Building Buildings

A very important part of putting together a civilization is the construction of buildings. Buildings will be needed to house people, fabricate and store goods in and serve as centers of commerce and administration. There are many types of buildings that can be built, each with their advantages and disadvantages. Ultimately building a building has to be looked at in 4 Parts. These are structure walls, floor, roof and interior. The system here will give rules such that many sorts of buildings may be constructed. The mechanics are a bit clunky, but I believe the realism and flexibility are worth it.

Construction Labor

There are several sorts of people who can be involved in the building of buildings. Some professionals like thatchers have a craft that is pretty much exclusive to the building trade. Others professionals like carpenters can do a great amount of work in the building trade, but also have craft applications aside from it. Each worker can produce a given amount of labor in a given amount of time. These are generally represented, quantified and qualified by various sorts of "labor units". Only so much work can be done by various people, and this is represented by allocating the Labor Units of various individuals. If 5 carpenters each produce 300 CLUs (Carpentry Labor Units) in a month, for a total of 1500 monthly CLUs, they can only build one an a half buildings in a month that each have a 1000 CLU cost. The could however build 3 buildings instead that only cost 500 CLUs each. Knowing how much work potential your labor force has can be crucial for efficient management of development strategy. It should also be noted that carpenters, masons, and lumberjacks require their appropriate tools in order to work efficiently.

General Laborers-A general laborer is not a career per se. Most general laborers are unskilled individuals who have no specific career. Any person, regardless of their training and profession may contribute general unskilled labor if they choose. Just as a farmer can put his time and effort into producing GLUs (General Labor Units) instead of his normal Farming Labor Units, so too can a unskilled worker generate GLUs. The average individual produces 300 GLUs a month if they devote themselves to doing general labor rather than producing any other sorts of labor units.

Carpenters-A carpenter is a highly skilled professional at the use of lumber in building tasks. They are skilled at cutting and joining lengths of lumber to achieve a number of structural goals. Almost any wooden work can be done by a carpenter. The work of a carpenter is represented in CLUs, or Carpentry Labor Units.

Masons- Masons are skilled at making structures from stone and clay brick, joining them together with mortar. Anybody could slop bricks together with mortar. A masons skill is both ability to custom cut stone bricks to exacting needs and to assemble them together with balanced precision. The work of a mason expressed in MLUs, or Masonry Labor Units.

Thatchers- A thatcher is an individual who is skilled in making relatively weather resistant building roves from hay and twine. Properly made "thatch" roves insulate against extreme temperature and keep out most moisture. The work of a thatcher expressed in TLUs, or Thatching Labor Units.

Engineers - One of the most skilled of workers and scholars is the engineer. Engineers apply their knowledge of structure, material, motion and forces to design buildings and devices which require careful planning and advanced understanding of applied sciences. The work of an Engineer is expressed in ELUs, or Engineering Labor Units.

Wicker Workers- A wicker worker crafts reeds, twigs palms and vines by interlacing them into useful shapes such as baskets, furniture and even light structures. The amount of work a wicker worker can do is expressed in terms of WWUs, or Wicker Working Units.

Lumberjacks - A lumberjack is a skilled professional who chops down trees for timber. Cutting the right trees safely and efficiently is much more challenging than it sounds. This timber is the base material of all wood craft, making the lumberjack vital to many economies.The amount of work a lumberjack can do is expressed in terms of LCUs, or Lumber Cutting Units.

Carpenters

Worker Type	Monthly Output
New Carpenter	300 CLUs
Poor Carpenter	350 CLUs
Adept Carpenter	400 CLUs
Master Carpenter	450 CLUs
Grand Master Carpenter	500 CLUs

Masons

Worker Type	Monthly Output
New Mason	300 MLUs
Poor Mason	350 MLUs
Adept Mason	400 MLUs
Master Mason	450 MLUs
Grand Master Mason	500 MLUs

Thatchers

Worker Type	Monthly Output
New Thatcher	300 TLUs
Poor Thatcher	350 TLUs
Adept Thatcher	400 TLUs
Master Thatcher	450 TLUs
Grand Master Thatcher	500 TLUs

Engineers

Worker Type	Monthly Output
New Engineer	300 ELUs
Poor Engineer	300 ELUs
Adept Engineer	300 ELUs
Master Engineer	350 ELUs
Grand Master Engineer	400 ELUs

