Gina's Observatory - The Build

[Gina]

Gina, Lookin good (if I don't say so myself:D) we were certainly lucky with the weather yesterday.

At least you've got a bit more room to move in the barn with the shiplap pile reduced.

Good luck with the remaining wall/door closure, at least its short lengths to play with now. Once that's done you can play to your hearts content with the fitting out of the warm room and wall insulation.

Glad I could help - Francis

Thanks again for your help and yes it is looking good

Good job we didn't get today's weather. We have fog (alias low cloud) And it's closing in! If it gets much worse we won't be able to see the obsy from the webcam!! The view is helped by a polarising filter on the webcam - it looks less foggy on the webcam than directly. The trees in the right of the picture have virtually disappeared from sight.

I've cut the last full length shiplap board for the roll off south wall. They're the same length as the fixed wall below. I shan't be doing that job until we get better weather. Meanwhile, I'm concentrating on the remaining wall and door.

I've decided to put the door right near the north wall as you or Chris suggested. I'm thinking of making it standard exterior door width (33") - be easier to get a desk in if I want to.

[malc-c]

Gina... you're making real progress. With all this attention to detail with vapour barriers etc, can I ask if you laid a DPC membrane between the footings and the timber ? I know there was some discussion on your other tread, but didn't fancy trawling through 1000+ posts to see if you did or not ?

[Gina]

Gina... you're making real progress. With all this attention to detail with vapour barriers etc, can I ask if you laid a DPC membrane between the footings and the timber ? I know there was some discussion on your other tread, but didn't fancy trawling through 1000+ posts to see if you did or not ?

Yes, I did.

[Gina]

Here is a selection of webcam images from yesterday. I will post today's pics later.

[Gina]

Drizzly and foggy all day and cold too. Managed to make progress though.

1. Measured and cut shiplap for the roll off south wall. 5 pieces at the full length. The rest fills the triangle at the top.

2. Measured up and fastened in the two uprights for the warm room end wall. As a result of a suggestion by my helpers yesterday, I've decided to put the door right over to the left end of the wall (as seen from the webcam).

3. Cut and fastened vapour barrier onto the end wall.

As promised yesterday, I took a few DSLR photos of the inside of the building. These show the green vapour barrier on the walls. Also you can see where I've been working out the placing of shiplap on the roll off south wall - pieces of shiplap clamped on to find the height of the top full length. Note that there is some image distortion due to the use of a wide angle lens.

Then follows a photo of the warm room end wall with vapour attached with a selection of webcam images following that.

[Gina]

Today's weather has been good - fine and after a cloudy start, sunny. Cold at first then warmed up with the sunshine but cooled off mid afternoon.

Lost half the morning taking our dog to the VET.

Today's progress :-

1. Cut and nailed on the shiplap at the top of the warm room south wall one side of the window.

2. Fastened vapour barrier onto warm room end wall.

3. Fastened vapour barrier to roll off south wall.

4. Nailed shiplap onto roll off south wall.

Didn't take any DSLR photos but here's a selection from the webcam. Unfortunately most of the action was out of sight of the webcam so fewer pics today.

[g0ibi]

Enjoying your build Gina, but can you do me a big favour?? Can you clean the camera lens please?? ha ha need a good look ready for my build!

Ron

[Gina]

Enjoying your build Gina, but can you do me a big favour?? Can you clean the camera lens please?? ha ha need a good look ready for my build!

Ron

I'll see what I can do. The obstruction is on the inside of the filter which forms an optical window in the enclosure - I'll have to take the camera unit down and clean the inside of the filter/window.

ATM I'm concentrating on the actual build.

[g0ibi]

The builds the important thing, I hope the weather stays kind for you to get finished!

Ron

[Starjumper]

Its looking good Gina, well done.

John

[GJBC]

Looking good both inside and out now. you can see the layout now nice room for a desk etc. not long now. nearly there.

