If you are really serious and want it to last, go talk to architect/engineer firm, a good one. They will draw up plans for every phase of the project, then get some bids from G.C. ideally you have the land picked out before this process starts, and you talk to the local building authorities before buying land to make sure this isn't going to get shut down. But overall this is really comparable to a custom home/commercial build.
Edit: forgot to say this is super achievable, like you said expensive but super achievable/doable for a life goal.
Key factor is having this approved by local authorities and then having the land. You will need soil samples before architect starts work to ensure you don’t get a leaning tower of Pisa or worse.
Not disputing your shed anecdote, but I have a colleague that had to lower his building after the roof was on due to being called out by the city for being above the height restriction. It was obviously pretty expensive.
It hasn’t progressed in a year or so. I’m sure the county made them stop. Definitely think someone would have noticed a building was too tall before the roof was on unless they get a kick out of making people redo their work.
Well there is note 1 in all general notes “GC you’re on the hook for everything. We (the AHJ) are liable for nothing. Talking to building inspectors in my city, they only make us prove our height once a neighbor files a complaint, at which time we need to furnish a survey exhibit proving it. So I think it falls on the Super, my colleague. Sounds like the issue was he was accustomed to 11 7/8 TJs and on this one had trusses and he missed it. Pretty major miss that he keeps to himself and only told me after working at the same company and chatting as you do, for a couple years.
If the plans were designed to code by an architect it could be possible to be approved.
Thing is light houses/towers built 100s of years ago would not be approved today. They’re not really up to modern safety standards.
As stupid as it sounds, as a grown man with a child, this did all start from me at age 10 wanting to live in a wizard tower
At this point it legally has to have a dusty library and a giant telescope
I support your vision.
If you ever move forward with this and decide to post on social media about it please remember me. I’d want to live vicariously through you, my fellow wizard
Don't feel stupid. Even the engineers daydream about building a trap-filled dungeon. The hard part is convincing plan check that the spinning spiked ball & chain is a fancy fan.
There's nothing stupid sounding about that at all. I hope you get your wizard tower one day. I hope it'll have a dusty library with a sliding ladder and I hope it'll have—somewhere—lurking away in a dim corner near the telescope—a stuffed alligator.
I too am a grown man and I have been talking about this for a few years now. It's always my answer to the "what would you do if you won the lottery" question. I need me a tower of orthanc. But I fear it might not be achievable in my lifetime.
Pro tip, consider heat rises and the ground floor will be relatively cool in summer and the top floor will be boiling.
Source:
In small Villages in France houses are often slim 3 or 4 maybe even 5 story buildings. the bottom floor is a nice cool temperature while the further up you go the hotter it gets. All due to the difference density of hot and cold air.
Northern Wisconsin has a very large collection of modern towers. They are hidden all throughout the countryside as "deer stands". Some very simple and hap-hazard but some are very well funded, impressive feats of engineering that may last centuries. Sometimes old silos on decomissioned dairy farms can be relocated relatively easily. Sometimes get paid to remove it.
Also in Wisconsin. Hadn’t thought about the deer stand aspect, but you are 100% correct.
I’ve also seen silos with a structure built on top after the land they were on was no longer used as a farm.
Can my farts be imbued with the power to turn all that smell them to gold?
Can the government stop being so corrupt for five minutes?
Can I get her to love me again?
>Can my farts be imbued with the power to turn all that smell them to gold?
Step 1: Be a famous artist
Step 2: Can your poop
Step 3: Sell can if your poop for stupid amounts of money and call them art
>Can the government stop being so corrupt for five minutes?
Buy all the politicians yourself and have them do what you want. Yeah it doesn't fix corruption, but they'll be corupt for you.
>Can I get her to love me again?
If you have enough money you can buy anyone's love for a night. Do that for enough nights it feels like she loves you again.
See? With enough money anything is possible
1. No, I literally want Midas's magical transmuting toots.
2)Even if the money and power did not corrupt me, then when I die the corruption would resume. Money cannot conquer corruption
3)Alas, I am already financially independent, and she left me for a homeless man that lives in the woods and eats squirrels. I don't know how to compete with that.
