I dont recall everything of the research that I had done.  I know it was granite ashlar.  I think the price was 6K per truckload.  I dont quite recall what it was per load but I estimated that it would cost me 60-80K to veneer the castle that I sketched wich is posted in the forums here.  
 Im not stuck on granite.  I pride myself in being smart enough to know that Im stupid and dont know it all already.  So my grand conclusion that I will most elocuently profess with astounding exactitude is:   "I havent a bloody clue".
 I need to discover the differences and properties and all that. I suppose availability is the prime factor involved with wich type I get.  
More later.  My girl is demanding my attention...
Scott drinks moat*#@er

Scott drinks moat*#@er...I'll check some prices for you on this.....I could swear there was a quarry in (Canada?) that had a price of $180/ton? for ashlar. I could be way off here as I have not started serious research into this ....I pretty much don't know my as from my elbow on the stone thing yet....but I do know I saw some prices on the site and it was under $200 per truck or ton...and how many stones in a ton or tons in a truckload or truckloads in a ton....I have no freaking clue...like I said, I haven't got that far ....I'm still working on the rough draft of a floor plan.

You know... come to think about it, 6K a truck really sounds way the heck too high.  Even 6K per ton (wich would be more? - 2000 lbs .. ok... 200lb rock= what, about 24" cubed thats somethinhg close so that would mean that there would be 10 of those delivered (200x10=2000lbs/1 ton) you could fit easily 80-100 stones of that size in one load so it must be that my figures were wrong.  How could one rock cost $600? Could have been that they were going to deliver 6 tons per truck and it was like $2000 - that would be $333.33 per ton or $33.33 per 200lb stone - wich makes more sense.
 In any case all that figuring is for naught aside from the fact that we found out that I didnt know what the hell I was saying when I said 6K per truck.  Even $33 per huge stone sounds like quite a bit to much when youre buying in bulk and from a quarry where all that is needed is to load up some trucks with stone using heavy machinery.  Hmmm...

Looking forward to whatever else we can find on this.  Ive just had a SNAFU come up thats going to occupy my attention etc - emergency - might be sparse for the next few days but I love you folks and Ill certainly keep as tight as I can.
Scott drinks moat*#@er

Scott drinks moat*#@er...go and check out the liks that Laureen posted recently. Check out the one at the near bottom entitled "castlebuilders" there are many things in there of great interest to you. Specifically for this topic, there is a web page entitled Mutual Materials that I think will anser the question of how much the stone will cost per truckload. Or you can just go to http://www.mutualmaterials.com/ to check it out directly. Also...that Castlebuilders site has much more to offer. Un fact there is a modern castle in Oregon that produced metalworks, woodworks, etc. on the premisis, as well as teaches others how to do it with a school. They have a great library of books to get on the subject, etc. etc. You have to check it out because most of the links are already there.

Ok.  Ill have to do that.  OMG this schedule is killing me.  ARG!
I have now fully pioneered the frontier that lies beyond the realm of brain-spam.  

I left Captain Kirk in the dust long ago and now resemble the tasmanian devil on hallucionogetics.

Cleave, we need to get that other guy we were talking about who would help us with administrative stuff all week long.  
 Due to my current living situation (might be moving - yea, fun!) I need to examine funds but still I think that its the best idea to find him/her and get them going.

 Our investor leads are probably going to come in shortly.
Scott drinks moat*#@er

Here are my current thoughts on the matter of building this castle. A portion of this may classify as babble. The other portion serves as an update to hopefully reinforce its enertia and boost the morale of those who are connected to it:

It started as an envisionment. It was hazy and nebulous. There were so many aspects that were unknown. Next came the electrification stage. This lasted for maybe 4 or 5 months. This period was marked by enthusiastic talks and discussions of "what if..." and "how about this...".
Ive entered a new phase of the project. I know now that this thing can be done and that it will be brought into existence as long as I perservere. Unfortunately, rolling up the sleeves and setting out to conquer it for real also entails that one confront the parts that arent as nice and enthusiastic, such as fulfilling legal requirements and the like. So the game gets a little bloodier but still is fun.
I foresee in the future, the real blood bath of stress. The majority of the red tape hacking hasnt occured yet. But at least I can see the runway ahead of me and know that there will be times ahead that I will be tempted to quit the project due to various factors including the sum of other peoples impulses to drag ass on the projects lines. (eg The Joneses' disapproval, legal red tape, and general counter-intention).
The very good news is that progress has occured. Im no longer of the mind set that "I think Ive got a shot at doing this..." ITs now "Yes, I can do this, its going to be difficult but it WILL work."
The more surveys I do on people or the more people I talk to in general about it, the more I find that people in general tend to like this kind of thing very much. They are typically fasinated by it and the common cry heard is "thats so unique..."
It pleases me to deliver an uncommon commodity or service to the public. I also am glad that as I look down the scope of the barrel at the target it does seem to be that we are lined up to achieve our goal of delivering a unique aestetic environment for others to experience that they just cant get anywhere else close by.
Ive always liked the feeling of acomplishment upon a painting job completion where the homeowner is very happy with their place. [as a side note, I used to get this reaction everytime - then I got employees]
I know now that when the CCI is formed and up and running that it will serve as a bountiful source of good times for both sides of the game.

