1. How long does it take to build a castle?
2. How much does it cost to build a castle?
3. Can you build a castle anywhere?
4. Will you build a castle for us?
5. Where did you get your castle building knowledge?
6. How many people does it take to build a castle?
7. What castle construction method do you use?
8. Are your castles cold and damp?
9. What do your castles look like?
10. What's next?
11. Do you have examples of castle plans for sale?
12. How do I go about building a castle? What is the first step?
13. How much does it cost to heat your castles?
14. How much land do you need for a castle?
15. Do you build castles outside of your own state?
16. Do you customize some of your designs?
17. What do I do if the power goes out and I can't use my remote to open the drawbridge to get into my castle?

Average castle building time is two years.
Many factors influence the time it takes to build a castle. The most important factor may be the site where the castle is to be built. Since castles are usually built on unique land, it may be difficult to transport materials and labor to the site. Local building regulations can delay the start of a castle or even prevent the building of a castle. It is wise to check out the local planning office and ask a ton of questions before purchasing castle land. How much of the work do you want to do yourself? While you can save money as your own labor, you must have sufficient free time on your hands. Local seasonal weather trends influence castle building. A climate too cold can require boxing in the castle construction or working only in the summer months. Too hot weather can wear out the work crew or require shading of the construction site. I have found it best to enclose the section of castle under construction to allow an unhindered construction pace. Heavy rain can wash away or damage the looks of mortar. A sudden freeze can ruin mortar and your days stonework. The size of your castle is directly proportional to the time it takes to build your castle. The amount of labor and money that you use is inversely proportional to the time it takes to build. Since today's castle building techniques still contain much of the hand crafting of the old days, you should plan to allow more time to build a castle than a traditional modern building. There are many more factors that affect building time, but the previously mentioned factors seem to pop up most often.

Plan to spend twice as long building a castle when compared to building a common structure. For a small castle, say 4500 square feet, you should allow one to two years. For a large castle with inner and outer curtain walls, you should allow five years or increase the amount of labor and funds used. On the bright side, your castle will last for generations and increase in value over time.

$325 and up per sq ft.
In general, for a castle, about twice what a normal house would cost.
As with the time it takes to build a castle, most of the same factors can affect the cost of a castle. The remoteness of the site, the weather, the supply and cost of materials and labor, the cost and time for building permits, and the selection of materials used can all affect the cost of your castle. Don't forget to add in the cost of the land while building your castle.
During the past 30 years, we have observed government regulations on building escalate from simple fees and helpful inspections to one as a big source of revenue for local and state governments. This can now have a dramatic effect on the cost of your castle. If you are on a tight budget, head for one of the few remaining locations where government fees are lower.

Our favorite locations are: the northern states West to East; the coasts; the southwest states; the mountain states; and the islands.
Good question. Castle architecture does not fit into all building zones. You must select a site and then check with local building and/or planning officials to see if there are any restrictions on castle building in their zone. Some places will allow you to build as you please, others may charge permit fees, set height restrictions, or maybe even just say no. Always ask before buying potential castle land.

Your castle's architecture should be compatible with the site and your neighbors. A castle's site is often a very important part of the architectural effect. Your neighbors, if you have any, may object to your remarkable castle, or their buildings may clash with your architecture. However, a castle in the neighborhood may add value to adjacent properties.

Castle site selection can be a fun, but sometimes tiring, process. Castles like to be located in remote or inaccessible sites. Hilltops, forests, bluffs, rivers, lakes, and even swamps can be some of the best sites. Sometimes the best castle site is one that nobody else wants, so you can obtain the land at a bargain price and have it fit a castle perfectly.

An advance reservation and a site approval from Castlemagic is required to place your name on the castle building list.
First on your plan should be to find and acquire a suitable castle site. Once you own a site, we can visit your site, study it, take photos, share an idea or two, and then design your castle to fit your land. We can then bring an experienced castle crew to your site and construct your castle from start to finish.

