Can I cut my dollhouse in half? (It's huge!)

[KathieB]

Call me overly cautious, but I'd think twice three times before attacking with a power saw. I'd use a handsaw to do this. Easy does it does the trick. A power saw in the hands of an inexperienced user can do a lot of damage if it jerks or slips; if it starts going off of the guidelines, it may eat into the good part of the house before you can stop it. Repairs for such accidents would be difficult.

You want a hand saw with small teeth--a finishing saw. The smaller the teeth, the smoother the cut. I'd go to Lowe's or Home Depot and ask for a recommendation from someone in the saw department. Even better, an Ace Hardware if there is one near you. Their employees actually have experience using the tools they sell, unlike many at the big box stores.

Here is an example from the Lowe's website. Kobalt 20" Aggress Saw Price $11.98. Two 5-star recommendations, both mention that the cut edge is very smooth. I'd try this one from the recommendations alone.

Another one you might look at is the Stanley 15" 12-tooth saw price $13.58. It is not rated but indicates the teeth are designed to cut on both push and pull strokes, so it might be a tad easier to master than a regular saw, which cuts on the push stroke only.

The Irwin 15" Handsaw priced at $9.97 is not rated but also worth a look, I think. Works on both push and pull.

You don't need to spend big bucks for a power saw you most likely won't use again. A handsaw, on the other hand, will store flat out of the way and be handy any time you need to wack a board, like if you're remodeling or building a bookcase to hold your newly remodeled house.

[SallyG]

I agree with Holly on this...I hate to see a vintage dollhouse chopped up. But, it's your house. However, cutting something like that is going to very difficult. You have to make sure your cut is absolutely straight, and stays straight the whole time you are cutting. If it were me, I'd try to find someone to come to the house and do the cutting for me that has the appropriate tools and experience in doing something like this.

I'm not only a dollhouse fanatic, but a fanatic in vintage preservation as well!

[KathieB]

If it were me, I'd try to find someone to come to the house and do the cutting for me that has the appropriate tools and experience in doing something like this.

I, on the other hand, would not trust someone else to do the job. How many carpenters list "dollhouse cutting" on their business cards? And I would relish the fact that I did it myself.

You have some decisions to make. Do let us know what you decide and how it comes out.

[Audra]

Well - wanna know what I did with my dollhouse? Couldnt find a home for it, so for fun my hubby wanted to blow it up with a quarter stick of dynomite. I didnt share because of all the drama it would bring. But with it being my house, I did as I wanted. Ka-boom!

[minime]

Well - wanna know what I did with my dollhouse? Couldnt find a home for it, so for fun my hubby wanted to blow it up with a quarter stick of dynomite. I didnt share because of all the drama it would bring. But with it being my house, I did as I wanted. Ka-boom!

What a blast!! Do you have pictures?

[what2craftnow]

LOL Audra!! What fun! My son has LONG wanted to do that to one of mine...and if I don't finish that darn Colonial 300 and get it the heck outta here, it might suffer the same fate as yours did.

I know to most that seems nearly like blasphemy, but...sometimes ya just gotta do what ya gotta do. I guess, to me, it is only wood and glue. Sadly, I never am very attached to my houses.

[havanaholly]

That's precisely the attitude that makes me wish those unloved, unwanted houses would get donated; there are a lot of homeless shelters and other places with children who have nothing, who could escape their rotten situations the way we do with our minis.

As for cutting up a vintage dollhouse because you want to keep it, that's the decision of the house's owner.

[CheckMouse]

If you do decide to cut it down - be sure you take a LOT of pictures first, so you can show future generations what it looked like to begin with. Then decorate it and furnish it with things that contribute to the sentimental value. With computers now it is easy to reduce heirloom pictures to miniature scale to hang on the walls; maybe get some furniture that reminds you of yesteryear ...

[Audra]

Awwww - dont get your panties in a bunch.

I didnt blow up my dollhouse - but the point is - its her house - she can do with it as she pleases without the tisk tisk of anyone.

[SallyG]

Of course she can...but I still reserve my right to tsk tsk!!! ;) And I am wondering which house kit that was....or was it handmade?? All this discussion has got me quite interested in this house!!!

[ooo]

And the cutting begins!

We'll see how it goes.

[KathieB]

I hope you took pictures!

[what2craftnow]

Oh, fear not...I'm not going to really let him blow it up. I may just put it out with a "free to good home" sign on it.

[ooo]

In progress...

I've got to figure out how to embed more photos here. I already used my quota here with just 2 pics. Hm...

[havanaholly]

You have enough posts to start albums and there's no limit to how mini album pictures you can embed into your posts. You do need to resize your pictures before posting them, though.

[judithfa]

I wouldn't cut it, but I guess my memories and souvenirs from my childhood mean so much to me. I would move first!

Just my thoughts!

