I am mostly finished with this house. I painted the shingles brown and I started off too dark so I had to finish the rest of the roof the same way because I did not want inconsistencies. When it dried, I took sand paper and rubbed some paint off. All I have to do now it go all over the roof with a wash of Dark burnt umber and that will make it more realistic by adding depth.The only other thing left to do is for me to either paint the back foundation wall or to paperclay it. I finally put the hole in it to feed the power strip wire through so that the house can be lighted. I will add a base to it at a later date because I love flowers and a yard. A base also makes moving the houses MUCH easier. For the most part, I found that building this house was very simple and easy to "Bash" (or change if you don't like the dollhouse term Bash). The only real bashing I did was with the front door and adding the chimney. I also added new window inserts by use of transparency film. All of these things only added a few hours to the normal assembly process and it adds a little more character to this beautiful house kit. Don't be afraid to Change your house and make it your dream house! These ARE budget houses which means they are priced so that no matter what your budget is, you CAN own a dollhouse. I used things such as Gator foam for the chimney because it is less expensive than wood and if you are like me (afraid of power tools that bite) this is another alternative.Don't be afraid to follow the instructions in a way that fits making your dream house a reality. I strayed away from them several times to add or take things away from the original design. Challenge your creative juices and you CAN do it. We are here to help!!Remember, this is your house and it's up to you to make it your Dream house!Complements of My Mini Shop