havanaholly Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 I'm rehabbing the beacon hill I got for 45.00 on craigslist. Anyway, its been put together with hot glue. Good because I can take door trim and stuff off with a heat gun, however I can't imagine taking the whole thing apart and rebuilding it...It's what I'm doing with the Pierce... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chattycathy66 Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 Jody, That might be a good question for "general mini talk" because you can ask anyone with a big house (Garfield, etc). I have been using tapewire, don't know much about round wire...sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chattycathy66 Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Cindy, those doors are great!! I decided to make mine with basswood--planning on a six panel door. I am going to cut out the panels on the outer layers and glue them together...I will post pictures when I finish one. I was out of exacto blades so it was a pain to do the cutting out last nite. I think it will be ok...we'll just see! I think those doors look more gothic,right?? Maybe for the Vineyard Cottage?? Thanks!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPete Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Thanks dollhousediva. I took a look at your beacon hill and its beautiful. I'm sort of a rookie so its good practice for me to do a rehab. When I actually build my Beacon Hill I will certainly do a a lot of things differently. With a rehab, you have to fix other people's mistakes. I like the idea of the wires down the chimney. I may try that, I hope you don't mind. Jody Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WyckedWood Posted July 17, 2009 Author Share Posted July 17, 2009 Thanks Jo, no I dont mind at all about the chimney! Good luck,and I agree with Cathy,if you take your question to general mini talk,Im sure someone can give you answers. Ive rehabbed two large houses,so I feel your pain! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paceus Posted July 18, 2009 Share Posted July 18, 2009 yea, my beacon hill is on temporary hiatus as well. I added on to the kitchen (which I thought was too small), now I am trying to figure out if I should go up as well. also having trouble picking out the correct kitchen set. I need something that looks old and all the kitchen applience sets and cabinets look too new. I need to know exactly what constitutes the furnishings now so that I can tape wire the right spots and add wall paper while it is easy to see. THe roof was not at all bad......in fact the roof seemed much easier than the stairs to me so do not be intimidated by the roof. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pin1056 Posted July 18, 2009 Share Posted July 18, 2009 I've only ever round wired....that tape and brads looks far too fiddley for me I use cardstock templates to stick the wallpaper too so the wires all run behind it...easy to track down repairs and also....as most of you know...i change my mind frequently so its easy to re wallpaper too I would start at the top and do one room at a time....i've never done it with scope for 'future' lighting...but there again my templates would solve that problem too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WyckedWood Posted July 18, 2009 Author Share Posted July 18, 2009 I started the chimney a few hours ago, since I dont have the fireplaces yet,my hubby came up with the idea to thread yarn through the holes and then when it comes time to work the fireplace wires down the "chimney channel" I can just knot them to one end of the yarn. This picture looks rough,it shows the chimney channel,then I added two more layers of plain foam core/gator board. It came out decent,I have it half way bricked already. The other big plus to adding a full chimney down the side of the BH is that the siding strips arent horizontally long enough to cover the full side of the house,two strips have to be used to accomodate the width of the house, I dont really care for that,so this way,the chimney splits the width of that side of the house,and I think I will like the siding better this way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WyckedWood Posted July 18, 2009 Author Share Posted July 18, 2009 Heres the most recent picture,still have so much to do,but I can see the end in sight! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pin1056 Posted July 18, 2009 Share Posted July 18, 2009 liking it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPete Posted July 18, 2009 Share Posted July 18, 2009 Very cool looking dollhousediva. I've painted mine a base grey. What a stinky job covering the salmon color. The trim is all black. I will dry brush or make a wash to give it that old haunted house look. Pin1056 I think I will try your idea that way I can continue on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldswabbie Posted July 18, 2009 Share Posted July 18, 2009 Hello, Not sure if I can be of any help to you at this point. I have a Beacon Hill (produced in 1983) and I'm just beginning to start it. It's my first dollhouse and I have much to learn. I do have a question for you ... are you putting in lights and if so what stage of building do you install them? Good Luck on your project V/R Boone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WyckedWood Posted July 18, 2009 Author Share Posted July 18, 2009 Hi there Boone,welcome to the group! Wow,the Beacon Hill is your first dollhouse,youre very brave! Think of it this way though,once you get this build done,other houses will seem very easy in comparison Do you know about the "potato chip factor" as it applies to dollhouses??? One is never enough...... Im personally adding a few lights with hard wire after the build,but I think most people agree,preplanning and installing after you get the houses main structure up....but before wallpaper,etc....is the best way to do it. If you are planning to do tapewire as opposed to hardwire,its essential to do it before wallpaper,flooring,etc. At what stage are you in your build? