New Shugar House

[Farmboy]

I am going to start building a s/h soon I want to break ground within the next month. I was planing on something like 12x16. I am planning on getting on getting a 2x6 evaporater but want it to be able to hold up to a 3x8. I will probably do a metal roof but could do shingles I have enough leftover to do either. I would like the pros suggestions. Thanks Farmboy

[tuckermtn]

go bigger than 12 x 16 - min. I would go would be 12 x 20 with an extra 10+ wood shed. 14 x 22 sounds good to me...I started with 2x6 in 12 x 20 building- then put 10ft wood shed- now put 12 x 20 woodshed and converting original woodshed into kitchen and possible RO room. evap is 2.5 x 8

my $.02

[Haynes Forest Products]

Its always about the money. Building a sugar shack is like buying that new truck at what point do you stop adding on extas that make the truck to expensive to buy. Take the time to do a materials list for the 12x16 then do it for a 16x20 or 24 and I think you will find that for $500 more you will have the last sugar shack you ever wanted. Labor is not that much more on a 400 sq ft bldg than a 300 sq ft. Putting storage onto a nice big building make more sence than putting the other 1/2 of the building on later.

[3rdgen.maple]

I have a 16x32 with a 2x6 in it now and I am upgrading to a 3x8 in 2011 I need more space if that means anything to you. I just posted a response to this same question back in the july journal. My sides are too low to add on to them and all I can keep doing is adding length. Adding another 8 feet on to it next summer. Do some homework with the numbers like haynes said. If I built my sugarhouse I would have made it atleast 20 feet wide. That way I could have a wider building and adding on would give alot more space. Not to mention you would not have to mess with the structure of the roof if you widened it later just keep adding to the length.

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

I agree with the other guys. My new Sugar House is 24x26 with a 4x12. Side walls are almost 14 feet. Probably higher than I need and when everything is cleaned up and stowed away (as if that ever happens) it looks huge. Last season, at one point, there were 16 55 gallon drums of syrup in there. Place got a a lot smaller in a hurry. Same thing when visitors arrive. I am all for intimacy but when I am trying to fire the evaporator, watch the boil, drew off syrup, and explain how it all works, I want some ROOM.
As for the roof, I'd go with the steel. Snow comes off it better and no fire danger.

[tuckermtn]

if you do steel or alum. roofing put plywood or rough pine on the underside (instead of strapping) save you lots of drips from condensation...

[PARKER MAPLE]

i am also building a new shack, started on it apprx 2 weeks ago. i am only finding that i have enough time after work and some times on the weekends. so this is about 6hrs a week. seams like it will never get done. so start early.. anyways im building a 12x14 for my 2x6, as this is all the town will allow me to build with out the hassle of permites and taxes going up.so i built a square 12x14 box out of 2x12 p/t lumber filled it with apprx 6yrds of fine surepack for the floor. all the studs are rough cut 2x4s, 2ft on center and the rafters are also 2ft on center. for the couple i made it apprx 30in wide and 6ft long. i heard somewheres on this site that the coupe should be the same size as the evap??? im currently looking for barn board siding and batten boards, to finish the walls. just for ha ha"s today i layed out a footprint of the evap in its location. and i think its going to be plenty of space. the key here is organization, and no clutter. or thats my motto. p.s it will also have a wood starage shed off the eve wall thats 8ft wide x 14ft long. if i can figure out how to resize my pictures i will post them for you to look at. good luck and hope this helps out maple rookie

[Farmboy]

Guys I no I'll expand but not to a thousand taps. At least not until I'm done school. I might get to 300 taps. The reason I might go to a 3x8 is because a friend of my dads has a 3x8 I think and I think I can get it cheap. I don't have much time to boil so that is why I would go with the 3x8. Last year I had 41 taps will probably go to 80 or 100 taps. I will probably can it it my house. What kind if floor should I put in it? Thanks farmboy

[3rdgen.maple]

Concrete floor is the way to go if you can. I had a dirt floor in mine which was the way I got it. I ended up getting a deal on the 2 inch thick 24"x24" patio blocks. I ended up putting them on the floor. I poured a pad under the arch and I have had no problems at all setup that way. I actually like the floor as I can just hose it down and the water drains through the seams. Eventually I will probably pour a slab but Im in no hurry. As far as the size of the building I think you should do a scale drawing of what you want in there and where and come up with a size that fits you. Just remember you want room around the evaporator. If you have a 3x8, you could say with the float box and piping it will be 4 feet wide, and if you had 4 feet space on each side of the evaporator you now just ate up an area 12 feet wide. I would make them ouside wall tall as you can, so you put an addition on to it and still have head room if the future requires more space.

