Has anyone tried replacing the windows in the Rosedale?

[Roxxie2]

The windows won't stick out very much I can assure you, if at all noticable you would really have to get in and look closely. Its up to you and how you feel about it but when we say it sticks out its only a fraction. At least mine were fine.

[permutations]

Perhaps you're right that it isn't noticeable. I have to see one of these windows dry-fitted into the house to tell. Thickening the walls overall with foamcore or siding is another way to go. I'm not opposed to making my own windows, but I'd have to buy one and see how it was put together.

I do make some things that can't be purchased to be exactly how I want. E.g. I'm planning to make a marble-top coffee table because I want a particular design (and I think it would be fun to make). If I make one, I'll probably make extras and sell them on eBay. I also want to make a toilet, though I have a very nice Reutter toilet, because I think I may be able to do better (and it would be fun to try). I'd have bought a toilet from this guy, but he doesn't seem to be making them anymore - doesn't answer my email.

Working miniature toilet, 1:12 scale:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84rG0Vnkeqk

[KathieB]

Mini toilet that flushes -- what a hoot! We've had some discussions about mini plumbing that really carries water, but I don't believe anyone has posted this link before. Thanks!

[Roxxie2]

I have a tv that plays the Theme from The Twilight Zone and a mini fridge that the light comes on when you open the door. I haven't seen any real working plumbing yet. LOL @ the toilet.

[havanaholly]

The tiny flushing toilet is a hoot! It would have been perfect for Jeffrey Hudson (who, at age 7, was 18" tall).

[permutations]

I'm going to try to make a toilet like that. I know I can make the shape. I don't know enough about the mechanics of flushing yet to know if I can make it work.

[havanaholly]

I expect the wooden pedestal it sits on houses a wee reservoir and recycling pump. The tricky part would be making the mold for the bowl part. When he removed the tank lid, could anyone make out what he used for the float ball?

[Dalesq]

I'm sticking with illusion on this one. This is one bit of realism I'll pass on, but cheer you on Permutations!

[kat57]

Permutations,awhile back someone posted an offsite link to a tut for making your own windows. I thought even I could do one after seeing it! Unfortunately,I let it slip by and cannot recall who posted it or where it went..I'm thinking it's on About.com,as they have a lot of mini tuts on there,but it may well be somewhere else. Guess that wasn't a whole lotta help to you,huh?! I started my post before thinking to search for it...but,I need it anyway,so if I find it soon,etc,etc.....The toilet is keen,but I'm with Debora on this one-illusion is enough for me,behind that door!!

[havanaholly]

Queen Mary's dollshouse has working plumbing, I read somewhere; I also read that the petrol tanks in the basement garage actually pump petrol into the cars. For some reason THAT fact scares me a bit. I'm with Debora on being happy with illusion when I play with my dollhouses.

[Dalesq]

Kat, is it this one

http://www.dollhousedesigns.com/BuildWindows.html

[kat57]

Yeah,there it is! Thanx,Debora! Okay,I bookmarked it right away this time!lol

[permutations]

I expect the wooden pedestal it sits on houses a wee reservoir and recycling pump. The tricky part would be making the mold for the bowl part. When he removed the tank lid, could anyone make out what he used for the float ball?

Interesting, that he may have mechanics under the wooden pedestal. I didn't think of that, and you may be right. I don't know enough about how toilets operate to hazard a guess.

I don't care that much about whether the toilet actually flushes. I don't want to run water into my dollhouse - too messy. But I do want a toilet that has a bowl which opens up to a tank, and a tank with a top that opens. I want it to look right. One of the reasons I've never liked the Reutter toilet is it has a perfectly round hole at the bottom of the toilet tank. That's just wrong. I bought another toilet - vintage - that was sculpted better on the inside, but it's not right, either. I thought of using my Dremel to carve the porcelain, but that's tough work. I realized it would be much easier to make it myself from scratch. I'm planning to use Fimo clay. If you mix white with clear, it looks like porcelain.

German miniatures often work - wood stoves that you can light a fire in, plumbing that works. I corresponded with an older German woman I met on eBay who was selling some of her collection, and she sent me some incredible links.

First, there's this store. The store owner makes it completely unreasonable to buy if you're in the US (or any country but Germany, apparently). He insists on a bank transfer for payment, which makes me uneasy about his integrity. Criminals do business that way because it gives customers no recourse when there are problems - no way to get their money back. A legitimate business person could easily set up a PayPal account. Also, a bank transfer can cost $15 just in bank fees - and that's on top of shipping. That's not a very customer-oriented guy. I decided this was not someone I wanted to do business with, but his site is still interesting. This is the link, along with excerpts of her messages to me about him:

You want to see miniatures that blow your mind? Dollkitchens with running water and heatable stoves, dentist's chair that is adjustable to (I think 14)positions? Go to http://www.zanella-miniaturen.de The German side has a lot more and pictures are universal. Search for the dentist's chair and bee amazed.

