The whole place looks pretty run down...[POSSIBLE SPOILER!!!] and after you kill harkon Serana even says maybe we can get this place back up and running. The only current option i know of is restoring the path to the courtyard. And the courtyard still looks really dead. I thought maybe it would be cool to restore some of the parts (cathedral, pathways, and the courtyard) of the Castle. Maybe even an option to use the torture devices down in the feeding area.

Best complain to bethesda, they were the ones who promised castle upgrades and never gave it....just like another company I know called liarshead, sorry I mean lionhead. XD
I hate people who promise things and never live up to it, you should never make a promise you can't keep.

If they meant that some automatic furnishing happens then they should have said that instead of "upgrading" because you never get the choice to upgrade, only choice you get is the courtyard passage way.

tricked out =/= upgrading

Just going to leave that there.

It's a sad day when the blind moth priest gets a swankier bedroom than the lord of the castle, huh?
At least one mannequin would have made it that much better.

Yeah the castle is a HUGE disappointment, it could have been so badass too if we could have had some options like the db sanctuary or the the windhelm home. I want a freaking armoury! One weapon rack with 2 slots is weak. Beth needs to do us right here and patch in some REAL options, pc guys will have some mod fixes in a week but the console guys are [censored].

Uh...theres more then one weapon rack, theres like 5 or 6 you just have one in the lord's room.

Amen to the armory. Well, actually...There is an Armory in the area you go through to reach Valenica, but I'm unsure if you can place things in there, and it's rather out of the way...
Hell, if they made it so you could refurbish that part of the castle, that would be perfect!

you can use the weapon racks.

if you go back into the soul cairn and retrieve Valerica she fixes up the garden as well as gives you respawning free potions (just in case you didn't know)

I want to be able to fix up the Lord's chambers and yes the trick out options still svcks! How about a room with a safe, mannequins, and some proper weapon cases? I'm sorry but I don't want to place my favorite weopons in random spots all over the castle.

Yeah most of us know about valerica and we retrieve her....makes you feel sorry for her if you forgot about her. XD

Slightly out of the way, but functional, at least.

Is the only option to "trick out" Volkihar castle is to remove the stones to the court yard? That is the only option that has come up for me so far.

even if you go the north and the east towers and clear out of the rooms. and go back, they just respawn. even if you go to the volkihar riuns route. you still encounter the gargyles etc.

Diary of the Volkihar Castle Lord, Baron Von Dragonborn...
"Have to go into the ruins to clear it out. The Gargoyles are putting themselves back together. I keep trying to assert my power as lord and get someone else to do it, but apparently, as it is with all things in this frozen put, I am the only one intelligent enough to get anything done.
PS: Might have Lydia for lunch."

Where is Serana's mother?

in the soil carn, entrance of the castle where you fought that dragon. or if you talked to her afther killing harkon, she will be at the soil carn portal