Interior Work
Boarding Out and Electrics
Fitting the Electrics
After completing the exterior building work, it was time to concentrate on the interior.
Firstly, the installation of the electrics. As mentioned earlier SWA cable was laid from the house up to the observatory. Within the observatory it was terminated into a 2-way garage consumer unit with a built in RCD trip. The CU has 2 MCBs installed: a 6A for the lighting and a 16A for the sockets.
Both the warm room and scope room have been fitted with white and red lights on dimmer switches. The warm room has been fitted with 2 double sockets and the scope room with a weatherproof double socket.
All the internal walls have been boarded out. The walls and ceiling in the warm room have insulation inserted in between the external cladding and the internal boarding.
Firstly, the installation of the electrics. As mentioned earlier SWA cable was laid from the house up to the observatory. Within the observatory it was terminated into a 2-way garage consumer unit with a built in RCD trip. The CU has 2 MCBs installed: a 6A for the lighting and a 16A for the sockets.
Both the warm room and scope room have been fitted with white and red lights on dimmer switches. The warm room has been fitted with 2 double sockets and the scope room with a weatherproof double socket.
All the internal walls have been boarded out. The walls and ceiling in the warm room have insulation inserted in between the external cladding and the internal boarding.
Kitting Out the Interior
Warm Room Work Desk
The floor has been covered with foam interlocking tiles - these were easy to fit and provide excellent cushioning for those inevitable occasions when something gets dropped.
A basic work desk was built in the warm room from a sheet of 18mm MDF and some spare pieces of timber.
A basic work desk was built in the warm room from a sheet of 18mm MDF and some spare pieces of timber.
All Ready to Go
Apart from one or two tidy up jobs, the observatory is now complete and operational. There's still a bit of external work to be done such as landscaping but that can be completed at leisure.
I just have to wait for some clear nights to get everything aligned and working. No doubt there'll be some tweaking to be done here and there.
As the observatory gets used I'll add to these articles with my experiences and any conclusions.
I just have to wait for some clear nights to get everything aligned and working. No doubt there'll be some tweaking to be done here and there.
As the observatory gets used I'll add to these articles with my experiences and any conclusions.