way as it dosn't have to be built as heavy. You can use 2x4 studs but remeber 2x6 has more insulation value and you can use 24 inch centers.

[Snow Hill Farm]

Do you have access to standing pine and hemlock? I cut trees off my lot and piled them and had a local portable saw mill come and cut to my specifications. It takes a lot of your time and sweat but it's free other than the saw mill charge. I paid around $800 for enough rough cut lumber to build a 14 x 22 sugarhouse and it has a frame made of 6x6 hemlock and 1" thick pine siding.

[PARKER MAPLE]

I Too Am Building A New Sugarhouse This Year. Something Small Altought Because Of Town Restrictions And Such. Just Got My Ok On A 10x 14. So Went Home And Started Laying It Out. What I Did Here Is Made A Pressure Traet Box That 10'x14'. And Then Im Ordering About 3 Yards Of Surepack Gravel. My Buddy Has A Viberating Compactor So We Will Fill The Box And Compact It All In. Should Be A Very Tight Floor When Done. Then I Will Set My 2"x4" Plates On Top Of The Box And Go Up From There. After I Layed It Out Today I Figured Out That The North Facing Eve Wall Will Have A Shed Roof That I Thinkwill House Apprx 4-5 Cord Of Wood. For The Floor Under The Shed Rood Im Just Using Heavy Duty Palets. I Will Keep You Posted As I Go Forward From Here. And Would Also Like To Trade Ideas With Others. Thanks Maple Rookie

[Tapmealot]

thanks everyone i greatly appreciate it. if anyone could give pictures of them that would be woderful of interior and exterior sugar house or plans to how to build one that would be deeply appreciated. thank you. tap

[johnallin]

With a new 2x6 raised flue Leader coming, I am also putting up a sugar house this fall. Four years standing outside is over... Will be 14x18 with 16' inside height at roof peak, side walls are 9'-6", it will be timber frame construction in hemlock with rough sawn cedar for sides and a metal roof.

Plan is to add a wood shed on one side with access via a sliding barn style door on that side.

The question is the area under the evap - do you guys build that area up with cement? Seems like there are lots of opinions on that. Any help is appreciated.

[3rdgen.maple]

Johnallin my thoughts are since you are building from the ground up I would pour a pad for the arch. Better yet concrete the whole floor. If you pour just a pad what happens when you upgrade to a bigger evaporator. If you have the whole floor in concrete you will be set. The only other recomendation I can give you is have an access door to your woodshed in the sugarhouse. It will save a trip around the building to get wood. Or maybe that is what you are trying to explain in your post. I stack two rows of wood the full 24 feet of the sugarhouse and I have a wood shed packed full as well. I love not having to haul wood in the sugarhouse just reach over and fill her up.

[johnallin]

3rdGen, Thanks for the reply.
I am planning on pouring the entire floor in concrete with a curb so I can hose down when needed. There will be 4'x8' doors on each side that will slide open, allowing access to wood storage without having to worry about the space taken up by the swing of the door. Do you reinforce the concrete where the evap goes or just rely on the strength of the floor. Floor is proposed at 5" thick over stone.

[3rdgen.maple]

5 inches should be plenty and I would add concrete mesh to it. Just support it off the floor some so it is in the concrete not under it. I love the idea of the curb for washdown. I should be writing alot of this stuff we learn on the trader down on paper. In comparison of the weight of the evaporator to some of the equipment I work on that is measured by the ton I think you are pretty safe with your plan.

[vermaple]

thanks everyone i greatly appreciate it. if anyone could give pictures of them that would be woderful of interior and exterior sugar house or plans to how to build one that would be deeply appreciated. thank you. tap

I used to have a publication of sugar house designs. Some research might turn it up. At this time I cannot remember if it is a USDA, or a UVM Extension publication. I would look to UVM Ext. first.

[vermaple]

3rdGen, Thanks for the reply.
I am planning on pouring the entire floor in concrete with a curb so I can hose down when needed. There will be 4'x8' doors on each side that will slide open, allowing access to wood storage without having to worry about the space taken up by the swing of the door. Do you reinforce the concrete where the evap goes or just rely on the strength of the floor. Floor is proposed at 5" thick over stone.

John,
I agree with 3rdgen on using mesh to reinforce the floor, but I would also add some reinforcing rod under the evaporator to try to prevent cracks under the rig. Use #4 rod at about a 12"x12" spacing. Extend about a foot outside of the evaporator footprint.

