A major plot element of my story is that two time-traveling MCs build an estate/manor house that will stand the test of time (900+ years). They begin construction in ~1385. The setting is Eastern Adriatic (Croatia today). So far, the house is designed and construction is under way. I need some sort of major mishap, either a construction setback, an accident, or something else, that throws one of the MCs into a depression. Looking for ideas. Thanks for whatever serious contributions you provide. Relevant jokes are appreciated too, but probably won't make the cut. JD
Foundations! I learned - care of Pillars of the Earth - that foundations for some of our cathedrals are appalling, leading to major issues. You could have the whole damn thing burn down of course so they have to start from scratch. How was the maths / geometry going for architecture at that point in history? Lots of that stuff got lost and had to be re-figured out by trial and error. What hadn't they figured out yet? It's a complex business getting things to stand up straight without falling down. Especially roofs and chimneys etc. Even the chimney on our 40's property had to be taken down because it lacked sufficient support, and there was no lintel in our 20's outhouse window until we had it fixed recently.
I would imagine it would be stone construction. If the adjoining wall isn't properly tied, the wall will fall over like a cheap domino. Out of plumb conditions could have you tearing down the errant wall and rebuilding.
Both great suggestions, and I've already laid the groundwork (haha) for this by having the MC (Marko), who grew up in the house, designing it by what he could remember of it (yes, here lie paradoxes). But his high-school education in architecture (which is arguably as good as most professional architects of the time) gave him only a rudimentary understanding of foundations. Maybe one of the footings isn't stable, but that's not clear at the time, and it ends up pulling a tall wall out of plumb and causing havoc when it falls. Maybe someone dies, pushing Marko into a fit of despair. Woo-hoo!
Here's what I'm referring to (and, on second reading, I realize that the final paragraph needs work; I'm posting this for situation clarity, not writing critique):
Just about anything you can think of will work. Buildings (as a rule) are only designed to last a lifetime. I don't care if a house I built is still standing when I'm dead. If they last longer than that it's an accident. I quote a structural engineer whose name I can remember... "Anyone can build a bridge to hold a million pounds. But to build a bridge that will barely hold a million pounds you need an engineer." That's how they got around the lack of engineers back then, they overbuilt.
“it makes it faster to just draw what I remember than try to do any design work. I drew up a guide for making the footings, kind of a cross-section of the perimeter walls, but I’ll have to talk to a builder to get real information on what their dimensions should be.
You may have missed that the MCs are time travelers. Marko grew up in the house 900+ years in the future. It needs to stand that long for the story to work out.
yes that was my point. The thing would have to be over built. Construction mishaps would be many and varied.
