Observatory in a Box.

The shed came in several boxes. They sat in my back yard during monsoon season so the cardboard got a little beat up, but the pieces inside were fine.

The foundation kit.

This is the partially assembled foundation kit. It's made out of thin metal "u" channels.

Completed foundation kit.

Cross-beams provide additional strength. It would have been much faster if my cordless drill had been charged up - I had to screw about 200 screws manually.

X Marks the Spot.

I used spray paint to mark the approximate locations of the piers. I later realized that I had made an error and had to adjust the locations.

Preparing the Building Site.

I had to have 4 tons of fill dirt delivered since the site was about 8-12" too low. They dumped it in the alley and I removed the fence and shovelled it through. Fortunately my 8-year old son helped with his two dump trucks and a bulldozer. Note you can see the dome of Xanadu Observatory in the background.

Leveling the Site.

I used heavy 6'x6'x8' landscaping beams to surround the perimeter. The shed will then be attached to these beams for support.

Tie Plates on the Beams.

It was very difficult to level the beams. Once they were all in place, I used tie plates to provide some additional stability.

All the Beams Level and Ready.

A middle beam was added for even more foundational support. The pier holes are not quite done yet.

Stakes to Support the Beams.

This may have been unnecessary but I decided to drive some 3' stakes along the outside of the beams to keep them from slipping outward. They seem to be very stable now.

Pier Holes Ready for Concrete.

Each hole was dug to approximately 2'x2'x3'. I placed a cage made out of old chain link fencing plus some rebars to provide strength to the concrete.

Mixing the Concrete.

We mixed a total of 37 80lb. bags of Sacrete mix in an old rusty wheelbarrow, 1 bag at a time.

The First Pier Hole Filling Up.

It took a couple of hours to complete each hole.

A Little Help From My Friends.

I'm not sure I could have completed this job without the help I got from my friends Dean and Larry. Dean mixed the majority of the concrete bags. Here he is putting the last few shovelfuls in the first hole. Note the wooden concrete forms.

First Pier Plate Nearly Complete.

The plate has J-bolts in the concrete. We needed to point it to true North, and level it. Larry used the trowel to smooth the finish of the concrete around the plate.

Working on the Second Hole.

After the first hole was complete, we moved on and worked on the second hole.

6 Days Later

The concrete was cured enough to remove the forms and fill in some dirt.

One of the Pier Plates

The plate was placed to be square to North, but the foundation was square to the building. This will not be visible once the floor goes in.

Treating the Wood

My 14 year old son helped me paint some water sealant on the beams for a little extra protection. May not have been necessary but it can't hurt.

A Little Extra Work

Since we were already working hard on the ground, we added some additional framing for a walkway to the pool area.

Slight Floor Frame Modification

During the concrete work, I made a mistake at the last minute on the placement of the pier foundation. To make sure the floor remains isolated from the telescope as much as possible, I had to make a slight mod to the floor frame.