Shack on a budget

Needing some help here, trying to plan a sugar shack for a small hobby. I do around 45-50 taps maybe make 8 gallons with a W.F. mason 2x3 evap. I want to build something I can maybe take down and store every spring, I was thinking just something to keep the rain and snow off me and out of the evap. In the past I used a 10x20 tent but steam was everywhere and then would start to rain inside from the condensation. I was thinking of maybe building just a frame and a metal roof but trying to figure out how to get the steam out without building an actual cupola. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

I boiled in an open sided tin roof shack for 20 years, I stacked wood for the sides, had 1 foot of pitch it was 12 by 16. steam found its way out. It was cozy until the wood got used up and wind kicked up. Just finishing up my new sugar house now.

Thank you, so did you just let the steam go up the pitched end of the roof, did you have and condensation drip back down?

The steam went out the sides mostly. I have some pictures I will try to dig them up and post. Condensation was minimal but the snow on the roof melted and dripped pretty heavy but it dripped out side on the low end. I was going to put a gutter up but never got to it.

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Originally Posted by MapleCamp

The steam went out the sides mostly. I have some pictures I will try to dig them up and post. Condensation was minimal but the snow on the roof melted and dripped pretty heavy but it dripped out side on the low end. I was going to put a gutter up but never got to it.

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Oh thanks much, going to try it

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Originally Posted by MapleCamp

The steam went out the sides mostly. I have some pictures I will try to dig them up and post. Condensation was minimal but the snow on the roof melted and dripped pretty heavy but it dripped out side on the low end. I was going to put a gutter up but never got to it.

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Pictures would be awesome

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This is what I used to boil in and a pic of the one I hope to have done soon, good luck James

To make one you can take down will require it to be light weight unless you have a tractor with a bucket or access to one or a team of helpers. I suggest you set 4 poles permanently, one at each corner, then build the 4 removable sides and 2 roof panels that can each be removed, one at a time. On the roof I suggest however that you use plywood under the steel roofing. Then leave the peak open a few inches on one side and extent the roof to over lap that open portion by 6-10" to minimize rain/snow getting in. Build a door in one wall, maybe a window (could even be greenhouse plastic) in the other walls. You might want a cable across the 2 side walls at midpoint to prevent spreading.
I built a shooting house that way, but just 4'x4'. The roof was wired on, using 14G tie wire, 2 ties at each corner as were the 4 corners. I never did take it apart.

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Originally Posted by MapleCamp

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This is what I used to boil in and a pic of the one I hope to have done soon, good luck James

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Pretty cool

Good info to add with MapleCamp

This is what the wife referred to as Hooterville. It is a pallet frame wrapped in plastic.

Would something like this work?

https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/f...-0881336p.html

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Originally Posted by Super Sapper

This is what the wife referred to as Hooterville. It is a pallet frame wrapped in plastic.

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Love it, that is awesome

I actually have a grill gazebo that I still have to set up

Maple camp
Not to take away from this thread, but your new shack looks pretty amazing. I like what you have done with the front.

I can understand the need to keep your cost down but I think you'd be compromising too much on convenience, efficiency, and maybe even safety. Why not just do a pole barn roof like Maple Camp. Then you can improve the structure every year - maybe add a wall, make shelves and benches, etc.

With a temporary structure, you'll still need a storage area for all of the equipment, tools, tubing, parts, etc. And, if you have at least a roof with 3 walls then you'll have space that mostly protected from the weather all year round.

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Originally Posted by TapTapTap

I can understand the need to keep your cost down but I think you'd be compromising too much on convenience, efficiency, and maybe even safety. Why not just do a pole barn roof like Maple Camp. Then you can improve the structure every year - maybe add a wall, make shelves and benches, etc.

With a temporary structure, you'll still need a storage area for all of the equipment, tools, tubing, parts, etc. And, if you have at least a roof with 3 walls then you'll have space that mostly protected from the weather all year round.

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Agreed, thst is what i may end up doing building a pole frame and roofing it and then adding more next year

We built a quick temporary boiling shelter by using two large shipping skids (6' x 11') turned on their sides with a sheet of plywood bracing the back and 2x4's tying the roof together. First try we put clear plastic over the top - big mistake as the steam had no where to go. We changed it to put plastic just on the sides of the roof and left the center open which worked well. Stacked wood at the front to block the wind and easy to add to the boiler. We did have one of the warmest Marches we can remember though so we were never cold. Tore down really easy. Will do this again next year and if we like doing this (I seem to have caught the sugar itch pretty bad) we will build a more permanent sugar shack next summer using 6 of these same pallets.Attachment 22389Attachment 22390

Congratulations and welcome. You my friend have caught the maple syrup bug. The only possible cure is to keep doing it and growing with each season. Most importantly is to have FUN doing it.

I am also going to try and make an inexpensive removal “sugar shack”, built around an existing cinder block evaporator I just made. To be honest I did not give it much thought when I built it, thinking I would throw up a wood frame with a tarp thrown over it. I did not appreciate how much steam and condensation there will be.

