COMPLETION!
Finally, after nearly four months of work, the observatory is starting
to look just like an observatory! Here my father, Bob, and I pose
after a full day of painting. The roll off tracks were recently completed,
and the observatory roof does it fact roll back! Carpeting was recently
added to the interior (to help ward off cold), and the walls inside were
painted black to help reduce light reflection. Electrical power still
needs to be run from the house, and wiring and fixtures added inside.
So what have I learned about building structures such as this? Measure
everything twice. This especially applies to wood you get from the
lumber yard. I bought 12 foot 2x4's and 12 foot sheet metal for the
roof. I got 14 foot 2x4's, and did not realize their mistake until
I was placing the roofing! Imagine my surprise when I realized the
roofing was two feet too short. Fortunately, this was nothing a saw
wouldn't fix...