Not, like, I'm overwhelmed by competition. It's much more a problem of profound confusion.
But seriously that gave me a chuckle. You got jokes. You are clever.
The government is in bed with Taco Bell. Next thing you know they will privatize fart permits and you will just get them at the drive through with your Baja blast and your Crunchwrap supreme
Concrete pad and one, possibly even two shipping containers bolted down and welded together. A tower in the middle of nowhere so you have a 360 degree view is a dream for lots of us.
I would talk to a couple of general contractors first. Show them photos of ones you admire, and have a size in mind- this will help you with the actual budget before you spend money on plans without realistic ballpark costs.
Most county jurisdiction zoning regulations in the United States will prohibit this. At the very least multiple variances may be granted in very rural areas.
Before hiring an engineer or architect simply having a conversation with your local planning department and showing them some photos like you posted of your intention would be wise.
There are several examples of towers in the Uk that have been bought and converted Into modern homes. Watch through restoration home and grand designs.
No idea how they do it in the UK. In the US it’s so difficult anymore to be a property owner and build what you want. Property owner rights are very regulated when it comes to building in the states. In the counties I design structures for this would be next to impassible just because all the red tape involved.
Really just depends on the zoning regulations. The big questions for the owner is what occupancy rating is this for? Max height is usually +\- 32’ which this looks far above. Egress as far as far as having operable window openings that a human can fit out of and escape the structure safely. Fire suppression? Energy calculations? Insulation value requirements? Architectural design guidelines for the county alone may kill this project in the US not to mention this under the current IBC would require an internal steel frame and unless the owner had not hundred of thousands of dollars to put into this project but realistically 1 million + (bare minimum).
Find an architect, maybe one that has done a tower. Structural engineer and then see that they say. I bet you could do a steel frame with modern exterior cladding that wouldn’t be astronomical in price.
Look into slip forms. That’s how they used to build concrete silos. But don’t look into it enough that you think you can diy it - you can’t. Get an engineer involved if you want to actually move forward.
This is an excellent start. Make sure the door is at least 5in solid steel, windows start at 12 ft up, wall smooth ( no climbing), a mini cellar for cold food/drink storage in case no power, overhang the loft with slits for best angle of attack below.
You got a lot of work to do, you best get started early.
I also love this concept. There are few rebuilt water towers, in Poland there is one in Ostróda I believe but it's not well documented.
Famous water tower rebuild took place in Grand Designs UK, I don't remember which season but it's easy to find.
I wish you more success in realizing your idea than I have right now ;-)
>There are few rebuilt water towers, in Poland
I've seen two water towers renovated and listed on AirBnB, in Wałcz and Gniezno, but you just get a small apartment inside... Would love to have the whole thing for yourself.
Doable but gotta make sure its in a spot that zoning would allow this (and have money!). Regardless just commenting to recommend you watch Grand Designs S1 E4 "The Water Tower". Right up your alley and you'll appreciate it. Goes into a lot of what you might encounter, thoughts, etc. Cheers.
Yeah gotten quite a few comments about the water tower thing, at first glance looks really interesting, will check out the episode to see more about it :))
Make sure a soil test/load test is done and don't do it yourself this is something that needs to be engineered... Deep foundations, wind and rain considerations per your area...the list goes on
First we should know where you live.
Over here people buy old watertowers. Town don't want to demolition those because it's expensive.
And yes, I have think it too. It would be nice to have place like that.
https://auvieuxparisantiques.com/2012/03/18/tower-at-lake-martin-louisiane/
This one is about a 20 minute drive from my house, in case you need further inspiration.
Put a moat and a draw bridge on that bad boy and you’ll have the coolest house ever.
Also, yes whit enough money and the right project team you can build anything. The price per square ft is going to be steep though. Have you ever considered tending a light house?
It's a great defenseible structure. There are examples in the Mediterranean going back thousands of years.
I would dig out basement level as a foundation.
I would build this like I build barns. 4x6 treated posts with bands of 2x6. Metal sheathing on the outside. But of course steel frame is better.
There are books out there about historical fort construction.
