Building a Castle From Beauty and the Beast

I was tasked with designing and building a set piece for a show called Beauty and the Beast. More specifically, the team asked me to design and build something that resembled the inside of a castle with two staircases coming together and merging in the middle. This wasn't going to be an easy task, but we came up with some sketches and found a reference image. We came to the conclusion that the set should look similar to the reference image and one of the sketches. Then, I began designing it on Fusion 360.

Reference Image: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/367606388312054109/

To actually build this set piece in real life, you will need the following:

1. (x70) 10 ft 2x4s
2. (x16) 4x8 ft Sheets of Plywood
3. (x1000) 3.5 in T25 Torx Flat-Head Wood Deck Screw
4. (x1) Miter Saw
5. (x1) Circular Saw
6. (x1) Table Saw
7. (x1) Drill with T25 Bit + Pre-Drill Bit
8. (x1) Speed Square
9. (x1) Measuring Tape

Some additional supplies I used for the planning of this project are the following:

1. Fusion 360
2. Foam Sheets
3. Scissors
4. Exacto Knife
5. Architectural Scale Ruler
6. Hot Glue Gun
7. Gaff Tape

Even before I started the CAD model, I created a scale model of the castle to solidify the design I had in my head. Despite not considering the steps it would actually take to build the castle while building this prototype, it helped me finalize the design and look of the castle. After creating this validation prototype, I moved on to figuring out how to make this castle a reality.

The castle is made up of five main subassemblies: 2 pillars, the middle section, the left middle section, and the right middle section. The pillars and left/right middle sections are identical on both sides. When designing this CAD model, I made sure to consider that actors would be standing on top of the castle. I also made sure to make all the parts different colors to be able to easily differentiate between each part.

After I finalized the CAD model, I created a set of instructions with dimensions and pictures using Google Docs to help me build the castle in real life without the need to refer back to my laptop several times (since I am working in a dusty environment). The steps onwards will guide you on how you can make the castle in real life, like I did. Also note the slight difference in the images of the CAD models above. The image on the very left had some slight changes to the middle section because I decided to reuse platforms we already had built in the shop that were the perfect size. But for you at home, the images on the right would be the most relevant because they build the middle section from scratch.

These are the names of the subassembly framing (the framing that makes up the five main subassemblies), which will be referred to in the full castle assembly instructions. Also note, Part G is just 2x4s that add additional support to the bottom of the center units.

This section provides the dimensions of the pillar support and describes how to build it.

Instructions:

1. Cut three 2x4s to 48 inches.
2. Cut two 2x4s to 27.314 inches.
3. Cut the previous 2x4 at a 67.5॰ angle using the miter saw.
4. Measure the short side of the 2x4, it should be 24 inches.
5. Attach the vertical stud to the previous 2x4. Make sure that the edge of the stud sits flush with the short corner of the 2x4.
6. Repeat 16 times.

This section provides the dimensions of the pillar floor joist and describes how to build it.

Instructions:

1. Cut eight 2x4 to 27.314 inches.
2. Cut each 2x4 at a 67.5॰ angle using the miter saw.
3. Measure the short side of the 2x4, it should be 25.657 inches.
4. Connect all eight 2x4 to make an octagon.
5. Cut three 2x4 to 61.941 inches.
6. Cut six 2x4 to 18.142 inches.
7. Cut six 2x4 to 9.828 inches.
8. Assemble in the pattern as shown in the exploded view above.
9. Repeat 2 times.

This section provides the dimensions of the center unit front panel and describes how to build it.

Instructions:

1. Cut two 2x4s to 62 inches.
2. Cut four 2x4s to 36.75 inches.
3. Attach the 2x4 as shown in the exploded view above and space out each stud 18 inches apart.
4. Repeat 4 times.

This section provides the dimensions of the center unit floor joist and describes how to build it.

