Kat C Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 I have just decided that I want to build a dollhouse. I had one when I was a kid and loved it, I don't know what happened to it. I love miniatures and I'm so excited to do this. However, I have a ton of questions! How do I know what house is right for me? I don't want to start with a small one, so I want to make sure I choose the right one. I want it to last forever. Is there really a big difference in building materials? I've been reading MDF versus plywood? Will one really last longer? Is one easier to use? Is there a big difference between 1/4 floor and 3/8? Again, will one really last longer? Especially once the furniture is in? I think I'm concerned about putting too much weight on it. This will be quite an investment of time and money for me so I want to do it as best I can. I've been looking at the galleries and you all have done some wonderful, beautiful work. Very inspiring! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bea Killion Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 The Real Good Toys dollhouses are much easier to build, but the Greenleaf and Corona houses have so much more charm and detail. Just curious, what state are you from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricket Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 Welcome Katherine! To (maybe) answer some of your questions... How do you know which house is right? The one that "sings" to you the most! But beware...some have pretty strong voices and you may find yourself falling in love with several. If you're sure you don't want one of the smaller houses, that can narrow the choice down for you. (But don't rule them out... you might see one you really love!) The more you look around, the more likely it is that one is going to move to the top of the list. Is there really a big difference in building materials? Aside from the actual building, and weight, not that I can tell. Some people have a preference, others don't.. it's kind of a personal thing. MFD is sturdier and most here would recommend that for children, but the Greenleaf kits can stand up to lot also. As far as how long one will last, well that depends a lot on how the house is handled. But I'll put it to you this way... My Rutherford (3/8" plywood) is 26+ years old, and it's been through the ringer! It's been played with, moved from home to home many times, and spent a year in storage and it's still holding together as strong as ever. I don't think you need to worry about too much weight with a lot of furniture. Unless you plan to put a real size couch on top of it, any house should last for years and years. :wub: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kat C Posted January 11, 2008 Author Share Posted January 11, 2008 I live in Oregon. Long winter and I'm not an outdoor girl so a hobby will be a welcome activity. I've been leaning towards the Garfield because of the price and the way it looks. Although now I'm debating whether I like the look of it from the back versus the "flat" opening to the rooms. There are a few others that I love too, just not the price. I don't want to spend a small fortune on a beautiful house that I might not put together correctly. Yikes! I'm already thinking about what kind of rooms I want - music with a piano and game room with a pool table! I'm really excited about decorating it. Do most people start with smaller homes? Am I being too ambitious? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 Welcome to the forum, Katherine, and I hope you'll come over to the Newcomers' forum & introduce yourself. The first kit I ever built was a Dura-Craft SF555, the last all-wood version of the San Franciscan, for the eldest granddaughter. The first kit that ever "spoke " to me was the Dura-Craft Cambridge, which I shall eventually give to my second granddaughter. I still have a Dura-Craft Newburg in the box to build, eventually, but then I discovered Greenleaf/ Corona Concepts kits. I love building them and how they turn out, and so far I haven't found one that hasn't spoken to me loud & clear to tell me what it wants. I have built one MDF roombox and so far as I'm concerned it's just heavy & dense and thick and has no :character at all. Sometimes the kits want "tweaking" or even outright bashing, and doing that with MDF just seems too difficult to bother with. Besides, when I open a new kit part of the process of getting acquainted for me is to sniff & pet the wood! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJEP Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 Hi and !! When deciding on a house I think you look for one that you like the look of, has the number/size of rooms you want and is a price you can afford (remembering it costs more for furniture, paints, etc.). There are many people here who started with a large house, so do not be afraid to do that. My first house that I built on my own was the Bayberry Cottage. It is a pretty good size. I started building a smaller house, the Orchid, (and actually finished it first) during the build. As for mdf versus plywood that is more of a personal preference. I wouldn't worry about that so much as finding a house you love the look of. Enjoy it!! :wub: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 Hi Kat, welcome to the community! Why don't you want to do a smaller house first? I'd suggest one of the smaller Greenleaf houses. IF you've been looking at the galleries and blogs, you've seen that they can be every bit as elegant as the larger ones, and they have the advantage of being less expensive (relatively), so you'll feel comfortable experimenting with the new skills you'll be acquiring. That being said, however, several members of the community started out with large houses and did brilliantly with them! Consider your own level of competence, compare features (which I see you are), and take the plunge! Whatever you decide, we're here to answer questions and offer encouragement and opinions. Man, we're good with opinions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_the_haunted Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 Hi and to the group! Okay, I'm going to give some help on the $$ issues. Plan on spending at ~least~ 10 to 20 times what you paid for the house on trim, wallpaper furniture etc, especilally if you have an eye for Bespac, Reutter and thos expensive brands! We all like to make as many items as we can in here but, most of us simply can't make everything! The trim alone can seriously cost twice what you spent for the kit so, the smaller houses can be benificial for the starter in many ways. You can gain skills, save a bit of moola, and trust me when I tell you it won't be the last house you build! It really just depends on what You want to do! Have bunches of fun on your new venture and I can't wait to see pics! