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Gina's Observatory

Gina

By Gina
in DIY Observatories

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JamesF

JamesF

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:) I think most of us don't. Central heating on in August!! Certainly not warm here. And it's tipping down with rain! OK I know it's the Wild Wet West here... :rolleyes:

We have our central heating set to 18C so it's not come on yet, but it can't be that far off. Not raining here at the moment, but I was lying in bed last night wondering if I should break out SketchUp and start designing an ark.

James

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Freff

Freff

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Tony, I would suggest that you re-think and insulate the floor below the warm room. I found that it helps keep it cool in summer and warm on those cold nights.. well the ones we have had so far ;)

I have a stack of that interlocking floor foamy rubbery stuff which I was going to lay as well as carpet floor tiles if needs be. (amazing what you can pick up at auction for bladders) If that don't stop the cold, I ain't going out. :rolleyes:

If I can save the £££'s there, it's more towards my CCD. :)

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Freff

Freff

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We have our central heating set to 18C so it's not come on yet, but it can't be that far off. Not raining here at the moment, but I was lying in bed last night wondering if I should break out SketchUp and start designing an ark.

James

I'm still in shorts and will be unless we get a very cold snap or my wife tells me not to be so stupid and get dressed.. Fortunately, I don't feel the cold, I have built-in insulation (several excess stones of it.:rolleyes:)

I live on the side of a mountain so no fear of flooding. I'll keep an eye out for you when you drift by.:)

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JamesF

JamesF

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I'm still in shorts and will be unless we get a very cold snap or my wife tells me not to be so stupid and get dressed.. Fortunately, I don't feel the cold, I have built-in insulation (several excess stones of it.:rolleyes:)

I live on the side of a mountain so no fear of flooding. I'll keep an eye out for you when you drift by.:)

We're in a very similar position in terms of both dress and geography ;) I did wonder this morning, mind, when I looked out of the window and could see nothing but fog. Is it autumn already?

James

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Gina

Gina

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I had a phone call from B&Q today - my insulation sheets will be coming Tuesday :) Gradually getting the bits collected together :rolleyes: I've sorted out my timber requirements now (hopefully not missed anything), so plan to order it next week.

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Gina

Gina

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I've been getting some carpentry practice in while making window frames for our back porch. This has a pent roof so the top of the window slopes. It has 3 panes - 24"x24", 36"x24" and 24"x18" (in the small end). The smallest is an opening fan light. Now I want some fine weather to finish the job - take down the temporary plastic sheet, varnish the frames with yacht varnish and finish assembly.

The "glass" is acrylic sheet sold for greenhouses (Amazon). I'm using similar 24x24 and 24x18 sheets for my dividing door and warm room windows.

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Gina

Gina

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B&Q failed to deliver my insulation today :) No phone call, no email, no nothing! I'm hoping it'll come tomorrow. I stayed home today specially too :(

I did get a good bit done on the porch windows though. As far as painting the frames, in fact. Now there's the fixed panes to go in, the opening window to finish off and cladding to go over the triangular gaps at the top.

As for the obsy build, I'm hoping to go and order the timber later in the week.

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Gina

Gina

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I've now ordered the bulk of the timber (all except the shiplap which will take up a lot of room - 30 4.8m lengths of 150x25mm). Delivery is expected around the end of next week, which should work out OK as it's forecast to rain for the first part of the week.

As for B&Q (insulation), I phoned them but they said the system was down and to try later so I've emailed them. Not heard back yet.

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Gina

Gina

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Don't hold your breath waiting for B&Q.
No, I don't intend to :)
Can you build under cover and move wall panels etc. out as complete or semi complete units?
Yes, we have a 45ft square shed which, although pretty cluttered, still has enough space to build the walls and roof sections (and store the timber).
Hope weather holds for you

Francis

Thanks :( I'm lucky to have the covered space in which to build if necessary :D Plus, the modular construction helps a lot
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malc-c

malc-c

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OK who want to run a book on what the post count will be by the time Gina finishes the observatory... Maybe FLO could offer a prize for the winner ?? :)

17 thousand views and 914 posts and we're yet to see the floor being built :(

This thread must of broken some records ??

