Dome build

[mariaone]

At the end of this month i wil starting on construction of an Obs Dome with adjoining warm room. I currently have finally drawn up the plans and was looking for a bit of advice. After much checking around and reading way to many planning regulations i have a bit of a problem. In the regulations is says that the maximum height of a structure in a rear is 4 metres to the top of the roof or 3 metres in all other structures. As i am building a dome roof does anyone know which maximum height i should be building to? the plans come out at 3.5metres high as i am having to raise the thing to get around the problem of way too many trees and a very large hedge.

I know it would be easier to build a RoRo design but the Dome is being built for someone else and they are adamant that it must be a dome.

Any Advice would be appreciated i will post pictures and updates when i get started on the build in May.

[triton1]

hi there,

your right in saying its 4 metres to the top(of a ridged roof)so if your coming in at 3.5m you should be well inside,after all half the height is the dome and it not as if there windows overlooking other peoples property(unless you use the scope for ogling ahah).

regards jonn

[mariaone]

not planning on oggling the neighbours and got no help from the planing people apart from ill get back to you, so, i guessed it like you did but was seeing if i guessed right!

[skybadger]

I Hope you'll be posting plans and progress here. Is it a home build of a dome or a commercial one on a custom building ?

best

Mike

[ollypenrice]

Keep on asking for a reply? You pay their wages.

Olly

[mariaone]

its a complete custom home build, i looked at some of the domes commercially available but none of them were close to suitable for the site because of all the damn trees and high hedges. the plans are nearly done in autocad, its basically a grain silo, 3.5m high by 2.2m dia tower including the dome with a 3x2m warm room attached at a lower level with a slight skew in it to get around a huge concrete box full of bamboo. when i have conveterted to a Jpeg i will post for inspection.

[tony]

as far as i know you shouldn't need planning if the proposal exceeds [a] 4m where a dual pitched roof is proposed, or 2.5m where the proposal is within 2m of the boundary; or [c] 3m in any other case?

thats taken from cornwall councils website but check yours.

[mariaone]

Thats the same as South Norfolk Council as well, they have just over two weeks to respond or it gets built as is

[mariaone]

The plans so far just got front elevation and plan view then im done.

Until the build anyway.

OB PLAN.PDF

[r3i]

Looks like a very interesting project. Good luck with the build and please keep us posted on progress.

[Digz]

If in doubt ring and speak to you local planning officer, they will be well versed in PD rights. I'd also be tempted to get a response in writing as well. Take this from me as Architect!

[Gina]

Good luck with building your dome I'll be following this thread with great interest. I had enough of a job building a RORO let alone a dome

[mariaone]

A quick update. finally heard back from the planning people and under a revision of the planning regulations that i hadn't managed to find a Dome no longer falls under 4m pitched roof group. its falls now falls under the 'all other' group of buildings. so back to the drawing board as i need to lose about 76cm somewhere or wait for six months for planning permission. so i think i will be very busy on my next day off.

[Digz]

Six months for planning - they didn't tell you that did they? 8 weeks from submission more like. Still if you can lose the height it will save the cost of an application and potential refusal which would not be good.

[tony]

So i take it its 3m then is it?

[r3i]

Can you not put a ridge on the top of the dome so that it has a pitched roof (well, sort of)?

[mariaone]

hmm a pitched roof dome, time for some interesting considerations methinks. but probably not i'm working long hours at the moment and in the little spare time im re doing the plans as it will save on having to go through all the hassle of planning permission and more importantly it will reduce the cost of the build i will post them on here when/if i get them done

[mariaone]

My apologies for the absence recently. I have managed to get the foundation in for the dome and warm room. I also managed to make a start on the dome. I will attach photos when I can ge the file size down. I have had to put the project on pause due to an unplanned heart attack. It wasn't in my schedule of things to do. Lol. But I'm slowly on the mend. When I am back up and running I will post more updates as and when I can. Hopefully I will get it done before the start of winter as i have a list of things I would like to view.