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kat C Posted January 12, 2008 Author Share Posted January 12, 2008 Well, I am starting to rethink starting with a smaller one. I want to make sure I do a bigger one right! The Orchid is really cute. Are there other companies that are better/comparable to Greenleaf? So far I think I like theirs best, there are so many choices! Another question - since I will have to buy my house online, is there a better site to buy from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfieldzoo Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 The orchid is a wonderful house to start with. I always wanted a queen anne. They are huge. But then as I had several smaller kits that I found in the basement from years ago, I decided to build one. I am so glad I did. I have so many ideas for houses that to be pinned down to only one would never do now. I have instead decided to have many 'smaller' houses all different instead of one big one. I also prefer the flat open back houses as the corner ones, while being lovely, have 'hidden' areas that are not easily accessable. I may do one some day, but will probably only do the outside and leave it facing out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uppitycats Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 The first dollhouse I built..actually the only one (so far) I built from a kit (my others are rehabs) was the Garfield. If you check out my gallery, you'll see that I modified the back end so that it is open. I left out a wall so that I had easier access to the rooms, too. It's a lovely -- but HUGE house..so if you really like the Garfield, first find the measurements (on the description), then see if you have room in your house for it. You need to think about getting it through doorways, and up/down stairs, if you should want to move it from, say, where you do the construction to where it'll be displayed. I prefer the Greenleaf houses, the 1/8 plywood. It sounds like it would be flimsy -- but once the house is contructed, it is VERY sturdy. As others have said, the Greenleafs seem to have more character, more intricate nooks and crannies. Each has it's own charm, be it the curving staircase of the Glencroft or the tower on Garfield, or the porches, or now the new Brookwood in birch.... I don't think there is much difference in whether the house "lasts forever" be it the MDF or the plywood. I think a lot of the "lasting" qualities has to do with the glues used, how "rough" the play, that sort of thing. The plywood certainly is easier to alter, should you decide to widen a doorway, or turn a window into a door, or add on a wing, or change the roof, or any number of other "bashing". The MDF is much harder to work with in that way..you pretty much build the house as it is designed, and there isn't as much opportunity for altering it. As for furniture..most of the dollhouse furniture is light. Either style house will accommodate as much furniture as you can stuff in to it, without a problem. (...Unless you make your own out of concrete, of course! ) I think if I were starting again, I'd start with a somewhat smaller..and less expensive..house than the Garfield, mainly so that I could "practice" on all the skills I learned along the way. My Garfield is lovely..but there are so many things I'd do differently, now, if I were building her! Also, starting with a smaller (and less expensive) house will give you an opportunity to see for sure that you LIKE building dollhouses! Some people love that...others find they dont, and what they want is a finished dollhouse to fill with furniture, or decorate. Source? Well of course you can buy retail right here at Greenleaf. Or you can shop on eBay, where lots of kits come up for sale. Or places llike Overstock have some -- that's where I got my Garfield. Or Craigslist (but generally there you'll find already-built..or nearly built..houses that people are selling.) Places like Hobby Lobby and other craft and model stores have dollhouses. Some larger towns and cities have miniature and dollhouse shops..you'd have to look around your area to see what might be available. There are a ton of on-line sources, some cheaper than others...once you decide on which house you might want to build, you can type that into a search engine like Google, and you'll likely come up with a number of sources for the houses. Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kathi17 Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 Hi Kat, (I'm Katherine too), and welcome to the forum! Since you have some very interesting rooms you want to build, such as game rooms and music rooms, you probably really would be better off building a couple of smaller houses, since unless you build a really huge house, there won't be room enough for them! You could start with a small elegant home for and design the whole thing around your music room, then pick out a house with a design that would suit the mood of a house built around a game room. By that time, you will have some other kind of room you want to design a house around! These dollhouses tend to multiply like rabbits once the miniature bug has bitten you! My first dollhouse from a kit was the 557 MDF San Fransiscan by Dura Craft. I built that one for my granddaughter. The second was the Apple Blossom by RGT. Both of these houses are large ad gorgeous, but don't have enough rooms for all the ideas I have. I love making accessories and furniture, so lately I have been making roomboxes or using tiny houses like the Primrose as roomboxes, one as a school, and the other as a library. I do have a large, elegant roombox my husband built and I decorated that may end up with my Realife music room inside. I also have the Orchid, which may end up as a soda fountain and possibly a fabric shop combination with a tiny apartment upstairs. The Orchid is really a beautiful little kit. Anyway, those are some of the things I have been doing. I hope it helps you to decide what to begin with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kat C Posted January 12, 2008 Author Share Posted January 12, 2008 Oh my gosh! I am so glad I found this site! You are all so helpful. Alright, I'm leaning towards the Glencroft because it has stairs and the Orchid doesn't. Plus I love the style of it. Any input on that one? This is great. It's inspiring my boyfriend to get involved in his trains again. We might have to buy another house to fit everything in! