The best piece of equipment I bought is an observatory. There are a few types available although I opted for the Pulsar 2.1m version which should house up to a 12"scope. It's fairly simple to assemble once delivered and could easily be done in a day between two people. I managed the assembly on my own although I needed help lifting the dome on to the main structure. I work shifts and had to fit the assembly around my work but still got it done doing a few hours a day over three days. You will also need a concrete base to fit the dome on, luckily my dad's very capable and always willing to help so he dug out the hole for the concrete and we later filled it together.

The dome itself and lid are operated manually. This means that if you're imaging an object for a considerable amount of time you'll have to pop out every half hour or so to move the dome round. Pulsar now do a 2.2m dome that you can fit a dome rotation motor kit to although the kit's not cheap.

The best thing about the observatory is that I can be imaging in minutes as the scope's now on a permanent pier. It also shields the scope from unwanted light.

You don't have to get an observatory though, many enthusiasts build sheds with roll on/off roofs. Have a look on Google to see what other people have achieved with various types of shed. One of the best advantages with a shed is that once the roof is off you can leave the scope to image as opposed to having to regularly check the position of a dome.