cost of buildings

[Vaxalon]

Why not wood?

You're assuming masonry walls, which are among the most expensive.

Why not wood? The blacksmith's shop in Colonial Williamsburg is in a wooden building, and it hasn't burned down yet. No scorchmarks on the wall, either. I think you're vastly overrating the danger of wooden walls.

In point of fact, you could have an open-air smithy just as easily. The smith would lock up his tools at night, but who's going to steal a 500lb anvil?

 

[abri]

Re: Why not wood?

You're assuming masonry walls, which are among the most expensive.

Why not wood? The blacksmith's shop in Colonial Williamsburg is in a wooden building, and it hasn't burned down yet. No scorchmarks on the wall, either. I think you're vastly overrating the danger of wooden walls.

In point of fact, you could have an open-air smithy just as easily. The smith would lock up his tools at night, but who's going to steal a 500lb anvil?

Well I was using example of medieval/early renaissance buildings I know of (lived in France for 22 years). Fact is that in late medieval time buildings in towns HAD to be in stone by laws (fire hazard): yes colonial town were in wood, because they had a lot of space available in town. European medieval town were packed, with hardly any space between houses, wood was just too dangerous.
IMC I'm trying to keep a true medieval feeling .
Good Idea about the open air forge, for villages it actually makes a lot of sense especially if the weather is good most of the year...

 

[Storm Raven]

Re: Re: Why not wood?

Well I was using example of medieval/early renaissance buildings I know of (lived in France for 22 years). Fact is that in late medieval time buildings in towns HAD to be in stone by laws (fire hazard): yes colonial town were in wood, because they had a lot of space available in town. European medieval town were packed, with hardly any space between houses, wood was just too dangerous.
IMC I'm trying to keep a true medieval feeling .
Good Idea about the open air forge, for villages it actually makes a lot of sense especially if the weather is good most of the year...

It depends on where you are too. In medieval Russia, almost everything was made from wood. In France and Germany many buildings were made from stone. In other regions, other constuction styles were used.

 

[kreynolds]

Re: Why not wood?

but who's going to steal a 500lb anvil?

A rust monster?

 

[Gromm]

Re: Re: Re: Why not wood?

It depends on where you are too. In medieval Russia, almost everything was made from wood. In France and Germany many buildings were made from stone. In other regions, other constuction styles were used.

Most D&D worlds are larger than Europe so not as likely to fall into the space problems that real world Europe had (and still has to some extent). In bigger cities most buildings would be of stone most likely, but then again magic could probably take care of most fires so it might not be a huge issue.

 

[Vaxalon]

Okay, assuming...

Assuming that the town requires, for whatever reason, masonry walls for the smithy, let's look at how someone could afford to own a masonry blacksmith shop:

1> Inheritance

The huge cost has been paid over many generations. Primogeniture is powerful.

2> Guilds

Shops and the like could be owned by the guild in question rather than by its members.

 

[jasper]

13 shillings 4 pence = 1 mark
134 pennies = 1 mark
134 * 10,000 =1,340,000 pennies

1.340.000 / 240 = 5.583.333 pds
if 1 pd = 1 gd
5583 gp 3 sp 2 cp