Bungalow Dollhouse: Exterior Construction


Today I've got a long overdue follow up to my original bungalow construction post.  We're looking at the exterior; roofing, siding, shingles, foundation, and landscaping.  All of which was all done prior to my fall scene. 


The photo above was taken right after I removed the snow from my winter scene (post to follow) and so things are still being put back into place.  I'm getting ready for a spring/summer display (and painstakingly removing the leftover snowflakes!)  So let's rewind a bit and look at how things came to be.


I wanted the bungalow to have a traditional look but didn't want stained wood shingles that came with the kit.   I found these fantastic asphalt shingles at the Little Dollhouse Company.  Best part?  They are self-adhesive asphalt shingles!  No glue needed! I highly recommend them, they were much quicker to apply and look really good.  The only thing I would do next time is use a roller or something to really get them to flatten to the roof, they lifted up in a few spots which is odd because the adhesive is super strong and sticks to everything.  I think I could have pressed down more during the application to avoid this.

I also filled in the upper window gap.  When I made my own windows I changed the size so for the top window that meant I had a gap to close.  I cut a thin piece of veneer (it was actually a floorboard from my deck project) and glued it in place.  It sticks out the tiniest bit but you really can't tell!



For the foundation, I debated between a regular brick and a rough brick.  In the end I preferred the Model Builder Supply's "1:24 scale dressed stone" which looks like 1:12 rough brick.  I painted it white before attaching it to the foundation with tacky glue.  I also used white wood filler to hide any seams.

This was the regular brick first:

And this is the dressed stone I went with:






The walkway was based on the paver stones from my patio project.  I used pieces of balsa wood, cut and painted them before adding spackle to fill in the gaps.



For the soil part, I cut out a piece of foam board in the shape I wanted.  I then shaved and rounded off the edge before painting it black.  To finish it off I used a model train terrain soil mix from the Hobby Store.  I also tried tea for a mulch look but didn't like it with my plants as much, I thought it kind of overwhelmed everything.  But it's a great option for another scene. 






The lawn took some trial and error as well. Originally I used an HO scale autumn grass mat (darkest powder like green) before switching to a long hair like grass.  Here is a photo of the colours I bought.  The autumn long grass is the first (its medium green with specks of brown) I found it on Amazon, then the HO scale autumn (darkest green) and lastly the bright spring/summer green I got at the Little Dollhouse Company.  It really made a difference having the right tone to match the plants.


I think in the future I could make the line between the soil and the grass a bit messier.  But I wanted it to be really easy to switch out the grass come spring/summer.


Thanks for stopping by!  I know I'm a bit quieter here than before, I've personally found social media to be a more convenient and practical way to keep up with sharing miniatures.  I'll always be popping in here because a single image there can't capture a project the way a blogpost can.  I started putting together my winter scene post and after that I'm going to dive into my new dollhouse build.  So to all my mini friends here on blog land I miss you and I hope you are doing well!

25 comments

  1. I love those shingles! Can't remember if I heard you talk about them before or no. But I'll definitely have to check them out. They look great.

    Hanging plants... I love the look of them, so cheerful and it will give your porch some pizzazz when its not decorated for a season or holiday. Hanging plants also usually mean hooks/plant holders of some sort though. Maybe make your own to match the window trim?

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    1. Thank you Sheila! It's my first time using self-adheasive shingles and I don't think I'd ever go back! As for the hanging plants, yes! I think they'll be the perfect addition. I'm hoping to get a bunch of extra plants for the garden too. I got some hanging clay bowl/baskets but they're kind of small so I might have to make my own like you said :)

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  2. It's nice to see you back, Kristine! I love this house and it is such a wonderful backdrop for all the seasonal settings you are creating! That roofing is beautiful, and I love the little rafter tails, too! Such a great detail! Can't wait for your next post!

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  3. El tejado tiene buen aspecto. Me encanta el contraste de colores del jardĆ­n

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    1. Thank you! I can't wait to finish the garden for spring!

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  4. Me encantan esas tejas, no las conocĆ­a, gracias por el dato! El aspecto del tejado es perfecto y los ladrillos en blanco en la parte de abajo, funcionan muy bien! Tus plantas crean un armonioso conjunto, precioso!!
    Besos.

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  5. I totally understand the trade off between social media and blog posts. I’m glad you are sharing your how-to here, though, because you have such great ideas. Thanks for that. It will be fun to go through the seasons with your bungalow. Also, the shingles look wonderful.

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    1. Thank you Sherrill! Yes I find I can keep up more on social media but this really is the best spot to show off all the details for sure! I can't wait to finish the spring scene.

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  6. Wonderful work and thank you for all the explanations.
    GeneviĆØve

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    1. Thank you Genevieve! I always like being able to find out where people find things so I try and do it for others too!

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  7. Lovely work what a pretty project and so patient, switching around seasonally

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    1. Thank you! It gets me excited about the project each time for sure! I feel like this house is enjoying a longer display time because of it.

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  8. Switching the seasonal dƩcor in a miniature house is loads of fun and gives creativity a place to play. A lovely post to read! Cheers, Alayne

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    1. Thank you Alayne! Yes I'm enjoying it! It's tough to switch some parts out but I think it's worth it. I love seeing the house change!

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  9. It's a wonderful house! I really like the shingles, a quick way to do the roof. It is a pity they are not found here.

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  10. particular industry like online web journals, business registries and occupation sheets like ConstructionExecutive (dotcom) a TradeJobsOnline (dotcom). https://matterhorn-wholesale.com/

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  11. I love this house. I just finished this exact style from Real Good Toys. I love yours more though. I wish I had seen this before I finished mine. Also what size platform do you use for this house? I'm wanting to do a front yard as well to change for the seasons.

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  12. Hi! I realize this post is from last year, but I was wondering what you used for the siding! I recently came across your blog and I absolutely love your work

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  13. Where did you buy your front door? I’m having trouble finding one like it. Thanks! Norma

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    1. Hi! I specifically made a front door like this for my Brentwood dollhouse. You can purchase it at Miniatures.com. You get 5 doors but it's an amazing deal :)

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  14. I don't know if you've been asked this before but do you attach your house to a board permanently. I want to do a fall scene and I'm struggling how to make it changeable. Do I just put it on top of a table and decorate the table or do I make a plywood base and attach the outdoor front yard to it. I know it seems silly but I just don't know what to do. And I love your house I have the same one. My house is done and it's just resting on top of a piece of plywood so maybe I just decorate the plywood part of the front yard and place the house on top of it? Is that what you do? Thank you! This is the next part of my project and I'm stuck.

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  15. Hi! Sorry this is so late! I do a base of plywood on top of a turn table. Then I do another layer of 1/4" mdf and do all my walkways etc on it. Then I do a layer of poster board and put grass on it. My house does not get glued down. So it's a lot of layers because I usually need to change things up. It's much easier if you glue everything permanently, and you'll have less chances of breakage.

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  16. I just love want you did to this beachside bungalow, I’m working on one right now and plan on doing the front porch the same way with the three columns, what size wood did you use for the columns? Thank you !

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