For thousands of years, humans have been awing at the beauty and mystery of castles.
Whether you love fairy tales or not, a castle has a special kind of appeal, and as humans, who doesn’t want to live in a castle?
Who does not dream of climbing a tower to overlook your land or perhaps going down into the dungeon where you keep your exercise equipment?
It might sound farfetched, but the fact of the matter is, you can build a castle. There are plenty of contractors that do it and plenty of people who want them made.
So, you are not alone in wanting to develop your very own authentic castle.
Before we can get into discussing how much building a castle would cost, we first need to discuss:
What makes a castle a castle?
People often believe that if a house has a couple of turrets, a tower, and a stone wall, it is now magically a castle, but that is not the case.
That is just a home in the style of a castle. So, what is a castle?
A castle is considered a fortified dwelling, which is primarily occupied by nobility or royalty.
The purpose of a castle was to safeguard those living inside from an enemy attack.
The castle was meant to be impenetrable and filled with resources for repelling and surviving an attack or siege.
These days we do not have to worry about a siege (as much). A security camera acts as the sentry and an alarm functions as the soldiers guarding the door.
There can be homes that look like castles with the gothic design and turrets, but that does not make them one. It is a castle if they have thick walls, murder holes, towers, and very few accessible windows.
So now that we know what makes a castle a castle, what factors affect the cost of building a castle?
- Location
When building a castle, you must first find a piece of land that you can legally build on (and if you have neighbors, they must not mind).
Once you have achieved this feat, you now need to figure out how remote the land is. The cost of moving material will depend on the remoteness of the land.
If the castle is built outside of a city, it will be much easier to transport material. If it is made in some remote mountain hours away from civilization, it will cost much more.
- Weather
The weather makes a significant difference in whether the castle can be built within a specific timeline or have a patchy schedule.
For example, if you create a castle in Norway, you want to develop in the dry months, as the rain will slow down the plan.
If you are making a castle in northeastern America, you will have to build it during spring, summer, and fall. Winter will prove to be too challenging for exterior work.
- Cost of Materials
It is not cheap to find high-quality materials for your castle. If you want to build it out of stone, it will cost more than built out of concrete or bricks.
There is also the timber option. You can make a castle with Earth and timber, but those made of stone stand the test of time.
- Cost of Labor
You cannot build a castle by yourself, so you will need to hire a team. Prices can vary, depending on who you use.
For example, if you and your buddies want to build a castle, it will be cheaper than hiring a business to do it for you (I recommend hiring a company).
The price of laborers will vary based on who you use, their reputation, and their specialty. Building a castle is a niche for some companies so that it might cost more, but the castle will look marvelous.
- Time
How much time will it take to build the castle?
Time goes hand to hand with the cost of labor, but if the castle construction lasts over many years, it might be more economically achievable.
In other words, it is building the castle little by little. If you want to make it right away, then it will cost more.
- Building Permits
You cannot just build a castle without getting a permit.
There are strict building guidelines, and for a castle, it is no different.
You will most likely hire a lawyer to help you file stacks of paperwork. Permits cost money, and so do lawyers.
- Planning and Engineering
The blueprints. Unless you are or know an engineer, you will have to hire one to help you build the castle. If you are to get a permit to build, you will have to show them that the castle will be safe and not a liability.
This could be the part of most pleasure (besides your first time walking into the finished castle), planning how your castle will look.
- Maintenance
If you have always dreamed of developing a castle, I am sure this has already crossed your mind!
This one goes without saying. Once your castle is complete, you will forever be maintaining it. You will have to either do it full time, or hire a staff to help with it.
Not to mention the cost of insuring it, electricity, and yard work.
- Size
If you wanted to build a giant castle, it would cost more than a smaller one. More enormous castles require more laborers, more liability, and more expenses in general.
What is the average cost of building a castle?
It will not be cheap to build a castle with all the factors in mind, but it is achievable.
The construction can cost $300 per square foot to $800 per square foot. Government regulation prices often fluctuate, so that will affect the overall price.
Also, remember that you will need inspectors to come out multiple times before your castle is complete.
What is the cost of building a castle based on size?
A small castle can cost anywhere between half a million USD to 3 million USD.
A medium-sized castle can cost anywhere between 3 million USD to 10 million USD.
Essentially there is no limit on how large the castle can be. A large castle can cost 10 million USD and up. To build a castle as vast as Malbork would cost billions upon billions.
So, if you are thinking about building a castle, you are looking to spend at least half a million USD. Building your dream castle fit for a king and queen is only right around the corner.