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

When I was planning my new sugar house, I used graph paper and made a floor plan. I cut out pieces of paper of the appropriate size to represent various pieces of equipment. I could move the pieces around to get an idea of how different locations of the equipment might work out and fit together.

[Gerryfamily5]

I also used a scale drawing w/ paper cut outs of equipment.Works real well,and is easy to do.I had to convert an existing space so found this very helpful in making it work.I use a 3'6"x12' evaporator in a 14'x34' space.The rear 14' is canning/bottling area.It was a an intresting project, but it works super,and there still is room for my three small children to ride laps around when I'm boiling.So plan well it's worth it.

[Father & Son]

Farmboy,
Sugar house size was being discussed before and someone wiser than me suggested visiting some other sugar shacks in your area to gather the good ideas from others, then sit down and plan yours out, then at least DOUBLE the size you think you will need if your budget allows. You will always be able to use the added space for storage or whatever. I built 12 x 16 and need to add on.

Jim

[Eric McLellan]

I will be hopefully starting the construction process on a new sugar house next month. Currently in the designing stages now. I have a new 4x12 coming in the fall. Currently looking at a sugar house size of 20x40. With a wood shed off the side. This give you and idea of what others are doing. Going bigger than going smaller is better. You can always fill the extra space up with something.

[Farmboy]

Now I'm considering a trailer mounted sugar shack. A person in the next town over has one I might buy there's if they sell it since the farm went out of buisness. I might build my own because there's an old camper in my grandpas woods I can strip down to the frame and build one out of it. That same farm has a leader 2x6 oil fired but I think was originaly wood fired so I'd convert it back if they sell it.

[Haynes Forest Products]

Having a 24ft x8ft construction trailer full of stuff and doing some small task like putting a blade on a saw or putting something together and have someone walking around in there was a royal pain in the butt. Without levevling and stabilizing it every year will make life miserable. Go out and get a shipping container and put the 2x6 in You will have 3 ft on each side and a great mouse proof theft deterant fire proof sap shack.

[stoweski]

Well, I got the itch to do some sugarin' this past spring. Never done it before. Since we keep bees I figured a sugarshack wouldn't be that tough of a sell. We'll simply use it for both sugarin' ventures.
Poured the slab a couple of weeks ago and since we've finished our garage we're now moving on to building a 14' x 20' shack. I'll add a woodshed on the back at a later date. The tax man would just add on a few more bucks per year if I included that in the plans.
I have picts on my website and will be posting more as we progress through the project. My guess is that it will be complete by next Wednesday. But then again my original goal was to be done by tomorrow. So much for timelines. :)

Here's the link to the construction page...
http://home.roadrunner.com/~mrfreeman/garage/garage.htm
Keith

[Farmboy]

The only thing I would be doing in it would be boiling in it. We have a 20x60 pole barn and another livestock barn with a small shop in the front to fix things in. We are constantly moving things at my house because we have only been hear 2 1/2 years so it will be nice if I can just hook my dads tractor to it and drag it away at the end of the season.

[3rdgen.maple]

Why not put that 2x6 in the pole barn? Put a steam hood on it and vent it out the roof, end of season push it to the side. Seems like that would be alot easier than building a mobile sugar shack and movin it back and forth and releveling it every year.

[Farmboy]

The pole barn is already full of tools and equipment and it isn't even done yet.

[Daren]

Just as everyone else has reported, it is a guarantee that you will want to grow with this obcession. I started outside on a propane burner, then built a 10'x10' shack on a fuel oil tank homemade rig, then bought my current evap, then removed a wall and extended the shack to a little over 10'x16'. Next year the old shack will be taken down and moved to be used as a storage shed somewhere else on the property and build even bigger. There is always a need for a canning area, wood staging area near the fire doors, eventual sap room, wood storage and then some room for the many visitors that seem to show up when the steam is rising. As stated by several other posts, you gotta have room to move around when others are nearby and scoping out the whole sugaring thing. I enjoy the company while boiling, but I also need to be able to move freely around the area without bumping into folks and making them feel that they are in the way all the time. I will deal with the tax guy.....it is worth it for something I like to do this much.

[Farmboy]

The shack is actully started. I ended up going 16'X16'. All the poles are set and the base is graveled. The roof should be going up this week. I have the week off of school and hope to get most of it done. I am going to pit a slab in there for the evaporator and put those 2'X2' concrete pavers on the rest of it.