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observatory built in 2010 how it has fared to 2023


Pete Presland

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Those of you who were around here in 2010, might remember the £250 obsy build thread (or probably not 🙂 )

But as i was recently asked for some info regarding it @Ags , i thought it might be nice to revisit and add a couple of up to date images.

The build was a simple frame on a concrete base with a roll on roll off roof, i am no carpenter but i found with some planning it was relatively straight forward.

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Edited by Pete Presland
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The observatory now looks a little cluttered and small with 13 years of buying and selling. I have added a few layers of old rubber backed matts that have come from the house. I also lined the inside walls with (free) MDF panels, the roof was also lined with plywood and felt to stop condensation. This has unfortunately made the roof a little to heavy. The frame that roof slides on will need replacing within the next couple of years i think.

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3 hours ago, Ags said:

What are the dimensions? What sort of wood did you use? Is the floor a solid slab (how thick?)or is the pier separate? 

The dimension is 1.8m x 1.8m square, height is 5ft to the top of the sides. I choose this size simply because of cost, i could source feather edge timber to clad it which was 3.6 metres long, so it was simply cut in half.  I would like a bigger size to be honest, it is a bit small.

The frame is just softwood, the cladding as mentioned above is feather edge board.

The floor is a concrete base around 3-4 inches thick, but on a layer of hardcore rubble.

The pier is separate and bolted into the concrete.

It was and still is bit of a game changer due to the quickness of setting up and closing down at night. That said the location has got worse over the 12 years, due to tree growth, light pollution and the altitude of the planets in recent years.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 20/04/2023 at 17:52, Pete Presland said:

Any questions please ask away 🙂 

Are insects, particularly spiders and their webs a problem? 

Our large garden shed, which was built and left by the previous owners is full of the things, I’ve even known mice to run under it. One day I’d like to try using/converting it to an observatory as it’ll give me a shielded view of the southern sky, but those things concern me somewhat! 

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1 hour ago, WolfieGlos said:

Are insects, particularly spiders and their webs a problem? 

Our large garden shed, which was built and left by the previous owners is full of the things, I’ve even known mice to run under it. One day I’d like to try using/converting it to an observatory as it’ll give me a shielded view of the southern sky, but those things concern me somewhat! 

I'm sure there are sprays and such we can use to deter them... I hope!

My dad's shed has had a spider or two but thankfully it has stayed mostly arachnid-free. Or at least the spiders are hiding and small...

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It looks to me as if Pete's observatory is easy to keep clean. There will naturally be the occasional squatter, just as there is in any house with a garden, but they are soon evicted. My own 8 by 7 run off observatory rarely has any unwanted guests and has been that way for twelve years.

Edited by mikeDnight
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That's good to hear. Pete's looks pretty solid and secure/sealed, much more so than the basic shed construction.

The spiders themselves are fine, it just concerns me if I left the mount and scope out there and they (somehow) managed to create webs and, god forbid, get inside the OTA or across the front elements. Ditto with black-flies and other tiny insects. A fly had somehow got inside a sealed light unit (and died) in our downstairs bathroom before I spotted it, and even a tiny black-fly has got inside an LED control unit in the kitchen that controls the underfloor heating.

 

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On 02/05/2023 at 13:26, WolfieGlos said:

That's good to hear. Pete's looks pretty solid and secure/sealed, much more so than the basic shed construction.

The spiders themselves are fine, it just concerns me if I left the mount and scope out there and they (somehow) managed to create webs and, god forbid, get inside the OTA or across the front elements. Ditto with black-flies and other tiny insects. A fly had somehow got inside a sealed light unit (and died) in our downstairs bathroom before I spotted it, and even a tiny black-fly has got inside an LED control unit in the kitchen that controls the underfloor heating.

 

Using sheds regularly and keep them relatively uncluttered keeps a lot of things out. I learnt my lesson while removing our last two old unused sheds. One had a ceiling carpet of thick web and some rather aggressive looking spiders. I felt faint just typing that! Also when I opened the door, a good sized mummy (we found her nest later) rat dived out at chest height!

We're just about to have installed a new 12ft long shed to be used as a mini gym space and bike storage so hopefully the critters will keep out.

Peter the obsy is great. Small but perfectly formed. 👍

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