From the Introduction:
Both rolls of local fabric as well as imported cloth are dyed, whatever colors are in demand, in this small workshop in town before being sold to tailors, dressmakers and other craftsmen for a hefty profit. The workshop itself is a rectangular building of moderate size, approximately 95 ft. by 80 ft. in size. With a sturdy roof, open at the front and back to allow for breeze, on top of its 20 ft. high wooden board walls.
The buildings interior is divided into two rooms. The larger of the two is the actual workshop, where the raw cloth is kept against one wall while lengths of dyed fabric are hung to dry. This room contains three basins where dyes can be mixed and the cloth is dyed as well. The other smaller room at the back of the building is the office of the master craftsman running this business. Here the master keeps the valuable dyes as well as his secret recipes for mixing colors of all hues in a heavy, locked strongbox.
The roof, its shingles and beams, as well as the walls are made from wood. Only the foundations are set in stone. Still all the boards are thick and in good repair, just like the massive beams that carry the buildings weight. All doors, the double door leading out front, the narrow back door leading to the office as well as the equally narrow door connecting office and workshop are reinforced with iron bands and set in solid door frames.