# If your going to build a honey house!



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Don't use this type sofit unless you plan on calking it good.










I calked all the front from the inside and that slowed the yellow jackets down from entering. The next day we again were over run with them, standing out side I watched them come in the small vees that give strieght to the panals. Calked that then watched them go up the groves in the T 1 11. Calked that then saw them squeeze by the wall end so did calk that too.
The white calk does turn clear after a while so the ugly white won't show in a few days.

 Al


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## Durandal (Aug 19, 2007)

I'd like to see more pictures of your honey house. 

Edit: I should say "thanks" for the advice too. My original idea was to have our neighbor, who has a pole barn company to build a structure that I could slowly turn into a honey house, now I know what NOT to request.

Out of curiosity, how many hives do you work in a season? Just yours, not locals and friends that also work with you, but your own.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Right now we have 90 colonies of bees to over winter. They are in two counties (were near the county line.) in 12 yards plus some in our own front and back yard. We did 14 swarm calls this spring and 14 removals during the summer. Some of the removals just didn't do well as they waited as long as two weeks for the girls to go away when the trees fell down.

Our honey house (pole barn style) nearly did not happen even though the package was delivered. First the building code athourty would not give us clear cut instructions as to how we had to do things like hole depth, set back and distance from other buildings till I got our laywer involved.
Thewn there is the problem of a creek on our property less than 500 feet away from the building site. Even though it is on the other side of the hill crest from the building site we had to do an impact statement and get a $97.00 building permit above the counties $58.00 permit.We also live in one of two townships in our county that requires a stakeing permit of $28.00. that is to make sure we have the set back right and the inspector would never know because he didn't know where our property line was.

Here is the pole barn two weeks after delivery.










Here are the 14" holes being augered for the 6"x8" post.










Here is the special sand we had to have to back fill the 14" post holes.










Awaiting the first inspection.










 Al


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

It did go up fast once the inspection stuff was finished. Took just a week to get to the roofing. My mother in law and father in law came every day to help. 



















I picked this door frame and all up along side the road waiting for trash pick up. I had planed on replaceing our cabin door with it but decided it would look good on the honey house which would have two door instead of one.



















 Al


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

It has 3 windows in what is the extraction room and two windows in the work storage area. they are Pella windows we bought at Lowe's cheaper than what we could get with the barn package.



















Here every one except me started to worry. How are we going to get the trusses up. End of the day photo.










I got up extra early the next morning and got the truss set in place for righting. I've did this several times before so knew what the trick was.










I got the two end ones up with Kares help before mom and dad got there.










Mom took on bending over every nail thru the perlins holding the siding. Those bent over nails inside have inpressed two building inspectors on two of our buildings.










First roof sheathing going up. and the start of a small problem.










 Al


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## Durandal (Aug 19, 2007)

Nice photos and thanks for the information.

I assume your poured a floor?

This is where being an established farm is going to help in my county. We get to avoid a lot of the zoning issues.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Our state has no uniform laws or rules for building permits.
Some counties do not require a permit for a pole style building. Some do not require the impact statement when building with in 500 feet of a water way. Our cabin is 100 yard from the water line and we didn't not need the impact statement or $97.00 permit.

Lots of places here are changeing the permitting of pole style buildings because that is the type of garages people are building to get around the permits.
We are still pouring floor. I am doing it myself like everything else. We have just a little to do yet.

Roof decking finished and plastic placed.










 Al


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

The roofing steel posed a problem. We ordered 1' ovehangs. They sent us trusses with 2' overhangs. I didn't measure them so when the steel when on it was to short to reach the peak. They shiped us enough tim to cut and over lap to finish the roof.
they had ran out of the right trusses and figured we would just cut the tails off for 1' overhangs.










 Al


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## Durandal (Aug 19, 2007)

You have a nice looking building. The door adds a nice bit of character to it.

We just had a rood put on one of our barns (then we completed the rest of it) with 2ft overhangs). I enjoy them very much. It'll be interesting to see how they do this winter. Not having snow piled up around the base of the building is a nice thing.

Thanks for sharing the pictures. I would be curious to see the interior and a list of items you use commonly to extract with, bottle, melt/separate, etc.

I know you are operating at a scale that I will not be...but the more information I have on the whole extraction, wax, honey, pollen, bottling aspect the better.

Mainly I am trying to come up with a business plan. I have a general idea what a small "honey house" would cost, but I'd like to plan a little bit larger (closer to yours but not quite) and grow into it and prefer not to have to sell off or store equipment that I am no longer using.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Our honey house is 24X24 and I already wish it were bigger.
It also is nowere complete inside. We have to comply with Michigan Food law of 2000 P.A. 92. there fore at this time we can only sell honey from our house, No farmers markets, craft shows of festvals. We can not even sell to a whole saler but have a tempory license thru another licence holder.

Floors must be impervious and easly cleaned (got to be sealed yet.).

Walls must be washable. OK I can clean T 1-11 but the perlins are another matter. also the trusses are exposed.

Lighting must be a perment fixed source any over honey handling areas must be sheilded or shatter proof. No lighting other than then the windows.

Water must be adiquite safe, potable, under pressure, and the private well must be tested yearly. what I carry out there in a pail is what we get.

Water disposal must have a efficient waste disposal system, approved septic system. Still working on this one.

Vector control No Chemicals or poisons shall be used to control insects or rodents shall be used when honey supers are stored. snap traps and peanut butter have been working so far.

Honey house can only be used for extraction, processing , packing and other handling of honey. Storage of equipment of related to activities of the honey house. Extracting equipment must have a hard surface that will not react to the acids in honey.

Heating equipment must be of a type that does not give off fumes, dust or odor

Here is one that gets some. Straining of honey must be done with clean mesh non reusable cloth material or stainless steel. NO Plastic.

There is more also but these are the biggest most checked idems.

Many of the bee keeping book has sample lay outs of the extracting equipemt. I also think Mann Lake, W.T. Kelley and Busy mountian supply companys have simular lay outs.
When starting out you must be flexable and move equipment to meet your needs and save steps. Our extractor is once again going to be moved, therefore the honey pump will move.Nothing is fastened down. the only fixed thing is the three bowl sink since it is fastened to the only drain.

 Al


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

From W.T. Kelleys catalog.










Process honey from start to finish, all in one, convenient, compact location. Built as a moveable unit, the 12 and 24-frame models feature many components of our Kelley extracting & bottling equipment. 
Ideal for local clubs or personal use. 

 Al


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## Durandal (Aug 19, 2007)

SOooo...

Any more pics Alleyooper? From inside after you finished it off?

Loved the stuff you have given us so far.


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