Early Spring in Prenmôr

[Grover]

The Tales of Lady Gwenllian

0. Introduction

1. The arrival of Lady Gwenllian aboard the Cedar Serpent

2. Scouting a Site

3. Early Spring in Prenmôr

Having received a charter from Queen Ylspeth to build and a license to crenellate, Lady Gwenllian and her small host made plans for a castle and built shelters for the winter.  While temporary, these structures were designed to last several years while the main fortifications were built.

The two-story, dirt-floored structures were framed out of timber (garnered by skillful negotiations of Myellan with the local elven tribes of the nearby forest), and the walls were sealed with wattle and daub.  Because of the season of her arrival, it was too late in the year to establish quarries and there was no stone to be had.  The thatched roofing was constructed from local plants and grasses, and a hole was left at the apex of the chimneyless structure to allow smoke from the central firepit to escape.

In early spring, as the weather began to warm and the snows melted, the dead grasses began to give way to new growth.  Alis was given the task of caring for the fowl, Chwyd took to sweeping up (having vowed to never voyage by ship again due to his seasickness), and Lady Gwenllian led by example, hefting supplies along with her people.

The new Avalonian colors hung proudly over Lady Gwenllian's house.  Over the winter, she and her lady at arms, Seren, had been planning the new fortifications.  Quarries would need to be established, timber would have to be sourced, workers would have to be found, and all with the cooperation of the local elven and human communities in such a manner as to preserve the environment.  Castwyr and Myellan had spent part of the winter getting to know the neighbors of this region.  The winter had not been particularly harsh and Lady Gwenllian felt optimistic about the upcoming spring in her new home, deciding to name her small village Prenmôr, meaning 'refuge' in her native tongue.
 

Spoiler

I started this project back in February 2017, but due to my work schedule and family commitments, I typically average 1 hour a month to build, and I haven't even had that for the last 11 months or so.  On the upside, this build is finally done, and I remain committed to advancing Lady Gwenllian's story as I can.  I wound up building a light box to take pictures, but still don't have the lighting figured out quite right.  It's better than what I had, but still have a ways to go.

This project began as a test of an idea I had for making slightly recessed wattle and daub construction against the wooden frames.  Although it has its limitations, I am pretty happy with it.  I was never happy with the roof, so after several iterations, I wound up buying a bunch of technic pins on bricklink and trying a technique I saw in black pins on someone else's flickr account (I have since lost the link).  After a first pass of a single layer of the pins that looked too thin, I tried three other patterns of the roofing, finally settling on this style, which looked the most like a thatched roof to me.  I think the roof peak is satisfactory, but if I had more time I might try to weave the top pins together or something to make it appear a little more solid.  Thanks to soccerkid6 and LittleJohn for their tutorials and help with the irregular base.  I had tried several times to make something like that happen and until I read their tutorials and analyzed their previous builds, I hadn't figured out how to make it smooth.  I'm pleased with the way it turned out.

Finally, the structure has an interior, and the top floor lifts off the ground floor to access the inside, but I have not yet finished it.  Rather than try to flesh out an interior that would take me another 6-8 months, I figured I'd get pictures and put this out now.

I welcome comments and criticisms, and I especially appreciate specifics--if you like/dislike something, please tell me why, and if you see areas for improvements, I would like to know what I'm missing.  I'm trying to learn how to make my builds better, so any tips or advice is appreciated!

Edited September 20, 2018 by Grover

[greg3]

That looks great.... I especially like the little details around the front (the cheese slopes as chopped firewood is clever and looks perfect!!) The roof also looks good (not seen technic pins used that like before) but I'm not sure about the hole to let smoke out... It just seems too big. (And if it's a 2 storey building and assuming the fire is on the ground floor, how does the smoke get out? Unless the upper storey only goes around the edges like an internal balcony)  

Anyway, those criticisms aside, it's a nice  build. Looking forward to seeing more!!

