Finally - I've broken ground on the obsy

[dmahon]

This has been a long time in the making - but I have finally started digging the ground for my observatory. I have had a lot of things to do before I could start (as you will see) and have had plenty of time to umm and ahh about what to biuild, but following on from steve1962's success in automating his Pulsar Dome, I've decided to do the same.

Unfortunately I had a number of tasks to complete before the Obsy could go up:

1) Cut tress

2) Move shed #1 200 feet to other end of garden

3) Convert shed #1 to Rabbit Towers Mansion for daughter

4) Remove 80 foot x 4 foot concrete path (and fill with 3 tonnes of topsoil)

5) Lay base for shed #2

6) Demolish shed #3

7) Start on observatory!

I've taken a few pictures:

Garden before - the obsy will be going behind those trees!

After my friend came round with his chainsaws:

Next step was to move an 8x6 shed, which my daughter wanted at the other end of the garden to make a massive rabbit hutch. It was surprisingly easy to take down, move on my own and then erect again. After a wash with moss killer, it looks like new. My wife and daughter got concerned over their welfare in the winter, worrying about the cold and being cooped up in a hutch so they had me make something akin to Trump Towers:

I also had to knock up a wood store under the treehouse to store all the wood we chopped down:

Concrete and ballast arrived (there's another 1 1/2 tonnes off picture):

Base for new replacement 12x6 shed laid. I'm not sure wheter the mixing was worse, or the barrowing. I do know that the second tonne was harder than the first.

What's left (for the obsy):

I also had to take up an 80'x4' concrete path - I used some of this as rubble to put in the base of the shed, but I still have a lot left. Also had to buy 3 tonnes of topsoil to fill the space and the recent warm weather has really buggered up my attempt at seeding it with grass! Still have plenty of rubble left over if anyone wants some:

One last task - demolish another (rotting) shed. Then burn it in the fire pit - where the obsy is going to finally go:

At last - I have broken ground for the Obsy. Pier first (currently 60x60x60):

More to follow as I progress! Unfortunately I need to relay the decking in the treehouse, but that can wait until later. I also need to erect the new shed, but the company I've ordered it from does that free.

[tony]

not much to do then

good luck with the build, fingers crossed you get some decent weather too.

[laser_jock99]

I hope the effort pays off? The hard slog will be forgotten when you're sitting under the stars in your finished 'man shed'!

[dmahon]

Oh, and the other job I have to do is dig 3 trenches for power.

10m, 60m and 75m!

[JamesF]

If you're going to put power cables in trenches then you might as well drop networking in at the same time.

James

[dmahon]

I will, and I'll put conduit in (save me having to excavate the drive when the main cable burned through a few months ago).

I'll hire a trencher. I'll put water down to the bottom of the garden too.

[Gina]

Well you've certainly been very busy That's often the trouble - lots of other stuff to get out of the way before you can start. Looking good Hope your build goes well

[r3i]

Best of luck with the build and looking forward to watching it progress.

That looks like a grand plot you've got there - do you have good horizons all round?

[yesyes]

You call that a garden? That's a park! ;-)

Good luck with the build! So many builds at the moment... ;-)

[fwm891]

Great stuff - Did you mix it all by hand - that mixer looks far too clean

[robbie c]

A lot of hard work done and a lot more to do good luck hope the build goes to plan looking forward to see how you get on

[dmahon]

Well you've certainly been very busy That's often the trouble - lots of other stuff to get out of the way before you can start. Looking good Hope your build goes well

I started about 6 months ago (actually I had some of the tree work done and built the log store 12 months ago now). Forgot to mention the new fence as well. I'm going to hate to add up the cost of it all when I'm done.

Best of luck with the build and looking forward to watching it progress.

That looks like a grand plot you've got there - do you have good horizons all round?

Thanks. Unfortunately my views E/SE aren't great - but my wife told me if I wanted the observatory, it had to go in that part of the garden (where she won't be able to see it). Not much choice then. I have good views S/SW, reasonable views W, good views NW/N and reasonable views NE. I might trim a few trees a bit more next year too. At least there are no power cables and no lights.

Great stuff - Did you mix it all by hand - that mixer looks far too clean

I borrowed it from a builder friend - it's only a few weeks old. It was still a pain to mix and barrow on my own. Took me about 4 hours.

Another job to add to my list: Wife has now decided she wants decking putting down where that big leylandi tree has been felled.

[dmahon]

X marks the spot where my wife told me I had to put the observatory - hence the tree work. Had I been allowed, I would have placed it at Y:

This is the view I get, which should be fine (I've imaged from the spot for the last year on the tripod, to make sure):

[dmahon]

This is how far I got today before rain stopped play:

The obsy base is dug out to a minimum of 6 inches, in some places more than double that (where the bricks were from the fire pit surround). I'll lob a bit of the rubble in there rather than force myself to mix even more concrete. It will be at least 2 inches above the surrounding ground too, a bit more at one end as it isn't perfectly level grass. Now I'm off to buy a bit of plywood shuttering, downpipe (for conduit) and polystyrene (to insulate the pier).

[dmahon]

Update:

Managed to pour the pier at the weekend. Seems to be fairly square/level, so that's a result - I'll finish it off smooth with my grinder.

Now I just have to make a circular form and pour the rest (remembering to put the pipework in first). And get my credit card out for the dome/pier of course. Steve1962 has kindly given me some flexible plastic to copy his setup.

[robin-m]

Looking very good, I'll watch with interest.

Robin

[nameunknown]

Definitely a good idea to put network cables in the power trench, and while you are at it, run a hose pipe through as well so you can have water. With a garden that size its a trek back to the house for a cuppa!

P

[dmahon]

Rain and work have prevented too much progress.

I managed to make a start on the circular form 8" deep today. The plan is to put a second layer inside the first to help prevent any problems and I'll also tape over all the joins on the inside layer too. I hope to get the forms finished in time to pour the concrete at the weekend, weather permitting.

[dmahon]

Second layer done and all levelled up. Just pipework to put in and concrete to mix/barrow - a job for the weekend probably.

What's the best way to get the pipework to sit still whilst the concrete is poured?

[Gina]

Don't forget to leave a small gap around the pier base to prevent any vibration being transmitted to the pier. Polystyrene foam board makes a good gap filler.

[dmahon]

All in hand - and fitted this morning before work, dressed in my suit, hoping that I might be able to pour this evening (I reckon I need about 2-3 hours). I also popped into Wickes first thing (opens at 7am) to see if I could find something to hold my conduits (50mm downpipes with 110 deg bends for easier "pull through") in place while I pour. Best thing looked like some thin 4mm aluminium rod. A bit expensive at £3 a rod, but I only need two or three. Should be easy to cut and bend into U shapes and then mallet into the ground.

Fingers crossed I might get it done later today. If not, there's always the weekend.

[Seme]

use some old metal coat hangers they bend pretty well if you don't have any i bet your neighbours will.

[dmahon]

Well, I managed to get it all set up with the aluminium bar (and gaffer tape for the polystyrene).

Took a look at the sky, didn't look like rain and thought why not! So, out came the mixer and I got mixing. And barrowing.

I was a little bit worried about the amount of ballast I had, but I finished up with 2/3 barrowloads to spare and a tiny bit of light left. If anyone has any more suggestions - well, they're too late I can't do much about it now (I will go over it with my grinder to smooth any minor imperfections, especially around the tube holes once I've cut them flush).

[dmahon]

Formwork removed. Now I just have to smooth off the surface slightly, reduce the extra pipework and fill in the gap around the edge with shingle.

[oymd]

I'm following this eagerly...good luck with the build..!!