Making a Plan

After over 10 years of blogging, I'm finally getting the hang of it. It has sort of been a hodge-podge series of posts one right after the other, maybe each week, but not always and little to no continuity. Stream consciousness-like writing. I can get away it over at the Garden Spot, which is more like a gardening journal, but here I hope to teach or at least inspire others to try new things and not be afraid to fail and to keep working and to do what makes YOU happy. So with the Manchester Country Home Kit posts, I have created on my desktop one folder and add new folders with categorized content for each post. Hopefully the posts will be more organized and focused and I more easily converted for my Facebook miniature groups.

So this week, I am planning the electrical for the country home. There are some challenges:

• getting the tape wire into the addition and up to the yet to be added 3rd floor. 
• which type of transformer to use
• waiting for supply shipments to arrive--which can be quite stressful because the post office in our little village has become grossly inefficient. We are all complaining about packages being returned for insufficient address. My Dec. 6 Bindel's order was returned and now that order has been canceled and I've reordered. Anyway. COVID, you know. 
• Making as many of the chandeliers that I can--again challenging sourcing materials and having the skills to create what I envision in my mind.
• I'm in the middle of making a chandelier for the bedroom from a Bindel's kit that did happen to get delivered, but I need to  buy a tiny file. More on that later when I show the kit and assembling it.

I decided to lay out my wiring plan using painter's tape to get feeling for where the lines would run. I'll be using Cir-kitConcepts http://cir-kitconcepts.com quick attach adapters that install directing in the tape line in the ceiling, making the chandelier essentially a plug-in light. I think installation will be much easier. Their website has great tutorial videos on how to use their adapters. They are expensive, but I think worth it. In the past, my tape wire has been installed on the floor above the ceiling lights, making it worrisome to glue in the floors, so I'm going to run the wiring in the ceiling. With the 3rd floor and roof not in place, it is easy to turn the house upside down to install lighting in the ceiling. 

My favorite Youtube tutorial explains in to instal the copper tape, install the lights, and how to connect lines between floors when there is not a stair opening to run the tape through. She uses round wire tucked away out of sight to make the connection. I'll be showing how I do that in future posts, too. Visit Dollhouses, Trains, and More  on Youtube to watch this video the makes wiring a dollhouse seem easy: "How to Electrify a Dollhouse." The narrator introduces a new transformer systems that appears to be more reliable than the hobby store transformers and she includes a shopping list in the video for Creative Reproduction 2 Scale. I'll be converting to this system, so I'll let you know how well it works for me. One advantage is that it will handle more lights and I think deliver more current for stronger  and better performance of lights. We will see. 

I have to add that there are a number of ways to add lights to you house, so you choose the best way that works for you. Some are intimidated by the copper tape wire and others have a hard time managing the small brads make the connections (as I am); still others worry about the longevity of the system. I will say that the three older houses that I bought that were wired with the copper tape, the systems have held up for all these years. Regardless of which system you decide to go with, there are plenty of Youtube videos that will help you decide which system to use and then how to install it. 

I will admit that I have had a lot of problems with installation. Now the transformers that I have purchased are failing, so I am going to with the transformers recommended in this video because I think they will be more reliable.

The addition will require tape wiring to pass through the door wllas or around the sidewall that will be covered with corner molding. I haven't decided on that yet.

I have decided that the wall for the stairs will be to left with an enclosure around the other side and the back. More and more in mini houses, builders are adding book shelves, entertainment centers, and such to that wasted space, as in real life. Pinterest offers a plethora of ideas for that space. With the main bathroom on the second floor in the Manchester, I've been trying to figure out how to put one in the stairwell, but the fixtures are just too big. I'll keep working on that.

The stairs in the middle of house really do break up the flow of the traffic, so even though I have assembled the the lower part of the house, I couldn't help but play around with the stairs to see if I couldn't get a better floor plan to include a quarter bath on the main floor.

Had I not cut such a wide opening between the house and the addition and moved the door on the second floor, I might have been able to move the stairs, but both pose problems. A word to the wise for the next builder who ponders moving the stairs, keep pondering and playing around with the dry fit until you are sure that you have the floor plan the way you want. Of course with the right hand held power tool, I could still cut a stairway hole in the ceiling, but never mind, but then I have to deal with openings that are already cut. 

                       

Which brings me back to the bathroom. I am still looking at Elf Miniatures for bathroom fixtures, but I am also looking on ShapeWays Market for Miniatures. I've found all the pieces, so I may just order from a shop there. Maybe I ought to invite Pink to help me shop around. She's always up for shopping.

Thanks for visiting. I'll have more in few days.