New Observatory build in Gosport

[The storm fisherman]

Hi All

My quest is to build a ROR observatory the reasons are many but the main ones are is to have some level of convenience, bring comfort, and have somewhere to tinker in an electronics workshop and also not to upset the family with my night time observing sessions.

I have spent the last 3 months especially over the Christmas period reading through the forum and generally on-line get inspiration and the required knowledge to start putting my thoughts and plans into action. As this not the first shed I have built but is definitely the largest at 2.4mrt (8ft) x 4.8mrt (16ft) with a 50-50 split Ob’s room and warm room.

The construction will be the tried and trusted design that seem to work quite well with a flat and rolling pitched roof, studded wall and a suspended wood floor on top of a strip concrete foundation and dwarf wall the roof will slide over the warm the pier will be a 1 meter square reinforced concrete base with a reinforced 200mm round pier made from plastic ducting pipe.

The observatory will be orientated north to south with the roof sliding back over the warm room to the north if you look in the first photo there is a house over the back fence towards the north east. The second photo shows the rear of my house before I started clearing the ground to day but is was a bit wet under foot.  also the green house and its base will also go to make way for the observatory as it has been frost damaged over the years.

[Physopto]

Looks to be a cracking project. I would love an observatory, but need to move house first. I will watch your progress with interest.

Derek

 

[JohnC64]

good luck with the build 

John

[Tinker1947]

Look forward  to future photo's as the build progresses....

[Garethr]

Good luck with the build

Best thing I ever did as far as astro goes.  Gettingb started within 5 mins of walking out to the garden encourages far more time observing/imaging.

Also makes a great man cave.    

Looking forward to watching your progress and in the immortal words of a certain "Gina,  Loads of pictures please "

 

 

Gareth  

[Gina]

Absolutely - yes please

[The storm fisherman]

Thanks for all the kind words.

The one thing i can guarantee is loads more photographs, But as i am at work i can post on the  forum but i cant upload any photos.  The good thing is i have made that important first step and made a start on clearing the ground in readiness for the ground works to start when it gets a bit drier, plenty to do before then. I will post  photo of the progress when i get back from the dentist this evening hopefully the drawing board to make up the plans will have turned up at home.

the next job this weekend is to take down the old plastic greenhouse and brick dwarf wall and the 2 x 1 ft x 6" concrete slab and clear anymore garden rubbish.

paul 

[The storm fisherman]

hi all 

I an Important an anoncement to make unfortunatly  due to being t boned on the moped on wed morn I am currently laying flAt In a hospital  bed in Southampton general with a broken back and iPhone no obs build for a long time

paul

 

 

 

[zedds]

Oh mate that's shocking. Wishing you a speedy recovery!!!

[JemC]

Ouch  not good news at all,
wishing you a speedy recovery, Obsy can wait and the stars are not going anywhere,

Regards
James

[Gina]

Oh dear - hope there's no permanent damage and you make a speedy recovery - good luck

[Dave Lloyd]

Blimey, wishing you well mate.

[Physopto]

Very sorry to hear of you accident. I hope you can regain full mobility. The stars as has been said are going nowhere. Something to look forwards to, maybe you can really get down to planning in minute detail. 

All the best for your recovery.

Derek

[Pan Euro]

Not good, i hope you make a swift and full recovery. Been there done that.

[Pompey Monkey]

My goodness!

I hope you recover fast and soon, Paul.

[The storm fisherman]

Many thanks all for the kind comments  

update time I left hospital  today after 3 weeks of intensive care i still have a long way to go but i am getting there i will not be back at work for at least 3  months or longer if i am going to have an operation on my back

on the bright  side as the accident  was not my fault other driver has already confessed i will have some spare money to have a observatory built in the garden but lifting heavy weights and bending is defeintly  off the menu for now 

 paul

 

 

[The storm fisherman]

Hi All

I have been reviewing my plans for the observatory build whilst I recover from my fractured back yes i am getting board

I had planned on having a suspended wood floor  with a concrete pier and base isolated from the observatory.  The question is  what type of foundation either brick/block piers or an strip concrete footing and a 3-4 course single line brick dwarf wall the ground is flat and clay under 6-9 inch top soil I will also have to get rid of a small 4-1 1/2 ft strip concrete slab which the old green house is sitting on on the photos above

any hints, help and comments would be very appreciated  or different way i had not thought about pref not concrete or slab flooring.

 

[Physopto]

1) If you can smash up the concrete and use in the concrete for your pier base. I understand about your back so it will either be good friends or wait until you can do it, (maybe not a good idea!).

2) If you can afford it get in someone to lay the base for you and save yourself all the hassle. You will need to be able to trust them to do it correctly though.

I have had a Lumbar Laminectomy on two discs many years ago and later on  a disc removed and bone fusion in the neck. So I sort of understand the problems. Every one is different as to what is achievable afterwards.

Second option may save you a lot of time and hassle as well as get you going a lot quicker. Skips are prohibitively expensive so anything that can be used, i.e. buried saves money and saves some concrete costs.

[The storm fisherman]

Hi Physopto

Thanks for replying to my query,  the second option is my current preferred choice, and there is always a chance  that i may not be staying in this current house anyway in not so distant future. 

i am also going to get my friendly builder to build the foundations to save my back and call in a few family favours as free labour as well as i have some hard core already to go under the suspend floor, pier base and the strip foundations.

[Physopto]

Just a few pics to show what I got rid of under the base for my obs.

Pond before.

 

Emptied.

Chimney breast gone

Start filling in....

Finished base.

The pond ring around it had about 3 tonnes of steel reinforced concrete already and the pier concrete base had about 4.5 foot depth and 30" diameter under the base. The base is 7" thick reinforced. Total concrete used in the region of 6 tonnes! I have heavy lorries passing right next to my home and the ground needed something to stabilize it.

Then we decided to move so no further work done  .

 

What was that you said about moving?

Derek

[The storm fisherman]

The mortgage is due up in 7 years but there is mutterings off moving down towards the SW. As I live Gosport anybody who's knowns Gosport it is on a peninsular only 2 main roads in or out it is  a real mare getting in or out off, so I have to factor that into my planning but I do not plan to move unless I have to.

[Physopto]

Got a cousin on the Isle of Wight. Not too far from you then. What is the LPlike down there? Because it is diabolical here in the North East.

Derek

[The storm fisherman]

LP is getting better as the street lights are being replaced and they dim down and some are turned off at midnight but Portsmouth to my east is still a problem but is a slow improvement as they replace the street lamps.By the way around the park which is only about 200 meters from my house the seeing conditions are quite acceptable and i can just make  out the milky way with naked eye after midnight  when everyone gone to bed and they dim the lights. that is  when I will go out to play (observe).

 

[Physopto]

I have eleven street lights around my house as I live on the corner of a cross roads, plus there is a back lane with two in it. If they do replace our lights I will just give up as they shine into my garden. I have never seen the milky way for over 50 years here in South Shields.

Derek

[The storm fisherman]

I know it must be a bug bare with all that unnecessary lighting like that. I think if I was to move now the LP would not be on my wish list I would actively  seek out dark site. which takes me back to my earlier comment about making the observatory as near to potable as possible.