An Invented History

The full evolution of the final design took a long time, while many of the base level concepts came through pretty quickly, a lot of the details and fine tuned features came about much more slowly.

From the start, one of the concepts that came through, was that this house needed to look like it wasn't new, but that it had evolved over a long time on some ancient estate in Europe. Over time, its rooms, and footprint on the earth would expand and change to take on the ever changing demands of its inhabitants. Layers of history occupying each new facade as they were attached.

While perhaps on the inside, these historical layers won't be readily visible, on the exterior surfaces we will provide some hints as to the ages of the various components. The older sections of the house will appear to have been made all of stone, with the newer areas utilizing more and more stucco, and the stonework getting finer, with cleaner edges. With perhaps the final layer on the house being a unifying roof, trim details, and a few other components that draw the entire house together.

Here is a first pass at an attempt to describe the evolution of the house. I'm using a photo of the model and highlighting the components of the house that are added over time.

Phase 1:
Ravenwood started out as a single large structure. It was essentially one large room that the owners used as a multiple purpose area. There was a large hearth/cooking area along the back wall, and a "loft" area that was used for storage, as well as sleeping quarters for the owners. It is important to remember that this was back in a time when normal "homes" were small, and of generally poor construction, so even though the Ravenwood of this era would appear to be rather plain and unimaginative, it actually represented a very fine and impressive structure that indicated its owners were important. Indeed, the reason it was built, was so the owners could have a large enough covered area to host meetings, dinners with important guests.
Phase 2:
It didn't take long for the owners of Ravenwood to realize that they needed to separate their sleeping/living quarters from the part of the house that had now turned into a very important meeting place. So on the opposite side of the fire-hearth they extended out and built on their bedroom chambers. By being on the backside of the stone chimmney that now vented the large fire from the main room, they were able to make use of the heat stored in the stone without having to put up with the smoke that often accompanied it. They also had their own smaller fireplace for the especially cold nights that often came in the winter.
Phase 3:
The owners had noticed in other major estates that it had become popular to have a seperate area that specialized for meal preparation. Upto now, this had simply been done in the great hall at the main fireplace. But in order to make use of this new style, the owners added a wing off of the great hall that would be the kitchen, scullery, as well as provide a sleeping area for the staff.
At this same time, some minor improvements to the rest of the house were also done to improve its overall look. The interior of the Great Hall was updated to reflect the current styles of the era, as well as some roof details and improvements.
While there had always been areas around the house where various forms of gardening had gone on, it is during this phase that a more specific garden area starts to take shape just outside the kitchen area and viewable from the Great Hall. It provides combined purposes, not only does is serve as a source of fresh herbs for the kitchen, and flowers for decoration, but it also has paths through it to provide an outdoor space to be in when the weather permits.
Phase 4:
This represents a fairly major update to Ravenwood. Two major structures are added, the stables out beyond the kitchen, and a seperate structure that is the private two story living quarters for the owners. Both of these structures are using a slightly different roofing design known as "Mansard". At this time, the pantry and laundry were added to the kitchen wing as well.
The walkway between the living quarters and the mainhouse begins to take on the appearence of a more formal garden area. Including a small patio area, some statuary, and plantings who's only purpose is to provide additional outdoor beauty.
At this time, the area behind the Great Hall that had been the main living quarters were turned into guest rooms where visitors could be housed.
Phase 5:
In what is essentially the final and perhaps most ambitious stage of Ravenwood, all of the various components are finally brought together. The Stair Tower is added as a connector between the private living quarters and the main house. The front entry way was added, as well as the "watch room" over the front entry and the small guard tower which provided access to it.
The formal garden takes on even stronger shape as its space is now fully deliniated by the Stair Tower and its covered patio area.
The Great Hall underwent major renovation as well in order to bring it up to the standards that were now found in other great houses of the period. The "loft" was totally closed up and turned into a storage area and workroom off of the "watch room".
The Gallery Hallway was added to provide an exhibit area to show off the owners collection of art and antiquities to the visitors that come by. And to this the Conservatory and Tea Room were added to provide additional spaces.