Observatories ready to go

[jerryaxe]

Good evening to all,

I guess an observatory is part of an astrophotography set up so I post my thread here.

Does anyone know or used this company (see link below)?

http://www.alexandersobservatories.c....php?p=1&pno=0

I am not the best DIY specialist so I investigate the "ready made" route.

If someone knows these guys or other companies doing the same kind of products, thanks to let me know

Clear sky

Jerry

[red dwalf]

i`ve had no dealings with them but i`ve seen them advertised in the glossy mags many times

[jerryaxe]

Hi Red,

Do you know any other companies doing the same kind of products?

Cheers

Jerry

[red dwalf]

no i don`t at the moment but might be worth doing a google search, i was looking for something simular and came across a book that showed you how to make one but like you i just haven`t got the time.

have also seen a couple of domes for sale on e bay which where very tempting at the time

[Dave Smith]

Two of my friends have had an obs from them, if I have the company name right, and have had some issues. Before going into more detail, I will confirm this in the evening and get back to you.

I have just ordered a Skyshed POD from Altair Astro, have you considered them?

Dave

[Carbon Brush]

Hi Jerryaxe.

A couple of years ago I built a 'roll off roof shed' observatory. I considered Alexander. But as they were a long way away, their travel cost was significant. Also I could not find anyone in a reasonable distance who had one of their 'sheds' for me to look at. So I ruled them out. I looked around many manufacturers of timber buildings nearer to home and drew a blank. They had absolutely no idea about making a roof that would slide off. In the end I went to a local shed builder armed with a sketch. I thought that I was saving myself hundreds of pounds. But not really. When I got the shed, I had to strengthen the roof, sort out proper runners, make a pergola frame to take the roof, modify the door. The list just went on. If I had to do it again I would definitely look again at Alexander and travel as far as necessary to look at their products. If you want to know any more about how not to make the mistiakes i made just pm me!

[Carbon Brush]

Just thought of something else. If you put up a building that looks like an observatory, you advertise the fact. In my view you invite people to talk about it and see what expensive kit can be nicked. If you have a shed with a pergola alongside, it is just a shed. The missus also made the comment that she did not really want something that looked like a bottle recycling bin in the garden!

[dph1nm]

Does anyone know or used this company (see link below)?

Just had one of those installed. Cheap they are not, but they are built like a tank and look nice in the garden (a neccesary prerequisite as it happened!). Had to wait several months for mine to appear though (long story ...).

I have had some problems with water getting in which I am still trying to fix, but apart from that I am pretty happy with it.

NigelM

[Dave Smith]

PM sent

Dave

[Jarvo]

The standard Entry level model looks great in the garden but at over £1000 I can't justify (to myself let alone the Missus) the expense.

Would be interest to hear any good news / horror stories from anyone on this forum...

Jarvo

[tooth_dr]

I built my own, costs were around £300 for all materials including pier, concrete, wood, etc. but I recycled my existing shed. If you reckon £1000 is too much (and so do i by the way) weigh up the cost of taking say three or four days off work, and see if it is gonna pay you to make your own.

[Carbon Brush]

My 10ft x 8ft shed cost £700. Not expensive in shed terms for this size. The cheaper ones tend to be very flimsy. Don't forget a 'standard' shed relies on having floor + sides + roof all fastened together to make a rigid box structure. A 'roll off' loses some of this strength, so you need to provide it elsewhere. I had to seriously modify the shed (see earlier post). At the end of the day I think I spent a similar amount of money on my DIY approach to having the job done properly by someone who knew what he was doing. I could not go back to 'outside' observing as a routine. The observatory is the best astronomy money that I have spent. You go out, pull the roof back and view. Little or no setup time. When you are cold and tired, or it is cloudy, you pull back the roof, lock up and go indoors. Everything is ready for next time. As I said, best astro money I have spent.

[Carbon Brush]

Jarvo said...The standard Entry level model looks great in the garden but at over £1000 I can't justify (to myself let alone the Missus) the expense.

My thoughts are that the shed cost is only similar to a decent scope. You no longer carry your scope in/out of the house, risking bumps on door frames, dropping, etc. You don't bring a cold scope (and the rest) into a warm humid house to get soaked in condensation.

Tell the missus that all of scope kit stays in the shed, instead of cluttering up the house. That might help!

[alcyone]

Dave, I am in discussions with Alexanders about building me an observatory so if you have any customer feedback from your friends I should be grateful for sight of it, either in open forum or by PM. Geoff

[jerryaxe]

Hi all,

Thanks for the feedback

I am still looking into it but if more customers could give their stories, it would be a great help

Cheers

Jerry

[dph1nm]

Here is a picture of my 8'x8' Alexanders Observatory with the roof open, shortly after it was constructed:

I would make one other comment, which is that the prices on the website seem to bear little resemblance to the final cost (although I do live a long way from Norfolk!), so the first thing to do before you make any decisions is to get a quote.

NigelM

[jerryaxe]

Hi Nigel,

Thanks a lot for the feedback. You're right regarding the transport, the cost tends to increase a lot and has nothing to do with the site.

I am waiting for a final statement but the price may end up at nearly twice the price.(I live in Dublin)

I don't think I will spend that money knowing that I pay mainly transport.

Cheers

Jerry