Willowcrest chimney

[Just One More]

I'd like to try the Willowcrest sometime but there is something about the chimney I can't figure out. On the ground floor in the kitchen, you could put a coal stove on the wall that connects to the living room where the fireplace goes. It would vent up through the chimney. This would be OK, but the chimney in the attic doesn't seem to connect to where the fireplace goes. It's just sort of there, almost like the fireplace would vent through the stair section and cut across to the chimney. I can't figure out how I could make the chimney connect to the fireplace. There isn't room on an outside wall in the kitchen for a coal stove to vent. I know dollhouses can't always be designed like real houses but this is such a glaring departure from what real would be it just bothers me. The chimney takes up a good portion of the attic so it's obvious it does not connect and hard to ignore. There's a few things I just have to have right. Any ideas how to make this look right? I guess I should just build Colonials and farmhouses. :lol:

[Sharon-UK]

I think you are right, in that it isn't a realistic ducting system to all rooms. If it helps, you can see a picture of the chimney assembly on my step-by-step Willowcrest construction blog here.

But I wasn't using the fireplaces at all, so I cut off the chimney at the roofline - you can still see a chimney from outside but there is no chimney nor fireplaces inside.

I suppose you could add an extra chimney (a round dowel?) running up the right side of the house next to the kitchen bay window.

[Just One More]

Thanks. That's a great picture of how the chimney really looks. It's just not connected and hard to ignore. I'd just leave it out too. I'd put the fireplace and kitchen coal stove on outside walls or not have a fireplace and just a parlor stove in the living room. That also gives more floor space in the attic. :lol:

[Alamom]

I had thought of putting a chimney up the side of the house where the two double windows are, beside the bay window. That doesn't solve the kitchen venting problem though. This kit is so wonderful on the exterior, but the interior isn't so great. It doesn't have enough room or wall space for furniture placement, the chimney setup is odd, the banisters of the second floor staircase don't match the first floor ( the openings are arched on the first floor and straight on the second floor), I also don't like that big blank area on the back of the house from the staircase and the fireplaces are extremely plain and small for such a grand house. But, even with all that I LOVE this house. I've been trying to decide if it's possible ( for me) to add a basement floor to this house to add a larger kitchen and maybe a maid's room. Can't wait to see how you do yours, good luck! :lol:

[Just One More]

Not having the house yet I can't say for sure, but you could bash the kitchen bay area and make it bigger. I'd leave out the chimney entirely. I don't know how I'd do the stairs. I like the little closet under the stairs from the bathroom but it would be hard to make that big expanse of wood backing the stairs look good. I'd probably tone down the gingerbread a bit too. I tried to make this house years ago and gave up. Having more experience now it might be fun to try again. Wouldn't it be nice if they would make it laser cut? All that fancy window trim would be great with smooth laser cut edges.

[havanaholly]

One of my main motives for swapping off my Willowcrest for a Brimble's (besides the Brimble's calling to me for the past five years) is that the Willowcrest would never tell me how it wanted to be bashed to make the rooms roomier, solve the chimney ducting problems and retain it's elegant lines. I wound up with a Pierce rehab because of all the room I need for the Small family.