Instructions:

1. Cut two 2x4s to 62 inches.
2. Cut four 2x4s to 42.188 inches.
3. Attach the 2x4 as shown in the exploded view above and space out each stud 18 inches apart.

This section provides the dimensions of the left and right unit back and describes how to build it.

Instructions:

1. Cut two 2x4s to 81.03 inches.
2. Cut each 2x4 at a 135॰ angle using the miter saw.
3. Measure the short side of the 2x4, it should be 77.03 inches.
4. Cut four 2x4s to 36.75 inches.
5. Attach the 2x4 as shown in the exploded view above and space out each stud 18 inches apart.
6. Repeat 2 times.

This section provides the dimensions of the left and right unit floor joist and describes how to build it.

Instructions:

1. Cut one 2x4 to 81.03 inches.
2. Cut the 2x4 at a 45॰ angle using the miter saw and cut wood vertically.
3. Measure the short side of the 2x4, it should be 79.003 inches.
4. Cut four 2x4s to 42.188 inches.
5. Cut one 2x4 to 62 inches.
6. Attach the 2x4 as shown in the exploded view above and space out each stud 18 inches apart.
7. Repeat 2 times.

This section provides the dimensions of the 2x4 supports at the bottom of the center units and describes how to build them.

Instructions:

1. Cut one 2x4 to 38.19 inches using the miter saw.
2. Repeat 6 times.

This section provides the dimensions of the front stairs and describes how to build them.

Instructions:

1. Cut twenty-two 2x4s to 28.875 inches using the miter saw.
2. Cut out a 60x32-inch sheet of plywood using the table saw.
3. Cut the 60x32-inch sheet of plywood following the stair stringer dimensions above with an 8-inch rise and 15-inch run using the circular saw.
4. Repeat steps 2-3 three times.
5. Attach the three stringers together using the 2x4s cut out in step 1. Place three of them on the bottom of each side, then place them at the front and back of each run.

This section provides the dimensions of the rear stairs and describes how to build them.

Instructions:

1. Cut eleven 2x4s to 28.875 inches using the miter saw.
2. Cut out a 60x32-inch sheet of plywood using the table saw.
3. Cut the 60x32-inch sheet of plywood following the stair stringer dimensions above with an 8-inch rise and 15-inch run using the circular saw.
4. Repeat steps 2-3 two times.
5. Attach the two stringers together using the 2x4s cut out in step 1. Place three of them on the bottom of each side, then place them at the front and back of each run.
6. Repeat 2 times.

This section provides instructions on how to assemble the previous parts together to form the castle pillars.

1. Create an octagon using Part A.
2. Place Part B on top of the octagon formed.
3. Repeat 2 times to create both pillars.

This section provides instructions on how to assemble the previous parts together to form the left unit of the castle.

1. Place Parts C and E parallel to one another and attach them using x2 Part G.
2. Place Part F on top of the rectangular prism.

This section provides instructions on how to assemble the previous parts together to form the right unit of the castle.

1. Place Parts C and E parallel to one another and attach them using x2 Part G.
2. Place Part F on top of the rectangular prism.

This section provides instructions on how to assemble the previous parts together to form the center unit of the castle.

1. Place x2 Part C parallel to one another and attach them using x2 Part G.
2. Place Part D on top of the rectangular prism.

This section provides instructions on how to assemble the previous assemblies together to form the full castle.

1. Lay out the units as shown in the image above and connect them together.

Now, you have fully built the castle's framing. All that is left to be done is to cover everything with the appropriately sized plywood. I would do this by placing the plywood in front of the sections that need to be covered and using a pencil to outline where it needs to be cut. Alternatively, you could measure each section and create an outline based on that.

Following these exact steps, I built the castle, and the team painted it to make it look like a castle from Beauty and the Beast. We also decided to add custom railing to the top of the castle to make it look more castle-like and to prevent people from falling. I hope you guys enjoyed reading this process as much as I did while building it! I also included a PDF version of the instructions if you ever want to build this yourself!