[Henjin_Quilones]

Very nice, Grover! The clean lines are nice, appropriate for new construction, and the roof technique looks good in tan with the longer pins, very effectively conveying the idea of thatch (better than most other techniques I have seen, actually, besides the minifig hand one). I like the slightly offset timber sections, though I think it might look even better with a bit more distinction (a full plate, maybe, rather than a half) between the timber and the wattle-and-daub. Also, I think that tan and reddish brown are a bit too prevalent here, with the ground, walls, and roof all being pretty much the same; if you had used dark brown for the timbered sections, for example, I think it would have given more contrast and made it just a slight bit better.

That said, it does look great as it is, and I like what I am seeing so far. (And I'll look forward to another build from you in 10 months or so...)

[TitusV]

I'm really liking the build, welcome to the club of half-timbered tudor lovers   The SNOT-work is very clean (as HQ stated, excellently depicting a newly build house), but IMHO a bit too clean. I know they're only temporary, so they shouldn't have decorations and the like, but something to break up the tan-and-brown would be cool. I'm thinking of a small blacony to the right, a window stepping out or just an offset between the ground and the first floor...

Anyway, the roof technique is spot on (not completely sold on the gap, but I can understand why it is there) and a thumbup for the fire wood rack  

[cablefoxley]

That's a great roof technique there. Also loving the firewood, it adds some detail. Maybe something else on the house like a balcony, or some more windows would make it even better. 

The gap in the roof is more historically correct than a chimney, especially in lower end properties. Nice touch. 

Edited July 22, 2018 by cablefoxley
Grammar

[Grover]

Thanks to all for the comments!  I appreciate all of them and will take them into consideration for future builds.  I have added responses to them all below.

On 7/22/2018 at 4:08 AM, greg3 said:

That looks great.... I especially like the little details around the front (the cheese slopes as chopped firewood is clever and looks perfect!!) The roof also looks good (not seen technic pins used that like before) but I'm not sure about the hole to let smoke out... It just seems too big. (And if it's a 2 storey building and assuming the fire is on the ground floor, how does the smoke get out? Unless the upper storey only goes around the edges like an internal balcony)  

Anyway, those criticisms aside, it's a nice  build. Looking forward to seeing more!!

Thanks!  In fact, there is a hole in the second story floor to let the smoke out.  This design is based on David Macaulay's temporary house designs in the book Castle (which is the inspiration for much of my castle work), which I think is based on the English Cruck houses.  Unfortunately, I have not had time to finish the interior, so I just posted what I had.

21 hours ago, Henjin_Quilones said:

Very nice, Grover! The clean lines are nice, appropriate for new construction, and the roof technique looks good in tan with the longer pins, very effectively conveying the idea of thatch (better than most other techniques I have seen, actually, besides the minifig hand one). I like the slightly offset timber sections, though I think it might look even better with a bit more distinction (a full plate, maybe, rather than a half) between the timber and the wattle-and-daub. Also, I think that tan and reddish brown are a bit too prevalent here, with the ground, walls, and roof all being pretty much the same; if you had used dark brown for the timbered sections, for example, I think it would have given more contrast and made it just a slight bit better.

That said, it does look great as it is, and I like what I am seeing so far. (And I'll look forward to another build from you in 10 months or so...)

Thank you!  I personally preferred this pin technique, as the minifig hand technique was too yellow for me.  I purposely chose the half offset timber sections, as the full offset on many other builds looked to be too much to me.  Turns out, you can't see the half offset as well on pictures, so it looks more flat than I would have liked.  In person, it's easier to see, but I think some of this is my failure at lighting properly.  Hopefully that won't be as much of an issue in the future as I learn.  I agree about the tan and reddish brown; I didn't have anything else.  I have very few dark brown pieces, and not being part of a LUG and some 6+ hours from the nearest Lego store, need to get them from Bricks and Pieces or Bricklink.  I had already spent a lot on pieces from Bricks and Pieces (the OD stalks, tan tiles) and BL (the technic pins), so I just used what I had for the timber.  I wish I had more shades of brown!  I would have really enjoyed using dark tan for the sides of the house and then using another color for the dirt yard around it.  I think next time I will have to bite the bullet and get more pieces from BL or B&P.

I am hoping I can get another build out in less than a year this time!

20 hours ago, TitusV said:

I'm really liking the build, welcome to the club of half-timbered tudor lovers   The SNOT-work is very clean (as HQ stated, excellently depicting a newly build house), but IMHO a bit too clean. I know they're only temporary, so they shouldn't have decorations and the like, but something to break up the tan-and-brown would be cool. I'm thinking of a small blacony to the right, a window stepping out or just an offset between the ground and the first floor...