[Snow Hill Farm]

One of the best things I did when pouring my floor was to install a simple floor drain in the middle about 2" lower than the outside edge. 4" pvc that goes down under the slab and daylights outside. I agree with the rebar, I used #4 at 12" o.c. each way and my floor hasn't cracked.

[Whitetail24]

Hi

I have attached the link to the UVM publication page.
http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmaple/?Page=onlinepublications.html

There is also a link to their Sugarhouse Design pdf file.
http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmaple/sugarhousedesign.pdf

Sugarhouse file is 27 pages.

Enjoy
Whitetail24

[johnallin]

Thanks 3rdGen, Vermont and SnowHill. The rebar makes a lot of sense under the evap and I will do just that.

We're pretty much in the woods so a center drain is also a great idea as long as I can keep the critters from using it as an entrance....

Did you build on footers? The mason is thinking a thickend slab - 12"x 12" deep at outer edge with a curb then going to 5" in the floor area. Any thoughts or experience with that?

Thanks again

[wanting to get into it]

Just remember your slab is only as good as your sub grade. The better your sub grade is the longer your slab will last crack free. Rebar should be a must as well. I work for a concrete paving company and could keep going with many options, it just depends on what lengths you are willing to go.

[3rdgen.maple]

Johnallin Lets start by saying I am no concrete expert but here is my thoughts. If you go the route of the 12 inch slab on the outer perimeter I would not pour it so it is part of the floor. I would pour the 12 inch footer first build the sugarhouse then pour the floor. I would put that foam sheeting between the footer and the floor. I would think the weight of the walls plus the snow on the roof would cause enough settling that it will crack your floor in a hurry if it was one piece. I do know that alot of old school mason who built houses many moons ago only had footers down in the ground a few inches. I live in an old house that was built that way and darn if it is not still standing as strong as ever. But like already mentioned it might have alot to do with the earth under the foundation and frost zones. We get snow before a hard freeze here and anytime or any year in the winter you can dig out the snow and have unfrozen ground under it. Sounds like you are skipping the zoning laws and inspector but you just might want to check your codes to be safe incase you get a visit. And the last thing is I think we have a tendancy to overkill the capacity of concrete. An arch and full pans is not as heavy as you think. I have installed many machines that are in the thousands of pounds that the manufactures only require a 5 inch pad for and they do not move.

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

Johnallin,
My sugar house is on a slab that is about a foot deep under the walls and 4 to 6 inches deep for the main floor. It is one piece except that I formed out the place where the evaporator sets and poured that a week later and 2 inches thicker (a little less bending to fire the thing). I used lots of farmer re rod throughout the floor (old gutter cleaner chains, spreader webs, bandsaw blades, and whatever else). The pour was ramrodded by my 82 year old father in law who poured concrete as an independent contractor for 35 years. Building is 24 x 26 feet. Evaporator slab is 6 x 14 feet. No sign of anything moving or any cracks. We dug out and leveled the foundation area and put drainage tile around and under the area. We put a floor drain in that goes down to one of the drainage tile. A sub base of crushed marble was put down and the concrete poured on top of that. A good solid and well drained base is essential. Limit the moisture and you limit the potential for frost heaving.

[dschultz]

My evaporator sit's on a 14x18 slab that is a foot higher then the main floor.No more bending to fire it.

[Farmboy]

i need plans for a 10x16 sugar shack built the cheapest way possible. any help would be appreciated a ton. thank you

The cheapest siding I've found is old garage doors. Some of them are even insulated. I've just pulled them out of the dumpster at a local garage door instaler with his permision.

[mcsap]

I am thinking of building a small sugarhouse now, too, maybe 10 or 12 by 16. This is a precondition for getting a new to me evaporator. Right now I'm boiling outside and would like to get enclosed. What do folks think about the gravel floor option that someone mentioned earlier? Compacted or not? I'm trying to be a low cost as possible, it's just a hobby for me, even if ever expanding.

Thanks,
John

[3rdgen.maple]

Gravel works. Nice thing about the gravel is when you are ready for concrete just dig up the gravel throw it in a mixer with portland cement add water and put it all back in. Just make sure you put a hard base down for the evaporator to sit on. Like a concrete pad or cement blocks.