It All Starts Here

Sometimes our ideas flow from an existing kit to bash, a house style to scratch (aka custom) build, or from an interesting doll who needs a place to live. Our settings are always modern-day (ca. 2001 when we started this hobby). We try to create things that will make people smile and feel good.

We think that if we had to build the same house twice, we literally could not do it! Fortunately, we have very unique little people who have definite opinions and so far, no one has wanted a house “like so-and-so” has.

We work as a family unit: my wonderful husband, my beautiful sister, and I. We don't always agree as to the direction of the build, but I think that we end up with a better dollhouse because of all our grumblings -- and we do have a lot of fun!

The Purpose of this Blog

We needed a place for all we wanted to say about the background of the build and the nuts and bolts of the design and build process. Thus this blog.

All our dolls' homes have families living in them and a story is built around their personalities and lifestyles. This story is an integral part of our building process. We would like to share these stories -- actually, the little people insist upon it!

Many of our houses are located in Fredericksburg, Virginia because that is my sister's favorite place.

Also, we have started a Rouges' Gallery with photos of our little people and information about the dolls.

If you would like to start with the dollhouse that "started it all", it is the Original Rowbottom Manse; if you would like to see the scratch-built Georgian that our first build gave us the confidence (or fool-hardiness) to do, it is Sunnybrook Farm.

Let the stories begin!

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Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Can we finally move forward Abner Raleigh?

My goodness, I think I am going over this too much! Time to buy and cut the plywood, and move on.

I have been arranging and re-arranging the furniture until I am dizzy. I think I have two possible living room furniture arrangements that will work with a door to the dining room next to the fireplace. For a simple house (at least on the first floor) ... hmmm....

View of composite layout showing the living room, dining room, and the entry hall with its bookcase for the library area.

Close-up of the hall and bookcase, and the dining room. The kitchen is "in front" of the dining room in place of the back of the entry hall. The real house has a front-to-back hallway with doors on both ends to allow cross ventilation breezes for those hot and humid Virginia summers.

I have decided that the dimensions are: 29" width x 28" deep. The ceiling height will be 10" on the first floor, and I am pretty certain that the the second will be 9" as I originally decided.

I still have to decide on the slope of the roof for the second floor. Mansard roofs have a slope of 11 degrees and I think I will follow this-- no sense re-inventing.. Then there is also the break in the roof to make a top portion at a different angle... hmm.... I think there could be some interesting building here. But first things first--build the first floor.
...
View showing "broken" Mansard roof--should be interesting!
Now I have to lay out a cutting diagram for the carpenter. I think the house can be built with two sheets of Baltic Birch 3/8" plywood which comes in 60" x 60" sheets. I will buy two and if I need more my woodworker's shop can get more.

I will have him cut just the wood for the first floor and its ceiling since this will be as a complete unit with ceiling. The second floor (attic) will be built later. And then will come the "broken" roof topping. And then, I will have to complete my ideas for the porches and the front-opening doors.

I will be going back to the layout of the house to plan out the electrical system. I think I will use tape wire with transformer(s) in the storage area under the house. I like the power strip system but I think the house design makes pulling wires through and hiding them problematic.
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