Saga - another building in progress

As I've already posted here, my Vikings finished second in the Saga tournament held at Giga-Bites Cafe on September 13. Since they fought so hard, I was thinking about doing something nice for them (in addition to painting up the last two points of warriors) when I came across this image on Valhalla's Facebook page:

Perfect! I'd give them a hall to sit around and drink mead in, recounting the tales of their brave deeds! Inspired by the image, I began to plan the new addition to my Viking village. No doubt this will slow my already slow painting progress even more, but I think it's worth it.

This building is going to be a large hall, so it'll have a footprint about twice as large as my previous Viking dwelling. It will definitely be treated as a large building in Saga, capable of holding 12 models.

My first Viking building.

Hirdmen protect the dwelling (shown for scale).

I want it to look impressive, and have a different style of construction to the other building, to make it distinct, and mark it as Jarl Einric Stormraven's home.

I made a couple of quick sketches to get an idea of how big it should be and how it might look, and then it was time to begin construction!

Rather than wait until the building is complete, I want to post images and information as I go along.

Here's the first installment...

Step 1: Cut the MDF board to size for the base, drill holes for the supporting posts, and glue them in place. I used 1/4" dowel for the posts. Make sure that the posts are as vertical as possible, since they will mark the corners of the building.

Step 2: Begin placement of the walls between the posts. I'm using foamcore for the walls, which will be covered with wooden coffee stirrers later to represent the wooden walls of the building.

I still have not decided if I am going to make the roof removable. A lift-off roof makes it easier to show there's a unit in the building during gameplay, but it also complicates construction. I will post more photos in the coming days as I continue work on this latest project.

'Til next time!