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My "soft top" observatory nearing completion.

Doley68

By Doley68
in DIY Observatories

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Doley68

Doley68

Posted
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After a bit of thought about the simplest way to convert a shed into an observatory, I came up with a design which uses a fold back soft roof. This would mean that there would be no roll off area or time spent building rails & supports etc as I don't really have the room. Also, the whole roof only weighs about 5kg so it is easy to gather back out of the way.

I had the roof made for me which cost £170. This was the only real cost involved as I already had the shed, although I did have to replace some rotten shiplap.

Well, without really knowing if it would work or not, I went for it and installed it. The roof has been on for some weeks now with no problems so far.

I thought that sagging may be problem on an 8' x 10' area so fitted some removable supports to stop this & they work a treat. I can be ready to observe in about 2 minutes! Refitting the roof takes about the same.

You know, I think this just may work!!

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LukeSkywatcher

LukeSkywatcher

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Nice one. A "soft top" obs isnt something you see often. The logistics of building one has to be a hell of a lot simpler then a standard RO-RO.

I have a similar shed...............NOW i am thinking that a "soft top" is the easiest way to go.

Kinda have to plan on STRONG ties for it for when the winds pick up.

I REALLY like this plan.

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lukebl

lukebl

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Ah ha. Neat. That's exactly what I was thinking for my own obsy, but I couldn't find what material to use. Your average groundsheet material is too flimsy. What is the proper name for that green tarpaulin materal?

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zhgutas

zhgutas

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Wow, interesting solution! tbh, wouldn't have though this could work.. but it looks like it does! Nice one.

A Cabriolet Observatory.

And here you have a proper name for it now! Like it

Marius

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Doley68

Doley68

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Ah ha. Neat. That's exactly what I was thinking for my own obsy, but I couldn't find what material to use. Your average groundsheet material is too flimsy. What is the proper name for that green tarpaulin materal?

It is called Heavy duty PVC. It is usually 610gsm (grams per sq metre). It's the same stuff used for the side curtains on big lorries. Very tough, durable and water tight.

There are a few companies on the web who will make you a cover. Some let you choose your shape & dimensions on their web page. I used a company called Kover-it. It also comes in a range of colours!

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Doley68

Doley68

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Nice one. A "soft top" obs isnt something you see often. The logistics of building one has to be a hell of a lot simpler then a standard RO-RO.

I have a similar shed...............NOW i am thinking that a "soft top" is the easiest way to go.

Kinda have to plan on STRONG ties for it for when the winds pick up.

I REALLY like this plan.

Yes, the effect of strong wind was a concern but now I have it in place I am reassured. The wind can't really get under it, if anything it seems to push the roof down! I think the sort of high winds that may cause it a problem would be a problem for any design really.

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Doley68

Doley68

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Clear idea

The only thing that was worry me is... security?

Yes, Security is something that I thought about.

My thinking is that it is only a wooden shed and if someone wants to get in then they will, whatever the roof is made from.

Sad but true I fear.

My shed is in my garden which is difficult to get into without being seen & there are no public access areas near it. I wouldn't have used this solution if the shed was well away from the house.

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LukeSkywatcher

LukeSkywatcher

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Cabriolet

That's the word i couldn't think of the other night.

Regarding security, i think the MORE you make something look as if it is protecting something valuable they bigger a target it becomes. If you can build an Obs and make it look like a bog standard garden shed then the valuables stuff inside is SAFER.

Just my opinion.

I REALLY LOVE this concept of an Obs.

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Carbon Brush

Carbon Brush

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Tarp roof idea looks a lot less bother than my heavy structure. Security. Yes one of the reasons my roll off obs appears to be a garden shed with pergola alongside. I did though beef up the fixings so you will have spend a long time with a crowbar and hopefully trigger the alarm.

The other reason for the shed was the the missus didn't like the idea of something that looked like a bottle recycling container in the garden!

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  • 3 weeks later...
Doley68

Doley68

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Hello all.

Just thought that I would give you all an update on the performance of my cabriolet observatory. It has been together for nearly six months and during that time there has been some heavy rain and strong winds and I have suffered no problems at all!

I have posted a couple of pics (roof closed as I was expecting a shower of rain!)

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lukebl

lukebl

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That's looking good! I based the the roof of my obsy on your design (see below, my obsy converted from the children's play house), and it is also working really well. Watertight and windproof and really quick to open and set up.

The only issue I have (and I'd like to know if you have the same problem) is that when I roll up the roof, condensation sometimes gathers on the PVC and drips on my equipment! I've sort of got round the problem by rolling it up at a slight angle, so that any water runs to one side, or by rolling it right over the back of the obsy but that is a bit of a pain when you're trying to close up at 2am in the dark!

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tooth_dr

tooth_dr

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That is a nice solution, personally for me I would find that task of hooking and unhooking a little laborious, as sliding the roof back for me takes little more than a few seconds.

As I starting to think about observatory build no2 I am contemplating using one of the garage roller doors, and allow it to roll up just outside the rear of the shed. I'm not sure about getting it water proof around the rollers at the edge of the shed, but some overlap and careful planning should get around this idea. The other appeal for me is that I can easily incorporate a motor, as these are commercially available for garage doors, and these can be remotely controlled. I'm not sure if anyone has tried anything like this before.

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Carbon Brush

Carbon Brush

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Hi. Not easily applicable to a soft top. I used a motorised garage door opener for my roll off shed. Comprises a 4M long rolled steel section with a chain and pulley set. A bit of thought needed to apply it, but money well spent. It is so nice when you are cold and tired to just push a button to 'shut up shop'.

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NickH

NickH

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And you know that for sure...

Reason is, my hard top obsy last year which has an angled run off roof, still accumulated about 7 inches of snow, which over that area, I suspect weighs a wee bit...especially when it then partially melted and then refroze to form something a lot harder

Not on the blue "wendy house" one...v cool!...on the other one I mean

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lukebl

lukebl

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...Not on the blue "wendy house" one...v cool!...on the other one I mean

Oh right. No, I meant my 'wendy house' version. It has a steep pitch so snow shouldn't be a problem and the PVC is very slippery. Mind you, it hasn't yet experienced the levels of snow we had last winter. Or any snow at all, for that matter!

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