Yeah...that about sums it up. It's either take it to the next level or go get a beer and say,"Gee, it would have been nice, though, huh?". ::no-no.gif i couldn't agree more with Mr. Smiley, here.
Red tape, shmed tape. I was talking to some other folks about perseverence, and they have the same viewpoint: If you don't give up and don't take no for an answer, people will start to pay attention and then start to help. But you got to get past the first stage where most people fall out of the game, for the real people to take you seriouosly. Then you start to just naturally pull in all sorts of help you wouldn't have thought possible. And that help is just around the corner from the point where you say, "I don't know...should we go another step?". So you just go that other step and keep going. Nothing is easy or free.

The points in time where you can't go any further until something else happens are the most frustrating because you see how fragile the forward movement can be and you fear any stopping will cause a total cessation too everything.
I use these slow downs to recheck everything and go over the plans one more time.

Yep, I notice that as well.
I refer to it as "the flow being stopped or stuck". Once that happens, morale can drop and then comes the stickiness.
Guess your plan of double checking during those periods is as good as any. What else can a guy do? Better than sticking your thumb somewhere.

I don't really like the option you gave so much and have tried several others ::no-no.gif to keep up the moral whilst the slow downs are accruing but have always came back to the one that allows my thoughts to be focused on the project.

Hey D...could I please have a writing forum?...again....LOL.....I'm ready to use it now....I want to organize my business plan and writing projects.


thanks

Where?
Simi private, private, or out of this world?

private.....just want a place to write my biz plan...or one private space to work stuff out then another to post for us to see???? I dont care

Hey Duncan, give it a name like "The Blonde Zone"! "Barbie's Think-tank",
hey wait... if its private, then the rest of us cant enjoy poking fun!

Hey, this was planned!

Now I feel like the blonde...

Wasn't planned by me boyó, kinda unfair too don't you no'

I really ought ot make it so complicated that she can never find it, ya know blonds of any hair color still think the same ...... Oh wait, thats why she made the above post and totally missed her forum that was made this morning!!! It's in plain sight!!
woman woman woman woman

Yeah, I know its not fair - Im just being me.

I just get a kick out of stuff like that. Im a sicko. I like making it hard to find (hee-hee)

Keep it up boys and I'll switch my allegiance to COTW.....and D....I never enter this forum on the fron page so I never see all the forums unless I go looking something....so there ya big goof

Scott drinks moat*#@er, have some tea...I think its something like bella donna and earl grey.....

hey Kids...look what I found....

http://rescomp.stanford.edu/~coulson/castle.html



http://www.vannessstudios.com/choice.html

cotw...ok, feel free, have fun, see ya!

yeah, so I can go play with 12 year olds....I think not. Besides, I'd miss you guys too much.

Hey ya know.....there really isn't anything important in the brae that you guys can't see...just a bunch of notes to myself...I don't really care if you guys have access to it....but just you guys...

Yeah, see ya. Bye....

Gee, Duncan, what a shame, huh? Guess Laureen wont be coming here any more.
Maybe (as she's probably already gone for good and certainly not
reading this post, we should just wipe her off CD forums, ya think? You know, make room for the next incumbent?

Poor chic. Geez, never thought shed go out that way. :wink2.gif:

Damn! I hate it when that happens!
You know, you see a new response, right - so you post a response to it.
then once youve added the reply, you see that there were other posts on the next page, the ones you didnt read or even see. Bummer. Missed a good stab. Oh well.
In any case, thanks for posting the pottery link and the other one. good stuff.

some days I just hit good links when looking for something else...like this time I was looking for gothic arch windows and indoor gardens...go figure....

Laureen ( and Dunc' for that matter) let me give you guys the deal on the links and that stuff once and for all:
Thanks very much. I like that fact that you guys bring that kinda stuiff to the table.

Im going to be going thru everything shortly and putting it all together. Its a good tool. I havent moved on it earlier because Im (look, my life is screwed right now) mid lots of stuff (now moving to Cleaves) and theres just hell. Know what I mean. Ok. so thats that., Any way - the links are good I can use them.

Geez, I first thought Id make that simple - whatablabbermouth, eh?

I am happy to share anything I can with all of you guys. I learn a lot from you guys as well. It just nice to have people to communicate with that have similiar interests. Not many people believe that building a castle or folly is attainable let alone sane.

I'm not sure building a castle is sane, and look who's talking

What's all this about being in Castle Duncan and being SANE !!!!

Why do you think I got locked up in here

And what's this temper tantrum - threats to go to COTW :wink2.gif:

Have I missed summat ????

If you think I'm sane, then take a look at the Gallery. What sensible, right-minded individual pays out money for small pieces of cardboard, and stores them in countless albums.