Wicker Workers

Worker Type	Monthly Output
New Wicker Worker	300 WWUs
Poor Wicker Worker	400 WWUs
Adept Wicker Worker	500 WWUs
Master Wicker Worker	600 WWUs
Grand Master Wicker Worker	700 WWUs

Lumberjack

Worker Type	Monthly Output
New Lumberjack	300 LCUs
Poor Lumberjack	350 LCUs
Adept Lumberjack	400 LCUs
Master Lumberjack	450 LCUs
Grand Master Lumberjack	500 LCUs

Structural Wall Types

Labor and material costs to build a single ten foot wide and eight foot tall section of external structural wall. Most buildings will require several of these.

Wall Type	Description (10 ft wide & 8 ft tall section)	Materials Needed	Labor Required
Wicker	Wicker is a wonderful material for buildings in hot climates. It lets cool breezes in and keeps you well shaded from the sun. In cold weather it does little more than somewhat break the wind chill. It also offers little protection from insects, breaks very easily and is very flammable. Wicker products, including buildings, are built from sticks, twigs and reeds that the builder collects and fashions as part of his labor cost, as such, there are no required materials. Like other wicker products, a wicker worker can not effectively make wicker in cold weather due to a lack of foliage and hardship with adequately soaking the reeds. Wicker buildings can only be 1 floor tall.	None	15 WWUs
Sod	Soddies are buildings built with walls of stacked layers of uniformly cut turf. Yes, turf, as in grass, roots and soil. Making sod building is relatively quick and easy. Cut the sod from the ground with nearly any sharp object ( saw, knife, ax, etc.), roll it up and stack it into walls. Quick, easy and makes a great home for all kinds of little critters like mice, rats and snakes as well as people. Sod homes actually stand up surprisingly well to weather and remain nice and warm in winter and cool in summer. They are however very easy to knock down. Best of all, Soddies use very little building material. A small amount of lumber is used to frame out doors and windows and corner supports; the rest is taken right from the local area and is included in the labor cost. Sod buildings can never be more than a single floor in height. Sod buildings also occasionally collapse randomly.	5 units of Timber or Lumber	5 GLUs
Waddle and Dabb	Waddle and Dabb is an old construction method that is half adobe and half log cabin. Wooden timber is used to frame then mud and clay fill in the space in between. In climates with any frequent precipitation, plaster (mortar) must be used to cover over the mud/clay and seal it. Waddle and Dadd walls are quite strong, and insulate against temperature well. They relatively fire resistant and don't harbor too many rodents or insects. Waddle and Dabb walls can only be up to 2 stories tall. Building a two story Waddle and Dabb structure requires an additional 20 ELUs	50 units of Timber & 10 units of Mortar	20 GLUs or 10 LCUs
Log	Log buildings are one of the most easy varieties to construct. Building one requires no particular skill and can be done with little more than an ax. Generally Timber logs are notched and laid upon one another or driven into the ground side by side. Space in between is filled with a bit of mud and clay ( far less than a Waddle and Dabb wall). Log walls are pretty solid, water resistant and strong. Best of all, they don't house vermin. They are also difficult to set afire. Log buildings can be two stories high, but require 20 ELUs to build to a second floor.	80 units of Timber	20 GLUs or 10 LCUs
