I love it when a plan comes together ( got the A'Team tune in my head now)

Hi folks, I've spent most of the evening drawing up design number 1 of the observatory, and yes I do mean draw! All done by hand no computer wizardry here. Not bad even if  I do say so myself as this is the first time I've done any technical drawing since my my GCSE exam 27 years ago. I think Mr Smith my old TD teacher would be please (may he rest in piece). Mind you I'm sure I can hear him saying "could do better".

Anyway here's the plan, I have gone for a fold back roof with a removable center roof support. I was planning a roll back roof but that would mean taking up another 2.3 meters of the wife precious garden space.

I would be happy for any thoughts or comments on my design to be left on this blog, especially if you can see any flaws in it.

By the way, as stated this is design NO1, this may all change.

A Level Playing Field

The Sun is out so it's as good a time as any to make a start on leveling the observatory floor area. I can feel the bad back coming on all ready!

So far so good, the scaffold boards are going in with not to much bother. I did have to chop out a couple of tree root for the first plank, second and third went in with relatively easy digging.

Darn... Just realized I have a bold patch starting  to form in this pic. I'm sure that patch will be allot bigger by the end of this project.

As straight as a die!

Ahhhh! Here's the first snag, I thought it was all going to well!

As you can see I've come across a tree root nearly as big as the trunk. My tree saw is nowhere near big enough to get through that. Nor is my right shoulder and elbow up to the task, well not if I want to move them tomorrow!  Thankfully Teri has had an offer though her Blog http://scottishveggiepatch.blogspot.com/ from a local gardener with a chain saw who is coming around next weekend to chop the tree down for fire wood. So I'll let him do this root at the same time.

 NOW WHERE'S THE DEEP HEAT???????

A New Dimension

My original plan was for a 2.5x 2.5m area, but after looking around today for timber/ fence panels getting this size could but a problem. 1.8m x1.5m fence panels I thought would do the job, but alas  no that is just a little tight for space, as you can see from the pic below. 

It's not until I set the scope up in the test area here, (made up from the Norbord left over by the builders), that I realized the Dimensions I'm going to need. 

2.3 x 2.3m is the bare minimum  2.5x 2.3m would give a little more space for comfortable viewing.

 As you can see 1.8x1.8 is ideal for storing the scope but useless for observing unless I go fully automated remotely from the shed.

I'm seriously considering constructing the observatory from Norboard / Stering Board, as I left three pieces of the stuff out in the garden since November in rain, snow and frost and it has not blown or warped one bit, so with a little wood treatment added it should last for a far while. With the added bonus that it's relatively light and cheep. 

Now its time to draw up the  up the plans and price the materials, not done any TD since I left school hope I can still remember how to do it! 

Plan, Front elevation, Side elevation and Top elevation.... Wasn't it???

Starting the Ground work

I thought I would leave the start of the trans' plant operation to Teri as she knows what plants she wants to keep and what to ditch.

Anyway I don't know the difference weed and a Wisteria!

If you strike oil don't forget that's my part of the garden, therefor I have dibs on the revenue.

Area Plan

Nice surprise today, while I was at work Teri my wife laid out the planned base area for the observatory.

Thanks wifie!

The Plan

Here is the plan drawn up by my wife who has kindly allowed me to have a small portion of land from her even larger idea for her  Scottish edible garden

BEFORE

 

AFTER

The Highland Clearance

Well, the hard work of cutting down the tree starts. I've only ever pruned this tree once a year before completely removing it is going to be a hole new ball game.

 

I'm toying with the idea  of using the stump as the central pier for the telescope mount as it would be the sturdiest mount ever, what with the 100 years + of root system under the ground. But I fear the tree is just a little to far forward of the shed which blocks the light from the police station, so that may not be an option. I could though use part of the stub embedded in concrete in the right position to save having to buy a new pier.

There it was Gone

The majority of the tree has gone up in smoke now,

Just the main stump left to take down, if any one has a chain saw and would like some fee fire wood please feel free to come around and chop the rest down. I'll supply the tea!

  The sheds here on the right will also feature in the plan, the far end shed already has an electrical supply and I fitted a red night observing light to it a few years ago to allow me to use my imaging equipment in a warm environment (oil filled radiator also fitted). I'll take a supply from this shed to give a perminant feed to my telescope for running the mount drive and anti dewing systems. As well as a USB and serial feed to my laptop, ( of which I'll need a faster one), to allow remote imaging and computer controlled sloohing.

Next is to plan the type of observatory, a roll off roof type is my thoughts at the moment as that would give some protection from the wind. I've already worked out that the minimum size will need to be 2.5mx2.5m, so this is no small project. WATCH THIS SPACE, (excuse the pun).

The Preparation

Now that I getting older I have decided to make a permanent home for my telescope. As having to lug my heavy Meade 10" Schmit Newtonian out side every time I use it is not going to get any easier in the future.
So here I'll be blogging all the trials, tribulations, successes and failures (of which there will be many I'm sure) of building an astronomical observatory from scratch.
The first step was to choose a site in my garden away from direct sources of light. Which is not so easy now as last year the council in there wisdom decided to replace the one street light in front of my house with two lamps on either side of the house, (great energy saving technique what was!),  flooding most of the garden with that horrid orange glow. What with being combined with a street lamp and the exteral flood light from the near by Police station to the right, limited my chooses a little.
The best position was in the center of the garden, the only problem is a wacking great big well established Brambly apple tree right where I need to build the observatory.

 The Offending Apple Tree