Aster Disaster?

[Chris P.]

Rearranged Sides

I wanted to have the kitchen/fireplace on the right side instead of the left so I build the front oriented for that arrangement. My reasoning for this is that since this is to be a fairy house instead of a doll house, I was not planning to use stairs. Instead, I want to make an arrangement like a firemen's pole and vines to come up where the large opening to the loft is, and I did not want them in front of the oven. I have yet to see if I have totally messed things up in trying this.

My question is, will having done this totally mess me up when it comes to attaching the roof, and are there any other pitfalls I might run into having rearranged the floor plan like this? I am hesitant to proceed unless I know this isn't going to entirely ruin the finished house.

Thanks,

Chris

[minime]

I have an Aster but have not yet put it together. One issue that I can see is the window in the loft. Unless you move the window, and that would be a shame in my opinion, you would have to consider what to do with the chimney.

[havanaholly]

If you switched the sides you might dry fit your roof pieces to see if you need to turn them upside down.

[KathieB]

Masking tape is your best friend at this point. Follow Holly's advice and dry fit the roof pieces before you go any farther. If you need to make cuts or fill-ins, this is the time to do it.

[Chris P.]

Thank you for your ideas, Ann, Pam, Holly, and Kathie. I have decided to keep the original orientation instead of moving the fireplace/oven. If I were more experienced in building doll houses, I would go for it. After considering to your thoughts, I think it would require more problem solving than I am ready to do.

Chris

[minime]

I feel bad now, I like your idea. Don't give in so easily. If it were me I would reshape the whole fireplace to slope off to the side and stick a stovepipe out the end wall.

Then you could get the window back in the loft.

[Chris P.]

I feel bad now, I like your idea. Don't give in so easily. If it were me I would reshape the whole fireplace to slope off to the side and stick a stovepipe out the end wall.

Then you could get the window back in the loft.

Aw, don't feel bad! I liked the idea, but I was uncomfortable about the idea of unforeseen complications with the dormer, the roof, the chimney, etc. I can figure out a 'fireman's pole' or a vine ladder later, as they won't be part of the supporting structure.

Thank you for posting an alternative to the dormer window problem. This is a great place to run ideas by people and think things through.

Chris

[havanaholly]

Chris, honey, mistakes and oopses are great incentives for bashing and other unique approaches to solving the problems. I'm never real sure how I'm going to work in something new. which is how I discovered dry fitting; and I've already had Mildred (the Poerce rehab) in & out of dry fit three times, and I expect it'll go back & forth a few more times before I actually start gluing anything. One of the best lessons building dollhouses has taught me is patience.

[Chris P.]

Chris, honey, mistakes and oopses are great incentives for bashing and other unique approaches to solving the problems. I'm never real sure how I'm going to work in something new. which is how I discovered dry fitting; and I've already had Mildred (the Poerce rehab) in & out of dry fit three times, and I expect it'll go back & forth a few more times before I actually start gluing anything. One of the best lessons building dollhouses has taught me is patience.

Thank you. One thing I have is patience and between working full time and not knowing what I am doing, I am progressing very slowly. The directions and my glasses are always at hand, and I spend a lot of time thinking about what details I want to have in it.

I do have a question about the dry fit. When I dry-fitted it so the walls, second floor, and fireplace were in place, even with the masking tape is was very wobbly. The roof is so big and cumbersome I did not want to even try adding that on. How do you get everything to hold when you dry fit it?

My plan is to go ahead and glue the base, walls, and second floor before dry-fitting the roof.

Chris

[KathieB]

I do have a question about the dry fit. When I dry-fitted it so the walls, second floor, and fireplace were in place, even with the masking tape is was very wobbly. The roof is so big and cumbersome I did not want to even try adding that on. How do you get everything to hold when you dry fit it?

Wobbly is not a problem I've run into. Be sure the tape is secured snugly. Put the sections together and use as much tape as it takes to hold it in place.

Hint: I've discovered that the blue or green painter's tape is not as useful as plain old tan masking tape when it comes to dry fitting as it tends to pull free.

[Chris P.]

Thanks, Kathie. Knowing that, I definitely did not use enough tape. Since I know the house pieces fit together right, is there any problem with glueing it together, then dry fitting the roof?

Chris

[havanaholly]

I'm constantly going back to dry fit the parts I have not yet glued together. Two things that help me is to listen to the house; often it'll not only tell you what it wants, but how to make it happen; and to wait until the last possible minute to glue things up.