Guest Post by Melinda Wilson

Whether you are an amateur or veteran astronomer you are probably all too familiar with the difficulties inherent in observing the stars.  The big problem is that delicate equipment cannot be kept outside without protection from the elements, but dragging it in and out of the house every night is too much hassle.  What you really need is a little home observatory of your own.  There are a number of different options for creating a small home observatory.  Of course, you can always have the perfect observatory built for you by professionals, but a cheaper option could be to convert a small garden shed into your observatory.  The right design will depend on your preferences as well as the size of your shed, garden and telescope.  Here are a few potential ideas for creating your observatory.


An example of a home observatory

The Easiest Option

If you are just starting to dabble in astronomy and you own a lightweight portable telescope you may want to use the shed as your storage space.  There is no point in going through all the effort to chop the roof off of your shed and make it moveable if you can easily lift and move your telescope outside.  In this case you can store your telescope in the shed rather than the house for ease of viewing.  Your extra lenses, equipment and charts can all stay in the shed too.  On a particularly lovely night for observing, this will prevent you from wasting your time running back and forth from your house to retrieve things.  You can probably just tidy up your shed a bit and have your observatory ready instantly.

Designing your Observatory

If you have a bigger telescope that needs to stay put you will not be able to use this method.  You will need to actually convert your shed into an observatory.   When designing your observatory, you will need to consider the mounting of your telescope.  This will be a different process for different telescopes, but needs to be considered in your plans.  The process and type of floor you give your shed will be impacted by your telescope’s mounting needs.  Some telescopes may be able to be used on a flat surface inside the shed while others may need to be set on a pier.  You may need to pour a concrete base for the telescope and cut a hole through the shed floor.

Once you have figured that out you have one big problem left.  You need to keep your equipment dry but be able to remove the roof for viewing.  There are a few different options for making your roof removable and all of them require different modifications and space.

Soft Roof Design

Giving your shed a soft roof is probably the easiest way to create your observatory.  It is slightly less sturdy and protective and the material will decay faster than a typical roof, but it requires less effort in construction and no space beyond that which the shed already occupies.  If you are not inclined to do a lot of construction or deal with the modifications and your shed is on the smaller side then a soft roof may be the best option.  The first step is to remove the existing roof.    If the roof space you are covering is fairly large you can install removable planks to support the soft roof from sagging inwards or collecting rain.  Your support beams will need to be removable.  Decide first how many support beams you need.  You will need double that number of joist hangers.  Install these at the right height to ensure that your support beams are flush with the roof level but do not protrude above it.  You want your roof material to rest on it but not get caught on any sharp edges and tear.  These joist hangers will provide the perfect place for your support beams to rest while also ensuring that they can be quickly removed.

Now, for the roof material it is best to use heavy duty pvc.  Unless you have some previous experience sewing you will probably want the soft fabric cover made for you with sturdy grommets to hold elastic banding or rope.  This will ensure that you do not accidentally rip your new roofing material.  However, if you are so inclined, you can buy heavy duty pvc tarpaulin and modify it yourself.  You will need to sew it to fit your shed corners tightly.  The better the fit the more protection it will offer from the elements and the less likely it is to be caught by heavy winds.  Just remember that you should always measure more than once before you make any permanent decisions or cuts.

It is more than likely that you will need to add more grommets to your roof edges.  You can either thread a rope or elastic cording through the grommets or you can have individual elastic ties for each grommet.  This will allow you to fasten the roof down tightly.  The more places you fasten down the soft roof cover the less likely it will be to pull unevenly, shred the fabric around the grommets, and sag downwards.

Next you need to install pegs or hooks of some sort at frequent intervals around the top of the shed walls so that the tarp can be stretched tight over the roof and the elastic banding pulled over the pegs to hold it in place.  If you use metal hook or nails make sure that they are galvanized steel to prevent rusting.  Now you have a fairly light-weight roof cover that you can simply unhook and roll up out of the way.  You can set up and take down this roof in a matter of minutes.

