One of the major goals in constructing this castle was maintaining historical accuracy. We used Bodiam castle as a model in part because the entire castle was built at one time. Most castles were built over centuries, with elements ranging from the Norman invasion to the Tudor period. These different styles make it difficult to maintain a consistent style of construction in reproductions.
The castle is divided into "period sections" and "modern sections", so that we can suspend our disbelief when we want to, but still live comfortably. The appearance of the construction and all of the furnishings within the period sections of the house have been researched and are documentable within 50 years of 1385AD, in Great Britain.
There are two basic philosophies of castle reconstruction: authenticity of style, and authenticity of materials. (There is also inclusion of select elements, like a single round tower in an otherwise modern house, but that is not really "reproduction".) Ideally, one would have authenticity of both style and materials, but that is prohibitively expensive. We have chosen authenticity of style as our primary goal. The castle is made of wood framing with a cast stone veneer. Portions of the towers and parapet are designed to hold weight, so that (for example) archers can shoot from the towers.
The best way to understand castle construction is to see the ruins in person. But books are a more practical second best. Here are some of the reference texts that we have used to better understand medieval castles and their contents: