Tag construction

At long last, here we go!

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A big blue canopy set up to provide shade for work assembling the observatory dome that sits beneath it. Once assembled, the dome, weighing in at 350 pounds complete, will need to be manually lifted, moved, and placed atop a yet-to-be-assembled curved base wall.

The big Saia freight truck pulled up in front in the early afternoon July 10. The ready-to-assemble (RTA) observatory had arrived on two pallets weighing about 625 pounds each. After struggles getting it off the truck, aided by its very helpful driver, and with unexpected help from a neighbor, we stowed the base wall components in the garage. I moved the dome halves myself to a patio space adjacent to the observatory site where they are to be assembled.

Withering hot weather and a severe summer cold (ironic?) halted progress on the observatory dome assembly for several days. This afternoon, July 14, hoping to dive into the work tomorrow morning, I set up a canopy for sun protection. The portable shade along with a good electric fan ought to help extend the day’s work time until I can’t stand the heat!

At long last, here we go!

Arriving at last!

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It has been a long, and bumpy road but, at long last, our SkyShed POD-S observatory structure is arriving! Delivery is set for tomorrow, July 10, via freight truck. Wrangling the large and heavy parts of the RTA (ready-to-assemble) building from street to site will be challenging but I think / I hope I can manage it. One looming problem: once put together, hoisting the assembled dome to rest upon the round base wall is a task that I’m uncertain how we’ll accomplish — the thing will weigh 350 pounds! I’ll need several strong people to help lift the dome but don’t know where they’ll come from.

In the mean time, I’ve assembled a collection of tools and materials required for the assembly, the building permit is in place, and so we forge ahead.

It’s SkyShed Observatory’s POD-S

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Rendering of a small, white, domed observatory on a black background. Image Credit: SkyShed Observatories.
A design rendering of the SkyShed POD-S Mark 4 – Tall observatory. Image Credit: SkyShed Observatories.

Following the evaporation of our first observatory deal we revisited our pre-purchase research from two years ago. We quickly settled upon the SkyShed Observatories POD-S Mark IV in this project reset. Today we placed our order and paid for the ready-to-assemble kit.

While we were originally hoping for fiberglass construction, the POD-S is built from double-walled polyethylene — much the same as plastic garden sheds. The material actually provides some advantages over other construction but presents an interesting issue: daytime IR heating. It seems white poly is translucent to infrared light (solar heat rays) which causes the interior to heat up. We chose a light gray color which, while not the classic choice for a dome or observatory, we are told will allow less of interior heating, as it blocks more IR than the white color reflects. This flies in the face of the usual reflective white or metallic silver specified for observatories but those buildings aren’t made of polyethylene.

We don’t have production or delivery schedule information at this time (the order’s brand-new) but there are other things to do such as acquiring a new building permit, pulling electrical wire to the telescope pier site, building a warm/control room in a nearby shed.

Good News / Bad News

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The bad news is that the deal we made for an observatory building is dead after two years of waiting. We received the news via email this morning. The final straw was that the manufacturer was unable –due to factors outside of his control– to ship the finished package! At a financial loss due to packaging costs, he canceled the deal and will issue a refund. The problem was so bad for him, he’s leaving the US market entirely!

The good news is that we have selected a product we had researched two years ago, along with our original choice. Ironically, we originally bypassed this manufacturer because it was going to be two years before their product could be shipped. Now they ship in 6 to 8 weeks!

We’ll post pictures and identify the new choice once we’ve closed that deal. We’re actually feeling pretty good about this. Except for the time lost not having an observatory.

Still waiting….

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The patio floor of the observatory awaits its observatory.

Frustration continues as we await word that the observatory has been shipped. We’ll be firing off another query of the manufacturer tonight reminding them, yet again, that we’re still waiting. Not that our questions or complaints have helped move things along. We’ll likely soon go ahead with pulling wiring through the buried conduit — utility power could be helpful even without the building. We hope to install landscape plants next week in the curved area along the north (left) edge of the patio. Our plant of choice is “Creeping Juniper”. Will we need to make some sort of temporary telescope shelter while we await our observatory (telescope shelter) in order to make better use of what we have? Maybe.

Delays and “liberation”

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The latest from the manufacturer of our observatory structure: “The [shipping] broker advised me to wait until the 2nd of April USA time to see what extra paperwork there might be under Trump’s tariffs.” It appears to us that our tariff-loving President’s “Liberation Day” will mean more money “liberated” from our bank account.

And so, another delay in shipping, for yet another reason — they recently had to remake the shipping crate due to wood content — costing more money in the end. If the manufacturer had shipped earlier, and from our viewpoint, it appears they could have, this latest mess and expense would have been avoided — it’s not like it was a secret widespread tariffs were coming!

We can only hope all will be resolved and shipping will actually begin early this month. Will we be able to build the thing this summer, a year-plus from our original expectation?

The experience has, thus far, been frustrating, and disheartening. We have little faith the path ahead will be smoother.

Note: We know of no U.S. manufacturer of small observatories made of fiberglass or non-metal materials. These unique products are imported and subject to shipping charges and import costs such as tariffs.

Another week, another delay…

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Just when we thought the manufacturer of our observatory was actually about to ship, they report new problems causing yet another delay. This time it has something to do with a tropical cyclone hitting their port, and port officials later demanding certification that the wood pieces of the crate are safe (presumably from insect infestation) for international shipping. Now a replacement crate is being built from plastic and metal parts. This, by the way, was previously promised over the Christmas/New Year’s holiday. Still hoping we can maybe get the thing here and built sometime this summer. Another week, another delay, another sad disappointment.

Dome mounted to walls

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The dome has been mated to the curved base walls of the observatory, on the factory floor. Photo courtesy Sirius Observatories.

Another update from its maker informs us our observatory has reached another milestone with the dome now mated to the curved base walls. While construction is not yet finished, we’re told arrangements are being made for shipping. We’re trying to not get too excited — by the time the observatory arrives here, winter will have arrived and we’ll probably have to store our precious purchase until spring!

At last, an update!

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Our observatory dome at the manufacturer’s shop. It will be cleaned and waxed prior to shipping. November 10, 2024

After a worrisome extended period without updates, we at last heard from the maker of our observatory; the dome is nearly complete! As we understand it, the dome will be lifted on to the round wall base for fitting and quality control testing — including installation and operation of its electrical rotation system. Once assured everything fits and works properly, the observatory will be disassembled and crated for shipping. No shipping date has been provided as yet but we’re happy to hear progress has been made.

Base completed!

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The completed observatory base is of patio construction with a concrete pad beneath decorative concrete pavers. The color of the pavers here is more intense in this picture because they were freshly wetted. We are considering sealing the pavers to enhance the color for a longer term.

Our contractor, taking advantage of a break in the weather, applied Polybind-brand polymeric sand to the observatory’s patio base completing that phase of the project. The space beneath the patio paver stones needed to be dry to allow the sand material to freely flow into all available gaps. Once wetted, the Polybind rapidly cures, sealing out insects and seeds.

Checking with the manufacturer of our Sirius Observatory we learned that production delays will push back our project well into the summer months. Disappointing, to say the least, but good things are worth waiting for. We’re considering now whether to install the steel pier at the center of the base while we wait — with or without a telescope attached, the pier could be covered between uses. With the pier in place, we wouldn’t need to carry out a tripod and mount every time we wish to use the observing pad.

Thinking… thinking…