The Dobservatory
The basic construction of my "Dobservatory" is complete. I'm happy to share tips with anyone who's building an observatory this summer. Just send me an email, [email protected]. Here are some of the basic features:
I own a couple of Dobsonian telescopes, so I had to come up with a design with low side walls -- about 40 in. I'm located in Minnesota, so the structure sits on 4x4 posts, each sitting on a concrete pad 3.5 ft down.(One 60 lb bag per hole.)
The design is a basic 8x10 shed. There's no central pier, since it's a "DOBservatory." Posts at each corner; one in the middle of each 10-ft wall, plus two to support the roll-off system. Total is 10 holes - 5 per side. Yes, it's solid! (Advice: line up and mark those holes with great care. I hired a bobcat with an auger to dig the holes, and laid out the holes in haste. I had to do some additional manual digging to get everything lined up.)
I referred frequently to a wonderful book "A Place of Your Own Making" by Stephen Taylor, which provides lots of construction wisdom, and "Sheds" by David Stiles provided a clear description of the details of an 8x10 shed.
Roof Rolled Off
Closed (And Guarded)
Roof Pushed Back
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