Peroni's Place - Another Keter 6' x 6' Shed Conversion

[peroni]

Hey All

I've just hit the 'buy button' on a Keter 6' x 6' x 7' plastic shed and aim to emulate the builds of Davey-T  with his 'Keter Shed Obsy' and Fish with his 'Plastic Pig Obsy'

An observatory has been on my wish list since I first started astrophotography and realised how much of a pain it is waiting for those rare, dry, clear, moonless evenings. Like all of us 'non-obsy' folk, I lug all the gear downstairs and outside, set up, polar align, find the target, get guiding up and working and then see the clouds roll in.

Pretty sure it takes me 1.5 hours to get to the photo part of AP. Then another hour to pack up at the end of the evening. 

With my future head on I checked out suitable areas in the garden for an obsy: The picture below shows the area I'd found which had the best view of clear sky. I like to keep my options open and settled on creating a multi-purpose patio. Authorisation from the wife is always easier if you sell it as something she can use as well 

I had my work cut out clearing this area and preparing the foundations. 

April 2013: I started clearing the trees and shrubs. Apple tree, Fir tree, Christmas tree, Buddleja, and an assortment of small bushes, plus all the roots that come with it. It took and age to clear, well a year.

April 2014: I'd reached this point ...

Jun 2014: Foundations dug and shuttering ready for concrete pour. I didn't want to be rushed by the build (either hiring a mixer or ordering readymix) so bought a cement mixer and did it myself (ofc I roped my Dad in for a extra pair of hands)

It is possible I over engineered the foundations but better that than have the sides collapse under the weight of the soil slope, slabs, and obsy (from back to front is a 40cm height difference).

Sept 2014: Patio pretty much finished, barring a step for short legs.

Final cost was £500 materials and £300 equipment (timber, mixer, angle grinder)

There is no concrete block for a pier yet. As the area sloped and I wasn't exactly sure if/where I'd put an obsy, my plan was to decide once I had a level area to view from. I laid the slabs on sand only so I could raise them again and put a pier foundation down in the future.

I'd written off any chance of getting an obsy as funds were short:

A wooden obsy pre-made was £1500 - £2500

A Pulsar dome was closer to £5000 all in

Then I came across Fish's post. The Keter shed hit a price point I was happy with. It was that or wait more than a few years to save up for a nice shiny dome.

My project is born and I can't wait for the shed delivery this Wednesday.   

[Fish]

Congrats on the purchase, that's a fantastic outlook you have there and a very nice patio.

Good luck with the build really looking forward to watching it develop.

[mhard26339]

Hi Peroni, You will never regret the move to a more permanent set-up, I can remember my extended set-ups only for the clouds to come in or you then kick the tripod and start again; packing up and the mess in the kitchen because you are too tired to pack it all away on the night. I can now be imaging in approx 10 to 15 minutes, and warm!. Best of luck.

Regards

Mike

[peroni]

Hi Peroni, You will never regret the move to a more permanent set-up, I can remember my extended set-ups only for the clouds to come in or you then kick the tripod and start again; packing up and the mess in the kitchen because you are too tired to pack it all away on the night. I can now be imaging in approx 10 to 15 minutes, and warm!. Best of luck.

lol, I'd forgotten about the mess left in the kitchen after a nights imaging. It's always a race the next morning to get up and clear things before the screaming horde (kids) descend. 

I suspect this winter will hear me cursing the tripod but I'll live with it until the spring when I finally decide on a location for the shed and pier. The choices are any of the three corners in the patio. My preferred is number 2 but we may end up moving the shed between all 3. One of the benefits of a light-weight self contained plastic shed.

I don't think there will be much between the positions but the compromise is between usability for imaging and family.

position 1 is closer to tree and results in only objects above 45 degs being visible

position 2 is ideal but blocks the view for daytime family usage 

position 3 provides the best view south but is close to direct sight of a street light between the houses

Choices, choices!

[Fish]

My final position has a direct view of a street light but once inside the walls are high enough for it not to be an issue, unless you are very tall . I also have a line of 500w floodlights on the other side of the fields but now they don't bother me when I'm tucked up in the pig :-).

