Building a building

These guidelines provide suggestions on finding the cost and time required to build houses and other structures. Several issues come up:
1) Adventuring PCs pay a much higher price compared to dominion rulers (whether PCs or NPCs). This is due to the existence of feudal obligations and corvee labour available to dominion rulers, to which adventuring PCs do not have access. This means dominion rulers tend to need less cash, while PCs will pay mostly gold. PCs usually have wildly unrealistic amounts of gold and jewellery which tends to balance out campaign gaming. Huge treasures such as dragon hoards are not normally available in a more historical medieval setting, and silver often is the base currency -- not gold. Dominion rulers rely on feudal service, natural resources available locally, and collected taxes, which hardly compare to the kinds of treasures PC often acquire. The costs listed in these guidelines are for dominion rulers. For adventuring PCs, multiply all listed costs by ten or more, depending on how rich PCs are. To retain the same proportions, be sure to use the same multiplier for all costs.
2) These guidelines let the players pick how any people their PCs hire for a construction project, else, the decision is left for the GM to make. However individual productivity varies with the setting, the number of people working on the project, and a series of other factors listed below. Productivity is crucial because it affects both the cost and time needed to complete a project. This is optional, but adds more realism to construction projects. On a large project, foremen, cooks, priests, apprentices, architects, accountants, scribes, artists, an armed guard (and so forth) may be needed to keep things running although few of them are actually building anything at all.

In general, construction breaks down into main steps, such as 1. Clearing and Levelling, 2. Foundations and Underground Levels, 3. Walls, etc. Find the Basic Cost of each of the main steps required in a construction. Unless stated otherwise, add the appropriate modifiers and multiply the total by the number of elements needed. For example: clearing and levelling a 10,000 sq. ft. wooded, uneven hillside area would cost: 100 x (1+5+5+10) = 2,100 sestertii.
For a rough time-scale, divide the cost of each construction step by 100 to find its duration (in work days), rounding up fractions. In the example above, the project requires 21 work days. If this took place in common, settled lands with no other productivity modifiers, four workers could accomplish the work in six days. With 10 people, the work still requires three days because the remaining fraction was rounded up (rounding up fractions represents unpredictable time variations). Use common sense here to avoid absurd results.

1. Clearing and Levelling

Base cost = 1 sestertii per 100 sq. ft. 1.1 Flat and Level Surface: base cost 1.2 Wooded Surface: +5 sestertii 1.3 Uneven Surface: +5 sestertii 1.3 Sloped Surface: +10 sestertii 1.4 Soft or wet terrain: +15 sestertii 1.5 Hard and rocky terrain: +20 sestertii 1.6 Urban lot w/rubble or debris: +2 sestertii

2. Foundations*

Base cost = 2 sestertii per ft. (Length of outside walls) 2.1 Pre-existing Foundations: skip foundation costs 2.2 Small Building: base cost 2.3 Large Building +6 sestertii 2.4 Fortification: +18 sestertii 2.5 Soft or wet terrain: +6sestertii 2.6 Hard or rocky terrain: +12 sestertii (*) Treat castle moats as foundations, where width is equal to 1/10 to moat's total outside length (up to 40ft) and depth is equal to half the moat's width.

3. Underground Levels

Base cost = 1sestertii per cubic ft. (volume excavated) 3.1 Underground Chambers 3.11 Basic Cellar: base cost 3.12 Multiple underground levels*: +3 sestertii 3.13 Hard or rocky terrain: +2 sestertii 3.14 Soft or wet terrain: +6 sestertii (*) Includes natural ceiling and supports 3.2 Tunnels, Galleries 2.21 Tunnelling: crude*: base cost 2.22 Tunnelling: solid**: +3 sestertii 2.23 Hard or rocky terrain: +2 sestertii 2.24 Soft or wet terrain: +6 sestertii (*) Includes rudimentary wooden supports (**) Includes permanent stonework and wall sconces 3.3 Wells, Shafts Base cost = 2 sestertii per cu. ft. 3.31 Simple water well: base cost 3.32 Reinforced well w/masonry: +6 sestertii 3.33 Hard or rocky terrain: +4 sestertii 3.14 Soft or wet terrain: +12 sestertii

