Matty, you have inspired me to leave piles of astro gear at random places around the house which has resulted in nod being given to consume a chunk of yard for a shed to store it all Thanks mate.
Matty, you have inspired me to leave piles of astro gear at random places around the house which has resulted in nod being given to consume a chunk of yard for a shed to store it all Thanks mate.
That's great news Robin. Glad your plan worked out for you.
I love the way you guys are swindling your way to what you want hehehe, unfortunately i have a study where i plonk all my observing gear, but im sure as soon as it gets too much to fit in there hehehe
We decided to change the design of the wall frames to allow more of the sky to be visible when the roof is rolled off. What we did was drop the height of the wall where the roof rolls by 160mm to make sure that walls and roof do not obstruct the view. Which I found was a problem before.
Well, it finally looks like and Observatory. The Roof is now up and rolling and the Obs is almost complete. Well not quite, there is still a lot of small things to still do but if you look back of how much has been done, I can confidently say we are almost there.
One of the main problems we faced was making sure that Observatory will be properly waterproofed. So we designed the roof to fit under the stationary roof when it's closed. We used form plywood for the roof which will later be covered will some sort of roof material.
The wall cladding will hopefully be put up this weekend but it's awesome that most of difficult jobs have been completed, so it is just the little things left to do.
Looks good mate, I like how the rolling roof tucks under the fixed roof.. I take it the fixed roof is where the computer/electronics/equipment storage will be?
I've said it before... I'll say it again... Jealousy!
one concern or problem that might or might not have been thought about, where you have the stationary roof overhang, whats sealing it to the rolling portion of the roof? you will need some sort of spring loaded weather strip or something of the like because if you get wind and rain together, it will push straight past the over hang. and then its in amoungst everything. also be sure to seal the edges of the ply wood because just like the MDF it will suck water like a sponge and swell to nasty proportions.!
Alex, you are correct. The fixed roof is where I will store most of the equipment but most importantly, sit. I am thinking about putting a curtin to seperate me from the elements especially in winter. I am making this observatory totally wireless/cordless as I hate being literally swimming in cords. Going to have setup wireless EQMOD and wireless USB.
Brendan, we are heading to Bunnings tomorrow to pickup the cladding and the paint for the form plywood. As I know the consequences of leaving wood exposed. Thanks for the heads up.
That's looking fantastic Matt, it's certainly going ahead in leaps and bounds now.
It wont be too long now before your out under the stars again.
Cheers
It's getting closer to its official opening. Almost there....
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tandum
Wow matty, what a bloody mansion. It's huge, at least when you're given the boot you have someplace to go
It's a great size. During the design phase it started off as just a pier. Then upgraded to a 2x2 shed. Then to a 2.4x2.4 house. Then finally to a 3.8x2.4 mansion. I'm hoping to put a bed in it one day.
Time for an update. Haven't had one in quite a while.
Well, the Observatory is almost finished. Got the sarking paper and Hardy Planks put up last month. We have also connected the power and all that is left are the little fiddle bits.
Here are some pics. Almost ready for the official opening. Will get some new images to post.
Thanks mate.
hehehe, unfortunately i have a study where i plonk all my observing gear, but im sure as soon as it gets too much to fit in there 
The Roof is Up and Rolling!
