What are the difficluty differences between kit companies?

[Laura1008]

I know that with many other types of things (clothing patterns springs to mind) there are some companies that are more difficult than others. Has that been anybodies experience with doll house kits?

I only have the one house (so far) and I want to buy a new kit with that 50 off event coming up.

Also I love HBS but are there any other mini companies (online or catalog) that anyone recommends?

[Nameless1]

I know that with many other types of things (clothing patterns springs to mind) there are some companies that are more difficult than others. Has that been anybodies experience with doll house kits?

At this point, the only major players in the new, affordable kit market are Greenleaf/Corona Concepts and RGT/Walmer. (You'll see Dura-Craft kits in stores, but the company went under about a year ago.)

My personal experience is that the difficulty level of assembling the shell is about the same, either way. A house with a more complicated arrangement will be tougher to assemble than a simple rectangle, but if you compare basic houses like a GL Arthur and an RGT Victorian Cottage Jr., you're looking at under three hours for assembly either way, including letting the glue dry. A Garfield or a Beacon Hill is a more complicated assembly than an Arthur -- but so is the largest RGT mansion.

GL and CC kits benefit from either a good job of sanding and sealing or a fancy surface treatment (siding, shingles, paperclay, magik brick), which adds some time and complication. The RGT kits with milled-in siding need no sanding and sealing, and paint goes on smoothly -- but siding is then your only choice for how the house looks. The less expensive RGT houses also look more toylike in proportions, especially the (formerly Walmer) Lilliput line.

If you have any notions about changing window size or layout -- or adding on -- go with GL, CC, or one of the Dura-Craft kits that's tab-and-slot. You can alter these houses with a craft knife. Changing an RGT house requires serious power tools.

If you have any issues with lifting or moving the house, GL and CC kits are much, much lighter than RGT. The lighter-weight kits are perfectly durable under reasonable wear (don't encourage people to sit on them!). One reason I decided to pass on my RGT Victorian Cottage Jr. to a better home is that I have trouble lifting it down to work on it -- and I'm a big, sturdy girl!

[parisbabe]

I found that dollhouse emporiums (in the UK) miniatures are an excellent value and the shipping charges are pretty good considering they are in the UK.

As far as the dollhouses, I'm not really sure since that isnt the reason I oder from them.

Wen

[LisaN]

Speaking strictly as a dealer, it depends entirely on the 'look' you want. I have several different kinds of kits on my website.

Speaking as a person with limited time, & space, & money, these are factors that also figure largely into a customer's choice of a kit.

Number one, decide on the look you want and shop around. Look at where the finished house is going to be displayed. Is it going in a cramped studio apartment? Then a small kit like the Arthur, Buttercup or even a small RGT cottage might be the answer. If you have considereably more room, then a large house like the Garfield, Beacon Hill, or the Newport might be the answer, if those styles please you. First, figure out your measurements of where the kit or house will sit, then what style or period fits those dimensions, and then go from there.

If you have been collecting awhile, check out what pieces you already have, and might need to make this house complete. I did that with the Arthur and was amazed at all the items I had collected. If you don't want a house, but like shops(like me--a shopping addict! ) then that narrows down your decision.

I figure in all these details when deciding on a new kit--and have had to put a few on the back burner. I would love nothing more than to have a huge Victorian, but since space is small, that will have to go on the backburner! ;) It is so easy to acquire so many little structures, and run out of space quick! <_<

[Laura1008]

Lisa that is some VERY valuable information. I am the type to shope first and ask questions later. Once I bought a chair and had no way to get it home OOOPS... Do I have the space in my house well maybe, maybe not. I see I will need to clean off my dressers now to make room for some real estate. Hmm a reason to clean, look what this hobby is getting me into.

[Peggi]

Laura-Be warned--This hobby get addictive very very quickly. You start with one house, you buy/make furniture, then you see either another house that just has to have a home, or a piece of furniture that ends up not looking right in the first house but would look great in another house, or once one is done, you think Darn that was fun, I'll do another just to occupy my time.

