New Member thinking of building an Allison Jr.

[TRP]

Hello Gang,

I'm a 37 year old new member from San Jose, California. I have a long history with building giant scale model airplanes, park scale flyer's and even a pretty detailed pedal plane for my Daughter last Christmas. I started the pedal plane project the weekend after Thanksgiving last year and finished it December 23rd. Built with a full sheet of 4X8 plywood and many other sheet metal items - it was no small task.

This year I think I'm going to build my Daughter a doll house. After seeing a 'built' unit in the most recent Pottery barn catalog, my wife is keen on the dimension of a 'smaller' house. She wants something with a no larger foot print of 24" X 18". Ideally the house would be around 36" to 40" tall. Unfortunately I have not found such a kit locally.

I've been thinking of taking two of the Authur kits and combining them into one tall house.

Where is the best place to purchase this kid locally? According to D & J hobbies - they sell this kit, so with any luck, I could pick up the two kits today and hopefully get started pretty soon.

Thoughts? Ideas? Warnings?

Thanks!

Ted

[TRP]

Change in plans - wend to the hobby shop today and walked out with a much better idea- A Real Good Toys Allison Jr. This will be my first house. We'll see how it goes.

Ted

[ilovecats]

I can't wait to see photos of your project!

Once you get started, keep in mind we love eye candy here and since i don't think anyone on this forum has bashed an Arthur like this before, it should be fun to watch your progress!

I bashed an Arthur to a Pierce...it's been nick named the "Parthur" by someone on this forum...so that's what i call it.

[chesterfieldzoo]

I added a short basement to my arthur.

[CJEP]

I hope you enjoy building your house. Keep us posted.

[Wolfie]

Good luck with your build! Pictures please?! And don't be shy - ask questions if you need help!

Wolfie

[TRP]

Thanks for the warm welcome!

In the end it turns out that I'm not going to bash the Arthur into a tri-level. The person behind the counter recommended that, given my timeline, I work on something with less ambition. I wound up getting a Real Good Toys Alison Jr. - It's all unpacked in the garage and looking like a fun build.

I've purchased some stain for the floor, some flat white primer, and some other goodies. Once I get started I'll be sure to start a build thread in the appropriate place.

Thanks again

Ted

[ilovecats]

That is a lovely house. I have the kit as well...i'll build it one of these years.

Can't wait to see your progress pictures!

[heidiiiii]

Good Luck and cant wait to see pictures!

Oh welcome too.

I just had to look and find the dh you were talking about...Pottery Barn.

The schoolhouse is too cute!

[fov]

D&J Hobby is a great store. I'm glad they were able to recommend something for you. I love the Greenleaf houses but it can take a lot of work to sand and prepare the wood, and since it's your first house and you're on a short deadline, the RGT house might be easier going for you.

Heidi, thanks for that link to the Pottery Barn house. RGT sells a townhouse that's similar. I think it's pretty new (at least, it only started showing up in the HBS catalog recently).

[birdmom]

Great choice with the allison jr. All three of daughters love the way that house looks.

[TRP]

So - I have a question:

When I'm building one of my planes -- the plane guys, we all start a 'build thread' and post photos of our progress, etc. Is that a common practice on this site as well?

If so - I'd better get my thread going. I've already put 3.5 hours in on the Alison Jr. and the first and second floors are already framed. I've stained the floors, as well as, applied a good coat of sanding sealer to the exterior walls. I'll apply a second coat tomorrow night and possibly get started with painting the window frames. The shingles look like they are going to be 'fun'.

Again - thanks for the warm welcome!

Ted

Edited November 26, 2007 by TRP

[heidiiiii]

Ted,

Yes alot of us take pics from beginning to end..*at least I do*. I think it is a good helper for others along the way. If they are having a problem with a particular house, they can check out the gallery and blogs and see what others have done in the building stages.

So start snapping away..we love eye candy in all forms.

[fov]

I am going to transfer this thread into the RGT forum.

[TRP]

Hello!

I've had a busy schedule at the office and have only had time to work on the project for about 7 hours so far. I forgot to take photos along the way. Oops!

So as it stands right now - I have the house all framed up. The interior and exterior walls are all sealed and primed. I have managed to get the exterior painted with the first base coat color. I'll apply a second coat this afternoon. The window frames are all assembled and painted. The shingles are all dyed and dry.

I upgraded the front door to one with more style and pizazz. I also purchased 3 internal doors for the house and an octagonal window for the attic room.

The one mistake I'm willing to admit to... I put the third story floor on 'backwards' - so the third story opening for the stair well is on the 'wrong' side (opposite side as the opening on the second story...) Best I can tell - this isn't a critical error and I should be able to recover with zero loss of play area / functionality.

I have a bunch of the 'trim' stuff left to paint. Anyone want to share a tip on an easier way of painting those little fiddly bits and bobs? How about wall paper - any tips and tricks on hanging the paper?

Ted

[nuttiwebgal]

the only hint I can give on painting all the fiddly bits is

good music and spagehtti(dry) to lay the drying pieces on....much easier to remove a peice of noodle than try and break the grip of the table or whatever after drying is over...dont ask!

I use an emery board for sanding the fiddly bits as well and I only sand AFTER I stain or paint....less chance of breakage...well at least for me.

