Construction Begins!

The dry fit phase has begun!  Over the last two weeks, I've been cutting and assembling my MDF walls and cardboard window templates.  This has been a two-part process with an initial dry-fit to get the overall structural support design finalized and the second to add additional revisions and interior wall openings.



The first dry-fit assembly was important to figure out how the structure would be supported.  Before:
After:
To better manage the distribution of weight I decided to cut my dollhouse fronts into layers.  I wanted parts of the side walls to open, so now the floors rest on the front walls and not just the sides.
After cutting the floor and ceilings for the first two floors, I began to build up.
Now the dollhouse sits into two parts with a left and right wing, essentially making it like building two dollhouses at once.
With the house assembled it was easy to visualize the rooms and the needed supports.  The cardboard mockup didn't have the right depth, but now I could really see where the doors and windows should go.  Back to the design table I went.

After cutting the new interior walls and changes, I re-assembled the dollhouse again with the new additions.
I picked an archway design for the doorways on my lower level.  I like the way these mimic the exterior curves on the house, and they offer more support than an open gap.
 I also cut the kitchen side window wall out and made the front window over the sink to be larger.
The second floor still needs a lot of its walls cut.
This week I am going to work on the second-floor layout and walls, as well as tinker with the window designs.  I like the thinner frames on the smaller windows and need to fix the rest to match.
So close to getting to the fun stuff... I can't wait to get this dollhouse glued together!  Hope you are all having a great weekend!

29 comments

  1. Making it in two wings is a great idea. It looks great so far.

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    1. Thanks Keli, yes I think it will make moving it around much easier :)

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  2. Este trabajo es lento pero bonito. La belleza de la casa depende mucho de este diseƱo.

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  3. Brilliant idea for construction! And I love those arched doorways. Such a pretty detail! Your windows are beautiful, I really like how they look. I know part of that is the contrast with the white and brown but they're so crisp and clean looking.

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    1. Thanks Shelia, I'm not looking forward to assembling all the windows for real but at least knowing they look good gives me motivation ;) The exterior will be white brick with black trim windows so I think it will still keep that clean look.

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  4. I like the fact that you have lined up your arched door openings so that looking from the outside in, your view passes from one room into the next, which already adds a marvelous sense of depth and realism to your dollhouse. Keep it coming Kristine! :)

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    1. Thanks Elizabeth! I think having a back to the house would make the openings look even better when looking from the side so I'm tempted to do something about that. Somehow just having the archways in makes it feel like a real dollhouse now!

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  5. Un diseƱo precioso!!!!
    Besos.

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  6. so thought through, so logic, so structured . love the way you are going about this. and I know it will be a masterpiece :-)

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    1. Thank you Marion, I feel like using the laser kind of lends itself to this meticulous design process.

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  7. Looks fabulous, I am so impressed! Looking forward to your progress with it!

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  8. Wow, this house is going to be gorgeous!

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  9. It is so exciting to see the structure assembled with the interior walls laid out - you really get a feel for the atmosphere and it is going to be wonderful!
    I love the arches between the dining and living rooms - they make the house seem so grand. I also love the way you have planned the separation of the house halves - it makes sense, and the added benefit of the double thick walls also adds to the grand feel.
    Have you thought about duplicating the height of them for the front doors? That may be stunning, as well.
    I can't wait to see the second floor layout and the next steps in the process. What a treat this is to see your vision come to life!

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    1. Thank you Jodi! Yes it feels amazing to see it standing in MDF! I did wonder about the front door height. My 1:1 house right now has the same arches as the dollhouse and the front door is shorter... so that's what I went with. The outside of the dollhouse will have an extra overhang too that makes it seem bigger on the exterior. So we'll see. I can always change it! Thanks for the suggestion :)

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  10. Oh wow, it's coming along beautifully. Well done so far! And yes, you are so close to the fun bits now, one can practically smell it. Can't wait to see.

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  11. Very impressive! I'm looking forward to see more.
    Hugs, Drora

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  12. Love the rounded archways! Really pretty. Can't wait to see the second floor!

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  13. Wow! It is looking Amazing Kristine! I love the style of windows you are making and the arched doors add to the elegance of the rooms! I agree with your idea to build it in sections (My Castle is three sections) because it makes moving and working on it so much easier! Another idea I have been using with my Castle is to decorate from the bottom up... it is so much easier to access the room before the ceiling is in place! (I am still part way through the ceilings on several of the rooms because I get fancy with the painting and that has slowed the over-all construction). But clearly, you have a plan and are making great progress! I caan't wait to see more!

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    1. What a great idea Betsy! I think doing things floor by floor is really smart, especially when putting in electrical. I think I first need to really figure out the layout of all the floors first but then I might do something along those lines. Right now I'm thinking I'm going to make the entry wider by 1 inch, which changes a lot of the design!

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  14. This is looking great already! The windows are perfect! Cant wait to see where we go with it. Yes, "we". I am riding on your coattails and peeking!

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  15. Wow! It's looking amazing.. what a genius idea to build it in two halves. With a house this big it will be so much easier to handle.. I'm loving following along on this build.. and I'm only the teeny tiniest bit jealous.. lol :D

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  16. I think the layer cake method of building is my favorite. Tabs and slots can be trickier. It's also very wise to make this in more than one section. I tried moving a beast of a house once, and the only thing that made it better was it came apart. :D I love what you do...so creative and such clean work. Well done!

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