New Observatory build in Gosport

[Physopto]

Bolt together sections then! At least you could then move it in bits. Cost a bit more to do initially but less in the long run.

Derek

[The storm fisherman]

very true i will need to put to use some serious brain power to this problem the rolling roof is going to main problem as the walls and floor should be straight forward. but a screw together asembly is the way forward along with ply wood panelling and bolt together roof trusses. 

[The storm fisherman]

Hi all

update time after a very long 10 weeks i am now awaiting the final words from the consultant to release me back to somewhere near normal life and back to work within the next couple of weeks.

With the observatory build although nothing else has been done I have not been sitting idle. The  planning has been completed out the various build stages and I now have a long shopping list of materials to purchase starting with the foundations and the pier.  I have found a company in Leicestershire called Fantronix (http://www.fantronix.com/acatalog/Plastic_Ducting_-_Solid.html)  doing plastic ventilation ducting pipe up to 200 mm (8 inch)  up to 1.5 metre but can be easily extended with glued pipe couplers for longer pier lengths and they deliver countrywide  by courier. 

My local builder friend is going to do the strip foundation and dwarf wall to save my broken back. As soon as that is done then it will be all full steam ahead and looking to start that in late may June time and the woodwork to start late June early July.  That is the plan at the moment subject to incoming funds.

I have just purchased the brake disc and plates for the pier head just nuts bolts and studding to get. As I work in the aero space industry, I will have a talk to our painting suppliers to get the pier head professionally coated.

After much measuring and working out on paper and much use of Stellarium ,  I am a little more happier that my house which is located 75 ft from the observatory and to the south-south west and blocks my horizon below 15-20 deg. I will have to up the insulation in the loft to counter act some the thermal currents, but at least I have a good east to west horizon view and a poor North but I can see polaris all the night time

 

[The storm fisherman]

 

system glitch dupe post

 

 

[The storm fisherman]

Hi all

i am now just about to start on the project in earnest by building the pier base first I have the pier tube coming 2 x 1 mrt air-con ducting pipe and coupler  cement and sand/ballast and pier head plate and brake disc just needs to be drilled 

that said i require some rebar has anyone got any idea on length and size I thought about 1-1.5 mrt @ 8mm i can go bigger in dia and length 

the size of base will be 750mm square. a give me a pier height of 1.5 mrt from the ground up approx .

[The storm fisherman]

My pier has arrived

the lengths ordered was 1 meter but it looks like i have 1.5 mrts lengths so cutting required the one on the right on top has the coupler  

[The storm fisherman]

Hi All

After an enforced 15 week break I was officially signed off by my back specialist today 98% healed and i have to go back to work on Monday   

so it is full steam ahead or should that be slow steam ahead  on building the observatory warned by Doc not to over do it for the next 3-6 months

the first job is to clear the old plastic green house and the brick and concrete foundations  I am going to hire a a jack hammer with brother power to break that lot up. 

The builder is also due tomorrow to survey the site. so its all systems go.

pictures will posted at end of each days work 

[The storm fisherman]

Here is today's before and after photo's  I am going have to use the angle grinder with a cutting disk or it will take me a while to unbolt all those fixings which are probably corroded.

 

[Physopto]

If you do please use a proper mask. had to take people to hospital before because they knew better, until it all went wrong.

Derek

[The storm fisherman]

Your preaching to the converted 

 I have stacks of safety gear as being the health and safety officer for work,  it would not look good if I ended up in A & E and also last thing i want to see is the inside of a hospital for a long while.

Also had the builder in today to look at what needs to be done after a long chat he is going to lay a concrete reinforced raft with space left for the pier so that it can be isolated from the concrete structure and the build a 3 or 4 course brick dwarf wall unfortunately he is very busy so it will be a squeeze in job.

[The storm fisherman]

nothing done yesterday as I had a few things to do before I go back to work monday.

Today I was unable to start till after lunch  as I we had  family round, but at least I did manage to do some this afternoon . The old plastic and light metal frame green house fought tooth and nail as my original plan to power tools had to be abandoned to much vibration and I am glad that I sprayed every fastening with plusgaz   but it still took a couple hours to strip down into manageable dump sized pieces.

After I cleared up I checked the depth of the concrete slab that was only a max of 4 inches and the outer brick wall was 3 courses straight on the bare earth . One clear week end should see the site clear read for the new concrete base and pier. Here are a couple of pictures of today's work.

 

[Physopto]

Sorry to preach but did a similar job as I was Chief Eng at sea for a long time.

 

[The storm fisherman]

Hi All

First apologies for not updating last couple of weeks but i have not been resting on my laurels i have finally managed to tidy up the garden see big pile of rubbish in the top left of picture  and in front of the plot are the bags of rubble anyone local need some hard core??? if not it will be slowly got rid off at the local waste centre over the next few months .

last weekend managed to clear the plot ready for marking up one thing i have noticed is how one simple job can turn into multiple jobs that have to be done to complete the original task. And also the problem have at the moment is stamina in the back after the accident i can do about ten-fifteen minutes then i have to take a break .

Had a bit of a bombshell dropped that my builder can not do the base maybe for a few months, as i don't want to wait that long so have pulled in my family to give me a helping hand or should that be back to lay the concrete base. The base is going to be a 6 x 12 ft  because i  have changed the design to have a roll off shed rather than a roof.  As one of the  those little get-in the way jobs that turned to my advantage big time, was to clear the conservatory i now have the whole right hand side of the conservatory to set up as an imaging station and electronics work shop to that end i am going to try to  remote control as much off the equipment  as possible but at least i will be nice  and warm indoors.

This weekend i have been away until today as it is my mothers birthday. I now back home today and have started marking out for the concrete base and pier will try to get the marking finished this week during the evenings  as i am away on holiday from Friday in Switzerland for the next week. 

