New shed

[bish]

Hello all,

I am probably going to clear out the top of the garden and put up a shed for my telescopes. It's only for storage, and the convenience of set up on the top patio. Would you recommend any modifications? I have a scope cover that I will also use.  it will probably be 6' x 7' so I can have a small table and chair.

Thanks

[Kropster]

I lined mine with insulation.

If, like my shed, it gets sunshine, then It stops it getting too hot in the summer and if you have a heater, helps with that in Winter.

[bish]

I lined mine with insulation.

If, like my shed, it gets sunshine, then It stops it getting too hot in the summer and if you have a heater, helps with that in Winter.

Thanks Kropster. That's something I could actually do (I'm not the best at DIY!).

[Mike73]

A solar powered light is handy, really dim when compared with your neighbours security light but very bright to an astronomer packing up at the end of a night!

You can get them of Fleabay or Amazon for about a tenner.

[Scott]

I'd be thinking about security. a lot of prefab sheds can be opened with an evil glare. battery operated alarms can be bought reasonably cheaply. Also make sure your insurance covers the contents of garden sheds and you may need to stipulate that it contains astronomy gear on your policy. Sorry to be a wet blanket but its worth looking into.

[Tinker1947]

As mentioned a bit of insulation won't go amiss, maybe make sure if you have 2 doors they both braced the right way.....    

[Mike73]

 maybe make sure if you have 2 doors they both braced the right way.....    

Really?  Its a cheap flatpack garden storage shed...I seriously doubt the lad smacking it together for minimum wage was worried what way he braced the door or whether a some one on a astronomy forum would be so pedantic about it.

[trazor]

I'd be thinking about security. a lot of prefab sheds can be opened with an evil glare. battery operated alarms can be bought reasonably cheaply. Also make sure your insurance covers the contents of garden sheds and you may need to stipulate that it contains astronomy gear on your policy. Sorry to be a wet blanket but its worth looking into.

Battery alarms are worse than useless, rip it off the wall and stamp on it, job done.

I have my observatory insured, fibreglass Pulsar model, only stipulation was that I fitted a 5 lever lock to the door.

Standard household insurance policies will cover you for £5000.00 maximum.

[Ouroboros]

Bish - I went down the same route - a 'warm room' shed and for temporary storage* of astronomy kit - with an area of paving outside for setting up the scope. In someways it's a nice halfway house between a full-blown observatory + warm room and setting up in the open each time.

I went for a slightly more expensive, well made shed built by a local company and described as a security shed - mainly because it's quite sturdy and has very small slit windows.

I feel it's important to prevent the shed becoming "sheddy" like most sheds become in time - dirty, spidery, scruffy. So I don't use it to store garden tools, lawnmower or anything like that. It's for astronomy and clean storage only. I haven't lined it. But I have given the inside a couple of coats of emulsion paint, which helps keep it clean. I don't think lining is absolutely necessary. It's surprising how warm an unlined shed will remain. I use a small oil filled kW electric radiator, which is just enough to keep the temperature at a comfortable level especially when wearing warm clothing you need to work at a scope outside anyway.

You maybe want to think how you get mains power to your shed. So far I have used an extension lead on each occasion. But I'm working on a more permanent and convenient solution. Or if more modest power is all you need, heating isn't important for you perhaps, you might think about solar to charge batteries for scope and laptop etc if you need to. You might want to cut a smallish hole in the shed to take cables to and from scope.

Keeping the exterior surface well painted is important to prevent the ingress of damp leading to rot. Don't seal too enthusiastically though. You might want to consider some ventilation.

* I don't believe any shed is a safe place to store expensive equipment. So I only use it for temporary storage.

[Scott]

Battery alarms are worse than useless, rip it off the wall and stamp on it, job done.

I have my observatory insured, fibreglass Pulsar model, only stipulation was that I fitted a 5 lever lock to the door.

Standard household insurance policies will cover you for £5000.00 maximum.

Seem to work well in cars? Just because an alarm is battery powered (even house alarms are battery powered in a blackout) doesn't mean it has to be easily accesable.

Not ALL standard household insurance covers observatories. that is why I suggest anyone storing gear outside (or inside for that matter) should check that astronomy gear is covered by their policy and not take a post on a forum as gospel

[bish]

Thanks for all of your replies. Plenty of food for thought - from insurance to spiders!  It sounds like a good half way house as Ouroboros says.  I have a socket in the greenhouse which I will run a lead from if I need a heater.  As my garden is very light polluted  so I could get by with a head torch to pack up. At the moment I have to sneak around trying not to clatter and disturb the neighbours, but having I all in the shed would make things much easier.  I think that my wife is keen to get the 250px out of the house too  (and I she wont notice when I buy a bigger scope!).

[Tinker1947]

Really?  Its a cheap flatpack garden storage shed...I seriously doubt the lad smacking it together for minimum wage was worried what way he braced the door or whether a some one on a astronomy forum would be so pedantic about it.

The brace is to stop the door sagging, swap it round , its the left door by the way....

[trazor]

Seem to work well in cars? Just because an alarm is battery powered (even house alarms are battery powered in a blackout) doesn't mean it has to be easily accesable.

Not ALL standard household insurance covers observatories. that is why I suggest anyone storing gear outside (or inside for that matter) should check that astronomy gear is covered by their policy and not take a post on a forum as gospel

Any alarm inside an Observatory is easily accessible, obviously not so in a car or a house.

Please remember these alarms allow you approx 10 seconds to enter a code once you enter, more than enough time to destroy it.

I enquired with SIX standard insurance companies, they all quoted a maximum outside cover of £5000.00 for  garden furniture,outside buildings, and their contents. 

And I did specify the type of items which I wanted  covered. They were fine about it, up to £5000.00............Gospel.

And I'm quite sure that Amateur astronomers on here will be quite adept at asking the right questions.