[r3i]

Wishing you a speedy recovery from the heart attack and hope you're fit enough again soon to be able to resume your project. Will look forward to seeing the photos.

[Gina]

Same best wishes from me too

[Digz]

Sorry to hear your bad news. Take it easy, your health comes first, once your better the dome can follow - no point working yourself into the ground otherwise you won't be able to enjoy it...

having said that I look forward to seeing the progress when your up to it.

[Sky Clad]

I've just been cruising through these forums and stumbled on your post. Some of these observatory projects are truly inspiring

I'm sorry to hear of your setback, but regardless of being a complete stranger, I wish you well too, and eagerly look forward to seeing the project progress here soon.

[peter shah]

I've had a dome in the past and moved on to a roll off roof.....I do love the look of the classic dome, the main reason for moving on to a roll off roof was it was easier to build. One thing I found with the dome was escaping air currents inside the dome which made their way past the line of sight and straight though the slit spoiling the seeing..... I would suggest to avoid this is to introduce air vents or shutters in the lower wall of the dome that can be opened when in use. I would also avoid casting a concrete floor as it will heat up during the day as the sun warms the observatory the radiate slowly during the night again causing poor seeing.......if you do need to cast concrete the at least use insulation or have a suspended floor that will allow air flow under the floor.

[nytecam]

I've had a dome in the past and moved on to a roll off roof.....I do love the look of the classic dome, the main reason for moving on to a roll off roof was it was easier to build. One thing I found with the dome was escaping air currents inside the dome which made their way past the line of sight and straight though the slit spoiling the seeing..... I would suggest to avoid this is to introduce air vents or shutters in the lower wall of the dome that can be opened when in use. I would also avoid casting a concrete floor as it will heat up during the day as the sun warms the observatory the radiate slowly during the night again causing poor seeing.......if you do need to cast concrete the at least use insulation or have a suspended floor that will allow air flow under the floor.

Shame on you Peter for “building a RoR ‘cos it was easier!”. In IMHO the chimney effect through dome shutter is an “urban myth” from the States where extreme climates may need obsy air-conditioning. My scopes up to 17.5” within my UK dome didn’t suffer this effect but local tube currents and the 17.5” diameter cone of light up through the atmosphere did effect seeing. My best views ever of Jupiter’s sats via 8.5” Newt within the dome was when a fan expelled tube currents - the satellite disks jumped into perfect if tiny resolved disks!

Of course good cross ventilation and a wide shutter for a domed obsy are essential – see the pro scopes in hot climates. Often amateurs mimic the classic refractor domes of the 1800s with tiny shutters matching the relatively small OGs. I recommend at least a third of the dome diameter eg 1m wide for 3m dome. Once the shutter is cut into the dome [however narrow!] the dome’s structural integrity in lost to some degree so wider is ok.

Shading obsy, even in UK, with planting is a good idea with the minimum of concrete or brickwork exposed to the sun especially on the southern side. Timber construction has low conductivity and one of the best materials for obsys. My two pence as an architect with 6 domes and zero RoRs !

[nytecam]

Thats the same as South Norfolk Council as well, they have just over two weeks to respond or it gets built as is

Hi Maria - get yourself well first - the obsy can wait awhile. South Norfolk Council - you've awoken a paper tiger ;-)

Much as we love our proposed "observatory", it's best to not use this term in the first place - in reality it's "a garden shed with opening roof to view the star" for the recreational use of the householder much like the commonplace garden greenhouse or workshop etc and long as it's

1] not in front of the street building line

2] not attached to the house [so it can't be lived in - you'd be surprised!],

3] not over 4m high and

5] doesn't exceed a certain volume and is

6] not in a conservation area then

= no building control or planning permission is required.

How many sheds, erected without permission, abutt your property - many I suspect. I challenged my Council that my 4m dome was "pitched" and clearly not "flat" and won!

My obsy built awhile ago in pic below much like your proposed obsy - good luck