Advice

[dmahon]

I have a one word piece of advice for anyone that's going to build their own observatory.

Readymix

I've just laid a 12'x6'x6" base and mixing/barrowing concrete is a pain in the Bottom. I'm half done (I still have the 2.4m circular dome base plus the pier base to do). I wish I'd never seen ballast, cement and a mixer - but I still have about 3 tonnes left on the drive.

Never again. Readymix and an hours wages to a couple of lads that are handy with a wheelbarrow in future.

[ronin]

Ahh, but then would it still be a DIY Observatory ? :grin:

Suppose you wouldn't really care.

At least you know for the next and BIGGER one. :eek:

[tony]

it'll keep you fit, at least you have a mixer. as i've had concreting and blockwork squeezed in as and when i can, its pointless hiring a mixer, so i've mixed about a ton and a half in the wheelbarrow.

[Bizibilder]

I had my original observatory base done professionally - I put up the shuttering and had two men do the carrying, mixing and pouring - worth every last penny!

I've just added an extension of 2'6" by 7' and carried, mixed and laid 275Kg of ballast and cement by hand - not easy but about the limit for me in one session. Surprisingly I had no aches and pains aftwerwards, so I can't be that unfit .

[JamesF]

We have a "two-holer" here. The original side-by-side outdoor toilet. It's in one corner of the area we use for the veggie plot now. When we had the extension built there was about 3/4 of a tonne of concrete left in the mixer and the chap asked if we had any use for it, so I decided to put a floor in the two-holer so it could be used as a tool shed. I shovelled and barrowed all of the concrete up an 8' grass slope from the drive to where it needed to go, with no breaks because it was starting to go off. That nearly killed me

James

[Gina]

We already had a mixer and the tractor and link box was very useful for carting ballast and cement around the property. Still had to load it into the mixer though and I did it all on my own!! I wouldn't have been up to hand mixing.

[dmahon]

Well I mixed 3 tonnes yesterday (and barrowed it about 100 yards). I can still feel it today. The last tonne was the worst. I think I'll have a week or two off before I start on the other 3 tonnes, and I'll do it in two parts (pier first, base second).

Definitely readymix next time around - I don't even think there's much in it price wise with those minimix trucks.

[malc-c]

I hired a mixer to do my foundation. Estimated around 1.5 tonne and was done in a day.

If you can't mix and lay the volume in one day then readymix is the way to go

[tony]

and if you got to hump it any distance you can have it pumped in, not sure on the price difference if any.

[Wolfgangwand]

Poured my second ring base three weeks ago . Had SpotMix from Liverpool barrow it round to the shuttering , best part of 1.5 Cubic Mtr in and laid around 30 mins , cost £130 . Pity they didn't do the digging out for me , full of tree roots , and a lot of foul language .

[nightvision]

Looks like we astro types do enjoy over engineering ( runs for cover... ). I have erected large sheds and log cabins on simple but well designed bases that required no concrete mixing or pouring, they have stood for decades with no wobbles in the structure or floors. So why all the the heavy engineering for something that doesn't justify it?

[laser_jock99]

I had do all mine by mixer- too far off the beaten track for a wagon to get to. I think we got through 5 bags of ballast in all- hand carried in buckets to the site.....

[wxsatuser]

Looks like we astro types do enjoy over engineering ( runs for cover... ). I have erected large sheds and log cabins on simple but well designed bases that required no concrete mixing or pouring, they have stood for decades with no wobbles in the structure or floors. So why all the the heavy engineering for something that doesn't justify it?

Agreed!

Kept all mine to a minimum, my concrete was mixed in a barrow from Wickes concrete.

The obsy footing is just six inches deep and four inches wide with a deck built on top, 12 bags.

Pier base 10 bags in a 600mm squarish hole.

Pier 6 bags in a 200mm drain pipe 1800mm long.

Pier base and pipe approx 1hours work, footings about the same.

I always check Wickes for the discounts and buy accordingly.

[laser_jock99]

Looks like we astro types do enjoy over engineering ( runs for cover... ). I have erected large sheds and log cabins on simple but well designed bases that required no concrete mixing or pouring, they have stood for decades with no wobbles in the structure or floors. So why all the the heavy engineering for something that doesn't justify it?

My first pier base was probably 'over engineered'. The one I'm building now probably has 1/8th the mass of concrete........

[Daniel-K]

lol i was lucky my neighbor was getting the drive done just as i was doing my pier as they had a mixer and all of the materials so never cost a penny