 

[The storm fisherman]

Hi All

update time  after a very frustrating time on the home front for the past month and a bit. I managed last weekend to finally get on with the ground works and start building the new observatory, All the building supplies have been ordered the ground is prepped and is nearly ready for deck base and just the hole to be dug for the pier base  and construction of the wood form for the concrete pier this weekend.  

My builder friend has offed to give me a hand next week for a small price yet to decided , as i am also holiday next week,  i will update post with some new  pics tonight when i get home .

[The storm fisherman]

Observatory update

After a scorcher of a weekend i now have a deep hole for the concrete pier in which to throw money into,  sorry that should be concrete into.I will post picture up tomorrow as it is late i am off to have a shower, dinner replenish my fluids and bed. Ready to start moving the aggregates that i had delivered this afternoon and now have 2 1/2 bags of aggregates in the front garden to shift or about 20 garden trolley loads in 40 litre builders buckets from the front garden to bottom of the garden before i can start building. 

[saac]

That has got to be the neatest excavation I have seen. Take it easy moving all that material Paul, going to warm tomorrow as well.

 

Jim

[The storm fisherman]

Hi All

very busy day yesterday and monday my birthday treats turned up early rest of the £450 worth of timber and £200 of assorted building materials, that all had to be shifted into the back garden. And a nice little present in the form of a brand new concrete mixer  The pictures tell the story of the last couple of days,

pic 1. The wood for the deck and under trolley for the shed which is under the blue tarp,

Pic 2 new concrete mixer that had to be self assembled with some very poor instructions,

Pic3 2-1/2 tonnes of ballast , sand and shingle shifted from front of house down to the work area at the back,

Pic 4-6 the amount of earth taken out of the pier hole and decking area to a level of 50 mm below surround area and a metre square hole read for the concrete base and pier now i can start to build up rather than remove.

[The storm fisherman]

HI Jim

 Thanks for the comments. Yes it has been a warm few days down on the south coast although we have sea breezes in the afternoon to cool things down a tad because of the topography the area we have a range of hills to the north of me called the South downs, that can act like a huge reflector and radiator of heat. But in other ways it helps with keeping a lot of home grown showers well away to the north of us here. I am having an easy day as it it my birthday and a rest after a 5 day stint of back breaking work.

[The storm fisherman]

Hi All

I planned not to too much today after my herculean efforts yesterday, But i could not sit still for long so i cut the ply and wood braces for the concrete pier base form and got the large gazebo out and up, well tied and weighted down, so that i can carry on with the build if weather gets a bit wet and wild. i will carry on getting everything ready for the concreting when i can guarantee 2 days of dry weather. My builder friend has had to go off on another job so i am left to it.

[The storm fisherman]

Hello from an unexpected sunny Gosport 

Here is today's update photos as the forecast is for some very autumnal like weather over the next couple of days. i put up the gazebo and it has been well tied and weighted down, i even bolted it down to the patio it may get shredded  and mangled but it is not going to be flying over neighbourhood. i have 75% finished the form for the concrete base, some more bracing to go on around the sides.  

[The storm fisherman]

 As forecast the rain arrived today to put a bit of dampener on things however i did not let that stop me. The concrete form is now finished and the pier tube has been cut to size(pic 1) I have  drawn the paper templates for drilling and mounted them to plates ready for drilling tomorrow by a engineer (pic 2) so that all plates line up . My other jobs for tomorrow or Sunday is the wood support for the pier tube ready for concreting and a good tidy up.  

 

[The storm fisherman]

Final day of my holiday and it was not wasted. Cut all the re-bar to length, plates have been  drilled ready for painting and the studding cut and and bent and the form placed in the hole, and was checked for level glad to say that no adjustment was needed. Placed tube into hole and that was also level ran out of time and need to cut the wood for the pier support just need the bank holiday to dry so that i can get the concrete laid.

if anyone needs good quality soil and hard core i have plenty going free collection only.

 

That's all from me for this week already thinking about some upgrades.

[The storm fisherman]

Hi to everyone following this build

 A guide on to  how to blow a bank holiday weekend or spend it in the toilet please read on-:

 Last weekend and the previous week to the weekend has definitely left its mark on me had to get a emergency Doc's appointment on Wednesday, As i still am suffering from a server Kidney Infection . It took till late Saturday before i was nearly back to  normal, and  yesterday(Sunday) was family day .

so on to today's work i hammed down the re-bar into the bed-soil(earth) in the pier tube and surrounding block made up pier tube support frame to sit on top the wood concrete block form to hold the tube level and up right. tiyded up the site and now have the tarp over tube to keep the water out. Now all i need is a dry not too warm or cold day to lay the concrete then phase one is complete anyway here is today's photos

 

 

[The storm fisherman]

Hi All

First a big thank you to my brothers for giving me a big hand in this build as i am still suffering from a kidney  infection i hope the second  lot of antibiotics work this time i would not want to wish this on anyone as it like flu but 10 times as worse and very painful.

My brothers have really stepped in to the breach today again, to give me the much needed labour on laying the concrete for the base and pier, if i am well enough i will post some more pictures up later.

This is a very big step for me as this closes phase 1 and once cured i can start using the pier for observing that's not bad for some one who broke their back back in January and as an electronics Technician with limited D.i.y skills. With the correct tools and information especially from all the great people on the forum here with the wealth of knowledge and their comments and  what has gone before i am eternally grateful  a BIG THANK YOU TO YOU ALL!!!!!!!

Now to phase 2 the of build

Paul

[The storm fisherman]

As promised here are today's pictures 

Half way there

That D'oh moment brother No 3 brother No 2 is a bit camera shy 

All tampered down and levelled off.

Base is complete and buttered up

view towards the north the corner of the garden is north