pritc

Blimey!!

You can really see how weathered the old creosote coat was to the new ronseal preservative.

Wayne

Well all those concerns regarding the roof holding up under heavy snow would appear alleviated...

We've had 10 - 12cm overnight and pleased to say the obsy has held up well

Nothing like the 'First snow fall' to test out your ROR structure!!

You can breath again now Malcolm knowing all is well

But you had nothing to worry about............

Wayne

Malcolm,

As SWMBO said "Mission Control"

:eek:

Wayne

Purchased my SW200P from Harrison Telescopes......

Great service!!

The SW200P is a great scope.Everything I need in a scope.

Wayne

Looks GREAT Malcolm.....

Bet you will be trimming that conifer tree in a few years,unless it is a slow grower??? .....

Now for clear skies:)

Wayne

Impressive warm room Malcolm

Is the futon bed just out of camera shot??

That's a lot of storage space!!

It looks better than a few studio flat's I have seen...

You wait till the winter...

Nothing better than observing when it is -14C outside and a 'SCORCHIO' 10C in the warm room with a hot cup of tea

Wayne

Malcolm,

What is the massive jubilee clip band around the scope used for??

Is it for DEC. balancing set up on the tube rings??

Wayne

I'm praying I have aligned the studding up correctly and using the sun as an indication for North at midday GMT has worked

It is quite surprising how much alt/az adjustment you can achieve from a fixed pier....

I had initially set my pier to magnetic north (Compass) which is about 3 degree's west of true north from my location.

Wayne

Nice work. Just done a bit of (rather less imposing!) door-slidery, myself.

Good space saver tho'! Bought some "brush seals" for the wider gaps...

Thinking about "widows" too now... curtains even, for solar observation?

You don't need windows for Solar observation..I don't have any windows:)

I always think windows = easier entry for would-be thieves

Wayne

Looking great Malcolm

Do not rush to start observing!!

You will have all the time in the world when it is finally finished....

Wayne

Hi Rich,

For my Concrete/160mm pipe pier build,I used nearly 15 bags of ballast & 3 bags of cement.

For reference my pier build is on the first page:

http://stargazerslounge.com/diy-observatories/103639-wetherview-diy-obsy-build-begins.html

Wayne

Well we've had a fair bit of rain this morning andp I called home for the wife to do an inspection report for me..

Pleased to say that other than one small area around the door (which is expected as the door has no shuts fitted yet) the observatory is bone dry and rain water is running off the back of the warm room, so the slope seems OK - To say I'm chuffed to bits is an understatement !!

I can now start cabling the warm room, insulating the walls and roof and then line it out in 4mm ply this weekend

Looking GOOD:icon_salut:

It is always a nice feeling to achieve a watertight build.

Without getting any time consuming little leaks.

Nearly time for the best part!!

Fitting out the inside......

Wayne

I am honoured (sorry Wayne )

Still honoured to get No2 fav. Build:D

Wayne

OK Sickbag at the ready

I've just finished painting the pier...... so here it is

Looks great:icon_salut:

Nice to have a bit of individuality...

You just need to get all the OTA screws,bolts,dovetail done now to match......

Wayne

I know we don't normally talk about money, but often the 1st question that comes up at the end of a build project is "how much did it all cost".

I think it's safe to say that for anyone contemplating a build such as mine, Daves, Waynes or Gina's etc, that you should really set aside a budget of at least £1000, probably £1500.

The cost of my base (footings and brick work) worked out at a tad over £400 including my share of the digger hire charge. Not bad as most shed manufactures will charge you £500 for a frame base made from wood ! The timber (joists, flooring, studding, rebated shiplap, roofing and interior lining for the warm room) comes to a few quid over a grand. Again, I think given the quantity that's very reasonable, when compared to the commercially available alternatives. An observatory from Alexanders (8' x 8') with no warm room will set you back just under £1700, and if you opt for their 16' x 8' which has a warm room than add another £1000 to the price, and as far as I can see you would still need to provide the level slab of concrete to site it on.... Please note I'm not knocking their products, simply comparing them as the build quality looks as near as dam-it to all the self build projects.

Some have looked at getting two commercial sheds, bolting them together and then modifying them, but you still wouldn't see much change out of £1000 by the time you include the base, and as some who have already gone down this route have found, often the cost of strengthening the construction to accept the roll off roof turns out to be quite costly, making not such a cheap alternative.

So there you have it... set aside £2000, and lots of spare time and have some fun. I'm still the process of building mine and I'm really enjoying it.

Ditto!!