4. Walls

Base cost = 3 sestertii per foot. Count the length of each wall for each floor. A 100ft wide, square house with two stories would have 800ft of outside walls. Unless stated otherwise, a wooden wall is 1/10 thick as it is high, a stone wall is 1/5 as thick as it is high, heavy battlements are 1/3 as thick for the sake of simplicity. So, therefore a 7ft high wooden wall is about 8 inches thick, a 7ft stone wall would be 1.5 ft thick, and 30ft high battlements 10ft thick. 4.1 Small Building or Inside Walls (7ft high x 6@ thick approx.) 4.11 Sticks and mud: base cost 4.12 Wood frame and paper: +1 sestertii 4.13 Wood planks (6"thick): +2 sestertii 4.14 Wood logs (1ft thick): +7 sestertii 4.15 Adobe bricks (6" thick): +7 sestertii 4.16 Stone (1ft thick): +20 sestertii (*) Oriental settings only 4.2 Large Building (9ft high approx.) 4.21 Wood (9@ thick): +15 sestertii 4.22 Adobe (1ft thick): +22 sestertii 4.23 Stone (2ft thick): +60 sestertii 4.3 Fortified Building (12ft high, includes buttresses) 4.31 Wood (2ft thick): +50 sestertii 4.32 Adobe: (3ft thick): +75 sestertii 4.33 Stone (4ft thick): +240 sestertii 4.4 Battlements (includes buttresses, catwalks, stairs) 4.41 Wood (18ft high x 4ft thick): +150 sestertii 4.42 Adobe (18ft high x 6ft thick): +200 sestertii 4.43 Stone (18ft high x 6ft thick): +480 sestertii 4.44 Adobe (24ft high x 8ft thick): +500 sestertii 4.45 Stone (24ft high x 8ft thick): +960 sestertii 4.46 Adobe (30ft high x 10ft thick): +1,250 sestertii 4.47 Stone (30ft high x 10ft thick: +1,920 sestertii 4.5 Wall Finish (inside walls*) 4.51 Humble (whitewash, plaster): +1 sestertii 4.52 Common (plaster, simple wood): +3 sestertii 4.53 Rich (wood panelling, marble, mouldings): +25 sestertii (*) Count each inner wall's length only once regardless of whether it is finished on both sides 4.6 Wall Finish (outside walls*) 4.61 Humble (mud, paint, whitewash): +1 sestertii 4.62 Common: (wood slats, paint, plaster): +3 sestertii 4.63 Rich (marble, statues, tiles): +20 sestertii 4.64 Stone gargoyles (one every 10ft): +12 sestertii 4.65 Machicolation: +8 sestertii 4.66 Crenulation: + 4 sestertii (*) Count each outer wall's length only once regardless of whether it is finished on both sides 4.7 Shifting Walls, Secret Doors Base cost = 100 sestertii per sq. ft. (Count entire moving surface) 4.71 Building's Inside Wall: base cost 4.72 Building's Outside Wall: +100 sestertii 4.73 Battlement: +200 sestertii

5. Floors* and Terraces

Base cost = 1 sestertii per 10 sq. ft 5.1 Packed dirt or gravel: base cost 5.2 Wood, common: +2 sestertii 5.3 Wood, fancy or fortification: +4 sestertii 5.4 Stone, common: +8 sestertii 5.5 Stone, fancy or fortification: +16 sestertii (*) Includes supporting pillars and stairs Note: Wood floors are either rough wood, or wood covered with varnished parquet slats. Stone floors usually include flagstone (fortresses), cheap tiles (common construction), or marble tiles for the more expensive abodes.