B)

[Kabrina]

I don't think cutting the house means you don't love it or appreciate it as much but it's one way of being able to keep something that means a lot and adapting it to your life now. I can't wait to see how it looks when you're done. I would do the same thing if it meant I could keep the house.

[CheckMouse]

Got any pictures up yet?

[ooo]

Cutting is still underway.

Apparently, I'm not strong enough to saw in one go.

I decided to cut 7 inches off, instead of 8.

Still, 7 inches smaller will help a lot.

It's not perfectly even, but I'll finish the side and roof anyway.

So far, I'm glad I went for it. It's just taking FOREVER to cut it.

[havanaholly]

You can go back with a sanding block to try evening up the edges.

[KathieB]

Slow and easy does the trick. And we wouldn't mind seeing photos of the cutting in progress. We could learn from your experience, and learning and sharing is what this forum is all about.

[shlbycindy]

I think you made a good decision although I probably wouldn't have the courage to do it myself. Why keep something stuck in a closet if you can renovate it a little so you can put it out and enjoy it?

[ooo]

DONE!!!!!!!!!

It took a few hours over a few days, but it's DONE.

I'm happy with it's size!

It's uneven, and kind of jagged.

I didn't take much time to measure or even follow the lines that I did measure. Oops.

I've never sawed anything before or worked with wood.

I'll probably try to add crown moulding type stuff to the back edges to make it not look so uneven and jagged.

But, I love the size of it! It fits on the side of a room easily, and is so much lighter and less bulky.

One word to the wise: tools are DANGEROUS. Seriously, saws are VERY sharp. I used a handsaw. They can cut SO fast-- both wood and your finger. I didn't cut myself the entire time, until I was working on a room divider. I cut myself fairly deep and got a good scare. Because tools are sharp and dangerous, I never suggest that anyone but a carpenter ever touch tools for any reason at all, dollhouse or home renovations or otherwise. But, at least have someone nearby (to call for help if you cut yourself and become unconcious), peroxide, first aid kit, safety googles, face protector, maybe gloves, some tool knowledge, etc. Forget the dollhouse, don't chance injuring yourself if you think you can't do it or have any conditions (say, thin blood or heart problems or diabetes or...anything else). With that said, I went slow when cutting the house with the handsaw and was ok. I sped up and was impatient on the room dividers, and that was my mistake. Still, be very, very careful, use protection, and make sure someone is with you!

Also, don't press down on the saw. Just push/pull it back and forth, and you'll get a smoother cut. The roof of my house ended up more jagged than the rest of it because I pressed too hard and too fast. Oops. The house itself is uneven, because I didn't measure enough or follow the lines I did measure. And, I've never used a saw before, so getting a straight line is hard. My house is uneven, but... that's ok.

Despite the risk to the dollhouse-- and more importantly, to me (saws = SHARP) -- I'm happy with how it turned out.

I plan to repaint the entire house, then add some wallpaper and carpet.

The rooms are small, but... that's ok. I'll just get smaller furniture, and less of it.

I started just sawing into the top of the roof. I sawed like that until I reached the "floor" of the 3rd story. I waited a few days, thinking "should I keep sawing, or just put shingles on the roof and leave the house the big size it is?" A few days later, I got my determination back and said "whatever, I'm going for it." Surprisingly, the house stays up and doesn't tip over. Also, the floors didn't fall apart during all this. I was rough on the house with the saw and hammer, so I was impressed.

When I first cut and hammered the roof off, I was like "oh, *#(@, it's SO small." But, once I was done, I ended up liking it. I cut the back off almost in one piece. I cut the house around all outer sides. Then, I cut the "floor" of the 3 stories. Cutting the inner floors was the hardest. Next hardest was the baseboard since it's thicker wood.

I goofed on the baseboard and the 2 "finishing" corners that cover the attic. But, that's ok.

It was a lot of work (and risk) to cut only 8 inches or so off. But, I'm glad I did.

I kind of like that I've added another story to the tale of this dollhouse. And, I really like the size. It's light, easy to put in a small closet, and easy to move around.

I took photos of some of the process, so I'll try to post those later. For now, I'm going to go lounge... my arms are worn out.

Edited July 7, 2012 by ooo

[ooo]

I found an old VHS tape of me playing with the dollhouse as a little kid. I got it for Christmas, and the video is of me seeing the dollhouse I got and putting all the little furniture, carpet, wallpaper, shingles, and accessories in it. I no longer have the accessories-- they got lost.

Anyway, here is the album of how the dollhouse *used* to be with the furniture inside for the first time... on Christmas morning when I was a kid.

Edited July 7, 2012 by ooo

[havanaholly]

We have posted LOTS of safety warnings and rules for using tools precisely because they are SHARP, so yours is an apt reminder. I keep peroxide, banaids and a roll of TP for compression in the workshop within reach, just in case. There's nothing like an "owie" to teach good safety measures. Congratulations for not losing a finger.