New Observatory... Rancho Estrellas - The Build Begins...

[Tim99]

One of my "hobbies" is carpentry & woodworking.  I enjoy building buildings - have built several for people.  Having said that, I am enjoying this Obs thread.  Your building is being built to last!  I look at it this way, I build according to what the person can afford and for what the building's intent is.  If you have the dough then why not do a first-rate construction?  

One thing that I have never done is the roll-off roof concept.  I will be interested to see how you do this so please keep those pictures coming and tell us how you are doing that.

Good luck and have a ball with your project!

Tim

P.S. my Obs build is scheduled for next spring so I hope to pick up good ideas from experienced folk like you. 

[wk4bg8s]

You are correct, but then the long, arduous process of alignment etc., will begin. We got the siding and roofing on late Friday, I will post those pics later today. Just in time as well, the

rains began early Saturday morning.

As far as headroom- yes, when the mount is parked, I will clear just fine, about 3 inches or so. I know it is not much, but I am pretty careful about checking and re-checking things before I pull the trigger. The pier is placed

so North is to a corner, which makes it clear quit easily. Famous last words, right?

I decided to use good ol' steel, will clean and coat when the rains stop. The bottom of the rail is sealed against the wood, and the roof rolls quite easily. It has 14 polyurethane wheels carrying a 14' x 15' roof at a calculated

total weight of about 860 lbs. Each wheel is rated @ 350 lbs, so it feels like it is on butter when I open or close it.

I'll measure the height that my roof sits above, don't remember off hand. I don't think it is much different than yours will be, but I've been know to be wrong in the past. One benefit to the "V-track" is centering, the roof will

stay where it belongs. The way I did it, I have an additional 6 "outrigger wheels" that keep the roof centered on the track. That took some adjustment to keep things from binding. Looking back, I would have gone the route

that you are.

I appreciate the good words, it has been a labor of love, knowing what my end result will be, and the years of enjoyment it will bring. I have been enjoying watching your build as well, especially your new style ROR, or as I

refer to it as a, "Rip-Off-Roof!"

I'm pulling for a clear sky weekend for you, keep up your good work as well

Cheers

Kim

Hey Tim;

Appreciate the comments, not sure though, you might be giving me more credit than is due, but I'll take it anyway 

I made a few changes along the way, a little input from my wife as well as friends when they stopped by, and a few ideas garnered from the other projects

here on the forum. 

We are about 400' above the valley floor, so I had to make it strong, the winds get pretty high up here, but the view is great! The biggest issue (IMHO) with the

roof is getting everything sealed, no one needs a room full of dust a debris. I will be using chain binders on each corner to keep the roof in place when it is

closed.

I'll look forward to your build, please keep me in the know 

Kim

[wk4bg8s]

Roll-Off-Roof, Siding, and OSB, Oh My!

Well, I was two days late and a few $$$ more, but it is now time to focus my efforts on the inside of the building. You see, its a funny thing, but I hope to see

first light before Christmas, so I only have about 6 weeks to git there!!!

The Roll-Off-Roof partially open, rolls like it is on butter! I estimate the completed weight to be 860lbs, that is with the steel roofing in place. There are 14

polyurethane wheels, 7 per side, rated at 250lbs carrying capacity each, so it rolls without any physical effort on my part.

The roof for the warm room is in place, and we have wrapped the shear, ready for siding. My wife decided that I would use shiplap, so I went with the HardiePlank

siding. More expensive, but a better r-value and tough stuff!!!

My wife also convinced me that I needed a window that was 5' tall for the warm room. She was wrong, but if you are married, you know what I did...

(She does not know yet, but I replaced the window today, much nicer at 3'  )

Had this stuff on order, and my friend Jared came by to put it on for me. He is a roofer, so this was an easy task for him, about 90 minutes, and he was done!!! Wow, I

would have taken a full day, easily 

Jared, finishing up... Thanx!!!!

Siding and roofing, all ready for paint. 

Now, the inside work begins 

Kim

[Pan Euro]

That looks brilliant. Great choice of colors for the room and shiplap. Can't wait for the inside photos.

[catman161]

That looks absolutely beautiful. Amazing work. Love this thread [emoji4]

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