Adobe	Adobe walls are made of clay mixed with fibrous plants and left to bake hard in the sun. Adobe walls only seem to work out well in hot, dry, areas. Unlike brick that gets nicely solid from baking in a kiln, adobe buildings in anything less than near desert conditions won't harden properly and will melt in the rain. Adobe buildings require no materials because gathering and mixing them are included in the labor cost. Adobe buildings can be up to two floors high, but doing so costs 20 ELUs and the building cost for each wall sections is double because it must be made extra thick and strong.	None	15 GLUs
Flagstone and Mud	Unsurprisingly, flagstone and mud walls are made by stacking flagstone like bricks and using mud for mortar. It works surprisingly well all things considered. It is strong enough to resist some impacts, doesn't burn and shelters few rodents and insects. Flagstone and mud buildings can only be a single story high.	80 units of Flagstone	10 GLUs
Flagstone and Mortar	Walls of this kind are constructed in much the way a brick wall would be, though flagstone is used rather than brick itself. Walls of this type are quite strong, don't burn and don't house critters. Anybody can build a wall of this type, though masons build them faster, as well as more sturdy and straight. Flagstone and Mortar buildings can be built up to two stories high, though such a project must be done by masons.	80 units of Flagstone & 10 Units of Mortar	15 GLUs or 10 MLUs
Brick	Fired clay brick held together with mortar makes for a very strong wall that is quick and easy to construct. Brick walls are quite strong, fire proof and don't house vermin or insects. Brick buildings may be as high as three stories tall.Building a 2 story building requires 20 ELUs. Building a 3 story building requires 50 ELUs. The labor and material cost for all wall sections is double if the building is 2 or 3 floors high.	40 units of Brick & 5 units of Mortar	10 MLUs
Nailed Lumber	Lumber walls are built with lumbered wood, which is already cut into boards, beams and planks. It's more wood efficient than log walls, but takes a lot more labor. Nailed lumber goes together fast and holds strong, but is dependant upon expensive nails. Lumber structures may be built as tall as three floors. Each floor beyond the first requires 25 ELUs from an engineer. Buildings of this type must be built with CLUs rather then GLUs if the building is to be more than 1 floor high.	35 units of Lumber & 1/10 unit of nails	10 GLUs
Lumber "Tongue & Grove"	Lumber walls are built with lumbered wood, which is already cut into boards, beams and planks. It's more wood efficient than log walls, but takes a lot more labor. The "tongue, groove and peg" method is the traditional manner in which lumber homes were first built. They require a lot of labor and skill, but don't require expensive metal nails. Lumber structures may be built as tall as three floors. Each floor beyond the first requires 25 ELUs from an engineer.	35 units of Lumber	30 CLUs
Stone Block	Nearly all of the great buildings of the world have been built from stone. Though expensive, It is the strongest and longest lasting building material. Buildings built properly of stone do not suffer from accidents in any way. Breaking a stone structure requires a concentrated effort or natural disaster. Stone walls themselves will not burn, and they do not house vermin or insects. Stone buildings may be as many as 8 stories tall. Each additional floor in height increases the materials and labor needed for each wall section on every floor by 25 %. ( a 5 story building requires that every wall section be 200% of list cost) Construction of stone buildings above 1 floor tall require 2 ELUs per wall section multiplied by the number of floors)	80 units of Masonty Block & 5 units of Mortar	15 MLUs

