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Roll-off roof observatories, however, suffer from some serious
drawbacks. One of their most significant problems is they offer
little wind protection. In addition, they will accumulate water
and snow on the roof if it is flat. As they become larger than
10 feet square, they are difficult to construct. Roof support
and movement becomes much more difficult.
The Grasslands Observatory has a peaked roof constructed out of
a wood frame and beige metal siding. The metal siding covers the
entire building. It was used, because it blends in with the
natural grass/desert environment, reflects heat, and resists the
weather. The roof is peaked to allow for the large size of the
telescope, which rises eight feet into the air even in its
"resting" position. One advantage of a peaked roof is it resists
accumulation of water and snow but is more difficult to build
and weighs more.
III. CONSTRUCTION PROBLEMS; REMOTE SITES; HIDDEN COSTS
Construction Problems
There are innumerable articles about how much fun it is to have
an observatory and how easy they are to build. "Easy to build"
is a relative term. Nothing is easy to build if it is large and
at a remote location. Observatories can be easy to build and
maintain if they are small, and if you have good mechanical
skill or can enlist the aid or those with good mechanical
skills.
The design for an observatory depends on one's resources both
financial and mechanical. Amateur observatory projects are
similar to defense contracts -- they have frequent cost
overruns. The Grasslands Observatory cost about twice what was
planned. No matter how well you think you have your observatory
budget calculated, take your estimated cost, double it and add
50% more to arrive at a realistic value for your actual
expenses. The larger the observatory and the more remote it is,
the more likely there are to be construction problems and cost
overruns.
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