Work on the Bellingham Farmhouse has kicked into full gear. Here is a quick review of what I have accomplished so far:
Work on the farmhouse actually began early in the summer in the garage, but I decided to set it aside in order to focus on finishing the Blue Farmhouse. I became overwhelmed by the number of pieces, so I needed to take my time to figure out the pieces and make a plan for assembling the house.
I began by sorting all of the pieces, marking them, and checking them off on the parts list. Next I read and reread the directions. It is so easy to miss a step and believe me once a piece is glued in place, it is very hard to remove it. Do-overs are not wise. Let me also add that I found on line a PDF of the instruction manual which I downloaded and printed so that I didn't mess up the original.
After priming all of the interior walls, I painted them with a semigloss interior latex. Actually I used sample pints from Ace Hardware that sells for around $5. Then I began the gluing process. Clamps are absolutely necessary for these large house. I had shorter clamps that worked fine for short joints, but I finally had to make a special trip back to Ace to purchase the longer one that would reach the length of the house. These clamps don't come cheap, ranging around $30-35, depending on length. Before you buy any, ask your husband. He may have some already or any other woodworker who might be willing to lend you some clamps. Clamping is the best way to get tightly glued joints.
Now the house has been moved to the basement for the winter. I had planned to do most of the work in the garage with better lighting--when the garage door is open. Not only will the garage get cold, but all of my tools are downstairs, so I moved work inside for winter.
I haven't added the attic yet because I thought that it would be easier work on the lower levels with out the added weight of the top floor.
I am able to flip the house on end to reach the tough spots, making interior work much easier, such as installing the tape wiring for electricity.
These kits are easy to assemble, but it goes without saying that you must not just go by the illustrations; you must also read the instructions.
I visited Norm's Saturday to buy upper cabinets.
While these kits are well manufactured, easy to assemble, with clear instructions, and good wood, they are not always perfect, as you can see this cut in the top piece. I will use a sharp blade and sandpaper to fix the problem. One of the cabinets was short a piece. I was able to purchase the correct size open stock wood from Hobby Lobby, but only after emailing the company for a replacement part.
I emailed the company at 7:30 AM to explain that I had a missing piece and that the stove cabinet doors were not the same once I had them glued together. At 8 AM I received a call from Nancy, the owner of the company. Yes, the lady pictured on the website. What a sweet lady. She explained how I had assembled the door incorrectly. Fortunately I was able to unglue it (Elmer's doesn't hold a tight bond, thankfully in this case). However, she didn't think she could find a spare piece since the kits are not made in house. All worked out. I re-glued the cabinet door and found a piece of wood at Hobby Lobby. But what a nice lady. I have her book, too on basic dollhouse building.
Lighting makes the dollhouse, don't you think? I really splurged this time ordering these lights from Cir-kit Concepts, another upstanding company to order from. You will find many of their products on the catalog sites, too, but I do like ordering directly from them for the great service that they offer. One gadget that they offer is a different way to mount these pricey little chandeliers. I'll write about that when I get brave enough to install them. The two black lights will go in the kitchen.
I have started the tape wiring of the house. I learned a lot from doing the other house, but I also learned a lot from a YouTube video by a woman named Linda Becker. While the video does not seem to be available on YouTube anymore, it is on her website:
Work on the farmhouse actually began early in the summer in the garage, but I decided to set it aside in order to focus on finishing the Blue Farmhouse. I became overwhelmed by the number of pieces, so I needed to take my time to figure out the pieces and make a plan for assembling the house.
I began by sorting all of the pieces, marking them, and checking them off on the parts list. Next I read and reread the directions. It is so easy to miss a step and believe me once a piece is glued in place, it is very hard to remove it. Do-overs are not wise. Let me also add that I found on line a PDF of the instruction manual which I downloaded and printed so that I didn't mess up the original.
After priming all of the interior walls, I painted them with a semigloss interior latex. Actually I used sample pints from Ace Hardware that sells for around $5. Then I began the gluing process. Clamps are absolutely necessary for these large house. I had shorter clamps that worked fine for short joints, but I finally had to make a special trip back to Ace to purchase the longer one that would reach the length of the house. These clamps don't come cheap, ranging around $30-35, depending on length. Before you buy any, ask your husband. He may have some already or any other woodworker who might be willing to lend you some clamps. Clamping is the best way to get tightly glued joints.
I wanted a nice, soft green. As you can see, I was not at all happy with the first paint color. The folks at my local Ace are wonderful and re-tinted my original green to a sage soft green. The clerk reminded me that this color will not be able to be duplicated because it was the re-tinting of previous color.
Now the house has been moved to the basement for the winter. I had planned to do most of the work in the garage with better lighting--when the garage door is open. Not only will the garage get cold, but all of my tools are downstairs, so I moved work inside for winter.