[Scott]

I'd be inclined to agree with Keith, go for the best view and block the light although I'd say the shed will probably do that anyway. (love that first pic.13 yrs in the uk and I still feel like a kid when the first snow comes....it soon wears off when the slush comes though )

[peroni]

My final position has a direct view of a street light but once inside the walls are high enough for it not to be an issue, unless you are very tall . I also have a line of 500w floodlights on the other side of the fields but now they don't bother me when I'm tucked up in the pig :-).

I'd forgot I was going to have obsy walls to protect me soon.

[peroni]

So many obsy benefits to look forward to.

[Fish]

Just you wait :-) people say its an extension to the hobby but for me its a hobby in itself.... Spend as much time in it during the day as the night tinkering with things even just browsing the net. After all it is a cracking man cave :-) .

[mhard26339]

lol, I'd forgotten about the mess left in the kitchen after a nights imaging. It's always a race the next morning to get up and clear things before the screaming horde (kids) descend. 

I suspect this winter will hear me cursing the tripod but I'll live with it until the spring when I finally decide on a location for the shed and pier. The choices are any of the three corners in the patio. My preferred is number 2 but we may end up moving the shed between all 3. One of the benefits of a light-weight self contained plastic shed.

Patio shed position.jpg

I don't think there will be much between the positions but the compromise is between usability for imaging and family.

position 1 is closer to tree and results in only objects above 45 degs being visible

position 2 is ideal but blocks the view for daytime family usage 

position 3 provides the best view south but is close to direct sight of a street light between the houses

Choices, choices!

hi Peroni,

Fish is right, when you start your build in earnest you will find that the build becomes the hobby for a while and very enjoyable it is too, mine is detailed in DIY Observatories, New Obsy in Norfolk UK but now back to astronomy again.

regards

Mike

[peroni]

Fish is right, when you start your build in earnest you will find that the build becomes the hobby for a while and very enjoyable it is too, mine is detailed in DIY Observatories, New Obsy in Norfolk UK but now back to astronomy again.

I remember reading your post a while back Mike. The pier is something I'll have a dilemma with just like you. £500 + adapter is a heavy price to pay but I don't want to dig a big hole and permanently site a pier (concrete filled pipe or concrete form or wooden post) as I may want the patio to revert back to normal use at some point.

I plan to dig a concrete foundation for the pier and set it level with the paving slabs. If I move the shed/obsy later I won't have to dismantle a solid concrete pier.

I'll do some more research on what others have done. Maybe make my own pier that I can bolt to the foundation. Trouble is my welding skills are zero. I don't even have a welder, yet ! 

[Gina]

I you get an electric welder be very carful and buy the best protection - it's very easy to damage your eyes with arc welding

[peroni]

I've had a thought about pier design...

It's an extension of Mike's pier design using a Nissan Micra brake disc. I've added another disc on the bottom of the pipe with a plan to bolt the bottom disk into the concrete foundation. This makes the pier removable. See diagram below:

Trouble comes in finding a good fitting brake disc and pipe. I've found a variety of brake disc details on here...

http://www.brakeworld.co.uk/  look under Search options --> Brake discs

Detailed disc design can be found by searching for images of the relevant "Brembo" part number in google.

There is a whole array of choice for brake discs, the 59mm bore hole of the Nissan Micra disc fits the HEQ5 mount but I need to find a suitable pipe size.

Soil pipes seem to be 110mm diameter.

What have other people used as a pipe for their pier? I was hoping to find a 150mm ish diameter pipe.

[peroni]

I you get an electric welder be very carful and buy the best protection - it's very easy to damage your eyes with arc welding

Welding caution noted. Thanks Gina 

[Davey-T]

I remember reading your post a while back Mike. The pier is something I'll have a dilemma with just like you. £500 + adapter is a heavy price to pay but I don't want to dig a big hole and permanently site a pier (concrete filled pipe or concrete form or wooden post) as I may want the patio to revert back to normal use at some point.

I plan to dig a concrete foundation for the pier and set it level with the paving slabs. If I move the shed/obsy later I won't have to dismantle a solid concrete pier.

I'll do some more research on what others have done. Maybe make my own pier that I can bolt to the foundation. Trouble is my welding skills are zero. I don't even have a welder, yet ! 

I've  got a decent MIG, be happy to weld any bits for you, made my pier out of 8" square steel tube mounted on four lengths of 3" angle iron buried in about 18" of concrete, also made it rise up with an electric ram  to clear the side walls of the shed.

