Shed to Eco-Friendly Brewhaus Conversion

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NewBrew09

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Jan 6, 2009
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Location
Germantown, MD
It has finally been approved by SWMBO to convert our 14'X14' shed that is mostly used for junk storage to an all weather brewhaus. I plan on building a walk in cooler, have a brewing area and a bar area in it. But here is the best part: I am going to use as much recycled materials as possible in the construction. I have an idea for the flooring to reuse pallet planks over plywood to make an interesting wood floor. The roof will be replaced with scrap plywood and shingles ( i have a buddy in the construction biz ) the only new materials I will be using will be the insulation and electrical wiring. I also have plans in the future for it to become energy dependent by installing wind and solar power units to harvest the electricity.

The walk in chiller will take up approximately half of the floorspace in the building and in the bar area, i plan on having 4 taps feeding directly thru the wall. I already have a small commercial refrigeration unit ready to be installed once the rest of the shed has been prepped. There will be a storage space above the cooler for storage of brewing materials and such.

What does everyone think? I am open to suggestions, advise and encouragement on this project. Also, once it is complete, I will throw a party for forum members and we have have a few homebrews!
:mug:
 
Have you ever tried to disassemble a pallet? They are not easy. I think they are oak, too. I love the idea of a post consumer recycled building. My friend built his cabin out of mostly recycled scrap lumber from construction sites. All the wall framing was built with 2x6's that were used for bracing ect. It seems people are too lazy to pull out nails. My brew stand build is 95% recycled materials, reusing/ repurposing what I could find in bulk trash around my neighborhood.
 
Thanks for all the enthusiastic comments guys! Yes, I have tried to disassemble pallets before, and for me, I find it more tedious than difficult. It takes time and patience. Most pallets are made from Oak and Pine. I will not be selective in the wood. I will disassemble, sand, and finish all useable planks from them. Any left over scraps will be used for my firepit for the late night get togethers.

There is an old concrete dog run that is next to the shed as well and I plan on tearing down the fencing and using the concrete pad as a patio/outdoors brewing area. Maybe in the future, I will build it up to be its own brew/fermentation/bottling building. Once again, I will use recycled materials.

I am in Detroit, MI this week, but when I get back, I will post the pics of the shed as it stands now. It will take some work, but once I get the materials together, I anticipate that it will take a week or 2 of construction before I am ready to move everything in. If anyone in Maryland has anything to donate, (time, skills, materials, etc...) it would be greatly appreciated. If we few people in the MD/PA/DC/VA area are interested in helping with the project, please PM me and I can set up a build/brew day for sometime this spring.

I am really excited for this project and plan on getting started once I get back home by cleaning out all the junk that is stored in it. I have some items in there I would prefer to give away than just take to the dump.

Keep all the postive comments coming, it will drive me to complete this project as soon as possible.

*update on materials* I found a gentleman who will sell me 30 pallets for $2 each. I will pursue this route of Craigslist doesnt turn up anyone giving them away for free.
 
If you can buy or borrow a planer that would help quite a bit with the wood fromt the palets. Some of that wood has been scuffed, gouged, or maybe even rough-sawn to begin with. Running through a planer at about 1/2-5/8" would probably be perfect for flooring. It would create a uniform height floor and reduce the amount of sanding.

Can't wait to see pics!
 
I am not gonna lie, the shed right now is UGLY. The roof has rotted and definately needs to be replaced, and the floor has structural beams that have collapsed and will need to be replaced. The shed is built on a hillside, and is at ground level in the front and at the backside, it sits about 18 inches off the ground. I plan on ripping up the old plywood and salvaging what I can. I have some lumber laying around from an old treehouse project I was doing for the kids, but they lost interest, so I tore the treehouse down. So I will use the 4x4's from that to replace the floor beams. I will also be putting plywood on the bottom of the shed, so I can put insulation and a vapor barrier in the floor, with then a layer of plywood on top, then capped off with the flooring from the pallets. Then I will move on to the walls and finally the roof. I was looking at the roof yesterday and found that the tree next to the shed has a limb that has been rubbing on the roof for quite some time and wore a hole in the top, so that limb needs to be trimmed back and the roof replaced.

So right now, the order of work will be:

1) Clean out the shed and give away/trash the items inside.
2) Rip out old floor, salvage materials that I can.
3) Replace damaged/rotted structural floor beams.
4) Apply plywood to underside of floor structure.
5) Insulate floor structure, apply plywood to topside of floor.
6) Demo the roofing, inspect for damage.
7) Replace damaged wood beams in roof structure, lay new/salvaged plywood on roof.
8) Finish shingles on roof.
9) Remove external paneling on walls, inspect for damage.
10) Replace external paneling, begin insulation internally.
11) Finish insulation, apply paneling to internal walls.
12) Build wall for walk in cooler, insulate and complete.
13) Install refridgeration unit.

Thats all I have for now, and I imagine that the order of work will change once i get into the process. I will be posting pics next saturday at the earliest as I will be out of town until then.
 