[Gina]

Thank you everyone

[Gina]

Rather miserable weather today - cold, dull and damp, we're up in the clouds again But I'm making progress

[Gina]

Had a power cut and had to reset the webcam IP. So webcam was down for a short period. OK again now.

The damp has turned to a heavy drizzle now so I've put the guttering back up. Outdoor operations suspended for now.

[ryan]

I think you have done a great job. Well done. When do you think you can be up and running?

[Gina]

Cold, damp and dull weather today. Progress all the same until rain stopped play this afternoon. Working on warm room end wall.

To itemise progress today :-

1. Some measuring up to start with.

2. Blocks of wood cut and screwed to joist ends to provide fixing for bottom piece of shiplap.

3. Measured, cut and screwed on south-west capping piece (right side looking at warm room).

4. Measured, cut and nailed on bottom piece of shiplap.

5. Measured, cut and screwed on left hand capping piece.

6. Measured and cut several pieces of shiplap for wall.

7. The damp changed to definite drizzle so put guttering and down pipe back up to stop drips from the roof.

8. Nailed five pieces of shiplap onto wall before the rain came proper.

No DSLR shots today so just webcam images.

[Gina]

Fine this morning with clear sky - lovely view of the moon and thousands of stars. Colder but no breeze so didn't feel that cold. Lovely dawn. Looking good for progress today

[Gina]

Fine weather today with sunshine later after the mist rising from the valley had cleared. Made some progress in the morning but we had to go and collect our dog from the VET which took virtually all the afternoon.

Today's progress :-

1. Finished the shiplap on the warm room end wall except for the top piece.

2. Cut and fitted fill-in piece on the dividing wall between roll off and warm room south wall.

3. Cut and nailed shiplap onto the south warm room wall on the right of the window.

4. Topmost full length piece of shiplap on the roll off south wall cut to fit under eaves.

5. Cut notch in roll off shiplap to clear SE corner post.

No DSLR pics today, just webcam images to post. Not many of those as much of the action was out of sight and only covered the morning.

[Beulah]

Excellent - on Firefox, these images load up like a timelapse animation.

[Yendor]

Im really impressed, it's looking tremendous. This set of postings is the first thing I look at when I come on the forum. Far better than Corrie..... But then thats not a fair comparison? Anyhow, suffice it to say watching your obsy take shape has been brilliant and inspiring. Im going to build me a case this weekend for my scope and bits. Not quite the same I admit, but nevertheless useful to me.

...........As an afterthought , maybe you should have had a "Heres One I Made Earlier" in true Blue Peter Fashion.

Your going to enjoy the fruits of your labour I'm sure. I do wish I had the space, and lived in such a location. Love the goats too, like to see more of them.

[Gina]

Thanks for your comments

[Gina]

Today's observatory build report.

Raining when I got up at 6am but stopped soon after and cleared up. There followed a cloudy day, fine but rather misty.

Today's progress itemised :-

1. Took guttering down.

2. Nailed on top piece of shiplap on warm room end wall.

3. Measured up, cut and screwed on spacer for top of doorway.

4. Measured up for door and cut the two vertical side members and the three horizontal members of the door framework.

5. Laid out door framework on warm room floor ready to fix together.

6. Replaced guttering and downpipe (ready for deteriorating weather).

7. Trimmed off some of the excess vapour barrier.

8. Arranged downpipe on obsy to discharge rain water away from building and downhill.

Took a couple of DSLR photos today. One shows the south side from as far over the fence as I could reach with the camera and the other the warm room end wall with shiplap up the wall.

A selection of webcam images now follow.

[yesyes]

it's coming along very nicely, Gina. ;-))

[Gina]

it's coming along very nicely, Gina. ;-))

Thank you, yes, getting there Hoping to get the warm room door mostly done tomorrow. Still lots of odd, awkward bits to do though.

[Anweniel]

Goats taking almost as keen an interest in the build!