New Roll of Roof obs with concrete pier - early planning stage

[stem1989]

Finally been given the go ahead for a permanent observatory and having done lots of research and recovering from the HEQ5 purchase I am getting all the planning perfect and getting ready. I have opted for the roll off shed roof as I feel this is within my DIY skills. I plan on building it from scratch, stud walls, electrics etc.

I have picked a spot (see attached) which is the best I have unfortunately it isn't so great looking east but if I put it anywhere else I lose the south to a neighbours house. This spot has unrestricted views of the north and south, although east I have my garage to clear and west I have a wall to clear. So it had me thinking, if I raise my pier 1foot I end up getting a whole 15-20% more sky, so instead of a 6inch pier I have opted for an 8 inch pier and plan on it raising to around 5 and half foot high, without the HEQ5 head on, that way I clear both the wall and the garage. I know its not ideal but a step ladder might be needed. Not too big a deal as I will only be using it for imaging. So its going to be a tall shed . Does anyone have a different solution or will this work nicely (concrete pier with 3ft deep foundation)

Also the roll off roof will only roll back 7ft (not the whole 9 foot) to leave an overhang on the laptop desk which I plan on been 2 foot deep.

I think thats my initial idea. Any changes are still very much on the table. Im hoping to start the pier around may and get making the shed over summer. Advice as always is welcome and needed

[stem1989]

attachment plan

[red dwalf]

I've almost finished my build, have a look in DIY obsys section "rob's obsy build"

One thing i havent done yet is sort the pier out, mainly because I was insure of how high it needed to be, so ive left a door in the floor and in the mean time ill use the mount to get the hieght correct first and fit the pier afterwards.

My obsy will also have 7 foot x 8 foot for the scope area which seems more than enough area and then i'll have a 3 foot x 8 foot warm room,

Good look with the build

[r3i]

Welcome to observatory builders club and congratulations on getting the all important planning approval (hardest part of the job) .

Before finalising on the pier height It might be worth establishing exactly how much of the sky to the east and west that you will be able to see with various pier heights. Whilst it would be nice to have views to the horizon all the way round, it is generally recommended to avoid imaging through the thick atmosphere at lower levels, so losing a certain amount of low angle visibility isn't a great loss.

Get yourself a cheap inclinometer and stand on a step ladder where your pier will be and at a height that you propose to have the scope. Take angle readings for the visible horizon at a few points around the compass. You can then input the readings into a planetarium program like Carte du Ciel to overlay your visible horizon on the night sky and you can then get a good idea on what you will and won't be able to see at various times of the year.

Very best of luck with your project and hope you'll keep us up to date with your progress.

[stem1989]

Thanks for the replies guys, That sounds like a good idea Mike, I think I will do this before continuing. A 1m pier allowed me to see the 'high' parts of the east, in the west I can pretty much see most of the sky, North and south no problems at all. So I think Ill try map out what I can see at different heights, very exciting. Already sourcing parts so I can stretch the cost out before I start building. First to knock down the current shed that is there

[r3i]

.... very exciting. Already sourcing parts so I can stretch the cost out before I start building.

Yes, exciting times ahead indeed. Good idea to spread the outlay - I've been keeping a track in a spreadsheet on exactly how much my build is costing and it aint pretty.

[Gina]

A great big welcome from me too An observatory is certainly great to have - saves so much hassle Mine was a hell of a lot of work but I'm very pleased with the result - it's rather more complicated than most which added some extra work

I think you're right about the position for it. And very good idea to test for pier height - I had to extend mine due to a miscalculation.

[stem1989]

Thanks for the warm welcome, I have an first plan for the actual shed attached. It looks a lot bigger now pegged out at home than on paper . Not a problem, I mapped out how much of the sky I can see with a 5ft pier and I could pretty much see everything, even most of the east over the house, not ideal for imaging but its there. All other directions are unobstructed. I may change to an apex roof instead of a sloped one so I can lower the walls a little but keep the height where the scope is.

Let me know what you guys think? If theres money to be saved with this design let me know.

Im running at around £300 for wood (including boards for floor and walls as well as exterior cladding) which is fine but Id still like to cut it by %25 if possible.

Possibly change the cladding to something else? Its dearest part :0

[Centus]

Hey there, good luck! looks like a great start, one question though, why not reverse the inclination of the roof so you can close it with the scope installed?

I might be missing something but it looks like the scope has to come off for the roof to be closed with the current plan.

[michaelmorris]

The other problem with the roof slope as you have drawn it is that residual water on the roof will run into the observatory everytime you open the roof.

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[Gina]

The other problem with the roof slope as you have drawn it is that residual water on the roof will run into the observatory everytime you open the roof.

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I was just about to say the same A gutter with the water taken off to one side would cope with that. That's what I did with my ROR.

[michaelmorris]

Looking at your drawing in more detail, I would recommend that a simple wooden batten on the outside of length of wood along which the roof wheels run should work jusrt as well as a groove cut in the wood and it would be much easier to construct and would get around the need to have drains in the channel.

[stem1989]

Thanks for the replies guys, I have reversed the roof now and will most likely go for the easier to construct runners. The pier is going in this weekend, images to follow. We cleared up the site on saturday and borrowed some tools to do some digging! once the pier is in I can get to work on a detailed plan for the shed. Gone for 8inch wide pipe 130cm off the floor.

[Gina]

That sounds fine