Dollhouse kit

[Cumberland]

I would like my DH to make my girls a dollhouse- maybe from a kit? I would like it to be one they could pass on to their kids. Any suggestions on a brand or a place to buy one?

[Pollyanna]

Oh the dollhouse made by daddy. Yes, dh still wakes up with nightmares about this. Santa brought one for dd about 5 years ago, it is still not complete. Our issue was just letting her pick one from the catalog, heck it was advertised as "mansions in minutes" sold by Duracraft(we affectionately call, DuraCRAP). All the walls and roof is up and painted but there is a ton more to do. About a year ago dh asked dd if she would mind if we paid to have it finished, she was thrilled because they were both beyond frustrated. So dh takes the house to the local miniature store and they say, "no problem". At this point dh was willing to pay ANYTHING to have it finished. 8 months passed and the owner calls and says, "please come get your dollhouse. We cannot finish it, we even went to a convention and talked to other professionals. You cannot pay us enough to finish this house." So we still have an uncompleted dollhouse and when we now read reviews and blogs about this particular San Franciscan mansion they all say it is ONLY for skilled wood workers and miniature professionals.

The moral to this story, have your hubby build a house but get advice from other miniature enthusiasts on what to buy. We were told that we would have done much better had we purchased a kit from Real Good Toys. Their kits are sold at www.miniatures.com. Also, don't let your girls pick the model unless you have narrowed it down to ones that are able to be completed.

I know it can be done and be a lot of fun, just make sure you know exactly what you are buying and make friends with your local miniature shop owner first. Good luck!!!

[Sheherezade]

DH built our daughter a dollhouse during fellowship. I don't know how he managed it. It was a kit purchased at Michael's during the holidays. It took him about 2 weeks working every night for a few hours while watching TV. It was a 2 story Victorian with four rooms/two staircases and an attic. It didn't require woodworking, just assembly and lots and lots of glue and paint.

DD was little enough that she didn't snoop and we just threw a sheet over it in the corner. The hardest part was the roof. Lots of itty bitty shingles. I think DH may have modified that to have fewer shingles. DD didn't play with it much because she was too little. When she reached 5, she played with it more; we cut out a second side of each room to access the rooms better.

My mom does a lot of doll house stuff. She helped my daughter decorate when she visited. It is a pretty house. That said, it didn't get much use for all the effort it required.

[PrincessFiona]

Re: Dollhouse kit

After wasting my money on a kit (and having a half-finished kit dollhouse as a kid) my vote is that he come up with his own sketch and build it from real wood, not the crappy stuff in the kits!

Kris

[GrayMatterWife]

After wasting my money on a kit (and having a half-finished kit dollhouse as a kid) my vote is that he come up with his own sketch and build it from real wood, not the crappy stuff in the kits!

Kris

One of my very favorite, most treasured memories from my childhood is my much-loved dollhouse--homemade and hand-built by my grandparents. It didn't have the fancy-schmancy extras that you'll get in a high-end kit, but it was NOT delicate (very sturdy) and was completely unique. I still get choked up thinking about how much love went into the making of that dollhouse. Best Christmas present I have ever received. I was shattered when my parents got rid of it, without telling me first, when I was at college.

[DCJenn]

I have the dollhouse that my dad built for me- Nikolai plays with it (oddly enough in a completely masculine way, like I was all about the relationships with the dollhouse people, he's about whether we need to open a doorway and add a staircase)

Anyway, it's very simple construction modelled on the Victorian house we were living in at the time. (in Pittsburgh, where there are Victorian houses everywhere)

I'll ask him if he still has his plans. If he does, he can scan them and email them.

jenn

[Cumberland]

That would be awesome Jenn!

[DCJenn]

Not a problem!

A post I can actually respond to. We bought both of ours at Hobby Lobby. One was a quickie- about an hour or so, and the other one took forever, like a week nonstop. I was so glad they were done. They now sit in the family room, rarely played with. The one on the left is the easy one. Pre-painted and the other one I had to paint everything. Stained each individual shingle and applied each one.

[Sheherezade]

That's our dollhouse, too -- the one on the right. The shingles were a bitch. We went unstained!