Back to forums

New build underway

DIY Observatory
Pictures 'of' Your Home-Built Observatory •12 replies•187 views
Mark Smith avatar
Mark Smith avatar
To help kick start this group a bit, here are some pics of the start of my observatory build. 

The plan is to have an outer base for the observatory that does not touch the pier base. Also i will be mounting a Skyshed pier on this. The idea is to get a little more height due to buildings around me. 

Its been slow going due to available time and the heatwave in the UK. I now have to finish the rebar and drill some holes in the pier base. 

Hopefully after next weekend i will order the concrete, and while that is setting i will then order the wood. 





Helpful Engaging
Uwe Deutermann avatar
Uwe Deutermann avatar
Looking good! Reminds on this one: https://www.astrobin.com/ey12rc/V/?nc=&nce=. Was some work, but I do not regret a single nanosecond, this is so much better now, cannot even imagine anymore not having it.
John Favalessa avatar
John Favalessa avatar
Do you have a sliding room in your front room?  😂    Looking good, did the same and like Uwe it's a great thing to build/have indeed.  Looks like a good place to stand during and earthquake 😂  …well I'm from So Cal!  -john
Bruce Donzanti avatar
Bruce Donzanti avatar
Excellent start, Mark!  Best of luck getting it completed.  You will really enjoy an observatory.  I made a few mistakes building mine but I really enjoy it and it has held up nicely 4+ years to date.
Well Written Respectful Supportive
Mark Smith avatar
Mark Smith avatar
Uwe Deutermann:
Looking good! Reminds on this one: https://www.astrobin.com/ey12rc/V/?nc=&nce=. Was some work, but I do not regret a single nanosecond, this is so much better now, cannot even imagine anymore not having it.

I can't wait for it to be up and running. I often find i don't have time to setup due to work, so this will make a big difference. The extra height will really help.

Read your post and it's interesting, I got to 2ft and thought that's would do, but dug the other foot out last Sunday to be sure. I have the same worry about the bolts.

The concrete I was going to cheat and get a company in that will mix and poor, yesterday I was convinced I should do this myself. After reading your comments I think I will pay to save the work.
Mark Smith avatar
Mark Smith avatar
John Favalessa:
Do you have a sliding room in your front room?  😂    Looking good, did the same and like Uwe it's a great thing to build/have indeed.  Looks like a good place to stand during and earthquake 😂  ...well I'm from So Cal!  -john

I have patio doors, but the intention is to have this mounted permanently. Don't have to worry about earthquakes in the UK😁
Mark Smith avatar
Mark Smith avatar
Bruce Donzanti:
Excellent start, Mark!  Best of luck getting it completed.  You will really enjoy an observatory.  I made a few mistakes building mine but I really enjoy it and it has held up nicely 4+ years to date.

So far I'm hating every second. Not used to manual labour 😂. But I'm really looking forward to starting on the wood frame and cladding. 

I expect to make some mistakes, I have a lot of the design in my head, it will be interesting to see if it works like expected.
Bruce Donzanti avatar
Bruce Donzanti avatar
Mark Smith:
Bruce Donzanti:
Excellent start, Mark!  Best of luck getting it completed.  You will really enjoy an observatory.  I made a few mistakes building mine but I really enjoy it and it has held up nicely 4+ years to date.

So far I'm hating every second. Not used to manual labour 😂. But I'm really looking forward to starting on the wood frame and cladding. 

I expect to make some mistakes, I have a lot of the design in my head, it will be interesting to see if it works like expected.

Feel free to reach out either here or send me a private message if you have any questions or ideas you are considering.  I did a ROR on top of my garage- not a Sky Shed dome, but there are a number of things that have to be right regardless as to the opening design.  I don’t have all of the answers but I did learn a lot doing mine.
Mark Smith avatar
Mark Smith avatar
Bruce Donzanti:
Mark Smith:
Bruce Donzanti:
Excellent start, Mark!  Best of luck getting it completed.  You will really enjoy an observatory.  I made a few mistakes building mine but I really enjoy it and it has held up nicely 4+ years to date.

So far I'm hating every second. Not used to manual labour 😂. But I'm really looking forward to starting on the wood frame and cladding. 

I expect to make some mistakes, I have a lot of the design in my head, it will be interesting to see if it works like expected.

Feel free to reach out either here or send me a private message if you have any questions or ideas you are considering.  I did a ROR on top of my garage- not a Sky Shed dome, but there are a number of things that have to be right regardless as to the opening design.  I don’t have all of the answers but I did learn a lot doing mine.

Awesome thanks if i hit issues I wil give you a shout. I will be doing a ROR myself. It's a compact one with no warm room.

Already figured the roof section, I'm trying to be neighbor (and planning regulation) friendly, so doing something a little different based on a design I have already seen that has been tweaked a little.