We have been building solid stone castles since 1980, custom homes since 1975.

Founder's comments:     Over the years I have learned from the best engineers, books, scientists, customers, and at times from trial and error castle building. I started out drawing my own castle plans and taking them to a structural engineer for strength and building codes. After doing this over and over, I soon discovered that I had more knowledge on castle building than most engineers. From then on, I designed my own castles. I have also read many books on castles. If you would like some recommendations, feel free to contact me about book choices. I have also been around long enough to see what works and what doesn't. I took many winters off from castle building to attend the finest universities. I covered everything I could get my hands on, including all of math, physics, chemistry, and even odd subjects such as Greek theatre, Roman structures, and the philosophy of religions. While I probably should be teaching or experimenting or writing music again, for the moment I find the fresh air life of castle building a bit more healthy for the body and soul. In addition to mortal lessons, I sometimes seem to possess an inner insight to problem solving, better castle methods, and new ideas or inventions. On the other hand, I do make mistakes. These mistakes are some of the best lessons if you choose to acknowledge them and learn from your own mistakes.

Three for a small castle keep, five for a medium sized castle, and ten or more for a large castle.
Our modern infrastructure can take an immense load off of castle building as compared to the old days. With the aid of local and distant suppliers, a single person can build a castle in a fraction of the time it used to take to build a castle. However, the more workers, the faster the construction still goes. Instead of quarrying your own stone, you simply make a phone call to the quarry of your choice and all of the stone you could ever dream of is delivered to your site in a few weeks. The same goes for such supplies as lumber, roofing, structural steel, etc. You may be able to do your own plumbing and electrical, or just hire out to local contractors. What this means is that with the aid of modern communications and suppliers, you don't need a hundred people at the castle site itself. With all the materials easily delivered, what is still needed is the hard hand labor to assemble the castle at the site.

We prefer one master-mason to coordinate all aspects of a castle's construction. This allows construction to proceed with ease. A good master-mason can train the crew, order materials, and create the timetable.

We combine the strength of the old solid stone & timber castles with modern engineering to produce a lasting and healthy structure.
Our castle construction techniques are derived from a variety of sources, both ancient and modern. Our use of double stone walls as permanent formwork for concrete is a method which was used by the Romans in the early years of their Empire. The added tensile strength of reinforcing steel bars originates from modern concrete bridge construction. The use of insulation inside the core of the double walls originates from classical heat transfer physics and polymer chemistry. The layout of timber trusses follows medieval timber structures. The use of pointed arch windows originated from seventh century Arabs and later adapted by Gothic master builders.

Toasty warm and dry in the snowy winters and cool in the summer's heat.
Since medieval standards of hygiene, lighting, and heating were far below those of even ancient Rome, we have incorporated modern science and technology into what appears to be a medieval castle inside and out. Our unique use of a hidden insulation core between the double layers of interior and exterior wall stones in our castle walls is what makes our new castles are warm and dry inside The use of radiant hot water floor heat evenly and quietly distributes hidden heat throughout every room. Modern plumbing pipes and electrical conduits are hidden inside of the castle walls. The result is a medieval castle with modern day conveniences and hygiene standards.

Like the old stone castles of the eleventh to thirteenth century. Round and/or square towers.
Our idea of the perfect castle is a medieval stone castle built so that no one can tell when it was built. We like to include a twin-tower gatehouse with the main entrance between. Inside the entrance arch should be portcullis, outside should be a drawbridge. Interior windows should have side walls angled to let in additional light. Exposed timbers and medieval trusses should dominate the interior architecture. The roof and corners of the castle may have round towers, maybe with copper coned spires. All corner towers and battlements should have arrow loops. The rooftop should have a perimeter walkway with a stone castle crenelations. We would also prefer custom wood framed windows and lead-free stained glass.

Castle Von Frandsen; Castle Kataryna.