Furthermore, I'm occasionally "let out" to go and visit small grassy mounds and piles of stones which are reputedly thought to be castles - and then takes photographs of them. 'tis far more sane to build your own stately pile.

Andrew

You haven't seen the lower dungeons of Castle Duncan, Andrew, where the real loonies are locked up. Want a tour?

well at least in the asylum I'll have someone to play with

Thanks Cleaver - a tour would be good. Now to negotiate a price. Do you take buttons?

Only the ones you have personally chewed off the restraining jacket. Now, right this way, please...Duncan will be your, um, guide into the lower dungeon areas. Be forewarned, though...there are strange people down there. There's this one chick who thinks she's Barbie Doll...has her own, um, forum with some really strange babblings in there. I don't know...she thinks she a Queen of Someplace Called "Belle Isle"...ever heard of it? Me neither, but just try to play along anyway...it's sort of amusing. This other guy gets off being catapulted into the moat wearing a jester suit and another one gets off seeing barbarians in drag! Yep, pretty weird. There's another one who plans on putting raised chopper pads and an airstrip on his "castle grounds", you know.....just for kicks. And get this...they all think they are going to have some sort of secret convention to talk about all their "ideas". Only got one thing to say about that: Know what I mean? ??? Careful, though...I think it's contagious....

...bu....but....I AM a Barbie Doll Queen.....at least until they give me my medication.......

its times like this that im glad that I have a job I can run off to and hide in.

...Of course you are Laureen.

Next patient (sorry, inmate) please
woman

Nurse! Administer 50 CC's of KEN, stat! We're losing her....

Careful of that one who calls himself Whitemanfrtown...he's prone to violence...tries to start fights over in the Tavern. And the coffee shop. And on the castle grounds. And......

he likes to try the drown the rest of us in the moat...

I thought it did that with beer and not moat*#@er

What's your point? ???

the point is that the moat is filled with skunk piss and not Guinness.....

Well, now im moved. Cleaave and i rearranged the furniture in order to create a more production-oriented envirronment. (ie rented a roll-off dumpster for his wicker collection and Star Treck toys)
A new phase begins.
This is the papework production phase.
this is where it starts to get thick.
This is also wwhere it starts to get real and nasty.

...this is also where i remember that I HATE Cleaves keyboard because the keys aare cramped together and the keys like to stick ccausing ddouble lletering. Damit!

It's like having a two year old around....complain, complain, complain. I brought home cake for him. He's eating it in a corner right now. I think it's time for his nap.

uh oh........does poor Jen have to suffer through this?????

yeah.

Well, we at least have our Round Table set up for all our planning needs. It's really a rectangle, but we're playing "pretend". More later on the prgress, but we'll have to keep some of it a suprise, or it won't be any fun. OK. It will be fun , but it may be funner with a little mystery.

I moved this post from Bodiam....

ok...had a thought this morning...don't fall over...

Why am I painstakingly trying to plan a castle/manor/whatever that seems to be straight out of the middle ages as far as technology goes...or lack thereof? Why am I trying to figure out ways to hide everything from electricty to heating to whatever... if I had a 500 yr old castle (in good repair) handed down to me, it would most certainly have been updated...so why is it bad to have a few bits of technology showing...I'm thinking for my own personal use it might be OK to have a place that looks 500 years old with a few modern updates....like lighting and wall outlets...maybe have them look like they were added after the fact to keep an "authentic" updated look.

Ok...I am totally babbling...go ahead with the blonde jokes...c'mon, I can take it...

Can't I was sitting down but thanks for the warning LOL

Levan had a I believe 13 c castle and it had modern appliances and such showing with out a problem.
For us we plan on having certain areas with everything showing and others with the basic minimum. In a few areas nothing will show because they wont be used except in an emergency.

There are really some good ways to hide modern utility's now and you might plan to do that instead of using none of todays technology

heating...radiant in floor...got it...but what about lighting, wall sockets and a kitchen stove? Now, I am all about home cooking and stuff but no way am I going to light a kitchen fire and cook in a kettle every day....and unless Belle Isle comes with hired help there will be a dishwasher and fridge...one more thing...flame lightbulbs = bad...

did have a thought on an A/C duct though...duct behind a wooden faux "trap" door with a medieval looking speakeasy grill...you can close the grill door when its not in use

You'd be surprised what goes into these old castles nowadays. I keep my eyes peeled for castles in Britain that are up for sale. Most will have the usual "sales particulars" booklet available, although estate agents tend to be averse to just handing out these booklets to those who have no intention in buying.

I often write and ask for one of the booklets, explaining that I am a collector of castle ephemera. I always offer to pay for these, as they are expensive to produce, but am aware that once the castle is sold, they have no value and are likely to be disposed of. On nearly every occasion I have been sent a copy of the relevant details, and always without charge, not even for postage.

I therefore get to see how the inside of these castles have been altered, and it amazes me how so often they look just like the inside of a normal house, only with the usual stonework arches and walls showing. If you want, I could dig out a few and scan the pictures (give me a couple of days though).
Andrew