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Author
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Topic: How would you make YOUR dream a reality?
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Venus
Member
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posted 07-28-2001 07:31 PM
  
Hello, I'm a new poster but I've been visiting this site for quite a while, mostly following the Castle Building topics.I want to start at the bare-bones and just design my castle for now. I know that several of you already have built yours or at least know what they will look like. Anyone interested in posting links to their plans, sketches or images? I want to see how you each would make your dream castle a reality. I'm working currently on my castle's theme, which is fantasy medieval. Each of my guest bedrooms is themed to a fairy tale story. It would be reminicent of Sleeping Beauty's Castle at Disneyland. What do you think? Anyone want to share their dreams? ------------------
~Venus~[/p]
"I imagine more, somewhere I can smile. Somewhere of my own, where I stay awhile.
Close your eyes and see, there's a place in me...
That place is my castle."
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Shelly
Senior Member
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posted 07-29-2001 10:28 PM
Other than modern bathrooms and electricity in the part I would actually live in-must have T.V. after all.  I would (if I had the money) love to build, as authentic as possible inside and out, in the style of Rochester Castle or any like Norman castle. Most of the furnishings would be of the 12th or 13th century type. http://www.emas.demon.co.uk/castles/rochest/main.htm [This message has been edited by Shelly (edited 07-29-2001).] |
Erik Schmidt
Senior Member
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posted 07-30-2001 09:16 PM
That's some castle to try and emulate Shelly!Venus, to be able to draw up good plans for a castle you need to have a good grasp of the elements which go to make up a castle structure of the period, as well a how it is constructed.
This is one of my interests, to find out just what a castle is architecturally, as an aspect of both construction and form. No small task. I'm still a long way from being able to build a castle. If you want fantacy medieval, then it is somewhat easier, all depending on how realistic you want to be. Also, if you intend to build a hill castle, then you need to find the hill before you can design a castle to fit on it.
Otherwise, pick the elements you want, such as drawbridge, tall towers, great hall and so on, then pick a groundplan you like and exchange features that you want. For example, put in a drawbridge in place of the solid 17th century stone arch, add height to the towers which were lowered in the 15th century, remove some 16th century domestic buildings, retain the keep/strong tower and replace it's large 16th century windows with period 13th century slits and so on. Eventually you have the castle you want. To get scale right, trawl the web for references to dimentions of structures in other castles or visit some.
To get the technical info needed to draw up real engineers/architects plans shouldn't be too difficult, there are books on it. By all means, start your design and you will find out what you need to research as you go along. You can always change the design to fit new ideas. Hope I didn't state too much of the obvious. Erik |
Venus
Member
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posted 08-22-2001 06:35 PM
Thank you Erik and Shelley. I'll take everything into consideration, and I am going about choosing what features I wish my castle to have.My dilemma now is finding that right materials that will allow my castle to stand for hundreds of years. ------------------
~Venus~
"I imagine more, somewhere I can smile. Somewhere of my own, where I stay awhile.
Close your eyes and see, there's a place in me...
That place is my castle." |
Erik Schmidt
Senior Member
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posted 08-23-2001 07:33 AM
Materials to make the castle stand for hundreds of years....Hmmm....? Let me see...what about using the same ones that were used to build the castles which have stood for hundreds of years already!Seriously, you can't go past using the time tested methods that have been used for thousands of years already.
One important point to note, do not use modern concrete! Lime was used originally and it is far superior, especially for mortar to build stone walls. Sandstone is easy to shape, but doesn't resist degradation well, especially by today's polluted atmosphere, but many other rock types will last hundreds of years without significant surface erosion. The lime mortar between will need to be 'repointed' periodically, but otherwise stone walls are maintenance free provided they are on a stable foundation
Timbers will last a long time if protected from the weather(and treated with natural oils), many castles and houses have intact roofing, wall and floor timbers over 300years old, fire being the main reason older ones are not so common.
For roofing, use tiles, which can also be used as flooring.
That's it. Stone, wood, lime mortar and tiles. All you need now are your plans and someone to put it all together, oh, and a bit of money.  What ideas did you have for materials? Erik |
duncan
Senior Member
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posted 08-23-2001 10:55 AM
I agree with Erik on all most all of what he has said and with his advice.
