Staircase/front door advice

[peggyquade]

Hello everyone:

On my old wooden dollhouse, I was thinking of moving the front door as far to the left (as viewed from the back of the house) as possible so that when I put in the staircase, it wouldn't block the view of the front door. Well, I found a staircase in all my boxes of stuff so I put it in the dollhouse. Attached is a picture. What is your opinion? Should I move the front door all the way to the left so it's fully viewable? Thanks!

[hydroped]

Hi Peggy,

That's a beautiful house! I love the ornate window on the left hand side (as viewed from the inside).. Would moving the door that way interfere with the window? I'd almost want to push the door to the right. It would be fairly easy to take some of that big picture window on the right and cut it out to make a door way and put a smaller window next to it. How is the outside constructed? Will moving the door one way or the other throw off the ballance of the exterior? If the exterior wouldn't look quite right with the door moved - you could move the stairs instead - cut a new hole for the stair way to go through and fill the existing one.

-David

[peggyquade]

Thanks for all the ideas, David! Attached is a picture of the exterior as it is right now. My original plan was to make that room with the big square window in it the dining room. On the second floor, right above that big square window, is a bay window and so I was going to put another bay window in the big square window. But I could do what you suggested and put the door and a smaller window in place of the big square window and put some turned porch posts outside to support the bay window on the second level. I could then move the staircase all the way to the right. Then, I could put maybe an archway at the bottom of the stairs that would lead into a nice formal dining room on the right...which would help solve my other problem of what to do with the big room on the right, first floor. It originally was carpeted so I think they were going to make it a bedroom but then there would be no kitchen? I put a temporary wall up to divide that big room but it still made two pretty good sized rooms...I was going to make one a bathroom and the other a kitchen but the bathroom in that case would be pretty big. I could put the wall right inbetween the two windows in that big room and it would create two rooms, each 7.5" wide by 10" deep (if you don't count the 3" hallway at the very back edge of the dollhouse). Do you think that would be ok for a dining room? Then, my only concern would be that huge living room but I could put a small wall between the front door and the living room, create kind of a formal entry way? What do you think?

[Shakyshaky]

I like David's idea of making the big window a door and smaller window. The posts sound good too. You could have a kitchen and combined living and dinning room on the lower floor. I don't think a 7.5 inch room would be enough. You would not be able to get a table and chairs in there and be able to sit at the table. ( pull a chair out) If it were me I think I would move the wall between the windows as cose to one window as I could and use the bigger room for the kitchen and the smaller one for the bath. You coul still make a formal entry and combine the living and dinning rooms. It is very common down here to have the combined even in highend houses.

[hydroped]

Hi Peggy,

I think 7.5 feet wide for a dining room sounds pretty small..I have a hard time visualizing - I'd probably do some paper mock ups - paper walls with doorways cut out etc. You could even do a paper cut out for the front so you can see how that will look before you start - then do what Deb does and try dressing the bare rooms with furniture to see how you like it before you do the work. Then you can see what fits where and if the kitchen, bathroom and dining room are just how you want them before you ever cut anything I kinda like the idea of the turned porch posts. The house looks awesome - what great potential! I really like the photo of the outside - and I think moving the door would look fine from the front, but it's all up to you. It sure is a beautiful project house though! She's going to look beautiful no matter how you decide to finish her

-David

[SuzyQ]

Peggy,

Sounds like you have some good ideas being sugessted. I will let the pros help you there.

I just wanted to say that I love that house and it is already looking really good. I cannot wait to see more pictures.

[KathieB]

Peggy, I like your ideas. As David suggested, staging the house will help you decide. Even a beautiful folding screen would help separate the LR from the entryway ... and might give you more flexibility than even a partial wall.