Floor Types

Labor and material costs for flooring are given for a 100 square foot area. Larger floor areas will require the given figures to be multiplied as appropriate.

Floor Type	Description (100 square ft of floor space)	Materials Needed	Labor Required
Dirt	A dirt floor is in fact no floor at all. The bottom of the building puts nothing between the contents of the building and the earth. Dirt floors often get very wet with ground water, not to mention allowing insects and rodents burrowing up freely. They are however free.	None	None
Thresh	The concept of a "Thresh" floor is doubted by many historians on the basis that "Thresh" is a verb and has never appeared in the English language as a noun. That however does not rule it out as having been practiced. The idea of a "thresh" floor is to put a baseboard riser of sorts (A "thresh hold") in front of all external doors and then line the floor with several inches of old plant material such as hay. This can be considered a simple, cost effective method of insulating the floor from cold and gives a bit of a buffer between any ground water that seeps into the home and the possessions of the building's residents. On the down side, a thresh floor can harbor many animals, insects and even diseases. It can also be a serious fire hazard.	10 units of Hay	1 GLU
Gravel	A gravel floor is similar to a thresh floor in many ways. Doorways of a building are blocked off with a baseboard and gravel is poured onto the floor to a depth of about 3 inches. Most importantly it allows the ground underneath to swell with water in wet weather without turning the building into a mud pit as can happen with dirt and even thresh floors. Though it does harbor some insects, it prevents most rodents from burrowing into the building.	25 units of Gravel	1 GLU
Mortared	A mortared floor is similar in many ways to a modern cement floor. The process for construction is identical to that of a gravel floor, only after the gravel is placed, mortar is poured over the gravel and smoothed to make a solid floor. Floors of this type are more cold resistant, keep out ground water nicely and completely blocks insects and rodents from entering the home through the ground burrowing.	25 units of Gravel & 10 units of Mortar	3 GLUs
Cobblestone	Cobblestone floor is made by fitting flagstones into place and pounding them into a flat level surface. It's hard work but cheap on materials. Cobblestone floors are fire proof, resistant to wear, adequate at insulating from ground water and good at keeping insects and rodents out.	20 units of Flagstone	10 GLUs
Cobblestone & Mortar	Cobblestone & Mortar floors are made in an identical manner to cobblestone ones, except that a mortal base is put down first, which the flagstones are sunk into. This provides a very solid floor without out gaps between stones for insects to tunnel through and is very water resistant.	20 units of Flagstone & 10 units of Mortar	15 GLUs
Nailed Wooden Floor	Wooden floors are raised a bit from the ground by underlying support beams. Wooden planks are then fit atop them. This raised floor prevents ground water from entering the building. It also keeps out the cold from the ground. This gap is however known to house critters of all kinds, but at least they are held at bay from the home interior itself by the strong wooden floor. Wooden floors however are known to be more of a fire hazard than dirt, brick, gravel or stone, but no so much so as thresh.	20 units of Lumber & a 1/20 unit of nails	5 CLUs
"Tongue and Grove" Wooden Floor	The "Tongue & Grove" wooden floor is very similar to the "Nailed" wooden floor described above except that the floor is constructed without nails using a labor intensive method of precise interlocking joints and intricate small wooden pegs. It does not require expensive iron nails, but demands much more effort.	20 units of Lumber	20 CLUs
Brick	Brick floors are perhaps the most advanced floor type available. A brick floor is really none too different from a brick wall. Solid clay brick is laid side by side with mortar in-between holding them firm. Brick floors provide a strong ground support, insulate nicely and keep out water, insects and rodents. Brick floors can be installed by anybody, though an actual mason will be needed if you want the floor truly even, level and smooth.	25 units of brick & 10 units of Mortar	15 GLUs or 10 MLUs

Supporting floors beyond the first ?

The bottom floor of any building is easy to support, the ground holds it where it needs to be. Additional floors in tall buildings don't just remain suspended in mid-air on their own; they must be supported. The only viable way to support higher floors is with a rafter system installed by carpenters who are at least adept rank. Building rafters to support additional floors can be done with either the "nailed lumber" or the "tongue, grove and peg" methods. Rafter details presented below describe the amount of time and labor required to support 100 square feet of flooring. Larger sections of flooring require multiple rafters sections to support them. Please also note that additional floors of buildings may be no larger than the lower floor.

Additional floors above the first must be built just like first floors in addition to the rafters that support them. Many floor types are completely inappropriate for floors above ground level. Floors above the first may only be wooden (of either variety).

Rafter Type	Description (supporting 100 square ft of floor space)	Materials Needed	Labor Required
Nailed Wooden Rafters	Wooden supports capable of holding up to 100 square feet of floor space.	40 units of Lumber & 1/10s unit of nails	10 CLUs
"Tongue and Grove" Wooden Rafters	Wooden supports capable of holding up to 100 square feet of floor space, built using a labor intensive method of precise interlocking joints and intricate small wooden pegs.	40 units of Lumber	50 CLUs

Roof Types

The tops of buildings are generally roofed in ways best suited for the weather and climate of the area they are built in. In most parts of the world, roves are built with sloped, slanted or A framed shapes which helps water and snow to slide off. Flat roves in most climates would lead to snow and water build up which could crush the building with it's weight. In this system, we will describe the "size" a roof in terms of how much floor space of the main building floor it covers. If your building has 200 square foot of floor space on the lowest floor, you will need a 200 square foot roof. The table below indicates the amount of materials and labor to roof 100 square foot areas of floor space.