I haven't added the attic yet because I thought that it would be easier work on the lower levels with out the added weight of the top floor.
I am able to flip the house on end to reach the tough spots, making interior work much easier, such as installing the tape wiring for electricity.
I am already thinking of art work for the house. I want as much original work as possible. Take Buttercup, for example. She is a Mexican Corrientes cow living on a beautiful ranch in Texas. I took this photo of her as she rested in the shade of one of those giant live oaks that grace the Texas hill country. I used my DSLR Canon Rebel to take the original. On my iPad I used a free app called Waterlogue to make it into a water color print. Then in iPhoto I applied the Noir black and white effect to the photo.
I loved the effect. Printed on computer paper for practice, it frames nicely. I copied the photo in to Word where I sized it, keeping in mind that 1 inch = 12, so a 2 inch wide print would be equal to 24 inches wide. You can experiment to get the results that you want for your own artwork or photography.
My inspiration for the kitchen came from this table and chairs that I found at Hobby Lobby. I love it for is modern farm look that I am going for in the kitchen.
From my stash, I used this bathroom set. Not sure that I want that vintage look. Because I want a modern farmhouse look, I am thinking of building a shower. The bathroom with the round window is an odd shape, so I am thinking it over.
I borrowed bedroom furniture from the Franklin house to get a feeling for the bedroom. I love 4 poster beds. I am thinking of building a more modern looking bed with a custom look. I am also studying the beds on Miniatures.com, Superior.com, Etsy, and Norm's Dollhouse store website. A metal bed is also under consideration.
Right now I am focused on building the kitchen, using kits from House Works, ltd. These kits can be purchased from the online catalogs or directly from House Works. I ordered mine from Norm's Dollhouse store in Denver.
As the directions indicate, dry fitting parts before gluing them is a must, both for the house and these kits. As you can see, I am holding the refrigerator together with rubber bands. I have the doors pieced together and the selves installed in the fridge. Right now the clear acrylic shelves are covered with white paper to protect them. It is ready to be glued.
Here is the back side of the refrigerator.
I visited Norm's Saturday to buy upper cabinets.
Here the upper cabinets are pieced together ready to glue. You will notice that the 3 inch cabinet top is wonky. I want 2 1 1/2 inch cabinets, but Norm had only one and will reorder in the next few days.
While these kits are well manufactured, easy to assemble, with clear instructions, and good wood, they are not always perfect, as you can see this cut in the top piece. I will use a sharp blade and sandpaper to fix the problem. One of the cabinets was short a piece. I was able to purchase the correct size open stock wood from Hobby Lobby, but only after emailing the company for a replacement part.
I emailed the company at 7:30 AM to explain that I had a missing piece and that the stove cabinet doors were not the same once I had them glued together. At 8 AM I received a call from Nancy, the owner of the company. Yes, the lady pictured on the website. What a sweet lady. She explained how I had assembled the door incorrectly. Fortunately I was able to unglue it (Elmer's doesn't hold a tight bond, thankfully in this case). However, she didn't think she could find a spare piece since the kits are not made in house. All worked out. I re-glued the cabinet door and found a piece of wood at Hobby Lobby. But what a nice lady. I have her book, too on basic dollhouse building.
These are the pieces that I have assembled so far. The left piece is the oven cabinet with working doors. Next is the cook top with the back of cabinet facing out so that you can the back side. Next is the sink cabinet. These two cabinets come with top cut out for the sink and stove placement. In the actual house the the refrigerator will be on another wall. I am thinking about this tile for the back splash, but haven't decided. House Works also sells the hardware: the sink, the oven, the cook top, and even a range hood.
Lighting makes the dollhouse, don't you think? I really splurged this time ordering these lights from Cir-kit Concepts, another upstanding company to order from. You will find many of their products on the catalog sites, too, but I do like ordering directly from them for the great service that they offer. One gadget that they offer is a different way to mount these pricey little chandeliers. I'll write about that when I get brave enough to install them. The two black lights will go in the kitchen.
If you are new to building a dollhouse and want to electrify it, this women so so helpful. She makes the wiring look so easy.
Time for my pedicure, so I'll leave you here. There is more to come.
Thanks so much for visiting.
Most interesting, and very useful for everybody building a dollhouse... that will include also me in the future, I hope.
ReplyDeleteThe Farmhouse will look lovely!
Looking amazing! I love that table you found at Hobby Lobby. It's a great look. Your tempting me to go get it! The kitchen is incredible. This is another project of perfection.
ReplyDeleteYou asked about the wallpaper- for the scrapbook I use spray glue to get a nice adhere. Just do a test on scrap wood to get the feel of it. But most of my houses are vintage looks so I apply white glue so I can get bubbles, wrinkles... You know me and that shabby look! LOL!
big hugs♥,
Caroline