Architecture and Pathfinder

[unnambed]

Does anyone know something about architecture? If so, your response could really help me.

I am designing (in my mind) a country village in temperate hills or mountains but built by a humanoid race (so it would not be exactly like a human village).

What would be a simple but solid design for the houses? The house may look more like an outbuilding than a (human's) home. I imagine unadorned and functional structures but I don‘t know what they would be.

I envision one room buildings -neither huge nor small- with a fireplace. Would adobe brick be a good building material? What would be a good but simple roof for these buildings? Would doors hinges bee too complex? Could doors just be remove and replaced as needed?

What spells would be useful in homebuilding?

Thanks.

[Orville Flibblegribble]

Do they have access to magic? If you have the spells wall of stone and stone shape you could make just about anything you wanted. I had an adventuring party once who built an entire village in about a week using those two spells. I believe we made all the houses domes for the structural integrity.

[Andro]

unnambed wrote:

Does anyone know something about architecture? If so, your response could really help me.

I am designing (in my mind) a country village in temperate hills or mountains but built by a humanoid race (so it would not be exactly like a human village).

What would be a simple but solid design for the houses? The house may look more like an outbuilding than a (human's) home. I imagine unadorned and functional structures but I don‘t know what they would be.

I envision one room buildings -neither huge nor small- with a fireplace. Would adobe brick be a good building material? What would be a good but simple roof for these buildings? Would doors hinges bee too complex? Could doors just be remove and replaced as needed?

What spells would be useful in homebuilding?

Thanks.

Well, considering the environment you listed, I'd assume primary 2 materials would be wood and stone. Predominant design using those 2 materials would be stone foundations & low walls, with wooden upper walls and roof.

If you want something a bit more interesting than just plain vanilla cottage, consider something akin to icelandic turf houses. They usually consist of low stone walls, steep and high wooden construction roof, and are at least partially buried in the hillsides, with sides of house and roof often covered in thin layer of soil with turf or moss growing on it for additional insulation. Here's a decent read on it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icelandic_turf_houses

It'd probably help if you provided some additional information on the inhabitants. How are they built? How do they deal with cold? What kind of crafts and trades are present in the village? A village of tall and lithe mountain ram-herders who ignore cold will look significantly different from a village of short and stocky metalworkers who hate cold.

[unnambed]

Orville Flibblegribble wrote:

Do they have access to magic? If you have the spells wall of stone and stone shape you could make just about anything you wanted. I had an adventuring party once who built an entire village in about a week using those two spells. I believe we made all the houses domes for the structural integrity.

They would have access to divine magic.

This sounds perfect!

I would love to read more about this wonderful idea if you feel like sharing.

If not, thanks a million.

[unnambed]

Andro wrote:

It'd probably help if you provided some additional information on the inhabitants. How are they built? How do they deal with cold? What kind of crafts and trades are present in the village? A village of tall and lithe mountain ram-herders who ignore cold will look significantly different from a village of short and stocky metalworkers who hate cold.

Orcs.

Stepping through the looking glass, it is villages of "civilized" orcs. They would mirror rural human communities (perhaps darkly). Expect selfishness, superstition and impulsiveness.

Briefly, a benign influence has helped these orcs with education and magic and this effort has born some fruit after centuries.

There are crafts and trades present in the village (since the favored class of these female orcs is Expert); they produce simply but not crudely.

The do herd animals (pigs definitely) but I am still researching. These orcs don't farm but they do "garden".

If you would like more detail, please ask.

Deepest thanks to everyone who responded.