Originally Posted by t walgamuth

... but i have heard similar stories about how the width of rail road tracks go all the way back to the roman times and is in fact the width of a two wheel ox cart. (that one i beleive)

i dont know about medieval england but i do know about what i have found in this country. in older structures with wooden lath and plaster, it is dicey business driving a nail in the wall because the stud spacing can be anything from 8" to 33" more or less. you really dont get into precise locations of wood framing until the introduction of standardized sheet goods such as 4 x 8 plywood and drywall. in order to avoid cutting each and every piece of material so that you can nail the ends to a board (and, structurally this is essential) you have to maintain precise spacing that works with the 8' dimension. so 6", 8", 12", 16" and 24" all will work. 16" is by far the most common for floors and walls. 16" and 24" are the most common for roofs.

in older buildigs also, you can find many examples of walls that are not plumb and rooms that are not square (in the corners). i have seen rooms that are nearly a foot longer one side than the other.

folks say "they don't build them like the used to" and in many cases that is a good thing.

tom w