Hard Roof Options

If you want a more permanent and sturdy roof you will need to make a few more modifications to your shed.  There are essentially two ways to deal with a solid roof; either you build it on a track so it can be rolled off, or you build the shed so that the whole thing is on a movable track and can be rolled away.  Both of these ways require more space in the garden than the soft roof, but you do not need to worry about the decay of the roofing material as much.

Rolling Roof

Again the first step will require you to remove the roof.  You could possibly use the majority of it later for your roof so remove the pieces carefully.   You will need your roof to able to roll smoothly directly off of the shed and onto a support system in front of your shed.  The track will need to be the whole length of the shed and the support frame.  Bear in mind that your support frame will need to bear the weight of the roof.  So you should probably place it on a concrete pad or footers although there are jacks available that can be used for keeping your support and track system level as the ground shifts.

For the track you will need a level platform on both sides of the shed.  Once you have made the platform you can build the support frames with a platform to match.  Make sure that your support frame is very sturdy.  Use large, quality pieces of wood.  You do not want all your effort to be wasted because of cheap materials.  Install the tracks for the roof ensuring that they are level.  Create a nicely squared roof frame, the more you have the more easily it will roll.  Check to make sure it is the right size and shape.  Attach the casters to the frame and check to make sure it rolls smoothly before you continue building the roof.

If possible try to build the roof on top of the shed.  This will circumvent the nasty process of lifting the roof up onto the track later when it is heavy.  You can add A-frames to your roof structure next and then roof panels.  Once you have the roof assembled you can figure out where it is best to fasten it to the shed body.  A few well-placed hooks and latches could prevent the roof from blowing back and forth in its track.  Undoing the latches and rolling the roof onto the frame will get you star gazing in minutes.

Rolling Shed

If you have the space for it and your shed is relatively small you might consider rolling away the shed walls rather than just the roof.  If you do not need or want the shed walls to help shelter you from the cold or wind, rolling the whole shed away could be easier than constructing a rolling roof.  You will need to place the tracks for your shed on a concrete platform.  One wall can remain attached to the platform and latch to the rest of the rolling shed.  This can be any wall you choose, but for simplicity it will be referred to as the back wall and the two walls that run on tracks will be referred to as the side walls.  In order to provide optimum protection from the elements the fixed back wall should sit just inside and against a frame built on the side walls, like a door frame.  This way it leaves no gaps for rain to get inside the shed when it is shut.

Once you have carefully detached the back wall from the rest of your shed you can install a few brackets and possibly exterior supports to make sure it is still study on its own.  Then you can install the tracks on your concrete platform.  Measure them carefully and make sure they are parallel.  Now, you will need to tip your shed on its side.  If your shed walls are not wide enough for a castor to be attached then you will need to add a board along the bottom of the two side walls to widen the area your castors will attach to.  Once you have attached the castors you can turn your side right side up and place it on the track.

Keep in mind that a rolling shed design will mean you have to have very little in the way of shelves inside the shed.   Any shelves you do have must not stick out very far.  After all, you will be rolling it past your telescope.  You will probably need to create lips or rails around your shelves to prevent things from falling off when you roll the shed away.

Devil in the Details

All of these designs require different space and modifications.  The size and positioning of your shed in your garden and the type of space you need for your telescope and other equipment are going to determine which type of shed modifications you need to make.  Pay attention to the little things.  Try to think about all the things you’ll want to do in your observatory space.  Try to think ahead and anticipate problems in construction before you come to them.  Try not worry too much if you make mistakes along the way, or if you have to run back and forth to the local home improvement store ten times in one day.  Modifying your shed into an observatory will be a process, but hopefully it will be as fun as it is rewarding in the end.  If you are not up to building your own observatory you can always have one built for you by professionals.  There are many places that specialize in the construction of customized garden sheds and structures.  Whatever way you choose, and whatever design you pick, you will not regret the effort when you can enjoy your new home observatory on gorgeous, clear, summer nights.

This is a guest post written by Melinda Wilson.

Filed under: Amateur Astronomy • Guest Posts