Anyway, the roof technique is spot on (not completely sold on the gap, but I can understand why it is there) and a thumbup for the fire wood rack  

Cheers to the half-timbered Tudor club!  Thanks for your comments.  I think if I had been free-designing, I would have put a balcony or more decorations on this, but I had designed it after Macaulay's Castle book, so it was kind of hard to avoid putting more decorations and details in.  I think next time I will take your advice and add more decorations/design to the structure.  The offset (overhang) between ground and first floor is in the works for the next peasant structures, though!  Glad you liked the roof.  It was both the most challenging and the most rewarding part of the structure.

18 hours ago, cablefoxley said:

That's a great roof technique there. Also loving the firewood, it adds some detail. Maybe something else on the house like a balcony, or some more windows would make it even better. 

The gap in the roof is more historically correct than a chimney, especially in lower end properties. Nice touch. 

Thanks a bunch!  As I mentioned to TitusV, I think next time I will have to add more detail to the work, like a balcony, etc.  Glad you liked the gap in the roof--I figured that it was more accurate, especially for a temporary house that was not meant to last long.  Nobody wants to waste time on a chimney when the house is going to be torn down in a couple of years. :-)

[Kai NRG]

This is a really nice build, the SNOT wall is a great touch to set it apart from standard studs-up houses.  Really good roof technique too; though the detail and texture of the roof does contrast a little strongly with the very clean and smooth walls.  Didn't know houses like this used to just have a hole in the roof instead of a chimney!  That's a neat bit of realism, though I am wondering how that works for a two-story house.  (Just read your comment, fascinating!)  Overall a great little build, looking forward to seeing more from you!

[soccerkid6]

Great to see you able to finish another build! Glad to hear our tutorial was helpful, and your base turned out really well The angled house is very smoothly achieved, which is no easy feat!

I like the tudor design a lot, in fact, I think John and I both use the same technique some times The technic pin roof looks super cool with two layers, and I love that you included a little wood pile outside

[de Gothia]

I love when facts come into life in our lego world and imagination, as with your hole in the roof. But it must be a pain when it rains..?,

 

Agree about the tudor, I want some windows! =)

 

Keep up the good work!

[Grover]

On 7/26/2018 at 8:24 AM, soccerkid6 said:

Great to see you able to finish another build! Glad to hear our tutorial was helpful, and your base turned out really well The angled house is very smoothly achieved, which is no easy feat!

I like the tudor design a lot, in fact, I think John and I both use the same technique some times The technic pin roof looks super cool with two layers, and I love that you included a little wood pile outside

Thanks again for the irregular base tutorial!  I'll be doing more in the future.  Thanks for the comment on the angle.  I had actually forgotten that I had angled it since I started this so long ago, but yes, it is angled, and I spent quite a bit of time doing it!

I did have to try out a bunch of variations with the technic pins, because it looked really thin with one layer.  Glad everyone seems to like it.  I'm kind of amazed how much time goes into these things and it gives me appreciation for the kind of builds you do!

On 7/28/2018 at 2:08 PM, de Gothia said:

I love when facts come into life in our lego world and imagination, as with your hole in the roof. But it must be a pain when it rains..?,

Agree about the tudor, I want some windows! =)

Keep up the good work!

Yeah, I think there are a lot of problems with the hole in the roof.  I mean, that can't be efficient heating, right?  And the rain?  I guess for a temporary structure it's better than having a tent next to a firepit.

The building does have two windows: both on the second floor.  One is behind the flag so is hard to see, and the other is on another side, both better visible in the additional pics in the album (if you click on the picture it takes you to flickr).  These windows sit flush with the bricks, and they were kind of difficult to get them and the trim to sit back at the same spacing as the other paneling.  Not as elaborate as many of the other windows, but again, as a temporary structure, it's pretty plane Jane.  My next Tudor structure should be more ornate and interesting.

Thanks for the comments!

