Important Dungeon Information?

[Reprimand]

Hello, I am participating in a 1 / map a week ttrpg challenge and wanted to ask a few questions about dungeon design... Currently I am working on a ruined monastery map. I have a general list of locations / room types I want to include as well as a roster of monsters and some historical floorplans as a reference. What sort of things should I include as far as important details for the dungeon itself. A friend pointed out I didn't have any information as far as things like the floor for balance checks. Is there like a check list of combat or skill relevant information that I should always establish as a default or a location i.e. unless I say otherwise the floors are all "rough hewn stone"? Another one being ceiling heights or information about the wall condition for the purposes of climb checks (Rough dislodged bricking probably being easier to climb than a perfectly smoothed wall created by a master mason for example.) And if not could you help me put together a list for the benefit of newer DMs?

[RNightstalker]

You can lead with "Unless otherwise stated, all floors are smooth but neglected stone." And from there you can point out whatever differences are in the room the PCs enter: "This room is covered in debris from a collapsed roof" or "This room seems to be a gymnasium as it has stood up to the test of time better than the rest of the monastery...you can see ropes hanging from the ceiling and handholds carved out of or bolted to the sheer stone wall, with fewer notches and handholds along the wall the further away you go from your present location" where you could totally have invisible enemies hanging on to said ropes and handholds to ambush the party.

[rel]

For 3.5 I try to include the following in my own General information / descriptions for a dungeon:

Overall environment (hot, cool, damp, dry, interesting flora / fauna, construction, level of repair, nature of detritus etc)
Light levels (usually darkness) and their source.
heights of rooms and corridors.
Descriptions of the construction of the default walls, floors, and ceilings, including climb DC's, Hardness, HP and break DC.
Description of the construction of the default door; size, fit, lock and handle type, Hardness, HP, lock DC, stuck DC and break DC.
any interesting transient or periodic background elements; strange winds, tremors from deep below, the appearance of noteworthy but non-challenging flora and fauna.

If I'm only expecting the PC's to go through the area once, that's enough. I'll refer to that blueprint when I'm creating the rooms, use it to guide my descriptions and refer to it if the PC's ask for anything specific.

I recommend keeping the default dungeon terrain plain open ground rather than slippery or difficult terrain or what have you. You can (and should) add interesting terrain as you draw the map, but the default should be, well, default.

[pabelfly]

There's some good suggestions given above, but I would also preamble with the context for the history of the dungeon, which can be helpful in understanding the design intent of the dungeon and why the dungeon is laid out the way that it is. Oh, and it would be helpful for the one person that decides to invest in Knowledge: Dungeoneering.