Fairfield Stairs

[Khf]

Has anyone just cut off the railings of a fairfield but left the stairs? I know it would be easy to replace the railings and it sounds more difficult to replace the stairs. I plan to cover those anyway. Are there not stairs going to the attic?

[havanaholly]

Kathleen, when you have a minute do drop in over at the Newcomers' Forum to introduce yourself to everyone.

I built a set of stairs to the attic making basic stringers and using 1/8" stripwood and turned toothpicks for banister and balusters and sections of craftsticks for treads and risers. No, there are no stairs to the attic with the kit. I built two Fairfields, one of them inside out, to be halves of a single house, so I only made one set of stairs to the attic.

[LaurieJW]

I used Houseworks stairs for the ground to second floor of the Fairfield, and used the stairs that came with the kit for the second floor to attic stairs.

The only difficulty is that the Houseworks stairs are wider, so I had to enlarge that space and move the kitchen wall over a bit. I used the Houseworks railings on the bottom part of the lower stairs (the only part you can really see), and the kit railings on the second floor hallway. I didn't put railings on the stairs to the attic.

[Gleise]

My next dollhouse will be the Fairfield and I thought about putting the staircase on the tower space going all the way to the top. Can the staircase fit in that space? or maybe a somewhat spiral one?

[LaurieJW]

Gleise, I think the challenge would be the roof.

I originally thought I'd put a secret, hidden door to the tower room - but to do that, you'd have to extend either the house walls or the tower walls, and figure out how to modify the roof. The tower and house on the third floor have no walls in common.

Putting stairs in the tower itself would take up way too much room to go... where? If you don't make an access to the house from the tower, the only place it'll go is the tower.

It all seemed like way too much work for me, so I just finished the two stairways, and left the tower room isolated.

[havanaholly]

I put a bath/ utility room in the third floor tower in one of my Fairfields, extending the walls from the tower to the attic, extending the flat tower roof base to extend over the addition and made the roof removable.

[Gleise]

Gleise, I think the challenge would be the roof.

I originally thought I'd put a secret, hidden door to the tower room - but to do that, you'd have to extend either the house walls or the tower walls, and figure out how to modify the roof. The tower and house on the third floor have no walls in common.

Putting stairs in the tower itself would take up way too much room to go... where? If you don't make an access to the house from the tower, the only place it'll go is the tower.

It all seemed like way too much work for me, so I just finished the two stairways, and left the tower room isolated.

I see... From the pictures I saw, I thought the tower space was relatively large. I guess I need to rethink that...

I didn't make any plans abut the roof... I really need to research some more. thanks!

[LoisW]

I have cut off the railings and substituted posts, spindles, and realistic railing.

[Lily_Isle]

I originally wanted to do stairs to the tower in the tower section (I modified the roof to accomodate access to the third floor.) The dimensions are 3 x 3, which translates to 6 x 6 (in real square feet) and works great for a traditional, narrow, spiral staircase. If you are coming all the way from the bottom floor you'll have to modify where the front door goes, and where the door to the bedroom goes, and you'll have to ignore how anyone in your mini-land manages to get their heavy furniture up to the second and third floors ;)

I still haven't figured out my stairs quandary - I built a circular stair to go in another part of the house, but the house is now telling me she wants to expand a little bit, and I am seriously thinking about building an add-on stair tower...ahem. But don't tell her that. She has been lovingly packed into a box until I move next month, but it sure is amazing how once she went in the box she got that much louder.

[havanaholly]

...it sure is amazing how once she went in the box she got that much louder.

Not surprising at all, though.

[Dalesq]

... how anyone in your mini-land manages to get their heavy furniture up to the second and third floors ;)

In my half scale Rosedale (the White Rose) the access to the third floor is via ladder with a smaller opening, so I just figured the furniture was either assembled in the room like Ikea stuff, or hauled up the invisible stairs at the invisible back of the house. :lol:

I really like your spiral stair ideas!

[Gleise]

... and you'll have to ignore how anyone in your mini-land manages to get their heavy furniture up to the second and third floors ;)

They'll use apparition Harry Potter style...

You gave a lot food for thought about spiral stair... Thank youuuuuuuuuuuu!

[havanaholly]

My little peopple have a 1:1 scale live person to do their furniture moving for them.

[Gleise]

My little peopple have a 1:1 scale live person to do their furniture moving for them.

HAHAHAHAHHAHHAHAHA Okay! You win! hhehheheehe