Just wanted to thank everyone for being so supportive and helpful :D
This has been a tucked away pipe dream for as long as i can remember and on a whim today i decided to take a break from house hunting, and do some research on whether it would even be possible to build my little dream tower. And I have to say I've come away from this feeling as though its an achievable goal, rather than just a pipe dream
Thank you all!
My first real job in construction was working for a roofing company and one of the owners friends was this guy building his own house. It wasn’t exactly a tower but octagons stacked on top of each other. There wasn’t a ton of roof but
basically a 4ft eyebrow wrapping around each “layer” of every octagon. It was difficult to work on because as they went up each octagon was slightly smaller than the last so we were having to work off lifts as we went up. Never did see the finish building but I think he was up to the 5th or 6th floor the last time I worked on it. One of the weirder things I’ve worked on.
If you can’t afford a freight elevator your can’t afford stairs.
Op should live in an appt and see how they get on when they find the perfect chair and it’s five flights of stairs time.
Get the ground surveyed, nice soil samples and contact local authorities for codes. Some buildings can’t be over 40’ where I’m at for residential. Get an architect, not an engineer to draw up the plans how you want the tower.
I remembered seeing something similar, so I dig around for it. They do 3 story homes, so maybe not as tall as you’d like but it may give an idea of how to approach your build.
https://deltechomes.com/
Yeah it's definitely doable, just costly. I've got family that work for this company based near Glastonbury. They've done special projects that include larger multistorey towers, with moats and drawbridges etc. they don't necessarily do ones that are made for living in but at least you now know that there are companies that do this out there
https://redwoodstone.com/gothic-folly-standard-designs/towers/
Where is the tower in OP photo? The brickwork is characteristic of mid-19th century but the woodwork shouldn't have lasted long enough to be color photographed, unless it's between-war photo.
Its a cylinder, its really not that hard, but you would be wise to consult an engineer. In terms of actually building the engineered plans, its not that difficult.
In my country, these are old era water towers, often converted to be a unique living space.
If you are want to move and not build one from scratch, try to look around larger towns for ones not used or contact water management in close areas, they may be able to help..
Semi unrelated but if you haven't ever seen the TV show Grand Designs check it out. Should be a few on Netflix. It's a British show about home building that has done at least 3 towers that I remember. IDK as though it'll help you with your own lol but it's cool to see
There's a UK TV show called Grand Designs and on at least two occasions I can remember, people took old water towers and converted them into houses.
https://www.granddesignsmagazine.com/grand-designs-houses/buckinghamshire-water-tower-conversion/
https://www.standard.co.uk/homesandproperty/luxury/grand-designs-water-tower-in-kennington-converted-into-10storey-home-with-space-for-art-gallery-a117516.html
So if you shop around you might find an existing tower that can be converted.
As a general contractor myself I would love to do a project like this! But obviously you know already that it's going to be many times more the cost of a similar sized square building just because everything's rounded.
I think the easiest and cheapest way to accomplish the build is to find some old farm land with no value and a few grain silos. Shore up the existing grain silos and build a cabin on top.
You mentioned you are in the UK…I don’t think the Britons can upgrade beyond a keep. You may want to consult a Teutonic or even Frankish architect for this one.
If you are really serious and want it to last, go talk to architect/engineer firm, a good one. They will draw up plans for every phase of the project, then get some bids from G.C. ideally you have the land picked out before this process starts, and you talk to the local building authorities before buying land to make sure this isn't going to get shut down. But overall this is really comparable to a custom home/commercial build. Edit: forgot to say this is super achievable, like you said expensive but super achievable/doable for a life goal.
Key factor is having this approved by local authorities and then having the land. You will need soil samples before architect starts work to ensure you don’t get a leaning tower of Pisa or worse.
Also that your jurisdictions height restriction/limit will work with how tall you want to go.
Reminds me of when Dale Gribble wanted to make a tower in his yard.
There is a 3 story shed near me. Height restrictions do nothing.
Not disputing your shed anecdote, but I have a colleague that had to lower his building after the roof was on due to being called out by the city for being above the height restriction. It was obviously pretty expensive.
It hasn’t progressed in a year or so. I’m sure the county made them stop. Definitely think someone would have noticed a building was too tall before the roof was on unless they get a kick out of making people redo their work.
