About Building Domes

I decided to build two 17 Ft domes and one 20 ft dome and I designed them using Microsoft Visio. I ordered the 6063 aluminum and sent the aluminum to a fabricator to roll most of it to specific radius as needed. After all the materials were delivered on site, I started construction in the summer of 2019.  COVID slowed my down my construction because for 18 months I worked by myself.  It took me three years to complete construction. If you really are interested in building your own dome observatory, I suggest that you consider how long it takes and the difficulty of the project.  However, if you're really determined to build your own dome observatory and you're pretty handy, this is a good place to begin. Small domes, new and used, are affordably priced and can be purchased and delivered quickly. It might be best to buy any dome 12 feet in diameter or less, but if your astronomy interests require a larger dome, finding an affordably priced dome may be just wishful thinking. By the time you get to 20 feet in diameter, you can buy a house for less money than a well-built dome, and the high prices are easily justified because the time, complexity, materials, and labor are considerable. It's not an easy weekend project, but you can build a large dome for far less money than buying one. So, if you're handy, have a sizable workshop, and want to build your own .....

Your time is free, so the more work you do yourself the lower your total cost. However, there are lots of tasks that are much easier with two or more people, and you probably don't want to wear out your friends asking for their help. I hired helpers for a lot of the work and taught them how to accomplish much of the work and follow safety rules to avoid getting hurt. I suggest daily pre-work safety meetings to raise awareness of safety awareness in the shop. 

Click here if you want a materials list for the aluminum required.

Click here for the step-by-step construction plan.

Click here for Page 1 of the 17 ft. dome.
Click here for Page 2 of the 17 ft. dome.  
Click here for page 3 of the 17 ft. dome. 
Click here for page 4 of the 17 ft. dome.
Click here for page 5 of the 17 ft. dome.
   
Click here for Page 1 of the 20 ft. dome.
Click here for page 2 of the 20 ft. dome.
Click here for Page 3 of the 20 ft. dome.
Click here for Page 4 of the 20 ft. dome.
Click here for Page 5 of the 20 ft. dome.