Astrokev's ROR - The Build

[Astrokev]

1 hour ago, smudgeball said:

Well Done Kev

You're making hay with this weather !!

Neil

Thanks Neil. Certainly trying! Don't  like to complain but it's a bit too warm really ?

Edited July 1, 2018 by Astrokev

[Gina]

Definitely was yesterday.  Alright today if the rain keeps off but we need a lot more rain for the gardens - yes I've taken up gardening...  That's why it's been dry and hot!!!

[Dr_Ju_ju]

Metcheck.com says rain this evening, so looks like no imaging this evening. So far, its been one of the best summer seasons in years, almost every night I've been able to get something, but now to process it all....

[Gina]

Raining again here...

[Astrokev]

Really hot and sunny in Beds. Must check the forecast.....

[Astrokev]

Happy birthday to me, Happy birthday to me ......

just realised it's 1 year tomorrow since I started my observatory build thread ?.

That's quite scary ?

??????

P'raps I should get a cake ?

Edited July 1, 2018 by Astrokev

[Gina]

Can't remember how long mine took but it certainly wasn't a quick build!!

[RayD]

Happy Birthday Kev's obsy.  Maturing nicely 

[Astrokev]

43 minutes ago, RayD said:

Happy Birthday Kev's obsy.  Maturing nicely 

Not sure the same can be said for the builder ?

[JamesF]

It's a lot of work, really.  If you're just working evenings and weekends when the weather is ok then it's going to take a while.  I was hoping to finish mine for the winter, but I'm already looking at it and thinking that perhaps that might have been a bit ambitious.  Of course once it's weathertight progress can be made more rapidly.  Just have to keep trying to move things forward.

James

[Gina]

I bought a huge tarpaulin to cover mine when I was building it.  But I had to stop to build the Ark!!

[Astrokev]

Yes, I bought one too. Problem is now full of holes where it was rubbing against the corners of the timber in the wind. Still better than nothing, but is becoming less useful every time I use it!

[Astrokev]

1 hour ago, JamesF said:

It's a lot of work, really.  If you're just working evenings and weekends when the weather is ok then it's going to take a while.  I was hoping to finish mine for the winter, but I'm already looking at it and thinking that perhaps that might have been a bit ambitious.  Of course once it's weathertight progress can be made more rapidly.  Just have to keep trying to move things forward.

I chose to take early retirement in March after being faced with the big "R", therefore unfortunately I can no longer use the evening & weekend argument as an excuse! Last winter was a killer though, and caused huge delays. Keep plugging away James - having the winter season as your target is great and will help motivate!

[Astrokev]

Forgot to give an update from today - probably because there's not been much progress.

Put in another load of screws to stiffen-up the ROR rafters. I'm a lot happier with them now. Next job is to add noggins between the rafters. Each side of the roof is too big to cover with a single sheet of OSB so am having to cover it with a patchwork of full sheets and smaller bits left over from the warm room roof. Doing the noggins is a drag, which is maybe why I didn't crack on with this today! The next few days are busy with other stuff so time on the obsy is more limited, but hopefully I can make a start.

[Gina]

1 hour ago, Astrokev said:

Yes, I bought one too. Problem is now full of holes where it was rubbing against the corners of the timber in the wind. Still better than nothing, but is becoming less useful every time I use it!

Yes, mine's the same!

[Astrokev]

Well, I managed to find an hour this evening, so completed adding noggins to the south side of the roof to support the edges of my patchwork OSB layout ? . Should hopefully get the north side of the roof done tomorrow.

I'm now wondering whether I need to add more support right along the ridge line. As it is, the OSB boards on both sides of the roof will meet along the ridge, but there is nothing to support the edges between the rafters. The rafters are only ~360mm apart, so not sure if I need more support or not. Will ponder on this....

Also posting a full side elevation pic, since I haven't uploaded one since I completed the main part of the roof. I think this angle nicely shows the relative dimensions and balance between roof and main structure. The site looks a bit of a bomb-site ?

[Davey-T]

You could fill the ridge joint in the boards with expanding acrylic glue it will fill the gap and you can smooth it over for a nice edge to take the point off under the EPDM.

Dave

[Astrokev]

1 minute ago, Davey-T said:

You could fill the ridge joint in the boards with expanding acrylic glue it will fill the gap and you can smooth it over for a nice edge to take the point off under the EPDM.

Dave

Thanks Dave. I've never heard of expanding acrylic glue so must look this up. Sounds a good suggestion though ?

[JamesF]

It's really starting to come together now

I'd be tempted to put some sort of support in there for the ridge, even if it's just a length of 2"x1" tiling batten.  OSB isn't strong along the edges and might sag over time.

James

[Gina]

I agree - to both points. ??

[Astrokev]

7 minutes ago, JamesF said:

It's really starting to come together now

I'd be tempted to put some sort of support in there for the ridge, even if it's just a length of 2"x1" tiling batten.  OSB isn't strong along the edges and might sag over time.

James

Yes that was my worry. Once the EPDM is down, there's no way of rectifying future problems. I may add supporting timber as close to the ridge line as I can, but this will still leave a small "V" gap which I could fill with adhesive. Just looking up Evo-Stick Gripfill which seems good stuff.

[JamesF]

You can't just cut/plane the timber to match the slope of the roof?

James

[Astrokev]

8 minutes ago, JamesF said:

You can't just cut/plane the timber to match the slope of the roof?

James

I considered that but I'm not that confident in my skills using my plane for precision work!  I could give it a go I suppose and see how I get on. This would undoubtedly be a more satisfying solution!

If I do need to resort to gap-filling adhesive, I note that you can get solvent-based and solvent free. Would solvent-based stuff give any issues with OSB d'you think?

[JamesF]

Wouldn't have thought so.  There are solvent-based adhesives intended for use with wood products including OSB, certainly.

James

[JamesF]

Out of interest Kev, how have you attached your breathable membrane to the timber?  I've been thinking I'd staple mine as I'm sure that's what the builder did when he put it on our barn roof.

James