Roof Type	Description (covering 100 square ft of base size)	Materials Needed	Labor Required
Thatch	Thatch is a type of roofing material made from long grasses and silage, more commonly known as Hay, which is bound together using twine onto a wooden stick lattice work. Thatch roves are cheap, relatively easy to make, light, keep warmth in fairly well and burn like all hell. They also house all manner of small animals and insects.	100 units of Hay & 50 units of twine.	15 GLUs or 5 TLUs
Wooden Plank	Wooden plank roofs are technically a step up from thatch roofs, but that can be debated. They are made from more expensive materials, are more work intensive. They catch fire less often and leak a bit less. They don't house as many critters but still insulate well A wooden plank roof can be adequately built by even a poor carpenter. Only those built by master and grand master carpenters are generally leak free however.	25 units of Lumber & a 1/10 unit of nails	5 CLUs
Wooden Shingle	A wooden shingle roof must first have a wooden plank roof built. Adding wooden roof tiles on top of that helps to make the building more insulated and water-tight. The best thing about wooden shingles is that there essentially free. Wooden shingles are after all the small bark remnants that come off timber when it is cut into lumber. Assuming you have a lumbering operation, you may use wood shingles on any building you choose for "free". The down side is that wooden shingles must be attached with nails.	25 units of Lumber & 2/10s unit of nails	15 CLUs
Clay Shingle	Clay tile roofs are perhaps the best option though high in labor and material costs. When constructing a clay tile roof, you first build a wooden plank roof as described above. After this is done, clay shingling is added with mortar. This added clay shingling and mortar makes the roof far more fire resistant, durable, water tight and insulating.	25 units of Lumber, a 1/10 unit of nails, 15 units of Clay Shingling, and 5 units of Mortar	5 CLUs & 5 GLUs

Building Interiors

Building interiors describe how well the building is provided for and constructed on the inside, and does not include structural concerns. It includes "built in" things such as interior walls, cabinets, shelves, stairs, banisters. It does not include "added extras" such as rugs, carpeting, glass windows, ovens, stoves, bookshelves, washbasins, baths, fireplaces or any furnishings such as tables, chairs, etc.

Interior Type	Description (per 100 square ft of floor space)	Materials Needed	Labor Required
Bare	A building with no interior works, lacking any inside accommodations. It's a bare bones open area. The internal walls are the uncovered structural external walls. There are no room separations, closets or similar things. Obviously this takes no extra workmanship or materials.	None	None
Humble	A humble interior consists of very little additional work having been invested in the building's interior. It will have a couple simple extras such as a poorly shuttered window openings, the occasional shelf, hanging peg, or wooden wall mount candle sconce.	1 unit of Lumber	2 GLUs
Standard	A building with a standard interior has some basic amenities such as the occasional internal wall and door, a closet or two, some good solid shelves and a window or two with good reliable shutters. Standard interiors also generally provide some additional storage space, or living space for children in the attic between the top floor and the roof. If built with general labor (GLUs), nails are needed. If built by carpenters with CLUs, no nails are required.	10 units of Lumber & 1/20 unit of nails	10 GLUs or 10 CLUs
Fine	A building built with a fine interior has all the interior walls and doors it could use. It's windows are well built and have excellently fit shutters. Several accommodations are made for lighting and storage such as sconces, hooks, shelves, closets, and cabinets. Kitchens are made with sturdy counter tops.	20 units of Lumber & 1/10 unit of nails	10 CLUs
Elegant	Installing an elegant interior to a building is a wonderful way to say a building is important, yet a waist or time and resources for the average building. Elegant interiors have all the same properties of a fine interior though workmanship is wonderful and even beautiful. Elegant interiors use only the best of materials and very skilled labor. Functionally they are identical to fine interiors, but are more aesthetically pleasing.	25 units of Lumber & 1/10 unit of nails	30 CLUs

Add Ons

Add On	Description	Materials Needed	Labor Required
Fire Place	If you want to keep a building warm in the long cold of winter, a fire place is a wonderful idea. It also the place most people will cook food,so it's always a good idea to include one in every residence if possible. Though fire places are great for warmth and cooking, they can eat up fuel at a rate some leaders might not be comfortable with. A single fire place can be relied upon to heat buildings of 600 square feet or less.	100 units of Brick, Flagstone or Masonry Block & 10 units of Mortar	10 MLUs or 20 GLUs

Building Examples

Sven's Home

Sven the peasant needs a small country dwelling in a hurry. Theses not much around, but he can get some basic materials like hay and lumber. He decides he will make a sod house, with a thresh floor, a thatch roof and a humble interior. He needs his home to be about 200 square ft or 10' by 20' in size to accommodate his wife, a few kids and himself. The six sections of sod wall will require 5 units of timber and 5 General Labor Units each, or 30 units of lumber and 30 GLUs. The thresh floor needs 20 units of hay and 2 GLUs. The thatch roof will require 200 units of hay, 100 units of twine and 30 GLUs. The humble interior needs only 1 unit of lumber and 2 GLUs. The total cost of Sven's dwelling is 32 units of lumber, 220 units of Hay, 100 units of twine and 64 GLUs.