6. Roofing

Base cost = 2 sestertii per 10 sq. ft. (flat surface to cover) 6.1 Roof Shape 6.11 Flat Terrace*: base cost 6.12 Peaked roof: double the surface 6.13 Pagoda Style: add 1/2 to the initial surface 6.14 Spherical dome: 2 x 3.14 x r2** 6.15 Onion-shaped: 3 x 3.14 x r2** (*) See Floor and Terraces, earlier (**) r2 = radius squared; where r = radius of the initial area to cover 6.2 Roof Style 6.21 Thatch: base cost 6.22 Wood tiles: +3 sestertii 6.23 Slate tiles: +5 sestertii 6.24 Baked-earth tiles: +6 sestertii 6.25 Stonework: +14 sestertii 6.26 Ceramic Tiles: +21 sestertii 6.27 Metal covering (copper): +25 sestertii 6.28 Unusual fancy style (double the roofing modifiers up to this point) 6.29 Stone Gargoyles*: +12 sestertii (*) Located at peaks and edges.

7. Doors* and Gates

Base cost = special 7.1 Outside Door, Human-sized (priced per item) 7.11 Humble, wood: 8 sestertii 7.12 Common, wood: 100 sestertii 7.13 Fancy, wood: 500 sestertii 7.14 Fancy, metal: 2,000 sestertii 7.15 Heavy, reinforced wood: 500 sestertii 7.16 Fortress postern (metal): +800 sestertii 7.2 Inside Door, Human-sized (priced per item) 7.21 Humble, wood: 4 sestertii 7.22 Common, wood: 50 sestertii 7.23 Fancy, wood: 350 sestertii 7.24 Fancy, glass: 700 sestertii 7.25 Fancy, metal: 1,400 sestertii 7.26 Heavy, reinforced wood: 350 sestertii 7.3 Oversized Openings (priced per size) Base cost = 10 sestertii per sq. ft.(opening size) 7.31 Large Wooden Doors: base cost 7.32 Large Metal Doors: +100 sestertii 7.33 Gate, portcullis: +80 sestertii 7.44 Drawbridge and mechanism: +200 sestertii (*) Includes basic lock and bar when needed Secret Door: see shifting walls (4.7)

8. Windows

Base cost = special 8.1 Average 8-10 sq. Ft. Opening* (priced per item) 8.11 Plain Shutters: 4 sestertii 8.12 Plain glass window and shutters: 200 sestertii 8.13 Fancy shape, clear glass, shutters w/louvres: +1,000 sestertii 8.14 Arrow slits w/reinforced shutters: 150 sestertii 8.15 Sturdy metal bars: +150 sestertii per window 8.16 Fancy ironwork: +450 sestertii per window 8.2 Oversized Openings (priced per size) Base cost = 10 sestertii per sq. ft.(opening size) 8.21 Large, reinforced shutters: base cost 8.22 Fancy, stained glass: +90 sestertii 8.23 Sturdy metal bars: +5 sestertii 8.24 Fancy Ironwork: +35 sestertii (*) Includes basic lock and bar when needed

9. Other Items

9.1 Plumbing Base cost = 1 sestertii per sq. ft. (Total surface to receive plumbing) 9.11 Rudimentary: base cost 9.12 Functional: +10 sestertii 9.13 Advanced*: +50 sestertii (*) Requires the presence of sewers and a water cistern (see 9.4) 9.2 Fireplaces and Chimneys (priced per item) 9.21 Humble w/bricks/plaster (4'x4'): 50 sestertii 9.22 Common w/stonework (4'x4'): 200 sestertii 9.23 Common, w/stonework (8'x5'): 500 sestertii 9.24 Fancy, w/marble decorations: 1,000 sestertii 9.3 Furniture, Floor, Window, and Wall Dressing Base cost = 2sestertii per 100 sq. ft. (Total surface to receive furniture) 9.31 Humble and rudimentary: base cost 9.31 Common, cheap and sturdy: +125 sestertii 9.32 Common, comfortable: +250 sestertii 9.33 Fancy, expensive trappings: 1,000 sestertii 9.4 Well, Water Cistern (priced per item) 9.41 Common well (see underground levels 3.31) 9.42 Water cistern*, small wooden: 500 sestertii 9.43 Water cistern*, large wooden: 2,000 sestertii 9.44 Water cistern*, small stone: 1,000 sestertii 9.45 Water cistern*, large stone: 4,000 sestertii (*) Requires functional plumbing (9.12) or better Note: after all construction costs and its time frame have been calculated, don't forget to add the cost of the land if it was purchased

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