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Mick, mine is 4x5 metres RoR and all-steel construction - except for the raised floor. I set it up with 2 metre-high walls to cut out wind. But it also cut out the first 22-25 degrees of sky. That wasn't a huge loss when imaging because of sky-glow and a bit of light pollution from Brisbane 90 km away. But it did limit me in terms of low-lying northern hemisphere objects and it reduced my normal imaging time elsewhere by an hour or so - depending which side of the meridian I was facing.
My roof is gabled - not flat. That was a mistake I think, since it meant the ridge/apex obscured my western vision over a wide arc. Think carefully about roof design and orientation. Another "roof issue" is whether you intend to use solar panels and a battery bank. With the benefit of hindsight, I think I should have installed a flat roof with solar - but the horse has bolted on that one.
Still on the roof - mine runs on rails made out of flat bar standing upright and welded to the main frame. The runners are metal castors with spring-loaded tension so they can move a bit to accommodate any small variations in the rails. It rolls back by hand and is solid. I' did try using rubber rollers on an earlier attempt but turned away from that because I just didn't think it was secure in high winds etc.
I installed a double-roof - i.e. 2 layers of metal with insulwool in between. That helps.
I also installed 3 piers - mainly because I had the room and at different times, the mounts and scopes as well. But I found it was too much. Keep it to 2 I would say.
I installed a separate warm room which is air conditioned and holds all my computers etc. This is a must unless you're going to cable back to your house and run it from there - and miss half the fun. I'm in rural country so the obs is well away from the house so at one stage I used some dishes to beam connectivity to and from the house but in the end decided I preferred to be on site.
Have fun.
Peter
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