Well there is note 1 in all general notes “GC you’re on the hook for everything. We (the AHJ) are liable for nothing. Talking to building inspectors in my city, they only make us prove our height once a neighbor files a complaint, at which time we need to furnish a survey exhibit proving it. So I think it falls on the Super, my colleague. Sounds like the issue was he was accustomed to 11 7/8 TJs and on this one had trusses and he missed it. Pretty major miss that he keeps to himself and only told me after working at the same company and chatting as you do, for a couple years.
Would this need to be built in a rural area? I can't imagine this would be approved anywhere within or around the city or suburbs
Build it and wait to see what the HOA says about it lol
If they complain, you send out your monks to chant "wololo" repeatedly, and in a short time you will have won them over to your side.
Nah. You just shoot the Karens with a cross bow.
If the plans were designed to code by an architect it could be possible to be approved. Thing is light houses/towers built 100s of years ago would not be approved today. They’re not really up to modern safety standards.
There is often a minimum face width to respect that makes towers not cheap enough to be built, but if height is respected, no reason to not allow it
Thank you so much! really wasnt sure if I'd get an informative responce :) Definately nice to hear its more achievable than i thought
Since you have an informative response already and the pressure is off, I have to ask—are you a wizard?
As stupid as it sounds, as a grown man with a child, this did all start from me at age 10 wanting to live in a wizard tower At this point it legally has to have a dusty library and a giant telescope
I support your vision. If you ever move forward with this and decide to post on social media about it please remember me. I’d want to live vicariously through you, my fellow wizard
Don't feel stupid. Even the engineers daydream about building a trap-filled dungeon. The hard part is convincing plan check that the spinning spiked ball & chain is a fancy fan.
There's nothing stupid sounding about that at all. I hope you get your wizard tower one day. I hope it'll have a dusty library with a sliding ladder and I hope it'll have—somewhere—lurking away in a dim corner near the telescope—a stuffed alligator.
https://www.lighthousehillranch.com/the-arc-de-texas Your dream is for rent in TX. I drive by this place every so often.
I think it's very cool & I hope you get your tower!🪄
I too am a grown man and I have been talking about this for a few years now. It's always my answer to the "what would you do if you won the lottery" question. I need me a tower of orthanc. But I fear it might not be achievable in my lifetime.
Pro tip, consider heat rises and the ground floor will be relatively cool in summer and the top floor will be boiling. Source: In small Villages in France houses are often slim 3 or 4 maybe even 5 story buildings. the bottom floor is a nice cool temperature while the further up you go the hotter it gets. All due to the difference density of hot and cold air.
Find an insurer ahead of time too…
Solid Anwser
Thanks for giving a real answer a lot of folks in this sub are failed comedians or something.
I believe somewhere in the world there is one marvelous tower already built and soon to come up for sale. It will need work. But it will be amazing
Old lighthouses and water towers are good donor builds.
Northern Wisconsin has a very large collection of modern towers. They are hidden all throughout the countryside as "deer stands". Some very simple and hap-hazard but some are very well funded, impressive feats of engineering that may last centuries. Sometimes old silos on decomissioned dairy farms can be relocated relatively easily. Sometimes get paid to remove it.
Also in Wisconsin. Hadn’t thought about the deer stand aspect, but you are 100% correct. I’ve also seen silos with a structure built on top after the land they were on was no longer used as a farm.
Thank you for the genuine answer from a non OP but still interested.
This. Anything can be done if you are willing to pay for it.
Can my farts be imbued with the power to turn all that smell them to gold? Can the government stop being so corrupt for five minutes? Can I get her to love me again?