Gina, you have the patience of a saint... I would be hammering on B&Q's door demanding my insulation...

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Gina

Gina

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Great to hear you've got the wood on order. I'll look forward to some more pics of the next stage of construction with interest.

Good luck!

Thank you Kev :D Must say, I'm much relieved to have placed the order at long last :) What with saving up and other (necessary) jobs... Now I can't wait for the delivery and getting going again.
Seconded. I'm very much looking forward to seeing your obsy progress from sketchup to physical reality.

James

Thanks :) But not as much as I am!! :)

James

OK who want to run a book on what the post count will be by the time Gina finishes the observatory... Maybe FLO could offer a prize for the winner ?? :(

17 thousand views and 914 posts and we're yet to see the floor being built :D

This thread must of broken some records ??

Gina, you have the patience of a saint... I would be hammering on B&Q's door demanding my insulation...

Don't know about that :( But I admit to having a bit of a reputation for patience - I've needed it in the past. I cared for my mother for a number of years and more recently my OH with a long illness, thankfully now cured.
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Gina

Gina

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Mind you if Gina hadn't been stuck on here writing emails she just might be using the obsy by now...
:D
Good luck with the build - keep the web cam lens clean there are admirers out here:D
Thank you :) I will. The hood I made for the webcam seems to be working well at keeping the rain and dirt off :(
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Gina

Gina

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Been going through all the extra bits I was planning to buy (other than timber). Quite a significant expenditure is the aluminium angle for the runners. I was planning to buy from Aluminium Warehouse who I've used before. They're reasonable if you're buying a lot but for smaller amounts, the delivery cost of about £18 (inc VAT) puts the cost up significantly. It would cost well over £50 for the aluminium angle. Unfortunately, to support the wheels from fully closed to fully open I need 4.3 metres per side. They sell lengths of 2m and 4m so I'd need 2x4m + 1x2m with a join each side.

Now, several people have used just timber with a beading to restrain the wheels sideways so I'm thinking of trying this method at first.

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Freff

Freff

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Now, several people have used just timber with a beading to restrain the wheels sideways so I'm thinking of trying this method at first.

As you know I've been agonising over what method of tracking to use, and I keep coming back to using wood. I don't see any problems at all.

The only issue that came up was the wheels may wear a rut in the soft wood. Great if it does, better tracking I think.

I will probably use rubber wheels which would also make the running, if on wood, a lot quieter than poly on aluminium.

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Bizibilder

Bizibilder

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I just used rubber castors from screwfix (50mm wheel - grey colour) and ran them on wood. There is a thin strip along the outside of each runner to keep the roof-roll straight. I did use planed timber for these parts, which is a little more expensive than the sawn that I used for the rest of the construction. The roof has been in use for two years now and shows no sign of wear.

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malc-c

malc-c

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Gina,

I ordered two lengths (4.8m ea) from Click metal - here's copy of the costings I paid

2 x Aluminium Channel

1" x 1/2" x 1/8" (AC1001)

Length - 4800mm

GBP 19.81 + GBP 3.96 VAT (20%)

-----------------------------------------------------------

Shipping

Standard Post - Mainland UK

GBP 9.45 + GBP 1.89 VAT (20%)

-----------------------------------------------------------

Order Value = GBP 49.07

VAT = GBP 9.81

Total = GBP 58.88

(GBP = British Pounds)

http://www.clickmetal.co.uk/

I ended up using just one for the roof as the tracing accepts the screwfix rubber wheels with just enough clearance, but due to the tolerances of trying to get all the wheels within this clearance. Also having joints in the rails can cause issues with wheels jumping out of the track (unless you opt for wider channel with more freedom). I would suggest you use just one length to guide the wheels and then use timber as a guide on the other side.

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