About time for an update I think!

I've been slowly building up my bricks. I've got one more spray paint session to go, the bit on the sides where the side of the front panel is seen. Have to blend it so that the bricks all match up. I'm thinking that it will be easiest when the house front has been stuck on, so I can line it up exactly. Will mean that I'll need a bit of help carrying it out, but I'm sure Chris will help me!

With some help from the lovely friends on the forum I decided on House 1 colour scheme, The bricks on the bottom and a light turquoisey colour on the top half. The windows had already been spray painted white, and I've done the outside columns white too, and the door surround. Tried to get a nice colour for the door, started off a bit more greeny than I wanted, but once I could go out to shop, I added some blue and its better.

I've decided on colours for the rooms. The walls are all going to be painted white with coloured trim such as window frames and skirting board and cornice moulding.

I want to paint the kids bedroom ceiling with a mural, but not sure how to do that yet. A sky scene with some silver stars I think. At the moment the trim colours wouldn't really match that, so might leave it with the current colours, and then at a future point do a mural and maybe change the colours a bit, or slowly make them more blue as they go up the room towards the ceiling.

I've been busy working on the various floors. The kitchen floor is made from a sheet of rolled out fimo with the tiles scored into it. It kept bulging during the cooking, so it isn't hard, but bendy like linoleum. It still has some unwanted bumps in it, but not very noticable ones when the furniture is on it.

The sitting room floor I think I like best so far. It still needs sanding and varnishing, but you can see the general idea. I was kinda hoping the varnish might be a little yellowy, but its not, so I'm staining the floor first I think with some brown ink.

The office and master bedroom floors have also been laid. I left the planks loose where the light cables will be running. Using one of my dremel attachments I did groves for the wires under the planks, and as soon as my lights actually arrive I can put them in, stick down the remaining planks, get on with sanding before staining and varnishing. Really haven't quite decided on the colour for the floor. either the same as downstairs slightly yellowed old colour, or a redish mahogany colour as seen on the stairs to the top floor. Will still debate that while I wait and then sand.

Upstairs has been a bit silly. Originally I decided on yellow for the kids bedroom and lilac for the bathroom. When I put it together for the first time I put the bathroom on the right above the master bedroom. Then I thought about it further and thought that probably really the bathroom would go above the kitchen so the drainage would be easier, and so decided the bathroom should be on the left. But as I was then painting, I painted lilac on the right, and I keep picturing it there. So I guess the bathroom just really wants to be top right, and as I don't have to worry about plumming, I'll just leave it there!

The flooring is cork. I'd really like to have made it with dark blue glass pebbles surrounded by very white plaster, but I couldn't find the right pebbles (they were all to thick for 12th scale) so I thought I'd do cork (I like it too!)

In the bedroom I'll have light floorboards made with lolly-pop sticks with the rounded bit left on so it makes a nice design. These also still need sanding and varnishing.

What else have I done? Oh yes, the staircases. Couldn't quite decide what colours to do. Origninally wanted to do them light blue matching the windows with dark wood mahogany treads. But the blue doesn't quite fit into the downstairs colours as they are red/green in the kitchen and red/cream in the sitting room. As I've taken the walls away downstairs the stairs kinda sweep in and join the two rooms. Therefore I decided on painted white with treads the colour of the sitting room floor so it fits in. They are still being painted.

The top stairs I did blue with mahogany treads as originally thought. Was going to varnish the treads, but it actually looks good as it is.

So the next things to do are finish the downstairs stairs, install the lighting when it arrives in the post, do lots of floor finishing and then exciting sticking everything together!

As it was originally a front opening house, the front panels don't have anywhere to slot into. The front is in two pieces, so I think I will stick them together using the columns on the outside and skirting/moulding on the inside.

I also have to paint the middle floor stairwell. I think white with blue along the stairs up to banister height.

Ooh, which reminds me, another thing I've done or will do, is putting the electrical strip where all the lights will plug into, behind the middle floor stairs. you won't see it from the open side, and I'll disguise it a bit so you won't see it looking in the window either. But will do that when I've got all the lights installed.