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 I'm leaning towards the Glencroft because it has stairs and the Orchid doesn't.Ahem, excuse me, some people might have chosen to leave their stairs out when they built their Orchid, and I know Peggi had her DH build her a spiral stairway for hers for considerations of space, but these stairs came with my kit: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_the_haunted Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 Yes, the Orchid does have stairs but, as Holly says people have ledt them out for purposes of space. Also you should know that you can always purchase stair kits and put them into whatever house you build! There's a million possibilities with any house you build! It's fabulous Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuttiwebgal Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 something else to take into consideration is time....I will not discourage a larger house....I prefer them BUT.....I love my smaller houses....they bring out creativity and I dont mind experimenting on them....and when I have learned what I need to I am going to finish my baby! The Grandville I stopped working on her when I knew I wanted more than I could imagine for her. so all of these things to take into consideration! personally I would buy the house you have looked at closely more than the others.... the Glencroft is a great starter house! and the staircase is as wonderful as you think it is from the photo! it is my favorite Greenleaf staircase!. and it is not a small house...I would call it sm/med and it has the nice yard! if this house is calling out to you...you should bring it home. when you finish it than you will know...if you want a large house? one benifit of several small houses is the different themes/storys you can do with them. I have a haunted house, a spooky greenhouse, americana, Christmas/winter I rotate them during the yr. food for thought! hope you share your journey with us! nutti Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdmom Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 I have built 8 assorted small houses and cabins and have one larger house- The Rutherford. I have to say even after reading all the things about dollhouses size and having already put together a lot of the smaller ones I wasn't ready for the size and display space my Rutherford takes (and it is no where near the size of a garfield). The small houses are easy to move about, fun to make and feel much easier to complete. Of course I gave away 4 houses to relatives children for Christmas as I just liked building and decorating and didn't want to keep that many houses. 3 of my other small houses are for my 3 daughters. The smaller houses I have put together do not have very big rooms, but I dry fit my orchid (haven't glued her together yet) and the rooms in it are a bit bigger than the other cottages I have put together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jokelly Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 The nice thing about smaller houses is that you can do them all in different styles and themes. Versatility is a big advantage. I think they're better for developing skills. But if a large house sings to you then you just might have to buy it because it will only get louder and louder until you can't stand it anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kat C Posted January 12, 2008 Author Share Posted January 12, 2008 Well, my original idea was that I would buy one house and work on it over many months/years. And that it would be my only house. What was I thinking? So..... I decided this morning! I have ordered the Orchid!!! Then I think I will get the Glencroft and then after practicing on those I will get my dreamhouse, whatever that turns out to be. Thanks so much for all of your input and I look forward to sharing my progress with you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THmini2 Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 Welcome to the board. You ordered a nice house. There is so much you can do with it. If you have a Hobby Lobby near you, you can see some houses that are on display. We just bought the Victorias Farmhouse. they also have a limited supply of furniture, ect. www.miniatures.com, Hobby Builders Supply, is also another place where you can order furniture and other accessories. On-line or have them send you their catalog. It is fun to look through. I do order alot through them. There are alot of on-line companies out there. JUST REMEMBER: NO HOT GLUE. Your going to have so much fun. Again welcome to the board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 Congratulations, Katherine! So far my dream houses are the Glencroft and the Magnolia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kat C Posted January 13, 2008 Author Share Posted January 13, 2008 I already know I'm going to spend so much on furniture. And now I'm really excited to do a smaller one. I found a bunch of hand painted furniture and that's what I'm going to use for my first one. It wouldn't work so well in a big house I don't think but will be perfect for the smaller one. Now I need to start reading all the tips on building and tools I will need..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricket Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 Congrats on picking your first house! You'll have so much fun with it, and the furniture you have planned sounds adorable! Don't forget PICS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kat C Posted January 15, 2008 Author Share Posted January 15, 2008 I just checked the tracking on my house. It left New York today - it's still on the other side of the country! I am feeling very impatient and hope that it gets here by the weekend so I can enjoy taking it out of the box at my leisure. I suppose that give me some time to get supplies ready. Which reminds me - what do most of you use to build on? I'm thinking something like a card table? Tempted to buy a set of furniture too but I don't want to go too crazy right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricket Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 I suppose that give me some time to get supplies ready. Which reminds me - what do most of you use to build on? I'm thinking something like a card table? Tempted to buy a set of furniture too but I don't want to go too crazy right now. A card table would work just fine as long as it's stable (not too wobbly). I work on my projects here on whatever flat surface is available, could be the dining room table, could be the floor. I haven't bought a stick of furniture for my Pierce yet, but I am making a list! I don't want to spend too much on furniture then not have enough for building supplies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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