Backyard Observatory Build General Question

[kc9pos]

Hello I just move into a new house that fantastically came with a wood deck  and gazebo that measures as an oval about 12ft long and 8ft wide and just 15ft tall. It's on top of the deck sitting on 7 cement pads. All of it is in great shape I was wondering if building and observatory in place of the gazebo would be as simple as pulling up the deck floor and installing a pier, relay the floor boards, building some walls and putting a dome on top. Any other comments would be great I'll build a drawing to make things clearer if need be but just like to get feedback 

[Swoop1]

Hi kc9pos. Welcome to SGL!

The basic answer to your question is yes, it COULD be that simple but, as usual, there are a few caveats.

How far from ground level to deck level? If not too much, a concrete pier pour would be feasible however, if beyond say 1.5 meters, this may require you to increase the diameter of the pier to reduce vibration.

Make sure when reinstalling the floor that you leave a gap between the deck boards and the pier to prevent vibration transfer.

If you were able to post some images of the site, that would help greatly in advising you what would work etc.

[Guest]

I agree with Swoop1.  We need some pictures.  In my head it sounds doable, but i would want to know what is under those boards first.  You may have concrete, but is it thick enough to anchor a pillar?  Usually those bases are fairly wide and at least 3 feet deep. 

Edited December 12, 2022 by Mike Q

[skybadger]

Sounds a lot like my obs , it's a 2.7m pulsar clone I raised on a decking because I didn't want to cut my 12" diameter pier again. The pier bolts to a concrete block in the ground, the decking is 2' off the ground and there is a cutout around the pier in the floor boarding.