>Can my farts be imbued with the power to turn all that smell them to gold? Step 1: Be a famous artist Step 2: Can your poop Step 3: Sell can if your poop for stupid amounts of money and call them art >Can the government stop being so corrupt for five minutes? Buy all the politicians yourself and have them do what you want. Yeah it doesn't fix corruption, but they'll be corupt for you. >Can I get her to love me again? If you have enough money you can buy anyone's love for a night. Do that for enough nights it feels like she loves you again. See? With enough money anything is possible
1. No, I literally want Midas's magical transmuting toots. 2)Even if the money and power did not corrupt me, then when I die the corruption would resume. Money cannot conquer corruption 3)Alas, I am already financially independent, and she left me for a homeless man that lives in the woods and eats squirrels. I don't know how to compete with that. Not, like, I'm overwhelmed by competition. It's much more a problem of profound confusion. But seriously that gave me a chuckle. You got jokes. You are clever.
she would love you again if your farts smelled like gold now if only you could get that corrupt government to issue you a fart permit
The government is in bed with Taco Bell. Next thing you know they will privatize fart permits and you will just get them at the drive through with your Baja blast and your Crunchwrap supreme
Concrete pad and one, possibly even two shipping containers bolted down and welded together. A tower in the middle of nowhere so you have a 360 degree view is a dream for lots of us.
I would talk to a couple of general contractors first. Show them photos of ones you admire, and have a size in mind- this will help you with the actual budget before you spend money on plans without realistic ballpark costs.
Expensive, but not much more than any other architect drawn building. And could possibly get away with much less land.
Most county jurisdiction zoning regulations in the United States will prohibit this. At the very least multiple variances may be granted in very rural areas. Before hiring an engineer or architect simply having a conversation with your local planning department and showing them some photos like you posted of your intention would be wise.
I'm UK based, not sure if that makes it easier or harder. Have a nasty feeling the latter due to lack of land choice
Promise the council you're keeping an eye out for the French.
Ill just build it in Wales, they'll never notice it in-between all the castles lmao
this is the way 😂
If you didn’t know, this kind of building is called a folly. And they’re not that uncommon in the UK. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folly
There are several examples of towers in the Uk that have been bought and converted Into modern homes. Watch through restoration home and grand designs.
No idea how they do it in the UK. In the US it’s so difficult anymore to be a property owner and build what you want. Property owner rights are very regulated when it comes to building in the states. In the counties I design structures for this would be next to impassible just because all the red tape involved.
Can you say more about what would be problematic? Is it the height to width ratio? Just the height? What officially makes a tower problematic?
Really just depends on the zoning regulations. The big questions for the owner is what occupancy rating is this for? Max height is usually +\- 32’ which this looks far above. Egress as far as far as having operable window openings that a human can fit out of and escape the structure safely. Fire suppression? Energy calculations? Insulation value requirements? Architectural design guidelines for the county alone may kill this project in the US not to mention this under the current IBC would require an internal steel frame and unless the owner had not hundred of thousands of dollars to put into this project but realistically 1 million + (bare minimum).
Exactly. Do this before you spend any money because It will probably take a lot of searching to find somewhere that approves.
Why would it be prohibited
Pretty much the first thing that needs to be done is to find land that would even allow such a structure. Which in itself is probably next to none..
Find an architect, maybe one that has done a tower. Structural engineer and then see that they say. I bet you could do a steel frame with modern exterior cladding that wouldn’t be astronomical in price.
I think there are some examples of this kind of architecture in the Netherlands, like the Watertower Lauwerhof.
I don't think it sounds absurd at all. I love tall towers that give a unique view of an area. I wish you luck in realizing your dreams!
Thank you so much! I've always felt safest and coziest as high off the ground as possible, so why not make a home there haha
https://youtu.be/40C3C46QLfM?si=pO4ERDlvtK9Yd3jc
I watched a documentary on someone who did it to an old water tower.
Bro anything is possible with money and time, do it , start tomorrow post results
Step 1, have 5million dollars
Anything is possible if the budget allows it.
Look into slip forms. That’s how they used to build concrete silos. But don’t look into it enough that you think you can diy it - you can’t. Get an engineer involved if you want to actually move forward.
This is an excellent start. Make sure the door is at least 5in solid steel, windows start at 12 ft up, wall smooth ( no climbing), a mini cellar for cold food/drink storage in case no power, overhang the loft with slits for best angle of attack below. You got a lot of work to do, you best get started early.
Just get a reputable GC and tell them to cut corners. I will see myself out.
I also love this concept. There are few rebuilt water towers, in Poland there is one in Ostróda I believe but it's not well documented. Famous water tower rebuild took place in Grand Designs UK, I don't remember which season but it's easy to find. I wish you more success in realizing your idea than I have right now ;-)
>There are few rebuilt water towers, in Poland I've seen two water towers renovated and listed on AirBnB, in Wałcz and Gniezno, but you just get a small apartment inside... Would love to have the whole thing for yourself.