The Blacksmithy

The town of Halder needs a building to hold the forge they plan to establish. They figure a 20 by 20 building should fit their needs(400 square foot), and fire resistance is a primary concern. Because it will be an industrial center, they want high durability due to the likelihood of accidents. They decide upon flagstone and mortar walls, a gravel floor, a clay shingle roof and humble interior. Fortunately the town has the kind of professional workmen they need to do the project well and efficiently. They need 8 flagstone and mortal walls sections, each costing 80 units of Flagstone, 10 units of Mortar and 10 MLUs, for a total structural wall cost of 640 units of Falgstone, 80 units of Mortar and 80 MLUs. The 4 sections of gravel floor will cost 100 units of Gravel and 4 GLUs. The four sections of clay shingle roof will cost a total of 100 units of Lumber, 4/10s units of Nails, 60 units of Clay Shingling, 20 units of Mortar, 20 CLUs and 20 GLUs. Lastly, the four sections of humble interior will cost 4 units of Lumber and 8 GLUs. The total project cost is thus, 640 units of Flagstone, 100 units of Mortar, 100 units of Gravel, 104 units of Lumber, 4/10 unit of Nails, 60 units of Clay Shingling, 80 MLUs, 20 CLUs, and 32 GLUs.

The Great Hall of Hasour

The Warlord Hasour wants to build a great hall at the center of his recently conquered city (more like a small castle really), where his loyal men can live and enjoy the spoils of their recent conquest. He demands that the building be built 100 ft on a side, and a massive 6 floors high. It will have to be built of Stone Block of course. The floors shall all be nailed wood, the roof Clay Shingle and the interiors all Elegant.

In Hasour's massive stone structure, the external walls will be our first concern. A 100 ft by 100 ft building makes for 40 wall segments on each of it's planned 6 levels (making 240 wall sections). Because the building will be 6 floors high, each wall section will cost 225% their normal costs (additional 25% per floor above the first). Normally a section of stone block wall requires 80 units of Masonry Block, 5 units of Mortar and 15 MLUs. For this building, 240 wall section as 225% cost will require 43,200 units of Masonry Block , 2,700 units of Mortar and 8,100 MLUs. Now was can also calculate the engineering costs. It's 2 ELUs per wall section multiplied by the number of floors. This is 2 times 240 times 6, or 2880 ELUs. Next we will do the nailed wooden floor rafters. A building 100' by 100' makes for 100, 10' by 10' sets of rafters on each of it's 5 floors above ground level (for a total of 500 sets of rafters.). Each set of rafters costs 40 units of Lumber, 1/10 a unit of nails and 10 CLUs. Hasour will need 20,000 units of Lumber, 50 units of nails, and 5,000 CLUs Now for the floors themselves; 600 sections, each costing, 20 units of Lumber, 1/20 a unit of nails and 5 CLUs. The floors thus cost 12,000 units of lumber, 30 units of Nails and 3000 CLUs. The 100 by 100 foot base of the building makes for 10,000 worth of floor space that must be covered. This is therefore 100 sections of clay shingle roof, each costing 5 CLUs, 5 GLUs 25 units of Lumber, a 1/10 unit of nails, 15 units of Clay Shingling, and 5 units of Mortar for a total of 500 CLUs, 500 GLUs, 2,500 units of Lumber, 10 units of nails, 1,500 units of Clay Shingles, and 500 units of mortar. Finally for the Elegant interior for 60,000 square ft of interior floor space. This makes 600 Elegant interior sections each costing 25 units of Lumber 1/10 a unit of Nails, and 30 CLUs. Over all the interior will cost 15,000 units of Lumber, 60 units of Nails, and 18,000 CLUs. The Grand total to build the Great Hall of Hasour is 43,200 units of Masonry Block, 49,000 units of Lumber, 3,200 units of Mortar, 1,500 units of Clay Shingle, 150 units of Nails, 26,000 Carpentry Labor Units (CLUs), 8,100 Masonry Labor Units (MLUs), 2880 Engineering Labor Units (ELUs) and 500 General Labor Units (GLUs).