I am building a castle, although not a fairy tale type, i know from experince about the time involved and the money invested from the first pencil mark on paper to the building stage. http://www.castlesontheweb.com/quest/Forum6/HTML/000004.html
I'm not trying to put you off from your dream but only saying you need to be aware that such things as plans, materials, insurence for the workers, and man hours all cost alot these days.
If you are serious about building then you are correct in getting started early on.
Alot of people have found it with in their budget to renovate the inside of a house rather then to build from scratch.
Another thing is finding a builder, which is a topic that has been discussed alot in these fourms, who has an understanding of the construction that was used in a castle.
Just a hint, I've found it easier to get my general contracters license.
I wish every one the best at obtaining their dreams and i don't mean to say you can't build a castle, but first you need an idea of what that does intell from start to finish.
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Megan and Ralph
CASTLE DUNCAN
Vivo vivere vixi victum
simul Honorare [This message has been edited by duncan (edited 09-01-2001).] [This message has been edited by duncan (edited 09-01-2001).] |
Ironman
Member
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posted 08-23-2001 08:16 PM
Duncan, do you have any pictures of your castle in progress? I'm planning on building over a metal structure as you have done and was wanting to take a look at what you had so far. Also, what type of metalwork do you do? I build custom ironwork myself and am always interested in the work of others. Thanks.
Ironman
[This message has been edited by Ironman (edited 08-23-2001).] |
duncan
Senior Member
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posted 08-23-2001 10:21 PM
I think you have me confused with another member. I'm useing the old methods of building, Lime concrete/mortar with a grade A hard sand stone makeing up 8 and 10 foot thick walls with a rubble inner core and timber frameing in many areas.
I own a shop that does metal work and i'm a third generation blade maker, both kind of go together when i'm reproducing items to be used in the project.
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Ironman
Member
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posted 08-24-2001 10:37 AM
Sorry Duncan. Yes I made the mistake after reading your post of the false castle being built in Muskogee, OK. under 'Building your own castle' back in Jan '99. Do you know who is building that project? I would like to see the progress. I love the idea of scratch building a castle in the original form as you are doing, but for my intentions of its end use, that would be very costly and time consuming. We hope to break ground in March of 2002 and be able to open by August if everything goes as planned.
Ironman------------------
http://www.TheIronKingdom.comhttp://www.villagesmithy.itgo.com/ |
duncan
Senior Member
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posted 08-24-2001 11:45 AM
They were haveing server problems and i just now did manage to get the address, http://TheCastle.org/
The building is a metal prefab with concrete blocks makeing up the facade which was added long after it was built. It's like any other theme attraction, looks OK, but is empty of the things that make up a true castle.[This message has been edited by duncan (edited 08-24-2001).] |
Buran
Member
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posted 09-21-2001 07:17 PM
For the Disneyland Sleeping Beauty Castle, I think they based it on "Crazy" King Ludwig's Victorian folly Neuschwanstein in Austria.For myself, I would be content with a simple Norman motte and bailey. No, I don't intend to live there!
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Venus
Member
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posted 01-09-2002 05:44 PM
What I mean by "fantasy medieval", is a castle that's designed to look beautiful, not be historically accurate. I'm not talking about painting it blue and pink for heaven's sake! I only ment that accurate design is not important to me so much as overall visonary appeal. I will be theming each of the bedchambers to a fairy tale, and creating most rooms with a certain fantasy movie, storybook or legend in mind.For example, furnishing one of the towers will include artwork, collector's pieces and color theming from J.R.R. Tolkin's "Lord of the Rings". In the servant's quarters, the central decor will be taken from Cinderella. The furishing and decorating inside will determine the fantasy theming. I would prefer to design an all-purpose castle, so that I may change the styles used periodically. More to come on my website... http://www.virtue.nu/venusdesigns ------------------
~Venus~
"I imagine more, somewhere I can smile. Somewhere of my own, where I stay awhile.
Close your eyes and see, there's a place in me...
That place is my castle." | |
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