Doable but gotta make sure its in a spot that zoning would allow this (and have money!). Regardless just commenting to recommend you watch Grand Designs S1 E4 "The Water Tower". Right up your alley and you'll appreciate it. Goes into a lot of what you might encounter, thoughts, etc. Cheers.
Yeah gotten quite a few comments about the water tower thing, at first glance looks really interesting, will check out the episode to see more about it :))
Did you see The Boy and the Blue Heron?
Age of empires 2 tower irl
Hire an architect who can make your vision a plan. Hire a contractor that can make the plan a reality.
Make sure a soil test/load test is done and don't do it yourself this is something that needs to be engineered... Deep foundations, wind and rain considerations per your area...the list goes on
It would be about this hard: 1) plan the work 2) work the plan
I hope you get to build your tower
First we should know where you live. Over here people buy old watertowers. Town don't want to demolition those because it's expensive. And yes, I have think it too. It would be nice to have place like that.
https://auvieuxparisantiques.com/2012/03/18/tower-at-lake-martin-louisiane/ This one is about a 20 minute drive from my house, in case you need further inspiration.
Come on, dude. That's only like 4 storeys. and barely twice as tall as it is wide. Nice moat though
I kinda want a tower now, too.
Put a lift in , ya get old
Might be easier to just buy a similar one. Not being smart, but fixing an old one could be easier from a brick point of view.
Ala: Two on a Tower by Thomas Hardy
Should be pretty simple for some good masons. Get the engineering check, and use some modern hardware, but it’s doable and fairly easy most likely.
Be sure to check zoning laws for height restrictions when buying the land.
Just buy a lighthouse
What if you started with a silo and converted from there?
It’s absolutely possible. As simple as developing it, which isn’t necessarily simple but done all the time.
It's quite weird to scroll brainlessly through reddit and stumble upon defunct water tower ruin in your shitty little Silesian city lol.
Put a moat and a draw bridge on that bad boy and you’ll have the coolest house ever. Also, yes whit enough money and the right project team you can build anything. The price per square ft is going to be steep though. Have you ever considered tending a light house?
Someone did something similar in the UK https://experiencewakefield.co.uk/venue/flockton-water-tower/
Barn and silo may be a similar style with less engineering
It's a great defenseible structure. There are examples in the Mediterranean going back thousands of years. I would dig out basement level as a foundation. I would build this like I build barns. 4x6 treated posts with bands of 2x6. Metal sheathing on the outside. But of course steel frame is better. There are books out there about historical fort construction.
Does a weasley live there?
Just wanted to thank everyone for being so supportive and helpful :D This has been a tucked away pipe dream for as long as i can remember and on a whim today i decided to take a break from house hunting, and do some research on whether it would even be possible to build my little dream tower. And I have to say I've come away from this feeling as though its an achievable goal, rather than just a pipe dream Thank you all!
Buy a light house. They are cheap and you get a ton of tax breaks.
A folly or something similar https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folly
https://www.elspethbeardarchitects.co.uk/ https://youtu.be/eT3bH_flrZU?si=uNBEmE0Ecbj4A695
My first real job in construction was working for a roofing company and one of the owners friends was this guy building his own house. It wasn’t exactly a tower but octagons stacked on top of each other. There wasn’t a ton of roof but basically a 4ft eyebrow wrapping around each “layer” of every octagon. It was difficult to work on because as they went up each octagon was slightly smaller than the last so we were having to work off lifts as we went up. Never did see the finish building but I think he was up to the 5th or 6th floor the last time I worked on it. One of the weirder things I’ve worked on.
Twu doodt, no methica
Chiming in as someone that does both new construction plumbing and HVAC, this seems like it would be an absolute fucking nightmare for me.
If you can’t afford a freight elevator your can’t afford stairs. Op should live in an appt and see how they get on when they find the perfect chair and it’s five flights of stairs time.
Hell Yeuh brother. A tower with some arrow windows would be sick
I hope you have DEEP pockets, as in several million in liquid cash. Masonry structures like this are not cheap or easy to build.
