Stone

[Rockwood]

Has anyone made a sugarshack from stone?

Why you say. I have about a 3' high 6' wide and 1000' long pile of field rocks..

Pictures please if you have..

Thanks

[C.Wilcox]

Rockwood,

There are plenty of examples of farm outbuildings and barn foundations around here that were made out of rock picked from the fields. Most of them were built using forms that they poured lime mortar and fieldstone into. Not highly imaginative, but they worked. I'm sure you could do the same relatively easy, but my first thought was condensation. Those stone walls are going to be pretty clammy in the early spring, especially with all that steam. I think if you had a really well designed cupola or a steam hood you could probably make it work great. And it would look awesome.

[brookledge]

I say if you have the ability to do it then go for it. If your paying someone then it would probably be cheaper to go with wood construction.
The other thin g to keep in mind is if and when you want to add on, it might not be as easy to do from a stone building.
If the walls do condensate a little more than usual it shouldn't matter since stone can't rot
Keith

[maplecrest]

a few took building foundations that had high stone walls.10 ft, and put a roof on them. remains of one up the road. the evap and storage tank are inside the walls but the roof is long gone. to walk inside it the evap was a 6x16 and the storage tank was a large slate one,against one wall, my guess was it would hold 1000 plus gals.slate was over an inch thick. evap was dead center. looked like a good use of space for the time period my guess the depression.

[maplemat1]

the one i run is all stone made of granit stones from the lake they dug in 1920

[Pete S]

I just backfilled my slab! Looking to gather rocks this fall to commense construction with the warm spring! Bought an old mortar mixer, and got'er runnin'.

I think I'm a bit crazy,...........but that's OK, it may help!

[Haynes Forest Products]

I like the idea of the old stack log way of doing it. Stack and morter and keep on going. Then if you want to get fancy stuco the walls over time.

[mike z]

Pete, did you do anything for a footing? I was considering doing the same thing (using rock for the walls). I just poured a 4x12 slab for the evaporator, and plan to pour the rest of the slab around it when I can afford it. I wasn't sure of what kind of footing for under the wall. May have to be dug below the frost line :cry:.

[Pete S]

There isn't a barn on this planet that has a footing. Just bigger rocks on the bottom. I poured a grade beam that is 12" deep and 16" wide. I placed two #4's 2" from the bottom.

I've seen MANY commercial buildings built on grade beam construction.

We're gonna give'er a whirl with rock gathering this fall yet, and stock piling.

I spring I plan to commence building walls utilizing somewhat of a slip form method.

[mike z]

Yes, around here, the only thing left of some of those old rock walled barns is the rock walls. Having to dig a frost wall would have stopped me from doing the whole rock wall thing. Keep posting as you go for us - Thanks Mike

[nhmaple48]

If you're dead set on building with stone,I would suggest reading{LIVING THE GOOD LIFE}by the NEARING'S.They describe building their stone buildings using the FLAG system of movable forms.If you don't want the walls to crack you will have to go below the frost line. Just my 2 pennies.

[Cardigan99]

Stone sugar shack on rt 104, either New Hampton or Meredith NH. Pretty snappy looking shack if you ask me.

[Pete S]

When you get by get some photos and share with all us "dreamers"!