Before you know it, you have boxes full of furniture, anywhere from 3 to 8 houses in their boxes waiting in line to be done "next".

[Laura1008]

I'm afraid very afraid I feel I am being pulled into the current... (or I should say my husband is afraid, I've taken my shoes off and the water feels fine).

[doogster]

For ease of build, from watching Marg, I'd say the RGT kits go together a whole lot easier than Greenleaf, but then RGT's are essentially boxes with a facade. But all the parts are pre-cut, edges pre-finished, ready to glue together, paint and furnish. And you can get RGT kits in smooth plywood, and finish any way you like. The Greenleafs require removal of the part from the sheet, maybe my Garf is unusual, but the cuts are about half way through the wood and need to be finished with a knife. Lots of prep, but the parts fit well in the end, and with careful filling of the exterior tab/slots can be painted as is and look good. Personally I'm going to try automotive primer/filler (rattle can stuff-use outdoors) as surface prep.

In the end it really depends on the house you like, not on how hard it is to build. And you can buy 3 Garfs for the price of 1 Foxhall Manor, and 3 Foxhalls for the price of 1 Grosvenor. If ease is required, I'd simply pony up the bucks for a Lawbre shell.

[LisaN]

Laura, I have one friend who is a customer, and she has about 6-7 kits in her little corner of her apartment that need to be assembled. She also has a heritage, fully landscaped in her living room. Some vintage houses setting about, and the roomboxes here and there too. Did I mention that she lives in a five room apartment? ;) She stockpiles kits --I think she has a Beacon Hill, a San franciscan, a laurel, a primrose, a buttercup, a victorian jr. cottage, and I think there is another one in that stack last time I visited.

If time isn't a factor, you love to create, bash and build, then GL, Corona, or Dura Craft will be your best bet--these are perfect for the 'bashing' process. If space isn't a factor, but you want to decorate rather than spend alot of time bashing and prepping, then RGT, Lawbre, Lilliput, and the DHE & Olde English would be the way to go. It is too easy to buy kits and then figure out where you're going to lay the pieces while they are being prepped. I've done that, and so that is why I figure in TIME and SPACE as large factors when speaking to my customers as to the choice of a house. Saving money isn't really a big factor if there isn't enough space (I'm speaking of workspace, etc. when punching out the pieces to be prepped).

Also, shop around for high quality glues. Make Home Depot & Lowe's your favorite one stop shop. I recommend Elmer's wood glue and Titebond. If you're going to put alot of kits together, it's best to buy it in the gallon size--and get a squeezy refill bottle. I save loads of money this way, instead of buying those 4-6 ounce bottles. And good paintbrushes and sponges too. Paint in wonderful colors is available on the OOPS! shelf at Home Depot for a quart for a $1--most of my paint for my structures comes from there. Minnie's lil Scrapbook store was painted with oops paint, severely keeping the cost of all those acrylic bottled paints down. You can save alot of money on Supplies, and have more money for the kit you want and love later.

[havanaholly]

Paint in wonderful colors is available on the OOPS! shelf at Home Depot for a quart for a $1--most of my paint for my structures comes from there. Minnie's lil Scrapbook store was painted with oops paint, severely keeping the cost of all those acrylic bottled paints down.

Great points, Lisa. Another trick some of us use to stay in budget is to buy one good-sized container of semi-gloss white interior latex paint & a basic palette of primary acrylic colors and mix our own. I prefer to get the acrylic paints in tubes, a little bit goes a lo-o-o-ong way and I use them to paint nearly EVERYTHING. Big Lots used to sell small cans of Red Devil interior latex paint very cheap, but I notice now they're the same price as Wally World.

Space considerations: I live in a 900 sq ft house and my workroom is a sunroom approximately 6X10, just off our bedroom. When I need prep space I spread waxed paper over our bed & have at it ;) . I have eight house kits in the upstairs hall and two in the computer room/ 2nd bedroom plus the roombox I'm repairing for DS#3; I'm currently building the Coventry Cottage in the workroom. I daydream about a larger house, but then I'd probably spread out commensurately.