TheSkySearchers

We have to start somewhere, so here we go.
For the past several years since the beginning of the pandemic, I've wanted to do this. Instead, we decided to build a garden in the only available area of my yard. And when I say "we" I mean my wife decided to build a garden there. So I thought my dreams of having a home observatory were gone for good. After finding out that neither one of us have green thumbs but I do have a black hole....The garden is going away along with the tree, and this is where I plan to build the roll-off roof. I'll be documenting the entire process in photos and timelapse but I wasn't around today when the landscapers came to take care of the tree. So here's a before and after of the area, Day ONE!


Needless to say, I'm stoked!
I had been given permission by "The Boss" a while back to do this but was always put off by how much of my view would be obstructed. But the fact is that I've always enjoyed imaging from my backyard especially since I acquired the 2600MC and L-eXtreme filter. The view from the new location will actually open up a tiny bit more of the sky to me!

AstroBee wrote: ↑Fri Apr 14, 2023 2:38 am And when I say "we" I mean my wife decided to build a garden there.

Please keep us posted. I'm looking forward to seeing how this goes. Best of luck to you on the build!

Hi Greg. Wow, a permanent home obsy is an amateur astronomers dream. And it looks like you are making the best of your available space and terrain. Thanks for sharing report and nice photographs with us Greg, the best of wishes on your project, and keep us updated with your progress.

YAY!

Dreams really do come true.

The build will be hair-pulling, but the feeling of finally looking at (or imaging) something from your new Obsy is pure enjoyment!

Getting an observatory is truly a big step. Just not having to haul equipment around anymore is a blessing. Glad that the CFO/CEO relented.

I asked her a while back to help me set everything up. Then I asked her if she was going to stay up till 4am and help me pack it back up. (She didn't!)
That's when she realized what I went through every time...

You have a very understanding wife there Greg

Good luck with your project, and it will be interesting to follow your progress.

Now Greg, did you really throw in your all on the garden?
Haha, just kidding.
I have one spot in my backyard that isn’t totally obscured by trees. I would love to at least put a pad and pier on it,but my wife loves the backyard and doesn’t want to look at something sticking out of the ground.
Got to make her happy.
Really though, it would go unused most of the time. Two good nights so far this year doesn’t help my case!

Juno16 wrote: ↑Sun Apr 16, 2023 1:51 am Now Greg, did you really throw in your all on the garden?
Haha, just kidding.

Actually, I did! I love gardening and back at the beginning of the pandemic when I was out of work I had all that dirt you see there delivered to my driveway. It took me two full days to wheelbarrow it to it's current location.
My first year garden was going great with tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers and carrots. Then one morning I walking out to check on it and everything was destroyed. At first I thought it was rabbits somehow made it into my yard so I put my GoPro out overnight and was surprised/horrified the next morning to see 11 rats decimating it again. I have a drainage wash behind my house and they just climbed over the block wall. I was so upset I just tilled everything under and never bothered with it again.
Never had a rat enter my yard prior to or after that time. But "pest control" will be a top priority in the new building.

I was just kidding. Gardening is fun and rewarding and sounds like you were very successful at it.
Well, the good news is that the garden will be very productive again soon.
Keep us posted!

The Obsy project is going much slower than I hoped.
I mentioned in a previous post that I had all that topsoil delivered to my house for the garden. Many people in certain parts of the world may not realize this, but here in the desert we do not really have topsoil. Our "soil" is not really soil, but crushed rock. So, if you want to grow a garden, you have to get real soil trucked in. I had 3 yards of soil delivered a few years ago for that raised garden area and needed now to get rid of it for the obsy. I didn't want to just haul really great topsoil off to a landfill so I put the word out to several friends, one that runs a community garden. It took some time but we finally got it all moved to new homes instead of the landfill. Next was getting the irrigation line re-routed so it would not be under the building. That's where I'm at right now.

I'm waiting on two quotes for a concrete pad right now and will be proceeding probably with an 8'x10' building later. With the summer heat approaching quickly, this may end up getting delayed till fall.

Thanks for the update, Greg.

Make sure you are sitting down when you get those concrete pad quotes. My pad (slab) was twice the max amount I budgeted for that part of my obsy project and I made it smaller than my original design. I originally wanted a 20'x20' pad. I settled for a 20'x16' pad.

Great to see you are making progress.

Cheers,

JayTee wrote: ↑Tue May 30, 2023 7:20 pm Make sure you are sitting down when you get those concrete pad quotes. My pad (slab) was twice the max amount I budgeted for that part of my obsy project and I made it smaller than my original design...

Yeah, I've already got one of the quotes, $2800, but the company seemed a bit sketchy. Couldn't find any license or any other info on them. But they were one of the two companies recommended by Angi's List.
Still waiting on the 2nd quote. The company seems much more legit so probably going to be more like $4000.

AstroBee wrote: ↑Tue May 30, 2023 8:26 pm Still waiting on the 2nd quote.

Would hiring a concrete mixer and as many friends and family as you can muster be an option?

Graeme

Don't make the concrete pad larger than it needs to be, otherwise it will just catch rainwater drop-off from the roof that floods into the observatory. I found that out from my 6x8' shed on a 10x10' pad. Also, the concrete is not exactly flat; it has a 5 mm dip that needs to be filled in to block the water.

I like Graeme's idea.

SkyHiker wrote: ↑Mon Jun 12, 2023 7:06 am Don't make the concrete pad larger than it needs to be, otherwise it will just catch rainwater drop-off from the roof that floods into the observatory.

True story! I put a damp course layer on a bed of mortar on the concrete to the rear of my observatory but in a couple of places the rain puddles and seeps in under the mortar. I've been running round with frame sealing mastic but I might have to trowel in some concrete haunching to fix the problem completely.

Here's a tip I just learned and wished I had the foresight to build it into my concrete pad. Like Henk said don't make it bigger than it has to be for fear of water incursion. The tip -- I wish I had had the concrete contractor pour my slab so that there was a mild slope to it so water would run off and not pond. The best solution is to make the pad slightly "domed" so water would flow away from the center. Although, I don't know if that is something you can do with a simple pad pour.

Anyway, hope this helps.

Graeme1858 wrote: ↑Mon Jun 12, 2023 6:35 am

AstroBee wrote: ↑Tue May 30, 2023 8:26 pm Still waiting on the 2nd quote.

Would hiring a concrete mixer and as many friends and family as you can muster be an option?
Graeme

I wouldn't subject any friends to that kind of abuse. No family nearby. I've already talked a carpenter buddy of mine into helping me build the building but he wants NOTHING to do with the concrete.
My second quote from the reputable company came in at $2700 so that's who I'm going with.

SkyHiker wrote: ↑Mon Jun 12, 2023 7:06 am Don't make the concrete pad larger than it needs to be, otherwise it will just catch rainwater drop-off from the roof that floods into the observatory. I found that out from my 6x8' shed on a 10x10' pad. Also, the concrete is not exactly flat; it has a 5 mm dip that needs to be filled in to block the water.

I like Graeme's idea.

The pad will be build exactly 8x10' so the building outer sheeting will overhang the pad as it should.

I finally got the pad poured. It was a while back but I'm just now getting around to posting these images.
It's 8'x10' total area and the slightly off-center pad is 4'x'4'x 24" with a 3/4" gap separating the outer building pad. I ran a couple of 2" conduits from the corner that I plan on having a small desk for electronics and misc.
Now we are just waiting on the weather to cool off a bit so we can begin construction on the building.

Very nice Greg!

You should be in business soon!