If you can buy or borrow a planer that would help quite a bit with the wood fromt the palets. Some of that wood has been scuffed, gouged, or maybe even rough-sawn to begin with. Running through a planer at about 1/2-5/8" would probably be perfect for flooring. It would create a uniform height floor and reduce the amount of sanding.

Can't wait to see pics!

I would be really worried about tearing up blades putting pallet wood through it. It's inevitable you'll miss a staple or nail once in a while and whack it with the planer.

Do you have a saw mill near by? Ever looked at slab wood? It's not exactly recycled but sometimes it can be had for very cheap (or even free) and I think it looks really neat. Maybe not for flooring because it can be pretty uneven, but for siding or walls it can be really cool.
 
I have to look how far away you are from my house, or parents 'other' house, but I'd be up for helping out on this project! I know my distribution facility unloads a trailer or two a month of scrap pallets, that are usually in good condition. As you said, not hard to take a part, just have to be patient with those twisted nails. Most of the cross timber is fairly uniform, I think renting a floor sander might be worthwhile (takes a bit of getting used to). Then a lil varnish or even epoxy.... hmmm....

Good luck on your project, keep pushing forward and let me know if you have more interest in help come spring!
 
! I know my distribution facility unloads a trailer or two a month of scrap pallets, that are usually in good condition

Let me know if they are willing to drop them off at my house if not too far away! I would like 30 or 40 of them that are in acceptable shape!
 
Sounds like a great plan, you think your be done in two weeks :)
I'll be down south of you next month, I think I could help you break in the bar.
But really, Best of luck, it sounds like it could be very therapeutic working on it, and to take an old broken down eye sour to something your be very proud of is the best recycling project I could think of. Remember lot's of pictures.
 
Use a skil saw to cut the pallet slats off the support members. That way you won't have to bother with the nails and you can render a pallet very quickly. The boards will be a couple inches shorter but you won't have to worry about nails.

You might want to stay consistent with the type of wood you put down for a floor. The softer wood (pine, etc) will sand/wear/dirty at a faster rate than the hardwood.

Spend the money to insulate that mofo within an inch of it's life. That is one thing that will continue to pay you back through out its life.

Pictures!
 
Let me know if they are willing to drop them off at my house if not too far away! I would like 30 or 40 of them that are in acceptable shape!

Wrk in Mt Joy PA (17552). If you're seriously interested, I'll talk with manager at work- If you felt like renting a uhaul for a day trip I'm pretty sure we could fill it for you with a heads up- I just don't know how much the reclaimer is paying for load. PM me if interested and I'll see what I can work out!

Again good luck and keep us posted!
 
Thanks for the enthusiasm folks. I am out of town until friday, but saturday afternoon i will be posting the beginning/before shots of the shed.
 
subscribed, I want a shed. I want a brew house that was once a shed. good luck I will enjoy watching
 
No kiddin? I might take you up on the party offer! My Dad lives in Reisterstown. What is that like 40 minutes from you?

I've actually been considering putting plans together like this for my shed. It's about half the size of yours so the walk-in is out of the question but I was thinking more along the lines of just a bar and a couple of easy chairs. Maybe a big screen tv...62 inch HD LCD will work...surround sound and the Stanley Cup Finals.
 
Maybe a big screen tv...62 inch HD LCD will work...surround sound and the Stanley Cup Finals.

This sounds awesome, but I would not leave that stuff out in a shed that be broke into in about 3 minutes while you're alseep in the house how faraway from the shed? I wouldn't even keep my dirtbike in the shed.
 
I would be really worried about tearing up blades putting pallet wood through it. It's inevitable you'll miss a staple or nail once in a while and whack it with the planer.

Do you have a saw mill near by? Ever looked at slab wood? It's not exactly recycled but sometimes it can be had for very cheap (or even free) and I think it looks really neat. Maybe not for flooring because it can be pretty uneven, but for siding or walls it can be really cool.


It would be worth it to purchase a cheap metal detector to scan the pieces of lumber before running through the planer. I think the planer is the best bet. It would leave a decent finish and would save you lots of time. It would also help with make all pieces the same thickness. You would be much happier with the end result than you would if you had to sand each piece.

What are you going to do as far as the joints? Are you going to joint each board so you get a good tight fit or are you just going to nail them down and leave the gaps there? If you are going to leave the caps will you will them with anything before applying a finish to the flooring?
 
The shed is built on a hillside, and is at ground level in the front and at the backside, it sits about 18 inches off the ground.

Sounds like a perfect situation to add plumbing - I'm thinking a rain barrel for chilling water, and a collecting barrel for hot water/rinse water (which can later be used added to the rain barrel). You could also put in a french drain to handle your washwater - the solids which can go to compost. A few feet of PVC, Couple of cheap submersible sump pumps and you'd be in business....
 
Sounds like a perfect situation to add plumbing - I'm thinking a rain barrel for chilling water, and a collecting barrel for hot water/rinse water (which can later be used added to the rain barrel). You could also put in a french drain to handle your washwater - the solids which can go to compost. A few feet of PVC, Couple of cheap submersible sump pumps and you'd be in business....

