One building can be constructed on each acre of barren land, and each helps your settlement in some way. All buildings cost drachmae and lumber to construct, and each building costs the same amount. Building costs rise as your settlement gets larger. Homes are the primary places where you house your villagers and military, but it's important to note that all non-home buildings house 10 villagers or military troops in addition to their functionality listed below.

Every non-home building can employ 15 villagers, each of which will pay you 5 drachmae per hour in taxes. Each non-home building also provides your settlement with some other benefit. Shops boost your income, farms provide your villagers and military with food, watch towers improve your settlement's defenses, etc.

Academies - Increase your settlement's overall offensive power by 2.5% for every 1% of your total land that they occupy. For example, if you had Academies on 5% of your land, your settlement would receive a 12.5% offensive power bonus.

Docks - Allow for the construction of biremes (each dock can initially hold 3 biremes) and provide food from fishing for the villagers of your settlement and your military troops. Each dock provides 30 bushels of food every hour (50 bushels of food every hour if your settlement is located on an island).

Farms - Provide food for the villagers of your settlement and your military. Each farm produces 100 bushels of food every hour. Each villager and military troop eats one bushel of food every hour.

Homes - Where your villagers and military live. Each home houses 35 villagers or military troops.

Shops - Improve the exchange rate at the market by 3% for every 1% of your total land that they occupy (to a maximum of a 150% increase in the exchange rate). For example, if you had Shops on 2.5% of your land, you would receive a 7.5% better exchange rate at the market. Each shop also generates income for your settlement, providing you with 100 drachmae every hour.

Watch Towers - Increase your settlement's overall defensive power by 2.5% for every 1% of your total land that they occupy. For example, if you had Watch Towers on 5% of your land, your settlement would receive a 12.5% defensive power bonus.