I look forward to your photos!

nutti ;)

[TRP]

Argh!?!

So - good news, baaad news.

I've come a long way since my last post. I've got almost all of the wallpaper hung and most everything painted.

I decided to take a break from the inside and see if I could tackle the shingles. After reading that I should use something quick setting like "liquid nails" - I picked a nice can of construction adhesive (Locktite Powergrab) - it squeezes out like cheeze whiz. Great! Not so fast.

I got the entire roof done with the exception of a couple of areas around the window dormers on the front of the house and the 'attic' tower thing. Everything looks great. Here is the bad part... the shingles just pop off like poker chips. Plink. plink. plink. The glue is set, but it's not sticking anything like a product titled "POWERGRAB" should 'grab'. My daughter will pop these things off if she plays with the house.

Should I take and pop off all the shingles and start again with a different adhesive? I need to get this done by Christmas or my daughter will be heart broken. ;) I realize this is totally not the end of the world - but what can I do? What's the right stuff to use? Such a huge drag.

If I pop off the shingles I think I can reuse them. I'll just need to be sure to put them back in the correct location. :thumb:

Help,

Ted

Edited December 18, 2007 by TRP

[TRP]

I have yet to find a solution for the shingles.

Here are a few images of my progress -

Just getting started:

Getting going on the paint and even applied some trim:

Some of the paper has been hung:

Shingles going up:

I really dread having to pop all the shingles off - as they have almost all been applied (except for about 5% of the front and the 'tower').

I don't have time to re-dye a new batch. Maybe I should just go get a new bag of 1500 shingles, rip these off, and just start again with good ole' tacky glue?

Which glue should I use?

Edited December 18, 2007 by TRP

[aggiemae]

The house look great and I doubt you daughter will notice! You can always attend to it when she wants to remodel.

Sorry in advance about the spelling no spell chack and English is my second language.

If you absolutly can not stand the roof as is, this is how I usually roof:

Fist get the thinest shingles you can afford and remember to glue a strip of wood under the bottom one so it flairs out like the rest of them will. Some times this small ommission can make a roof line look off, especialls since the roof surface on this house is relativily small.

Consider making strips attached to 1/4" strips of light card a little longer than the roof area. Start 1/2 of the strips with a 1/2"staggered end (more or less) all along the same side.

Then you can color the rows with a wash ( diluted paint) which will dry fast and seal (outside) with a flat finished sealer.

The strips of shingles make the rows easier to line up. You can add a few SMALL dots of hot glue (use carpenters glue sticks not the clear ones) this will keep the rows from slipping so you can work faster.

When one side of the roof is done wait until it is 100% dry before triming the long pieces on one side and the roof ridge. (all should be on one side becasue you can line up one side neatly with the staggered ends you made on 1/2 of the strips.

[Bea Killion]

HI. I'VE ALSO BUILT THE ALLISON JR. IT WAS QUITE EASY. AS FOR THE SHINGLES, WHAT IF YOU PUT A COAT OF CLEAR POLYURETHANE ON THEM SO THEY'LL STICK TOGETHER AND STAY ON?

[TRP]

Hello,

Thank you for the replies. I really appreciate the ideas. I'm not sure that fixing them all together will solve the problem. The issue is that the glue which was used to fix the shingles to the roof isn't 'sticking' to the shingles as well as is necessary to keep them from falling off.

It's almost as if the glue wasn't really 'glue' at all. The shingles pop off really easily. This may prove to be a saving grace if I have to start again. Maybe the hobby shop will have a complete bag of 1500 shingles so I can just pop these off and start again with a proper adhesive.

This is too bad as I'll be out one or more whole building days.

What do you experienced builders use to glue on shingles?

[aggiemae]

I use Aleans tacky glue for shingles. The reason I like the strips and buy shingles that are like already made this is because you can add a few dots of hot glue so the rows don't slip. Shingles are about the only part of building a dollhouse I do not enjoy and this combination makes the work much faster. Your glue might not be working if you sealed the wood or if the stain had alot of oil in the formula (some of the expensive ones do).

[kathi17]

I use Carpenters glue on the shingles. Right now I only have Elmer's. It worked well on the RGT and Dura Craft houses, but it curled up the Greenleaf ones.

Your roof stain is beautiful, and so is the house. I hope you don't have to pop them all off.

[justmesue]

I use quick grip, and love the results. It dries fast, is very strong and doesn't warp, even the thinnest shingles.

[TRP]

Thank you all for your kind words. I appreciate them.

When I got home this evening I was pleasantly surprised to find that once the carpenters glue had set overnight that the tiles were really set up nicely. What a HUGE relief. I went ahead and went with the quick grip to finish up the process and was VERY pleased with the results.

All the tiles are on the roof and she's starting to take some positive shape now!

I'm coming down the final stretch on the exterior. Just the fiddly trim bits and the window glass is left to install.

I can't get a photo to really capture the exterior color. It's a pretty violet color. I think I will paint the 'gingerbread' and other trim bits the darker purple color to match the shutters.

The interior is coming along well. I need to paper the upper floor and finish applying the base boards, crown moldings, stairway banisters and hand rails.

I don't want to put the hex on it, but I think I might make my Christmas deadline. :w00t: