Pier Bases

[Coco]

My wife has agreed about the obsy but wont let me take up the block paving where it will stand. Not even a few blocks!

My thoughts are cutting a large oil drum in half, taking the end out and replacing it with polythene to allow the concrete to blend with the block paving surface. This would give me a substantial lump and should absorb enough vibration?

I cant see anyother way out of this one

Guy

[steppenwolf]

Surely the obvious way is to ignore the wife? You are going to 'damage' the block paving by blending the concrete in with it so taking it up and storing for replacement if you ever move seems a better idea. I must be a really lucky guy to have the understanding wife I've got!

Obviously my initial comment was intended to be a bit flippant but you cannot have a mount base that is 'too' solid and compromising too much on this feature will diminish the whole.

[Dangerous-Dave]

Surely you only have to dig up a couple of square feet for the pier? The observatory itself can just rest on the block paving.

I'm in a similar position. I had the lower garden paved with a concrete block and trunking under one of the slabs, but the patio guy made such a fine job of it, I'm really loathed to hide it under an observatory shed (especially as we are now thinking of ripping up the original jerry-built patio to extend the house). It'd probably look OK with a dome or sky pod though.

[tinvek]

surely the answer is to get a divorce

seriously though why not pull up the paving, create your large pier base underground and then bolt your pier to it taking care that the pier is situated where a single block would sit. now reinstall all the other blocks. then if you give up or move all you have to do is remove the pier, grind the bolts flush with the concrete base and then fit the missing block over it and no one will know the difference.

of course it would be unfortunate if your wife somehow ended up embedded in said concrete block under the paving

[Jaffa007]

surely the answer is to get a divorce

seriously though why not pull up the paving, create your large pier base underground and then bolt your pier to it taking care that the pier is situated where a single block would sit. now reinstall all the other blocks. then if you give up or move all you have to do is remove the pier, grind the bolts flush with the concrete base and then fit the missing block over it and no one will know the difference.

of course it would be unfortunate if your wife somehow ended up embedded in said concrete block under the paving

This is what I've got planned.

The patio bit, not the diveorce bit.... she'd kill me if I did that!

[Coco]

Don't worry about the wife jokes... If she carries on she'll find herself under the obsy

I meant like this with soft base that can mould over the blocks with poly between them?

[barkis]

That 1/3 drum filled with concrete will weigh quite a bit, and unless your block paving has a real solid foundation, then that drum won't sit still. It will gradually cause movement of the ground underneath it, and mess up your polar alignment, and that may continue for a while. Also, if you go ahead with that Idea, why polythene, why not just leave the drum bottom in place.

Ron.

[Coco]

That 1/3 drum filled with concrete will weigh quite a bit, and unless your block paving has a real solid foundation, then that drum won't sit still. It will gradually cause movement of the ground underneath it, and mess up your polar alignment, and that may continue for a while. Also, if you go ahead with that Idea, why polythene, why not just leave the drum bottom in place.

Ron.

I see what you mean Ron, I wanted to spread the load over ,all, the blocks not on were it touches.

If I put enough adjustments in I could check alignment occasionally.

I think I'm going to have to up the stakes a bit and give her the leather suite she wants

Guy

[steppenwolf]

Ahh, negotiation. Don't start with the leather suite, start with the cloth finish and then move up collecting 'good boy' points on the way .....

[dark knight]

Send her out to look at sofa's, whilst she's out get digging, she will be gone at least 2 days....Women and shopping is when time slows down to a crawl.

[George]

Go on ignore her......you know you want to

[Psychobilly]

You could use an antivibration pad product (rubber loaded cork - "corprene" - similar to the stuff that rocker cover gaskets used to be used for) between the drum and the slabs...

Peter...

[Coco]

You could use an antivibration pad product (ruuber loaded cork - "corprene" - similar to the stuff that rocker cover gaskets used to be used for) between the drum and the slabs...

Peter...

Now theres a though

no suite .... happy days !!

Guy

[Jaffa007]

Only an idea, linked in with the lifting a patio slab.

My idea [for Winter use mainly] was to raise up one of the patio slabs, dig a base with the top slightly below the level of the patio slab. This base would incorporate studs for a pier. Then cut the patio slab to fit back, not touching the pier base, then making a metal(?) cover so as to hide base and studs when pier is not in place.

Hope that lot made sense(?) As i've only got a 127Mak GOTO - visual work only.

Only an idea???