Tiny shack. Who has one? Ideas?

[Sandersyrup]

Does anyone else have a tiny shack?

If love to know your experience.

I'm building a tiny shack and would love to brainstorm some ideas. It's sort of like the tiny house mindset, mobility, efficiency space saving, multiple uses and so on.

I technically can't build a permanent structure on my property so I'm thinking tiny, very tiny and lightweight.

So far my goal size is 8'x8'! Gasp! However it would have an 4x8 covered area for 1 cord of wood storage and another outside area for sap/water tanks.

Dual purpose, the south side of the shack would be made of clear corrugated polycarbonate panels which would transform the shack into a greenhouse for starting seedlings.

The shack will be mobile so in the fall it can be moved to a location for growing winter greens. Before the snow comes it will be moved to a sugaring spot where it will sit and slowly be prepped for sugaring season.

Eventually it might be placed on a utility trailer to be moved to a larger sugarbush.

Another note is that I also have a small camper where finishing, filtering and cleaning duties may eventually take place.

It is also next to my house.

With this in mind, what are your thoughts?




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[maplestudent]

I like the thought of a multi-purpose building. I boil outside so I don't have much to offer, other than to say that it might be worth while to make the shack 8 x 12 (using that 4 x 8 area for wood as part of the main building instead) and stacking and covering the wood separately.

I'm curious to see what you end up doing and how it works for you.

[Burnt sap]

8X8 is ok size mine is 6x10 with a 2x4 evaporator and small 30 gallon storage tank in corner and a 15 gallon overhead tank for the preheater. 12 volt transfer pump to overhead tank and gravity to preheater, this works well been using this set up since 2011. However we have grown to over 800 taps and will be up sizing in a few years. I reutilized my daughters playhouse I built for her when she was small.

[Burnt sap]

My neighbor built his shack on a trailer frame and it looks like a million bucks. His is quite large but you can down scale on a 10x6 trailer no problem store wood outside under cover.

[retubjb]

I build a temporary 12x12 shack around my 2x4 block arch each year. It takes less than 2 hours to build, just walls and a small leanto roof over 4 feet of it so if it rains I can sort of stay dry. I must build my walls each year but my improvement after this year to make 4 wall sections that would just pin together at the corners( sort of like the portable cabins). for weight reduction I might use the corregated plastic cardboard panels or the 1/8" floor underlayment. I like the idea of a multiuse building, just not sure if a greenhouse and sugar shack are a good fit. Just one wall clear is not much light for seedlings and not enough to get much solar to heat a 8x8. Were you thinking a solid roof? then you need a steamhood and vent. If not a solid roof, then what is the thought when it is a greenhouse, maybe a plastic cover. If you made all the walls out of clear, it would work better for a dual purpose greenhouse. I have noe idea what a 4' round evaporator is, but 8x8 does not give much floor space around it.
Gosh, this is the longest post I have ever done, but I love the thought process and wanted to put in my 2 cents.
Keep us posted as to what you end up doing/building.

[BreezyHill]

John,

I hate to break this to you. Every sugar shack is small to what we all really would like to have.

In 1971 Dad made a lento off of a couple of trees. First year only one side to the west. Next it had4 sides and a door. In 1976 or 77 moved into a 10x12 with another home made arch of 2x6 size. In 1978 moved into the current sugar house that is the cellar of metal building built out over a bank. Works great 26xx30 and is still to small.

For walls you can get shade cloth or Geo Textile fabric. YOu can attack conduit to the bottom and make a handle to roll them up on warm days.

Green house film will work great also to get natural light in during the am hours.

Double layer will help with condensation issues. It can also be used for roof.

If you go to Cornell College website and look up Cornell design greenhouse you can use that design for you sugar house. 2x6 and ply wood...paint the wood before you raise it up to seal out the moisture.

Other option is to get a conduit shed frame and cover with greenhouse film.

The channel lock system for the plastic is quick way to secure it on or you can just use staple gun or better is furring strips and screws. on to a 2x6 L base.

Visit farm tek.com for greenhouse film, lock system and other ideas.

If building on a utility trailer you can often get an old garage door for cheap and use them on both ends for ventilation. Open part way or all the way.

I have figured a way to build pump sheds on small trailers to set at bush sites for future expansion. Angle iron jack stands on all four corners and a high lift jack to level it on paving blocks. And remove the wheels to discourage theft.

Good Luck!

If you can, refer to it as a sugar house...you are preforming an art...making a specialty product, not something anybody can do.

When I hear shack it brings up a rough dirty building with garbage around.

Please remember I am a Redneck, I collect all kinds of treasures for future projects, that does not count as garbage. LOL

"Every mans house is his castle"

Thanks

Ben

[backyard sugaring]

My 15 year old son boils in 4 foot by 8 foot knock down shed. It looks like a traditional sugar shack with the cupola and all. The whole shed un bolts and is stored in the barn until the next sugaring season. His evaporator is roughly the size of a half pint.

[CampHamp]

Here's that small greenhouse idea. I used it to start off. Maybe $250 at Harbor Freight and some 4x4's.

[homelite770g]

When I was a kid we built a shed about 10x10 in the shape of a school house with a cupola on top used ruff sawn 2x4 type wood from a neighbor who was building his own barn. Made the roof completely out of them then covered with tarpaper. For the walls and door we used Masonite board that was gotten real cheap.build was set on some patio blocks to keep out of mud. Worked well for several years but for sum reason we quit making syrup for a lot of years and it got torn down

[Sandersyrup]

Thanks everyone for contributing. I'm glad there are others who have a tiny shack! I realize that no shack is large enough but i figure that's why this one is also a greenhouse. If I do expand, I'll build a bigger one.

So far I'm enjoying the build. I live in Amish land and used Amish business to find supplies. the entire build is looking at under $500 with 70% of the cost in twins wall polycarbonate panels.

The shack will have greenhouse exhaust but also a real sugaring cupola with the stack running through it. My thinking here is that the cupola will make a good vent in the summer months without running exhaust constantly.

Hopefully I'll have my first boil in it tomorrow!


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