Little is known about the architecture of medieval wooden manors (around four hundred) as these buildings, their plans and other related documents have not been preserved. It is believed that the main emphasis of such estates was on the surrounding buildings, such as the stables, animal sheds, and granaries etc. The main building or residence was assumably a modest one-storey building.

It was not until the 17th-18th centuries that Estonian manor houses became more luxurious. It is likely that the plan of the later so called Old Baltic type of manor houses has its origins in the Middle Ages.