Housing

Examples and descriptions of some of the types of accommodation that you might find around Hapsburg.  Some, such as Flets and Shelters, are little more than occasional accommodation  for seasonal workers - they need frequent  maintenance work if they are to stay usable.  Cabins, Huts and Houses are permanent structures, although they too need regular maintenance to keep them in  top condition .  Most buildings around Hapsburg and made from wood, although some of the large buildings are stone (or part stone) construction.  I have added  links below the descriptions that lead to example images of that type of building.




Flets

A very simple wooden tree platform, often with a  twig or stick roof, which allows you to sleep off of the ground with some protection from the elements.  A simplification of an old-standing elven practice, Flets around Hapsburg have normally been built by hunters, rangers or druids who have traveled deep into the forest. They rare built from fallen branches are lashed together to make a secure platform.  Flets come in different shapes and sizes, and can accommodate anywhere between 3 and seven people.  It is considered to be ‘good practice’  to do a bit of maintenance work, such as dragging up a few extra branches for roofing or making sure the floor beams are secure before you leave.

http://spkbuild.co.uk/images/tree_house.jpg
http://mc2.vicnet.net.au/home/als_art/web/treehouse.JPG
http://www.blogsilog.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/wooden-tree-house.jpg


Shelters

Shelters are found it the hills and are temporary accommodation for shepherds.  A light wooden lean-to is built against  a rock face, which is and the frame filled whatever sticks and grasses are close to hand.   One end is closed off by infilling while the other is often closed with a leather blanket.   The same shelters  are used year after year and  are gradually strengthened and reinforced,  so becoming sturdier over the years Although simple they can be surprisingly warm and water proof - especially when heated by a small open fire built close to the doorway. These shelters are generally about six feet wide and ten feet long.

http://bsatroop123jenks.com/images/fig5-9.gif
http://rk19-bielefeld-mitte.de/survival/FM/_graphics/fig05-11.gif


Cabins

A single room, often 10’ by 10’, building made from tree trunks.  The trees are cut and the trunks trimmed, then laid length ways on top of each other to make walls.  The ends of the logs are notched, so that logs overlap in the corners and give the structure strength and rigidity.  Split logs  are used to make a simple roof.  Cracks in the walls and roof are caulked with mosses to help make the building wind and waterproof.  A single doorway is cut into one side of the cabin with a small window high in the opposite wall.  The packed earth floor is generally covered in stamped down wood chippings.  Often found in the forests they make temporary accommodation for trappers and hunters.  Having said that, temporary might mean up to six months for some trappers.

http://desertislands.org/images/SMold_log_cabin_JB.jpg
http://www.homeschoolhelperonline.com/worksheets/coloring/images/log_cabin.gif


Huts

Huts are generally round, with a  diameter of about 15 feet, and are built on a  stone reinforced foundation.  A circular trench is dug out and refilled with packed stone and rubble.   Eight or ten strong uprights are set securely in  the base to form a wall structure and support for the conical roof.  Between the supports smaller poles add  shape and depth to the walls and roof, thinner pliable branches are worked around between the poles and a light sleeping platform (or two) as constructed to separate the roof space from the main hut.  Once the horizontals are in, the roof is thatched with reeds and the sides caked with a thick layer of sticky mud.  As the mud dries it forms a fairly solid wall which can be over-painted to add color and help with waterproofing.  The packed mud floor is normally covered with woven reed carpets, while light and ventilation comes from tiny windows built into the wall of the house, right up underneath the eves.  Huts are generally fitted with a light wooden door and can be found on the outskirts of the village, where they are primarily the homes of laborers and other poorly skilled workers.

http://www.theroundhouse.org/resources/other/mellor.jpg


Houses

Most houses are built of wooden planks fixed to a wooden framework, and have a roof thatched with reeds.  A small house will normally have two 10x10 rooms on the ground floor with two smaller rooms in the attic -  while a medium sized house might have an upper storey (two more 10x10 rooms) or a lean-to extension  added on one side.  Large houses will have both the upper story and a lean-to, while a few  houses have more than one lean-to extension. Some, although not all, houses have a storage cellar dug below the house (although the cellar is invariably much smaller than the house itself).  Houses with lean-tos are often built by craftsmen who use the lean-to as a work shop.  The lean-to is built to the same quality as the rest of the house.

http://www.bemerton-history.org.uk/rchm.jpg


Stone Buildings

Stone building come in different shapes and sizes and are nearly all individual in  their design.  Stone building are normally built as part of a military or community program – and that is equally true in Hapsburg.  Stone Building here include The Squires Keep and Charbon’s Tower which were both originally military.  The Temple of the Shrines and the Smelting House were both built as semi-community projects, even though they are ‘owned’ by  individuals or organizations rather than  the community.  Exceptions to the rule are The Hapsburg Inn  and The Smithy -  both of which are part stone, part timber.