Construction

Introduction
Construction is the process of creating a structure. For buildings and infrastructural elements this requires blueprints produced with the Architecture Tool and knowledge of Architecture. HOLD: For Crafting Stations, this requires patterns and specific knowledge related to the crafting skill connected to the desired station.

Structures
Structures have volume, use materials to construct them and are either erected on the spot or placed carefully.

For convenience we distinguish 3 main categories: Buildings, Infrastructure (Infrastructural Elements) and Crafting Stations.

The Buildings Category has 5 types for the purpose of this Wiki: Commercial, Industrial, Logistic, Military and Residential. See below for further explanation.

Due to their special nature, crafting stations are also considered 'furniture' and consequently also categorized as such.

Architecture & Structural Design
While there is a huge range of customization in housing, it's the architect that creates the blueprint for a building. Any shape or size building can be created, as long as it's within the field of knowledge of the architect. In order for the architect to transfer his or her designs to blueprints so construction work can be planned and executed, the architect can use the Architecture Tool. This tool is available in-game and is described on this dedicated page: Architecture Tool.

Construction
Construction is an process that involves crafters of all walks of life to work together to create the individual components of a structure and then to assemble and position them to produce a finished product.

Quality
Construction involves quite a number different skills. Imagine carpentry, masonry, glass-blowing, metal working and other disciplines all contributing to a building, depending on the complexity of the project.

It is impractical, yet not impossible, for a single person to build a house. When a character would perform all construction tasks alone, the average quality level of its components and the resulting building will be relatively low. This is caused by the fact that a single character cannot have a skill level on all related skills that can compete with characters who have specialized in their trades.

Modularity
Construction is modular in Chronicles of Elyria, and it allows players to choose different components compared to what is marked on the blueprint that is used. Different components can be of different quality in various respects, like strength, weather and wear resistance, or colour and opacity. For example, if a structure requires a wall piece, the pattern on the blueprint may call for a wooden frame. That frame can be made out of virtually any wood. However, the pattern may also call for a wood of a specific hardness or strength. In that case, it would be necessary to find a wood of correct hardness in order to complete the design.

Building types
As mentioned above we distinguish five types of buildings, dependent on their main purpose. Note that during the Kickstarter campaign buildings were divided in three types. For the purpose of this Wiki, we distinguish also buildings with specific industrial and logistical purposes. Most of these would originally also be considered 'commercial'.
 * A building is considered industrial if it holds a crafting station. Principally, industrial buildings are commercial buildings as well, as they are places where value is created. Logistical Buildings are typically used to (solely) store items or creatures (except Mann), so principally, these do not serve a direct purpose to create value, unlike the commercial and industrial buildings.
 * A commercial, industrial or logistical building may be upgraded to have a stone exterior, or add a second story. It has been confirmed that players can "live above their shop" by placing a bed/other residential furniture in this second story room.
 * The "type" of industrial building depends on the crafting station(s) it contains. Any room may contain more than one crafting station.
 * There are some standard dimensions for small, medium and large commercial/industrial/logistical buildings. These are defined for the pre-constructed buildings as mentioned below and are set at respective dimensions of 36 square meters (4m x 9m), 54 square meters (6m x 9m), and 108 square meters (12m x 9m).

Pre-Constructed Buildings
During the pre-launch game development phase, backers of the game were able to acquire in-game purchasing power to get pre-constructed buildings through their package and shop item purchases. This functions as a two-edged sword as it both helped the players shape the world and fund the realisation of the game, all in line with the spirit of the game. Players can convert this purchasing power into their own owned ready-to-use buildings during Exposition.

Just like any other building, pre-constructed buildings can be expanded later, for example to create a "multi-storefront" building or combined commercial/residential building.

For those who acquired Exposition Points and do not wish to retain the services of an architect, this remainder of this section lists the known options and their sizes.

Commercial

 * General Store
 * Guild Hall
 * Inn
 * Library
 * Tavern

Industrial

 * Alchemy Lab
 * Brewery
 * Glass Shop
 * Leatherworks
 * Map Shop
 * Masonry Shop
 * Paper Mill
 * Smithy
 * Tailor
 * Woodshop

Logistical

 * Barn
 * Stables

Military

 * Castle
 * Fortress
 * Outpost
 * Stronghold

Residential

 * Shack - 25 square meters
 * Cottage - 64 square meters
 * House - 144 square meters
 * Townhouse - 192 square meters
 * Villa - 384 square meters
 * Manor - 672 square meters

Upkeep
If you are building in an area and use the correct materials, there may be little to no upkeep in maintaining your house. However, if the wrong material is used, you may find that your house may deteriorate over time (rust, mold, cracking, or other negative effects) and should have the components replaced to more suitable materials.

This also enables players to "upgrade" their homes with higher quality components to improve overall structure (or look) of the home, players may also add onto existing homes in order to expand them as their family grows.

Trivia
Guild Halls and Stables were purchasable structures in special kits available during "Black Friday and Cyber Monday promo event".