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Possible obs candidate?

LaVey

By LaVey
in DIY Observatories

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LaVey

LaVey

Posted
Posted

Hey guys...

I'm about to have a 24ft monstrosity of a garage removed from the garden this month and this will give me a nice clear southern sky.. so I want to build an obs.. as it takes me so long to set up everytime.

I am pretty nervous about this venture as have 'NIL' diy skills... too many hours in front of a computer!!

Anyway.. whilst ordering my larger shed for another corner of the garden I came accross this:

Windsor Crunch Buster Overlap > 8' x 6' (2.42x1.83m) Windsor CRUNCH BUSTER Overlap Shed

Would this be a suitable candiate for a roll off ? If so any pointers on how to go about this... I have googled and seen lots of nice obsys but no real info on how to go about this.

Also.. how does one go about building a pier and attaching the mount to it?

Cheers

/clueless/

:icon_rolleyes:

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jcm

jcm

Posted
Posted

Another option is to see if there is a local shed building firm. You tell them what you want , they deliver and erect it , you add the supports. This is how I did mine.

John

post-13061-133877371117_thumb.jpg

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centroid

centroid

Posted
Posted

I think that at this price, you'll likely find its made of 'white wood', and as such suffer from opening and closing joints and overlaps, depending upon the prevailing weather.

'Red Wood' and I'm not talking about expensive Cedar, is a much better option.

Its called 'red wood' although it actually looks like 'white wood' :icon_rolleyes:.

However, suffers far less from expansion and contraction, than does the cheaper 'white wood'.

IMO, 'ship lap' cladding is a significantly better option compared to the cheaper (and inferior) overlapping 'feather edge.

If you have a look on my website, you'll see my RoR obsy, albeit its now converted to a rotating turret arrangement.

When I built the initial obsy, I priced up the materiials, and then found that a local shed manufacturer, could make it to my design, for something like £50 more than the materials would have cost me.

He made and delivered the roof as a separate item, which was suitably reinforced and rigid.

The later warmroom extension and rotating turret, I built myself.

So, my advice is, decide what you want, make a suitable drawing, approach a local shed maker (if there is one), and explain to him how you need the roof to operate.

The Alexander RoR obsys are nice, but IMO a bit overpriced.

Dave

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LaVey

LaVey

Posted
  • Author
Posted

thanks for the replies all.. will keep looking around / have a look for a local ish shed builder.. the wife would like something inconspicous.. she likes the domes but not in white.. maybe can get a wooden built dome... seen some on here so I know is possible.

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tinvek

tinvek

Posted
Posted

if you do decide to modify an existing shed design, make sure that the door frame is not higher than the top of the side walls, as the last thing you need is an end wall that has to be higher than the rest of the walls

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Helen

Helen

Posted
Posted

Remember that the shed wals and the shed roof each have to be stable and rigid. In a normal shed the fact the roof rests on the walls and links all the parts together is the basis of the stability. Take them apart and you need to compensate by adding strengthening.

I built my roll off last year and if I was doing it again I would save myself a lot of grief by buying Obs plans. Something like this

SkyShed Backyard Roll-Off Observatory Plans might do the business. Then talk to your shed manufacturer.

Its hard work, but worth the effort, and by thinking it all through first you'll save time, money and frustration later!

Helen

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Jarndyce

Jarndyce

Posted
Posted

It is possible to adapt a pitched-roof shed to an obs. There are plenty of examples on the web.

However, the roof will require considerable reinforcement in order to prevent it sagging. That will make it heavier, and consequently requires better rollers/runners.

Many people also choose to line their obs to try and prevent condensation.

Dave's comments regarding construction are IMHO, spot on.

Good luck and let us know what you go for. :icon_rolleyes:

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  • 3 weeks later...
Macavity

Macavity

Posted
Posted

I was quite impressed by the look of some of the ready made solutions. And sadly, being a bit "derepit", it may be the most realistic solution for me. As long as it doesn't feel/sound/end(!) like "Brunel launching the Great Eastern" or the roof vanish in a zephyr? :cool:

I do like looking at these various observatories. Reminds me of usenet (was it) "alt.sheds"? :)

Hopefully, with a house move pending, my (Modest 6'x6') dream will eventually be realised... :)

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  • 5 years later...
Ellis Wakefield

Ellis Wakefield

Posted
Posted

Hi mate, 

One of my bestfriends used his shed as an observatory. Check this out. 

Observatory.jpg

He used a BillyOh 4000 Windowless from Garden Buildings Direct - http://www.gardenbuildingsdirect.co.uk/search?searchTerm=The+BillyOh+4000+Windowless+Range

We are using the shed til now and it's worth the money. Hope this helps! Cheers!

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