Wanna hear a funny? My neighbour who is a builder's carpenter, complained that the stairs don't creak! LOL!! He said wooden staircases are supposed to creak as part of the charm.
Tell him no creaking is tolerated in the ironman lair, land of the mighty WD40.
Spent today building the upstairs banister out of steel. The thing is rock-steady. Soon I will bolt in some thick board behind it, which gives me three functions.... it blocks some light from below, (even though later there will be drop-hatches over the hole anyway).... it stops my young toddler from crawling through gaps when he's chillin' up there with me..... and finally, it gives me something to put some charts and space photos/posters on. There will be a gate on the end (left of photo) to stop folks from accidentally falling down the stairs.
Downstairs, I cut one more dead tree down to provide the final post on the far left. I also cut the wall-panelling for the stairs. The wall above the stairs is filled, now to put in the panelling for the wall underneath them.
I can almost taste completion! The banister is looking great now filled in, painted, gate on one end and a big thick natural timber handrail to dress it all off.
Upstairs the only big job left is to lay the carpet properly then instal the lighting. That will conclude the upstairs construction and fitout.
I'm getting pretty excited now that it is so close to finishing and to be quite honest... a little relieved. I've been building this one for around three years and the last one took me over a year to build too.
It's been a stormy ride.
Spare cash for materials has been a struggle and put quite a strain on my family. I've had to work in other folks gardens, construct driveways, sheds, do repairs and all kinds of other handyman jobs to find the money just for a packet of screws. I've even taken on jobs as builders labourer with bathroom renovations and even second-storey home extensions. All this has helped me gain good experience and knowledge about building first-hand. (Having spent four years as a purchasing/inventory manager for a building company also helped me come to understand a lot about raw materials, Australian Standards, span-tables, metallurgy and more.)
In amongst that I've had a son, starting with a very rough first two months in Newborn Intensive Care Unit as he was two months premature. He's healthy and fine now, but getting here has been gutwrenchingly scary at times.
Lately the chainsaw skills and my professional photography have provided some money, but not much in the big scheme of things. Some donations came through which have helped a lot, but mostly it has been my own money, plus massive amounts of my free time, which I would now like to use to relax a bit...
I'm feeling old in the knees. Over a hundred army static-line parachute jumps, pack marching, mountain climbing and caving will do that to you. I haven't been kind to my knees and now I'm starting to feel it. They make lovely noises like crunch cellophane now when I stand up. Climbing all over this two-story construction, balancing with tools and material has not been pleasant.
I'm mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted.
Once this is complete, then I have to build a pergola/deck of the front of my house which will be a breeze compared to an observatory and hopefully take me a fraction of the time.
Once the deck is done, that's it for big building projects for me. Hopefully then I can just concentrate on creative stuff in the workshop. My Iron Man suit needs to be finished and when that's done, I'm thinking of building a life-sized MK II Colonial Viper in the back yard, to be transported to locations, photographed and eventually sold, making room for the next creative project.
Having seen this observatory up close and personal, I cannot help but be jealous . especially now that I have sold my house in darksky Jindabyne and bought another in light-polluted Garran. (Not my choice, she who must be obeyed fell in love with a house that has 2 massive street lights right outside )
(if you need help with the deck and pergola let me know, although a little smaller than my last building project, I might be of some use.)
Looking forward to seeing the obs again, especially the stairs!
Barry, hands down, this is THE best amateur observatory I have ever seen, and I think it sets a VERY high benchmark for others to aspire to! An INCREDIBLE job, by a VERY talented individual.
Having seen this observatory up close and personal, I cannot help but be jealous . especially now that I have sold my house in darksky Jindabyne and bought another in light-polluted Garran. (Not my choice, she who must be obeyed fell in love with a house that has 2 massive street lights right outside )
(if you need help with the deck and pergola let me know, although a little smaller than my last building project, I might be of some use.)
Looking forward to seeing the obs again, especially the stairs!
Pop me a visit any time Matt! You are always welcome!
Might be a while before I get a start on that deck, but if I need help I'm not too proud to ask mate.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LewisM
Barry, hands down, this is THE best amateur observatory I have ever seen, and I think it sets a VERY high benchmark for others to aspire to! An INCREDIBLE job, by a VERY talented individual.
You need Iron Man to guard the entrance
Crikey! I'm swooning and blushing here. I must give credit to many others along the way though. Starting from the guy who took my plans and specs and designed the structural support for me, many others have contributed advice, assistance and even some cash to help me along the way. What a community effort, not just from Canberra, nor even just Australia, but from all over the world. Just look at this list on the bottom of my front page!
Thank you one and all!
Very soon after completion, the opening night will be organised then announced. It's going to be big!
1. I sold some of my unused astrophotography accessories this week, so I was able to afford some plasterboard to start covering the ceiling. It will be good to seal all that fibreglass insulation in and fit the lights.
2. I have found some foam-rubber on a roll that seals nicely the gap between the dome-support ring, and the dome ring itself. I've glued it to the bottom ring only, so the top ring slides nicely along it without binding or too much resistance around the circumference of the dome. You can see it just above the unlaid carpet in the picutre below. The other issue is to seal the light-leak from where the dome panels meet the weather skirt, as well as cover the sharp edge of the sheet-metal.
3. I cut some of the foam rubber into short strips and glued them all in. It dresses off nicely and makes it safer and light-proof.
4. Just to give it a bit more of a finished look, I've adhered the caution-tape to it. Looks good and clearly distinguishes the edge of the dome.
5. I think I'll leave it at that for caution-tape or else it will take over. The carpet looks worse and worse as the dome and fittings improve, but the great news is that someone has offered me much nicer carpet!
6. The stairwell is coming lose to completion too. A few sharp edges to clean up and a gap to fill and dress, then some trim around the end of each tread and it's done.
Well done Barry. You now have a structurally sound observatory which will be great for your public outreach ideas. Well done and I look forward to seeing your adventures with this facility.
. especially now that I have sold my house in darksky Jindabyne and bought another in light-polluted Garran. (Not my choice, she who must be obeyed fell in love with a house that has 2 massive street lights right outside 