I never thought of that, I was just going to run a hose to the shed on brewdays...
 
I never thought of that, I was just going to run a hose to the shed on brewdays...

well, you'll still need water for brewing, and cleaning, but why not make use of the water that doesn't need to be crystal clean if you get my drift. If you set it up right, you'll have plenty left over from the last brew day, plus any rain from the shed roof (meaning install gutters)

Which brings me to my next idea... install a rough filter on the rainwater collection... keeps the leaves and sticks out which don't travel through CFC chillers so well.
 
Find out why your floor rotted away...moisture or TERMITES. If termites then pressure treated floor or lots of chemicals will have to go down before the plywood. Do you know how to check for termites? Good luck on this project.
 
you should see if your buddy the contractor has access to an old or unused deep sink... If you plumb the shed like you would your home, then add a hose fitting inside the door for your supply hook up, all you do is stretch the hose and your good.
 
Find out why your floor rotted away...moisture or TERMITES. If termites then pressure treated floor or lots of chemicals will have to go down before the plywood. Do you know how to check for termites? Good luck on this project.

I have checked for termites and didnt see any evidence of them. There is really only 1 beam that "rotted" away, and it really didnt even rot. When I went under the shed to inspect, the beam was broken at a knot in the wood, and its right behind the door beam where all the heavy lawn equipment (lawntractor, tiller) was driven in and out of the shed. I plan on replacing this beam and load testing the rest.

The only evidence of rotted wood I saw was in the roof, and that is definately from moisture, as there is the white cob-webby mold all over the plywood in the roof. The rafters look fine, but when i rip the plywood off the roof, i will be inspecting the rafters and trusses for evidence of rotting or termites. I doubt there is termites in the shed, as we have been blessed not to have them on the property at all, besides my property is surrounded on 3 sides be woods that should give them plenty to eat. We also treat the house and all outlaying buildings once a year to keep them away.

I do want to replace the wood that they used at "stilts" on the back side of the shed with cinder blocks or concrete support beams to eliminate a chance of the wood rotting thru and having the back end of the building collapse.
 
you should see if your buddy the contractor has access to an old or unused deep sink... If you plumb the shed like you would your home, then add a hose fitting inside the door for your supply hook up, all you do is stretch the hose and your good.

If I put in plumbing, i will just tap into my wellhouse and run PVC right to the shed and plumb it like a house for my brew water. I do like the idea of the rain water for the cleaning and cooling tasks though. I could run a coil of copper pipe inside the cooler room to really chill the rain water as it goes to the wort chiller. I could also get one of those tankless hot water heaters to heat up the wash water.....hmmm so many possiblities. Thanks for all the ideas...
 
Sorry I didn't post the pics on Saturday as promised, but it was a tragic day. Went to the grocery store to get stuff for a nice steak dinner, seeing that I just got home from Detroit while in the store, I got a call from my oldest daughter saying that my dog got hit by the car and she was on her way to the emergency vet. I dropped everything to get to the vets office. The vet told me that she had a broken leg, pelvis, cracked spleen, and her blood pressure was dropping, and that she needed a blood transfusion. I agreed to the blood transfusion, to see if she could be saved. About an hour later, my little doggie expired on the table. I will miss her dearly.

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I tried to document the shed as best I could. Here are the beginning pictures, taken about 30 minutes ago.

Outside of the shed. Its actually about 12'X12'

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Inside of the shed, showing the 2nd level which will be an enclosed space housing the refrigeration machinery. The walk in cooler will be below it.

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I mentioned before that you could see thru the roof. This is where a tree branch has rubbed thru it.

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Now to document the extent of the damage.

I noted no termite damage, which is a real problem in the area where I live.
Most of the damage is from moisture, which if I properly install vapor barriers, then I wont have this problem in the future.

Oh, and rats have made it their home. They are soon to be evicted.

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Moisture damage to the walls:

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...and the roof:

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Also, one other point to note. All the moisture damage appears to only have affected the plywood and the siding. All the structural timbers appear to be in good shape, so hopefully I wont have to replace much. Also for the pallet idea, I may need less than I thought if I have all these other flooring materials. I will use the faux hardwood for the floor in the bar area, the large tiles for the walk in cooler and I will use the smaller tiles for my brew area.

Any Maryland folks have any sheets of plywood or Masonite siding laying around they dont want anymore? LOL
 
Sorry about your dog...



I have sometimes thought of the final cause of dogs having such short lives and I am quite satisfied it is in compassion to the human race; for if we suffer so much in losing a dog after an acquaintance of ten or twelve years, what would it be if they were to live double that time?

-Sir Walter Scott
 
Poor pup. For some reason I always feel bad when somebody I don't really know loses a dog, but couldn't give two ****s if they lost a relative.

I have sometimes thought of the final cause of dogs having such short lives and I am quite satisfied it is in compassion to the human race; for if we suffer so much in losing a dog after an acquaintance of ten or twelve years, what would it be if they were to live double that time?

-Sir Walter Scott

+1 to this
 
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