It started life as a 5ft by 5ft design to keep the wife happy, but while she was not looking I added a foot to one side 🤣

Due to my availability it's weekend work, and only on the odd weekend I'm available. However I expect once the concrete is done, the frame and cladding wil be very quick and just a weekend job. The roof may be a temp job to get me up and running as I want this useable next month. 

Hopefully this weekend I will be at the stage for concrete and they can come next week. If not I may miss my August deadline due to holidays.

Over the winter months, electrics and network cable will go in, along with solar panels, fans, batteries, WiFi and a greenhouse heater. 

The only issue I have is the pier. It's not so easy to bolt on and unbolt the mount, so I ideally want this watertight so I can leave my kit setup until the permanent roof is fitted.  If you have every unbolted an ioptron Cem70G you will know why, not nice in the winter. 

I have only had a few successful imaging sessions, although with my flt91 I have this now all sorted. It's the setup and takedown time has really caused me an issue, so I'm risking doing this or give up and sell up.

Mark
Uwe Deutermann avatar
Uwe Deutermann avatar
Mark Smith:
Uwe Deutermann:
Looking good! Reminds on this one: https://www.astrobin.com/ey12rc/V/?nc=&nce=. Was some work, but I do not regret a single nanosecond, this is so much better now, cannot even imagine anymore not having it.

I can't wait for it to be up and running. I often find i don't have time to setup due to work, so this will make a big difference. The extra height will really help.

Read your post and it's interesting, I got to 2ft and thought that's would do, but dug the other foot out last Sunday to be sure. I have the same worry about the bolts.

The concrete I was going to cheat and get a company in that will mix and poor, yesterday I was convinced I should do this myself. After reading your comments I think I will pay to save the work.

As Bruce wrote, feel free to contact for questions. The concrete was by far the most labor intensive work, you need my wife to help you 😊😊. 3ft I think is the way to go, even if it does not freeze that often in the UK (if you are not far up north). So far my pier sits out there for almost 2 years, and it did not move a bit, very happy about that. I actually leave the pier out and take my mount off, not sure if it is as easy for you as it is with my MyT, takes me 3 minutes. And yes, I am in all support to take the mount inside when the weather is bad, here it is the tremendous heat and humidity, I do not think that a mount likes this.
You will LOVE the setup, it saves so much time, especially the polar alignment is a no show anymore, saves me 30 minutes each night, maybe even more than that.
Helpful Engaging Supportive
Bruce Donzanti avatar
Bruce Donzanti avatar
I dug my pier depth to over 4 ft and extends 15 ft above ground level.  Just to give you an idea.
Bruce

Mark Smith avatar
Mark Smith avatar
Uwe Deutermann:
Mark Smith:
Uwe Deutermann:
Looking good! Reminds on this one: https://www.astrobin.com/ey12rc/V/?nc=&nce=. Was some work, but I do not regret a single nanosecond, this is so much better now, cannot even imagine anymore not having it.

I can't wait for it to be up and running. I often find i don't have time to setup due to work, so this will make a big difference. The extra height will really help.

Read your post and it's interesting, I got to 2ft and thought that's would do, but dug the other foot out last Sunday to be sure. I have the same worry about the bolts.

The concrete I was going to cheat and get a company in that will mix and poor, yesterday I was convinced I should do this myself. After reading your comments I think I will pay to save the work.

As Bruce wrote, feel free to contact for questions. The concrete was by far the most labor intensive work, you need my wife to help you 😊😊. 3ft I think is the way to go, even if it does not freeze that often in the UK (if you are not far up north). So far my pier sits out there for almost 2 years, and it did not move a bit, very happy about that. I actually leave the pier out and take my mount off, not sure if it is as easy for you as it is with my MyT, takes me 3 minutes. And yes, I am in all support to take the mount inside when the weather is bad, here it is the tremendous heat and humidity, I do not think that a mount likes this.
You will LOVE the setup, it saves so much time, especially the polar alignment is a no show anymore, saves me 30 minutes each night, maybe even more than that.

I may have to borrow your wife😂.

I will probably get a local company with a volumetric car as they mix as much as I require onsite. 

In the UK heat is not normally that much of an issue, a solar panel and fan should be enougth. Over the winter months a greenhouse heater will keep it just above freezing temprature. 

Im also building some storage into this, as my office where I am storing kit is too small and I work from home.. So one OTA will be mounted and the other in the storage and I can actually then swing a cat in there.
Bruce Donzanti avatar
Bruce Donzanti avatar
Mark

I started a group, Pictures of your home-built observatory a few months ago.   If you want to, it would be nice if you post some of your pics as the building is ongoing.  It is always nice to see and share what others are doing and have done.   For example, Uwe and I only live about 2.5 hrs apart in Florida but we each did a completely different build.  

Regards,
Bruce
Respectful Concise Engaging Supportive