Observatory Part 6

Great progress on the build yesterday.  My son (Scott) and I headed out to the site with 2x6s to replace the 2x4s (see the Observatory Part 5 post).  The building had been banged around a little by a storm several days ago, but damage was very light (just a few small 'dings').  We spend most of the day working in 100 degree weather, but the result was worth it (Scott, you did an awesome job!). The work we did made everything very solid.  We had 70 mph winds and storms early this morning (Sunday).  I went out to the site full of trepidation, but the building was just fine with no further bending of the panels!

As you can see from the pix, we added the 2x6s to make the top frame for the observatory.  We added extra supports to the 4x4s with some spare timber, and also braced the 2x6s with horizontal 2x4 braces in the corners.  The result was a very robust frame.  We also braced the center of the 12 foot walls with a 2x4.  These walls, plus the back wall, will eventually be true stud walls with insulation and a finish wall of some kind on top.  We also added 4x4s on the long walls, attaching them with pole barn nails. The 4x4s give extra wall height and will form the tracks for the roll off roof.  Below are some pix taken at the end of the day.

You might notice some of the storm damage in these pix.  Note the twist in the center brace on the rear wall. The side wall was also slammed by winds and the next pic shows some of this minor damage (creasing):

The bracing and the attachment of the 2x6s to the top of the wall should prevent any further flexture.  The next steps are to attach the door and the build the roof frame and the roof.