Did all that after assembling the shed, just cut a square out of the base with an angle grinder. good thing about the plastic shed you can stick it up in a weekend and modify it at your leisure while using it.

Dave

[peroni]

I've  got a decent MIG, be happy to weld any bits for you, made my pier out of 8" square steel tube mounted on four lengths of 3" angle iron buried in about 18" of concrete, also made it rise up with an electric ram  to clear the side walls of the shed.

Did all that after assembling the shed, just cut a square out of the base with an angle grinder. good thing about the plastic shed you can stick it up in a weekend and modify it at your leisure while using it.

Dave

Thanks Dave, I saw your pier and figured you bought it somewhere. Impressive!

I'll pick your brains a bit more when I get to the pier building stage. Maybe take you up on you offer :-D

[saac]

peroni,  if you have any agricultural blacksmiths nearby it may well be worth speaking to them about building a pier.  I didn't want the permanency of a concrete pier but was scared  by the cost of commercial piers.  In the end a local blacksmith made one and installed it onto the concrete pad (chemical anchored) for just under £280.  Given the height of the thing I'm well pleased with it and the cost.  The adaptor head I picked up from Astroboot, I think for around £40, they had a couple of HEQ 5 adaptors at the time (astro engineering).

Jim

[peroni]

peroni, if you have any agricultural blacksmiths nearby it may well be worth speaking to them about building a pier. I didn't want the permanency of a concrete pier but was scared by the cost of commercial piers. In the end a local blacksmith made one and installed it onto the concrete pad (chemical anchored) for just under £280. Given the height of the thing I'm well pleased with it and the cost. The adaptor head I picked up from Astroboot, I think for around £40, they had a couple of HEQ 5 adaptors at the time (astro engineering).

Jim

Another good idea. We have a blacksmith close by. I'll pop down and discuss options.

I'd not heard of astroboot. Is that the same as astro buy and sell?

I also walked past a building site yesterday that I thought I'd pop back to and see if they have any offcuts of pipe.

[peroni]

Delivery day today! 

Everything arrived on time (driver rang when he was 20 mins away) and they even carried the 90kg box into my garage.

Tomorrow is a dry day so I'll be up and out early to get the shed unpacked and erected. Rain is forecast for the next few days so it'll be good to get the basic build up tomorrow so I can start to figure out which strengthening brackets and bars I'll need to buy. First challenge is dragging the boxes round the back to unpack.

I'll take photos as I go (hopefully I'll remember  )

[saac]

peroni here's the link to astroboot   http://www.astroboot.co.uk/AstroBoot   .  It's always worth a frequent look, the only pier tops on at the moment are Losmandy GM11/G11.  When I approached my blacksmith I originally sought an 8 inch diameter pipe, he didn't have that as stock and to buy in he would need to have ordered 6m length so that made it prohibitive.  Instead he offered to make the pier from some 6 inch square section that he had sitting in his yard.  So long as you are flexible in your design you should be able to get a good price.  If need be I can pass on the drawings I used.

Jim

[peroni]

peroni here's the link to astroboot http://www.astroboot.co.uk/AstroBoot ...

When I approached my blacksmith I originally sought an 8 inch diameter pipe, he didn't have that as stock and to buy in he would need to have ordered 6m length so that made it prohibitive. Instead he offered to make the pier from some 6 inch square section that he had sitting in his yard. So long as you are flexible in your design you should be able to get a good price. If need be I can pass on the drawings I used.

Jim

Thanks Jim.

[peroni]

Shed making day...

The shed arrives in 2 big boxes. Each about 45kg. With a sack trolley I was able to move the boxes from the garage to the patio.

It had taken 1 hour to unpack the boxes and lay all the pieces out.

They are all labeled clearly, even the screws.

Tea break time... :-D

[peroni]

Tea break number 2...

The plastic plugs are a bit tight sometimes. It's worth checking they fit each hole before trying to join the two components together.

Some of the plugs had plastic burrs that needed removing with a Stanley knife

[peroni]

Lunch time now...

Doors are on. It took a while to remove all the burrs from the doors. I had to do it to get the top and bottom of the doors to fit snugly.

[Davey-T]

I found it good to lubricate the roof bolts with silicon grease and also don't fit the locking washers on them if they're still supplied.

Dave