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Bizibilder's Roll off Roof Observatory


Bizibilder

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I have finally started to build the shed part of my observatory. It is half term this week so I should be able to finish most of it. At the moment the pics and description are at http://bizibilder.blogspot.com as I am not sure whether a picture heavy thread is permitted on this site. The Observatory is a 6x6 metal shed modified to have a roll off roof and is based on the Linnhe Observatory of Mark Baines at http://linnhe.co.uk as well as several other ideas from around the web.

Oh yes... A Skywatcher ST80 has arrived - eventually to be used as a guide scope, piggybacked on the 200P.

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Turnbuckles (and all the other fixings, wheels, brackets etc) from Screwfix. Thier shop is like Argos - you fill in an order slip from the catalogue, hand it in and pay then collect your goods - Its well worth getting the catalogue (from thier website) and filling in the slip at home - the shop is usually full of "the trade" buying stuff.

Actually it is always a good omen to see tradesmen in a shop - they know where to find good quality and cheap prices !!

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(The carrier bags are there because Bizibilder had to put a temporary brace across the top rails. He then proceeded to bang his head several times!! Hence the carrier bags)

This made me chuckle. ;)

Me too, been there, done that and bought the hardhat :(

Looks like you got the roof on just in time BB, good looking obsy to.

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I note that you've just fitted the front barge board to the roof. For ages I found small puddles of water inside the observatory but couldn't for the life of me find the cause. Eventually I tracked it down to water sitting on the roof run off rails during heavy rain. Ifd the wind was in the right (i.e. wrong) direction, it then blew this water through the 5 mm gap between barge board and the rial, and inot the observatory. I solved the problem by a combination of drilling a small, 45 degree angle drainage hole in the top of each rail to help water drain away and fitting short lengths of brush pile window draught proofing strip around the gaps.

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Thanks for the info - I am still in the process of "weatherproofing" and have a few ideas about getting the standing water off the roof rails. We shall see.....

PS I've had a good look at your site as part of my research. Nice Observatory! But I didn't have to move the garden path!! - thanks for the pictures and notes.

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I used the Observatory for the first time last night!! Only the skywatcher ST80 - just to "get a feel" of things. The first most noticable thing was the shelter from neighbours lights!! I knew they were a nuisance but I hadn't realised just how much difference those walls and half open roof can make. I will need to mount the 200P on quite a tall pier to get a good view to the south - the weatherboards add 6" to the wall height..... DOH!!! they weren't on my drawings!! - Luckily I am making my own pier so I can adjust the height as I choose - I haven't cut the steel tube to length yet. It clouded over after about an hour but I am convinced that an Observatory is a GOOD THING!

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