I am still thinking exactly what I will do, but I will make a floor surrounding my evaporator, build structural post and beams, then will have a half wall with two removable upper panels on each wall. The upper panels would be off while evaporating, weather permitting. I would have a shed style metal roof to top it off. It will only be like 9 x12 in size.

I would like to build a larger, fancier, more permanent structure, but I already have too many permanent structures on my property.

The main goal is to keep any precipitation or debris off of the pans while evaporating.

Sounds familiar. I built a sugar house around my first evaporator, after the first year of using a tarp and boards to keep the weather out, and off me. Man what a game changer that was. So much nicer to be warm and dry and have lights to boil at night even it it was raining.

My wife is on board with me doing the Maple Syrup, but was not on board with me putting another permanent or semi permanent structure anywhere near the house. The sleeping cabin, garage, shed, three covered wood sheds and three other areas with uncovered wood, that I have built or created in recent years, may have something to do with that. I am still building my 8x10 “sugar shed”, but it will be more sectional than originally planned. I will put it up around March 1st and take it down after the sap season is over. If I really get into this activity, I may build something larger further away.

I will assemble everything now, so I have all of the pieces and then will dis-assemble. I put up one wall today, it is actually two pieces with a third top plate piece, joining them. The opposite wall will be the same, but two feet taller. The roof will be metal. I will build that so it will be easy to take apart. The same for the end walls.

There will not be a ton of room in there. It is mostly meant to keep rain and snow off the evaporator, but there will be enough room to work on each side and a place to sit at the front corner.

I have to bring in some more fill to level off the work area. Just day one, it should look a little more substantial tomorrow. It is also a work in the beta stage and I will make design changes as I go along if I see any faults.

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I put up another wall today and some cross pieces. Since I have to take it down, I am going to measure and cut the remaining pieces, but not attach them. I will have to wait until March 1 to see what the final product looks like. My metal roofing arrives within a week. I will have to find a nice dry place to store everything, so I do not have to dig it out.

In the meantime I will add more fill around the evaporator to make for a flatter walking area and to provide more support around the deck blocks.

All of the 2x6’s were free, I just had to pay for the deck blocks, screws and the roofing, which I got a good price on. So it cost about $300 Cdn so far.

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I used recycled(free) materials on our shack too. we have a different evaporator now, but the shack is basically the same. I think we took as much pride in making sure our supplies were free or cheep as we did in our syrup, lol. I went with a shed roof too, steam vents well on the high side.http://mapletrader.com/community/att...id=22436&stc=1

Darkmachine, that looks almost identical to my first shack. The one exception is you have a solid door and I had a tarp for a door.

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Originally Posted by darkmachine

I used recycled(free) materials on our shack too. we have a different evaporator now, but the shack is basically the same. I think we took as much pride in making sure our supplies were free or cheep as we did in our syrup, lol.

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I like your sugar shack! And I like the cost!

I will see how mine works this spring and how much effort it takes to build and take it apart. I would need a dump truck full of fill to level off an area away from the house, where I could build and leave a structure up. Mine is currently 8x10. I can build up to 9x12, without requiring a building permit and I could reuse almost all of the material from this one.

We were limited to 100square feet without a permit, so the posts that hold up the roof sit on an 8x12 frame. The area off to the right in the picture is considered "overhang". We were skirting the rules for sure. Our plans for a new shack are in the works, there will be mixed feelings when the old one comes down but I have plans for most of the old shack. Waste not want not, lol

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Originally Posted by darkmachine

We were limited to 100square feet without a permit, so the posts that hold up the roof sit on an 8x12 frame. The area off to the right in the picture is considered "overhang". We were skirting the rules for sure. Our plans for a new shack are in the works, there will be mixed feelings when the old one comes down but I have plans for most of the old shack. Waste not want not, lol

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You inspired me. I am not waiting to next year, I will move everything this year. Today I took down all of the framing, and disassembled some of the evaporator. I will disassemble more later today.

I have access to some free fill that can be dumped for free, but I know it will have some clay in it, so I will have to talk to my friend with the tractor to see if he can work with it.

The new sugar shed will be 9x12, but following your lead, I will add room on the sides, one side will hold 2.5 face cords of wood and the other side storage for sap pails, that I will use that day and for off season storage. The metal that I have coming will still work with the new size of main building.

I would like to have a larger structure, but this will built on a rare somewhat flat area, on a slope and I have to keep under 110 sq feet as not to require a building permit.

Glad you are able to move forward!! I had every intention of building a new shack before the next season. However reality has set in. I can either spend my time and $$ on building the new shack, or I can put my $$ toward an RO so I can make more syrup and have more $$ for the shack after next season. I think I'll clean out the shack, re-gravel the floor and set to work on the RO.....and firewood, lots of firewood....

Looking forward to seeing your progress