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Still more permutations gonig on here. Thanks to all who have offered advice both in here and by PM.
One bit of advice by PM that is causing me grief as I would really like to follow it is not putting the pier footings into fill, though at least the fill I am looking at is decades old.
If the fill is well aged, how much of a concern would that be for ground movement? If I shift a little further off the dam bank and get a cut made and possibly a lower edge filled a little I might be able to get low enough on the bank to get at least the bottom portion of pier footings into undisturbed ground. I am just not sure if the extra cost of an excavator to make the cut will be worthwhile? The cost would feel worthwhile though if I did not do it and we spend time regularly fixing polar alignment as the piers slowly move.
I am also looking to use a standard shed size to keep cost at bay, so it would get bigger and smaller at the same time, the standard ish rural shed size is 6M X 3M bays, so 6 X 9M is sounding likely instead of 4 X 10, with re engineering of the roof to make it roll off. I would still like the roll off section to go over the top of the fixed portion as it saves space for the supports of the roof when it is off and would look nicer IMO.
There are plenty of flat places on the property where I could put this but they have various quite good reasons to not go there. Mostly the same reason over and over again actually, ACCESS. If I have to trudge through a muddy paddock in gumboots to go use my scope then it would all be for nothing as it would just not get used, likewise my mate would be far less keen to do the same when carrying in all his gear to set up for a nights AP. In my planned location I would still have a little access work to do but with a few truckloads of gravel I can make it into year round, all weather access by car or foot. And it is close to power and cloe enough to the house or main shed (Which will shortly be on the house network) to use a directional wifi antenna to get connectivity out there, handy for long hours of imaging to be able to get on to this site and others to stay entertained.
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