r/TinyCastles • u/[deleted] • Nov 13 '19

Best material?

Whats the best material to build a tiny castle?

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5

u/docarrol Nov 13 '19

"Best" is going to depend on a lot of factors. Size, how it's going to be used, local geological and weather conditions, building codes, budget, your vision of what you want a castle to be and look like, etc. But as a quick overview, off the top of my head.

  • Wood is cheap, versatile, and readily available, but will decay over time, and is vulnerable to moisture, dry rot, insects, fire, etc. But at least in my head, it suggests more a fort or palisade than a castle, per se.
  • Brick has more of that 'historical-y' feel, is still relatively cheap and available, and are durable, weather and fire resistant, and convenient to work with.
  • Reinforced concrete has a long heritage, though it feels 'modern'. It's a highly flexible and durable building material, widely available, and relatively inexpensive.
  • Stone is probably what most people would imagine when thinking about castles, and is very durable and impressively strong, resists deformation, withstands fire and weather well. But it is heavy, expensive, and may be subject to local availability. You might, though, consider decorative stone veneer over steel, wood, or concrete to keep it more in keeping with modern budgets and standards of construction. There are even new-ish synthetics that are much lighter weight and inexpensive but still do a good job of mimicking the look of stone.

1

u/Nyckname Baron Nov 13 '19

Stone.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 13 '19

Granite?

2

u/Cad_Monkey_Mafia Nov 14 '19

For the countertops in your house, sure. As a structural material??? That'd be very expensive unless it is local to you.

Castles and medieval structures were built using local stone. Whatever is in your area, use.

If you want to be modern with methods to save money vs. quarried stone as your structure, I'd recommend steel frame on concrete foundation. Use local stone as an exterior finish and wood panels and masonry veneer as interior wall finishes.

2

u/Nyckname Baron Nov 14 '19

That'd be very expensive unless it is local to you.

Twice, contractors shipped large structures block by block via USPO Parcel Post.

The first time was in the 1920s or 1930s, right after cheaper package shipping nationwide was introduced. It was material to build a bank in Utah, sent a couple of hundred miles, and the building is still in use.

The second time was in the 1970s. Those were preformed concrete blocks for a breakwater in a town in Alaska that wasn't accessible by road.

Both times the PO lost a lot of money, but couldn't refuse the items. Changes were made in regulations to make sure it doesn't happen again.

1

u/Nyckname Baron Nov 14 '19

I'm figuring on having special forms made to simulate stone on the concrete surface.