Small Central-Texas Castle
Budget: $750 – $1,500 USD
I've been working out of a structural engineering manual but I'm sure I missed things. There are also parts I wasn't comfortable tackling and the book is 50 years old. We can discuss expanding the budget to add a 3D render. Hopefully I've done most of the math pretty accurately and saved some time.
So about the project. I want a basement and a tornado-resistant lid, my wife wants a moat and stone floors. You can see I began with the roof which will be decked, waterproofed, and covered in 3" thick limestone brick. Oversized laminated wood arches support a 2x wall like a long column which supports a 4×12 which supports the roof joists and places the load directly over the basement columns and walls. One of the things I was uncomfortable tackling myself is the placement of stairs to the basement and roof. I also lacked confidence in dealing with concrete shear at the columns for both the floor and the slab. The excessive weights in the calculation are for the case of an impact or collapse due to a fire or tornado. Yes, I'm working from MS Paint and Notepad on a computer I can't pull files from.
I don't have soil numbers so if you could add an option for dealing with soft soil such as piles that would help a lot.
Items not included in the given images: A floorplan, framing, insulation, windows, details on crenellations, matriculations, and other castle details.
For the outer block wall I'm trying to source low-quality granite to slice into 24×12×6" blocks but I might end up using more limestone or even a concrete. I am concerned with being well-insulated and simplifying construction with things like tankless water heaters. If it matters the moat would begin 10' or more from the walls and wouldn't be dug for a few more years. There will also be a containing wall and pad to help keep soil pressed against the basement walls rather than eroded away by water.
I'm sure that with the given foundation I could do pretty much anything for a floorplan. So far the rough plan is that the front 1/3 would be open space, walking through a large front door to see the 3 arches, the central one acting as a sort of hallway/study, one going to the kitchen, and the other to a guest bedroom. The back third of the house would contain the guest bathroom and master suite.
The arches have 8' clearance in the center and 6' clearance across 9'. For all wood used I assumed southern yellow pine. If you want to push the roof a little higher to create room for a floating ceiling and ample insulation, go ahead. The 2× wall can be double-sided and 10" wide, sound insulated between the panel walls, so all that wood should support a higher roof. I figured for the front and rear walls a 10×10 arch should be able to support the end of the roof leaving clear space for windows on all 4 sides of the house. I'll work on nailing down a floorplan. Please do add a way to lower heavy objects into the basement such as work tables, home-industrial sewing machines, and similar. Perhaps a ceiling winch and the top portion of the stairs able to hinge out of the way? I haven't any good ideas there.
Book picture included in case theres something wildly inaccurate in that particular one.
So about the project. I want a basement and a tornado-resistant lid, my wife wants a moat and stone floors. You can see I began with the roof which will be decked, waterproofed, and covered in 3" thick limestone brick. Oversized laminated wood arches support a 2x wall like a long column which supports a 4×12 which supports the roof joists and places the load directly over the basement columns and walls. One of the things I was uncomfortable tackling myself is the placement of stairs to the basement and roof. I also lacked confidence in dealing with concrete shear at the columns for both the floor and the slab. The excessive weights in the calculation are for the case of an impact or collapse due to a fire or tornado. Yes, I'm working from MS Paint and Notepad on a computer I can't pull files from.
I don't have soil numbers so if you could add an option for dealing with soft soil such as piles that would help a lot.
Items not included in the given images: A floorplan, framing, insulation, windows, details on crenellations, matriculations, and other castle details.
For the outer block wall I'm trying to source low-quality granite to slice into 24×12×6" blocks but I might end up using more limestone or even a concrete. I am concerned with being well-insulated and simplifying construction with things like tankless water heaters. If it matters the moat would begin 10' or more from the walls and wouldn't be dug for a few more years. There will also be a containing wall and pad to help keep soil pressed against the basement walls rather than eroded away by water.
I'm sure that with the given foundation I could do pretty much anything for a floorplan. So far the rough plan is that the front 1/3 would be open space, walking through a large front door to see the 3 arches, the central one acting as a sort of hallway/study, one going to the kitchen, and the other to a guest bedroom. The back third of the house would contain the guest bathroom and master suite.
The arches have 8' clearance in the center and 6' clearance across 9'. For all wood used I assumed southern yellow pine. If you want to push the roof a little higher to create room for a floating ceiling and ample insulation, go ahead. The 2× wall can be double-sided and 10" wide, sound insulated between the panel walls, so all that wood should support a higher roof. I figured for the front and rear walls a 10×10 arch should be able to support the end of the roof leaving clear space for windows on all 4 sides of the house. I'll work on nailing down a floorplan. Please do add a way to lower heavy objects into the basement such as work tables, home-industrial sewing machines, and similar. Perhaps a ceiling winch and the top portion of the stairs able to hinge out of the way? I haven't any good ideas there.
Book picture included in case theres something wildly inaccurate in that particular one.