This is the start of a roll roof observatory in my back yard.  The design started as simply an easy way to make a portable light shield that I could take to star partys and block the light from nearby campers and cars driving by.  One side only, or at most two sides was the idea.

I went to the swap meet and bought a handful of different angle connectors that they use to make sun shades using those connectors and EMT conduit tubing, then covered with a plastic tarp.

I ended up making it 4 sided and spreading the tarp around 3 sides and settng it up in my back yard.

Actually I liked it quite well and it never went to any star parties at all....

I then decided to make it a bit more permanent and make it into a roll roof design.  More pictures will follow when I get them.  For now you can see the frame I set up.  One picture was taken from ground level, and the other two were taken from the roof of my house.  I live on rented property so have to make it so I can easly take it down.

The pier on the left is a piece of 4" pipe screwd into a flange which is bolted to a cement pad I poured a few inches below the ground---so I can cover it up when I leave--hope no one decides to plow up that area.

The top has a couple of 1/4" steel plates with bolts so that it can be leveled.  It works pretty well and seems much more stable than the Meade tripod.  Next time though I'd make it maybe a 5 or 6" diameter pipe.

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The observatory now has walls,  made of sliding doors from the back of a commercial grocery store milk case.  You can see the sides don't come down to the ground.  That is no real problem here in Southern California.  It doesn't snow and only rains some in the winter (Though during the last rain the frame poles  sank into the ground down to the bottom of the sides!  I had to place some bricks under each side pole to hopefully prevent that from happening next time).  Experience is showing me I need to close in the sides, both for weather reasons, and also to keep the stray cats out!

2 views of my more-or-less completed roll roof observatory, and one view standing outside the door and looking in. 

The roof is of galvinized steel.  The blue is just reflected sky.

The view to the left is of the new control room, with the STV autoguider and computer to operate the ST-8E CCD camera.  The wall between the Telescope room and the control room is simply some 

1 1/2" Styrofoam insolation taped up to the frame.  There is a window cut into it so I can see the telescope from my work station.  There are plastic windows taped on either side of the cutout, giving me a double paned window.  From the scope I can look into the control room and see the moniters for focusing purposes.

     Rotating 90 degrees to the right (upper picture) is another work table with a cabinet for parts and books, and a TV for entertainment while waiting for downloads.

    There is a cot to the right of the TV table, for sleeping or resting while waiting for longer exposures.