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WyckedWood Posted July 18, 2009 Author Share Posted July 18, 2009 Cant wait to see pictures Jo!! Sounds cool.... Mine is also sort of haunted....meant to look old and abandonded Maybe we'll be done by Halloween! At the rate Im going it will take me that long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted July 18, 2009 Share Posted July 18, 2009 Hi, Boone, and when you get a chance, pop into the Newcomers' Forum & introduce yourself to all the :family". If you're using tapewire, most assuredly you'll want to start your tape runs after the shell's together & primed, but before anything else. Round wire's a bit more forgiving, although hiding it needs as much creativity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPete Posted July 18, 2009 Share Posted July 18, 2009 So I can hide most of my round wire behind moulding and floorboards but what is the best way to cut a groove in the walls for the wire to sit in. I saw a video that said cut a V groove in the floor and wall and run it that way. Dremel maybe? what kind of bit and how do you get a straight line. I tried yesterday but getting the dremel in to the far wall was pretty dicey. If you use the wallpaper on cardstock to attach to the walls is it still necessary or will the wires cause a ridge? Also you round wire gurus, the kits come with the main plug-in strip and then a couple of 3 light plug-in strips, so do you hide these on different floors and then plug them into the main unit in the basement? I'm still trying to load pics, but just changed over from HP to Mac and still learning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted July 18, 2009 Share Posted July 18, 2009 The round wires are really, really tiny and I cannot imagine them showing through the cardstock template. I also imagine that you could run the wires up at the inside corners. The only place I can imagine needing a groove would be across a floor in an upper room to wire a ceiling fixture to the room below, and to do that I'd first cut a line where I wanted the channel with a cork-backed steel ruler and a utility knife, and then go back with a "V" carving tool and go over the cut with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pin1056 Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 the wire can run anywhere you want behind the templates theyr so small you wont see them I worked from the top rooms down and decorated and wired one room at a time ...drilled a hole through each floor each side of the the hallways and ran all the wires down the hallway walls to under the base where the main plug in strip sits...if i'd had a smaller drill i could of got the hole closer to the wall!!! ....i used a 3 plug strip in the bedroom and hid it under the bed and another to extend the main strip ... you can buy more wire cheaply to make the light fitting wire longer as the plugs come off easily Hope this helps NOTE!!! name the plugs!!!!! or you'll never locate which one it is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debbie4159 Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 Can you guys help me? I'm rehabbing the beacon hill I got for 45.00 on craigslist. Anyway, its been put together with hot glue. Good because I can take door trim and stuff off with a heat gun, however I can't imagine taking the whole thing apart and rebuilding it so I'm glueing joints with wood glue where I can. Long story short, I'm making it into a Haunted house and the interior is pretty much a blank slate. The question I have is, how do you do the wiring and lights for such a large house? I can't afford to buy all the lights I need at once. I want to use round wire since I've had such terrible luck with tape. Do I mark where lights are going and run wire to these places that lights can be soldered onto later? I can't do wallpaper or flooring till I have all the wire done right? I know when I actually build mine I will paint and wallpaper before I put this thing together, its rather daunting as a redo. thanks Jody I don't know about round wire as this is my first wiring and I'm using tape wire -- but I can't afford all the lights I need right now either -- so I am making wax paper templates of all the walls and tracing where my wiring is so when I do wallpaper and then add my lights I can just lay the paper over the wall and know exactly where I can put my lights. Maybe this will help you as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chattycathy66 Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 Wow Karin! It's really coming along....I keep thinking the end is in sight...and then I wrote a list of what need to be done...oh my, lol. I may have it done by my 3 yr anniversary of starting it,lol. My daughters have been asking for help with their Laurel and travel trailer....they are tired of sanding and painting,lol...go figure, that's my favorite part too. I'm going to post some pics tomorrow of our progress on those...to make me feel like I am accomplishing something, even if it's not with the BH, Hi Boone, I learned with my BH that if you're running tape wire, running a strip up along the stair case wall would have been a great thing to do...oops, I forgot that I read that and I wallpapered on that wall so I could install the staircases....so next time I wire a larger house, my plan is to do at least that tapewire run first! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPete Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 You guys are great and thanks for the visuals pin1056. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WyckedWood Posted July 21, 2009 Author Share Posted July 21, 2009 I have an upcoming camping trip,then right after a visit from MIL....have to put my house away for awhile. I did finish all of the siding last night, the brick chimney and left bay windows. Just have the front windows to do,then, paint.. paint.. paint......looking forward to getting to the landscaping,Im wanting to do a foam base,hope it works out,Im afraid the house may be too heavy for that. I want to do an overgrown look,with vines,etc. While camping I'll be scouring the forest floor looking for supplies for an upcoming faerie cottage I want to make with the Buttercup:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chattycathy66 Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Looks like RL is getting in the way for most of uh, huh....I haven't had many spare minutes for my BH lately....i'm sure once school starts, i'll get a little time in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pin1056 Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 I'm building Cathy....stuck on how to cut out the new window/door holes....only have an exacto and a hobby saw...its hard but i WILL do it .....probably need a jigsaw or something... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WyckedWood Posted August 9, 2009 Author Share Posted August 9, 2009 Linda,Ive been following your blog,sounds like things are really coming along:) My BH is waiting patiently in the laundry room,Im doing some side projects,and recently became obsessed with polymer clay. Never touched the stuff before but I love it now. Im in the process of building a Buttercup just so I can have a house to put all of my new stone faces on,really want to make a gargoyle too:) Shouldnt take long and Ill be back with you on the BH,at the rate your building youll be caught up to me soon:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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