Tako Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Since I have such a defined character going to live in my cottage (a buttercup), I have all the little details about living in it well thought out. There has to be a way to get to the second floor! Tiny cottages way back when (I'm thinking kind of Tudor era, but not worrying too much about being extremely accurate) had a tendency to just have a ladder up to the second floor/loft, rather than a staircase, and the buttercup is so small I wouldn't want to take up precious room with a staircase anyway. However, here is my dilemma. WHERE should I cut the hole for the ladder!? That and how large do you all think would be a feasibly large square/rectangular opening for a ladder hole? Also, for a bit of my theorized room layout that I really don't want to have to change: All sides listed as facing the opening in the back. Lower floor: Left side= kitchen table and chairs, and cabinet or set of shelves of some sort. Right side=kitchen: wood stove, dry sink, and possibly a counter. Top floor: Bed centered in dormer-type thing, treasure chest type trunk at foot of bed, left side=vanity/washstand. Right side=fireplace on center of right wall (I'm moving the chimney to the right side of the house), possibly a bookshelf, and a chair or two. So where the heck would I put the ladder hole!? So far it seems the most logical to put the hole somewhere on the left side, but I don't know if the ladder would interfere too much with the window seat, or not... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corwin Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 How about in the middle?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tako Posted March 8, 2008 Author Share Posted March 8, 2008 I actually thought about in the middle, but half the reason I'm making the house is as a prop/environment for photographing a tiny resin doll. A ladder in the middle of the room would be an obstruction as far as photography goes, and a sometimes there, sometimes not ladder would annoy me for congruency sake. I'm so picky! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corwin Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 I was thinking a rope ladder, or you could put it off to the side. What was also common was an outside access to upstairs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tako Posted March 8, 2008 Author Share Posted March 8, 2008 Interesting ideas. I know I wouldn't want to go out in the snow to get to bed though, so I've always thought the outside stairs were a rotten idea, covered or no they still couldn't be as warm as the hosue! Also, I think the ladder itself would be a cute photo op, but I'm not sure I'd trust the doll (they're quite pricey little darlings) to a rope ladder! Thanks for all the ideas though, shooting things out there is helping me think about it a lot more technically! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Why do you need to cut a hole for a ladder? Just atach it at the back; who's to say, other than you, at what point of the cottage you removed the back portion? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tako Posted March 8, 2008 Author Share Posted March 8, 2008 Well, in theory that back wall isn't missing...that's how I's always thought about them anyway. I mean, it's always seemed odd to me to just assume that the inhabitants of these little houses are just perfectly okay with their walls being missing! I've kind of thought about the missing walls, ever since I was really little, like two way mirrors, we can see in, but the little house dwellers aren't aware that their wee walls are missing. A bit odd of me probably , but oh well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glen Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Out of my depth here but why not put a hatch cover at the top of the ladder?? Then you could close the hatch and use the floor or open it and use the ladder? Then it wouldn't matter were it was and you'd still have some authenticity. Glen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tako Posted March 8, 2008 Author Share Posted March 8, 2008 Glen! That's actually a GREAT idea. I didn't even think of that. Now the right side of the house is a viable option again! I was worried about a gaping hole in/near the sitting area upstairs near the fireplace and my far-too-logical brain was thinking about what a mini hazard that would be... Except...now there's even more places for me to consider! *dizzy* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grazhina Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Are you talking Tudor or psuedo-tudor, daydream tudor? For real Tudor you won't need the wood stove, drysink, counter,vanity, washstand or bookshelf cluttering up your wallspace. For daydream tudor, ok, leave them in. The hole could probably about 1 & 1/2" x 1 & 3/4", basically a square space with a little room for the ladder to poke up. I made a hole with a hatch for the Nuthouse, but I just glued the hatch to stay open without messing about with hinges,etc. http://grazhe.googlepages.com/thenuthouse,...tkin'sabode You could do a removable ladder, that's something I did in that house. It's kind of hard to tell where you might be able to put the ladder without a visual.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tako Posted March 8, 2008 Author Share Posted March 8, 2008 (edited) Yeah, Tudor style is a VERY loosely used term here. Like the house down the street from me gets to be called a Tudor just because it's got high roof angles and dark wood trim. Definitely daydream Tudor, or a reclaimed/updated Tudor. Thanks for the link!! I think I'm just gonna have to throw some paper-cube "furniture" in the dimensions of what I'm looking into purchasing into a taped fit of the house and just mess around and see what works. Edited March 9, 2008 by Tako Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfieldzoo Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 I was also going to suggest a pull down ladder or a hatch. I have a hatch in my Hansel and Gretel house to go to the basement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet2Dawn Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 You could sketch it out on graph paper and then see how things work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tako Posted March 9, 2008 Author Share Posted March 9, 2008 You could sketch it out on graph paper and then see how things work. I'm good at doing that for floor plan stuff, and sketching out web layouts and whatnot. However, when it comes to trying to think in a more 3D fashion from a 2D layout, I fail miserably. My brain goes "so...would the sink still fit under the stairs? How the %#$% am I supposed to know!? I can just see that all the furniture will fit on the floor and won't block the windows!" :wub: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.