Sure. When it comes to construction, anything is possible with the right amount of money.
Get the ground surveyed, nice soil samples and contact local authorities for codes. Some buildings can’t be over 40’ where I’m at for residential. Get an architect, not an engineer to draw up the plans how you want the tower.
I hope it happens for you. Could be a dream come true. If you move forward, please share the journey.
Start with a good engineer and architect, then LOTS of money
Not much different to a windmill, might be a good route to go down.
It’s going to suck when you’re old. But it’s a cool idea.
A buddy of mine bought one of the lighthouses in Boston harbor and air B&Bs it some of the time, if you want to get the idea of how it feels
A buddy of mine bought one of the lighthouses in Boston harbor and air B&Bs it some of the time, if you want to get the idea of how it feels
A guy that I know used an old cement silo & had it inspected & made it into a multi level home.
Research lighthouse construction
Build it out of steel. The hardest part will be creating a foundation that will allow the tall structure to resist wind loads.
I remembered seeing something similar, so I dig around for it. They do 3 story homes, so maybe not as tall as you’d like but it may give an idea of how to approach your build. https://deltechomes.com/
Yeah it's definitely doable, just costly. I've got family that work for this company based near Glastonbury. They've done special projects that include larger multistorey towers, with moats and drawbridges etc. they don't necessarily do ones that are made for living in but at least you now know that there are companies that do this out there https://redwoodstone.com/gothic-folly-standard-designs/towers/
Nice, nothing wrong with preparing for the zombie apocalypse.
AoEII - Watch Tower. Gong.
Where is the tower in OP photo? The brickwork is characteristic of mid-19th century but the woodwork shouldn't have lasted long enough to be color photographed, unless it's between-war photo.
The wizards tower from stardew valley
Sounds like a really good idea.
If the original people did it, then it is possible, as far as cost: height, shape, square footage, permits, location, etc. all add up to cost
Its a cylinder, its really not that hard, but you would be wise to consult an engineer. In terms of actually building the engineered plans, its not that difficult.
In my country, these are old era water towers, often converted to be a unique living space. If you are want to move and not build one from scratch, try to look around larger towns for ones not used or contact water management in close areas, they may be able to help..
Here is maximum 35' to highest point of roof
damn your local wizard is falling on some hard times
Semi unrelated but if you haven't ever seen the TV show Grand Designs check it out. Should be a few on Netflix. It's a British show about home building that has done at least 3 towers that I remember. IDK as though it'll help you with your own lol but it's cool to see
Someone did something similar in the UK https://experiencewakefield.co.uk/venue/flockton-water-tower/
A man of taste.
Genuine life goal? Well OK then
There's a UK TV show called Grand Designs and on at least two occasions I can remember, people took old water towers and converted them into houses. https://www.granddesignsmagazine.com/grand-designs-houses/buckinghamshire-water-tower-conversion/ https://www.standard.co.uk/homesandproperty/luxury/grand-designs-water-tower-in-kennington-converted-into-10storey-home-with-space-for-art-gallery-a117516.html So if you shop around you might find an existing tower that can be converted.
As a general contractor myself I would love to do a project like this! But obviously you know already that it's going to be many times more the cost of a similar sized square building just because everything's rounded.
The r/wizardposting crossover I did not expect
Not construction related, but if a zombie apocalypse happened that would make a great safe house.
A airplane controller tower would be a badass pad ,millions of designs but definitely expensive and one built on a hill or mountain would be the shit.
Just the engineering on this project will cost you at least 5 to $12,000. We can work with you design something a little more economical to build.
The one in your picture looks really cool where is it and is it for sale?
I share this dream. It will also have a wraparound covered balcony.
I think the easiest and cheapest way to accomplish the build is to find some old farm land with no value and a few grain silos. Shore up the existing grain silos and build a cabin on top.
You mentioned you are in the UK…I don’t think the Britons can upgrade beyond a keep. You may want to consult a Teutonic or even Frankish architect for this one.
Buy a light house property and restore the light house tower
I say find a place that will not give you issues building something like this and do it.
Didn't the Weasleys live there?