Plus the cost of all the mains electric installation.

(Fuse box,Cable,Lighting,sockets,etc....)

I did not have much change from £1200..........

A lot cheaper than buying one, & made to measure for my garden spec.

And as I have said before in my own thread.....

Everyday I look at it or I am inside,

I can say

"I BUILT THAT"

:D:D:D:D:D

Wayne

All systems go!!...

Hope you get some decent weather:)

Are you having mains power in the obs or just a 12V supply?

Wayne

Did you nail your shiplap through the boards, or do that trick of invisible fixing through the tongue and if so what trpe of nails did you use ?

I did not try to hide the nails.....too time consuming......

Pre drilled each shiplap before nailing,to prevent splitting.

I didn't want to take any chances as it's expensive stuff!!!

I used annular ring shank nails (50mm).

The ribbed ones for grip.Once in,they will not pull out......

Wayne

Maybe that's why it's been offered for half the price of the shiplap. Thanks for the heads up... Oh and I'll order some 12mm ply for the roof, can't stand the look of OSB

It's ugly to look at, but it is cheaper.

Once the underside is painted you can hardly tell,Plus when I am in the obs the ROR roof is open.

As for my warm room I insulated the roof with poly slabs and a skin of hardboard.......

Wayne

Did you find any problem laying the felt? And what grade of felt did you use?

Did you consider plywood Wayne? Or was the improved appearance of shiplap the major factor?

I had looked into corrugated bitumen for my roof but could not find a decent way to seal out the elements between my obs and warm room.

No problems encountered laying my felt.

I used premium grade shed felt.

Double the price,but it has a 15 year guarantee.

Whereas the standard felt only has a 5 year guarantee.........

Never considered plywood for cladding.

I strived for that basic 'Shed' look to stop prying eyes!!

Until I started observing the Sun recently,I do not think the neighbours even knew what was inside....

Wayne

What thickness of ply did you used for the roof ? - I'm thinking 6mm ?

I used 12mm OSB board for the roof.

With a coat of cold bitumen adhesive before laying the felt.

6mm ply does not have much rigidity and it might sag inbetween the braces plus the standard felt nails (around 12mm)will show through on the underside

T&G shiplap is the way to go for the cladding.

Feather edge warps and gaps appear everywhere.

Just have a look at feather edge sheds at DIY stores.

It cost me around £360 to do mine.The major cost of my build.

But I am glad I used T&G shiplap.

Wayne

Quick question.

What size pipework did you use for the warmroom to obs trunking??

Mine is filling up quick!!

So far:Stellarium operated GOTO cable/Serial port to USB cable/Parallel port cable/Auto focusser cable/USB cable.

And when I finally get a Canon DSLR camera!!!!

Wayne

Thanks for the U channel measurement.

Even though my obs/warm room is finished & in constant use (Weather permitting) I always think of improvements or little tweaks.

ROR Pulley or motorised system is in my thoughts for the next upgrade.

As you are probably aware from my own build thread.

I used good old Creosote to waterproof my flooring.

When it rained the floor looked like a wet, well waxed car body.

On completion of my build.I lined the floor with thin hardboard so I could lay my flooring with carpet spray adhesive.

Wayne

"I can hang by my arms from the ridge rail - nothing moves !"

LOL....

Great minds think alike!!

That is exactly what I did to check the strength of my roof.

If it can hold my 14 1/2 stone then it will hold a bit of snow I thought...

The rain is always a pain......

I painted my studwork as I went.Sometimes I carried it into the kitchen to paint (The wife was not to happy ).

B.T.W.

Can you let me know on the size of the Aluminium U channel you use for your 50mm castor's.

I might have to copy you to upgrade from my L channel.

If my ROR rolls slightly askew,the nuts and bolts of the castor's catch on my L channel...

Wayne

I have not been on the forum for a while Malcolm......(work)

Just came across your build for the first time!!

Wow!! Great build

Shame to hear about the warped Wickes studwork.I collected my studwork myself so I hand picked the lot.....

I see you have some concerns about the framework structure not being rigid enough??

When you add the external cladding,believe me it will be rock solid:D.

As for the roof you need to add some horizontal braces to the apex studs to brace it.

A few people had concerns about my own roof build with snow.

My roof had 18 inches of snow this winter for several weeks with no problems.(I knew it would be fine )

Keep up the photo's...

Wayne

anyone unsoldered/disabled the led light?

i notice the led is bleeding to the ccd!

can't be good?

I unsoldered the LED light's & mic's on both my of mine,with no problems encountered afterwards....