[Artemisia] Fortified Manor House Ideas?

[Raymond Zentz]

We are purchasing our new house with some of these very things in mind.

Big house, so room for friends/vassals to help defend if necessary... 
Planning a "telescope for astronomy" platform on the roof, with walls, and sandbags, which are of course only there to keep one from falling out... 
Heavy duty doors, with provision to bar them from the inside... 
Heavy duty "Shutters", to close off main floor windows, also "barrable" from the inside... 
Balcony over said doors, also walled and sandbagged, with provision for little surprises dropped on any trying to go through barred doors...
"Walls" around property, such as dense tall shrubbery, or lilacs, so it doesn't LOOK like walls. The stone walls would then be just inside the lilacs... 
A brick house is required, at least on the lower level, with clay or slate shingles (fire resistant)...  
A well, preferably inside of the house...
Stored sources of energy (wood, Propane, gasoline, etc) sufficient to withstand a siege...  
Many fire control devices, easily accessible...
Stored victuals and essentials, also sufficient for said siege...  
a variety of living alarms, some big enough to defend, as well (Rottweilers, for instance.)... 
And, of course, a variety of arms and armor, both modern and medieval, with necessary equipment for servicing, and keeping them functional and useable... 

of course, I am not going to say how many of these we already have in place...   ;-)

Padruig