Not What You Expect

If you've followed me for any amount of time, this blog begins with my restoration of my daughter's childhood dollhouse that I sort of built sometime in the '80s. You read about how the house sat in the barn for decades and was desitined for the landfill when Heather asked for her 35th birthday to fix up her dollhouse--which I did and here I am nearly a decade later with a village in my basement, but before that project I had my first bout of "miniature mania." 

We were living in our other house when I became enthralled with those tin dollhouses. I never had a dollhouse as a kid and late in life, I went on a binge. My first tin house was a wreck that my other daughter found along the side of the road, one of those mid century modern things bent beyond repair and then two more found their way into my hands--I don't even remember now how I came buy them but back then in antique stores their prices ranged in the $45-50. prices, so I picked up else where.

With the empty houses, I went on a search for furnishings and began investing in Renwal dollhouse furnishes. I spent hours on eBay and a lot of $$$ on tiny plastic furniture. At one point, I looked at my collection and realized that my spending was out of control and quit. 

In 2009 we moved across town from our  home on a city lot to a ranch style home on 5 acres. It was a smaller house that did not feel like home after living 18 years in the two story. I had less wall space, so a lot my things stay boxed up. The metal dollhouse went on a shelf in the garage and have been there all these years. 

Last week we cleaned the garage and rearranged to accommodate a spare refrigerator and had move the shelving unit where the houses were stored.  Here is the first one, still dust covered, missing a door and two windows, but still in solid shape with a few dings, dents and missing screws just like when I bought it.  The chimney is also missing.

 

 

The second one is a bit worse for the wear. The roof is not just bent, but has a crack and worse, it's gotten wet and has rust in the far right corner and missing the chimney.

An eBay search shows both of these house at double what I might have paid for them years ago. There are only a couple on Etsy and seem to have the same flaws as mine, which don't seem to affect the value. While the houses have increased in the value--from $45- 50, they now range from $85 to over a $100 on both eBay and Etsy. Some furnished. Some not. Most missing their chimneys. The Renwal furnishings once really pricy have come down in price, with multiple pieces priced for what 1 piece cost 20 years ago. 

And a barn! This is my husband's childhood barn still in great shape for which I have all the animal and farm accessories stored someplace. 

 

The missing doors and window were partly the reason why I lost interest in the houses. I could accept the dents and scratches and even the rust, all demonstrating use, but the missing doors and windows frustrated me. Once I got the houses cleaned up, I searched Etsy for replacement parts thinking that someone might have salvaged the windows and doors from badly wrecked houses; instead, I stumbled upon something better: a vendor who 3-D prints the missing plastic pieces!

While the replacement pieces are pristine white and the originals are cream colored and aged, I will have to paint them. I'll paint all of them the same so that they match. 

The house, I do believe, came unassembled, so I can image Santa assembling them as he delivered them to the Christmas Tree. The windows and door frame simple pop in and out and the door is separate and is hinged.

 

Now what to do with these great houses? I am trying to figure that out now. I have to dig out the Renwal furniture, but more importantly I need to find a place to display these relics from a 1950s childhood--not mine, but maybe yours. Visit this Etsy vendor for your replacements: Dollhouse3DParts.

I'd like to donate one the our little local museum, but it is quite limited in space, My husband and I served on the committee that runs the museum, so maybe I can find a spot for one. Still. I do love my little tin houses--even more. 

Next week: the Renwal furniture.