Castle Von Frandsen's eight tower fortress is currently under construction in northern Idaho on a magical cliff site overlooking the deep waters of Lake Pend Oreille. Castle Von Frandsen is named after the castle's owner and his son, Von. Begun in 2004, the castle will be built over a period of ten years to allow the construction of eight round stone towers, a timber framed stone great hall, a stone tunnel, and several castle stone bridges. The site is one of a kind offering quiet isolation, panoramic lake and mountain views, and towering trees with soaring eagles. The cliff site chosen is a unique rock bluff existing almost as it were predesigned for a massive stone fortress and a natural outdoor music amphitheater. The stone selected is granite from the old Hardy Island quarry four hundred miles NW of Castle Von Frandsen.

Castle Kataryna's solid stone keep is currently under construction in northern Idaho on a mountain top site overlooking the Schweitzer resort, Lake Pend Oreille, and the mountains & valleys of Idaho & Montana. Castle Kataryna is named after, Kataryna, who was born in the castle on Jan 2, 2000. The keep is a private family residence and visits are allowed by appointment only. Begun in 1999, the castle continues to grow to this day with stonework being done during the summer and interior work during the snowy winters. The site was chosen for its easy ski in & out access to the ski runs of Schweitzer along with a true four season climate and close proximity to the resort town of Sandpoint and Lake Pend Oreille.

What's the next castle?
    Secret passages, dungeons, drawbridges, hidden doors, tunnels, moats, caves, hidden rooms, inner and outer curtain walls, a keep, an interior courtyard, rotating turrets, a great hall, stables, and multiple entrance towers & gates. And of course a large music/theater hall.

Custom castle plans available and designed for the projects we build only.

Buy land, buy stone, start stacking!
First find your magical castle land, draw your plans, engineer your plans, obtain a permit, and start digging in at your castle site. Obtaining your local building permit can be an easy visit or a series of visits to various departments. How easy it is to obtain a permit will depend on where you are building. Over the years we have seen the permit process take 10 minutes and $25 and have seen it take one and a half years and thousands of dollars. Often those areas that are still as they were thousands of years ago may have a reasonable permit process and lower costs along with a medieval style setting.

Same as any modern building
One of the most important notes about our castles is that they are toasty warm inside and can be heated like any other home. The secret is the hidden rigid waterproof insulation tucked between the double layers of stone in the castle walls. With this method, the heating bill can be the same as a conventional home of a similar size. Another note, it is possible to add as much insulation desired between the double stone layers to make the castle as energy efficient as you want or what the local building codes require. Another note, again!, the roof of a castle is constructed using methods which also similar to modern insulated residential homes and is insulated in all of the traditional ways also. We can also use any of our non-insulation related tricks to lower heating costs in our castles. Such as solar electric, micro-hydro, passive solar, massive stone fireplaces, and so much more!

Just enough to fit your castle or more if you prefer. There is no minimum land requirement unless the local building zoning department has set a minimum land size for residential homes in your area.

Yes, we travel from state to state in search of the best castle sites and best people to build for. There may be an additional cost for building out of our home state due to the cost of your local government fees and insurance.

Yes, all castle designs may be created using your own ideas, our ideas, existing castles, our sample plans, or any combination of. The castle site itself often has the most effect on the creation of the castle design for each castle built.
Castle plans are unique for almost every castle built. Your actual plan should be designed to fit the site in a manner to provide protection from an attack. Both the terrain of the site and the castle design can be used as an advantage against intruders. Today, this design process is also used to take advantage of the stunning views that comes with an ideal castle site. Modern castles often take advantage of architectural features that used to be only for a battle or defense purpose. Battlements, arrow loops, a portcullis entrance, tall gate towers, a drawbridge, a moat, a courtyard surrounded by a castle wall, and more all give a modern castle that special ticket back to a time long since past. Best of all, if you build solid stone castle walls, you can be assured of owning a structure that will stand the tests of time and appreciate with age.

Use the emergency hand crank to lower the drawbridge or use the secret castle entrance instead.