[The Maestro]

Great work the landscaping is probably my favorite part, the olive green look lovely. The wood shed is also great, the cheese slopes work perfectly there. However I agree with the other (and I know it is historically accurate), but I think it is probably a bit large for the size of the house. But otherwise, great work on the tudor, and everything else. Keep it up 

 

[ZlatanXVIGustaf]

Nice to finally see a moc from you! The different angle on the house is a nice touch though perhaps an unnecessary one on this smaller size build. The roof is very interesting, is it stable? Great look overall, I’m looking forward to seeing another build of yours!

[Grover]

On 7/29/2018 at 11:16 PM, The Maestro said:

Great work the landscaping is probably my favorite part, the olive green look lovely. The wood shed is also great, the cheese slopes work perfectly there. However I agree with the other (and I know it is historically accurate), but I think it is probably a bit large for the size of the house. But otherwise, great work on the tudor, and everything else. Keep it up 

Thanks!  I am still figuring some things out, but am happy with how the landscaping turned out.  There's a small puddle with a frog between the two chickens, but you can't really tell from the pics.

On 8/9/2018 at 2:33 PM, ZlatanXVIGustaf said:

Nice to finally see a moc from you! The different angle on the house is a nice touch though perhaps an unnecessary one on this smaller size build. The roof is very interesting, is it stable? Great look overall, I’m looking forward to seeing another build of yours!

Thanks!  If you click on the pics, you can see the flickr album that shows the back (there's a rabbit in the weeds) and sides.  The roof is held on decently, as it's some swords sticking between the pins.  The pins hold together decently well, although there are a couple of them that are somewhat weak connections.  I had to replace those with others, but it may be just because I had to buy used pins.

[mccoyed]

I really dig the roof, Grover. Gives me a lot of ideas since I have A TON of technic pins in tan, gray, blue, and black. Just buckets of them. Trying to use them for roofing is just such a great idea, especially for my Yureishima builds!

[Gideon]

Interesting roof design, maybe a little too repetitive for my taste but nevertheless a great new base for thatched roofs
My favorite detail in this build is however the firewood pile!

Good background and lighting. What I could however mention is that I think your photo would look better if you took a step back and zoomed in, then vertical lines would appear more vertical and slope less to the sides. I would also recommend a slightly smaller aperture (larger f-number) and make sure that the focus is about 1/3 from the front of the build (instead of as now on the very front element of the build) to get the whole build in focus.

[Grover]

On 8/18/2018 at 12:00 AM, mccoyed said:

I really dig the roof, Grover. Gives me a lot of ideas since I have A TON of technic pins in tan, gray, blue, and black. Just buckets of them. Trying to use them for roofing is just such a great idea, especially for my Yureishima builds!

Not sure how I missed these two comments earlier!   Just saw them updating the link in the opening post.  Thanks!  I'm glad you like the roof.  I wish that they made the pieces in dark tan and a few other colors, as I think a multi-colored brown/tan/grey roof would look really interesting.  Maybe even a few olive pieces, too, but such is life.  For towns, some of the blues and reds might be interesting, too.

On 8/22/2018 at 12:59 PM, Gideon said:

Interesting roof design, maybe a little too repetitive for my taste but nevertheless a great new base for thatched roofs
My favorite detail in this build is however the firewood pile!

Good background and lighting. What I could however mention is that I think your photo would look better if you took a step back and zoomed in, then vertical lines would appear more vertical and slope less to the sides. I would also recommend a slightly smaller aperture (larger f-number) and make sure that the focus is about 1/3 from the front of the build (instead of as now on the very front element of the build) to get the whole build in focus.

Thanks!  There's 3 or 4 different patterns you can use to make these roofs, and if you interleave them, you can make the roof look more irregular.  In this case, I was aiming for making a 'new' looking roof, so I figured they wouldn't build the roof looking worn at the outset.  I may try to make a more worn looking roof from this method later and we can all see how it goes.

Glad you liked the firewood pile!  Seems to be everyone's favorite and I'm seeing it show up in a lot of builds now! lol

I tried to take some of your advice for my latest build (actually the predecessor to this in the story's chronology), although it's more of a flat build, so the lines aren't quite the same.  I think it will be more obvious in future structure builds not at the microscale level.  Adding to the f-number did help a lot, though, thanks!