A little tip from a model maker; anything that works in a miniature has to be at lease a 1:10 / 1:9 scale. 1:12 usually does not work.

The water in a dollhouse was no rarity and is still made in Germany. The trick is the working faucet. A tank on the out side a hose through the wall to the faucet. A hose out of the sink (has to have an open drain) through the wall to to another holding tank. Running water!

...

Do go to Zanella's German site he has so much more out there. FYI " funktionierende" or "funktionsfähig" = functional (means it works), "heizbar" = heatable and "fließend Wasser" = running water. See, I am not lying.

I met the man and he is just sooooooooooooooooo much fun. He explained stuff and showed me how he makes it, just incredible. The carpenter shop tools are from him. They are all functional. I have some of his tools 1:9 and kitchen accessories. They would be fun in a display case (as he makes them) because they are what????? 1:9 because they work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And here is the amazing YouTube video she sent me. If you like working miniatures, you've gotta see this:

I noticed when I was looking at the video that there's a video of it in English. This is better - explains what you're seeing:

Queen Mary's dollshouse has working plumbing, I read somewhere; I also read that the petrol tanks in the basement garage actually pump petrol into the cars. For some reason THAT fact scares me a bit. I'm with Debora on being happy with illusion when I play with my dollhouses.

I saw the Queen's Dollhouse many years ago. I didn't remember the working plumbing and petrol stations. I have a thing about working miniatures. I want everything to be absolutely realistic to the greatest extent possible. For me, that raises it to the level of Fine Art. Perfect replicas give me great joy. I confess I will (and have) spent serious money on spectacular artisan-made replicas. I want to start making more myself (buying less, making more).

[permutations]

Permutations,awhile back someone posted an offsite link to a tut for making your own windows. I thought even I could do one after seeing it! Unfortunately,I let it slip by and cannot recall who posted it or where it went..I'm thinking it's on About.com,as they have a lot of mini tuts on there,but it may well be somewhere else. Guess that wasn't a whole lotta help to you,huh?! I started my post before thinking to search for it...but,I need it anyway,so if I find it soon,etc,etc.....The toilet is keen,but I'm with Debora on this one-illusion is enough for me,behind that door!!

Kat, is it this one

http://www.dollhousedesigns.com/BuildWindows.html

Great tutorial! Thanks so much, Kat, for mentioning it, and Dalesq for finding the link!!

[kat57]

I totally understand about making the toilet look real. It's absolutely ridiculous that the bathroom items these companies sell for high prices look so childish and unrealistic! How darn hard can it be if you can make such great looking furniture,vases,etc. How come they can't make a decent affordable sink or toilet? Okay,hissy-fit done....

If you can find a copy of Making Dollhouse Miniatures with Polymer Clay by Sue Heaser, I think you will like it. She has a lot of tuts on mixing clays and information on making items from clay that you might be able to adapt to making some of the things you want. She may not be quite as realistic as others,but she's good nonetheless and I am still learning a lot from her. So,just a thought! ^_^ If I could do links I'd find a review for you....

I've only skimmed through the 1st video-will go back later-but,wow! The airliner taking off impressed me!! I want a RC helicopter so bad I could burst!haha

[permutations]

Here's a link to the Franz Zanella Miniatures shop on the German side:

http://www.zanella-miniaturen.de/shop.de/index.php

And this is the email I got from who I think is the proprietor (is that was "pp" means?). The signed name, Fritz Thaler, is not the name of the artist. Franz Zanella, who made all this stuff, is a painter born in 1933. He started making miniatures for his granddaughter.

Check out the cost of shipping - it's way above the actual cost of German postage. I checked. And this is in addition to an approximately $15 bank transfer fee (a payment method that gives buyers no recourse in case of fraud):

you can order from our webshop at www.zanella-miniaturen.de . It would be the best, if you use the German version, because there are a lot more articles than in the English version. Customers, who order from outside Germany must pay in advance, before we send the goods. After your order you will get an e-mail from us with the payment informations. You don't have to pay the German VAT, it will be excluded in the payment informations.

But there are some problems: we don't do paypal or creditcards. If you pay by bank transfer it will be expensive and sending money in cash is unsafe and at your own risk.

Here are the postage costs from Germany to the USA:

for parcels up to 5 kg: 36 Euro (if you want insurance: plus an extra of 18 Euro for premium mail ),

for parcels over 5 and up to 10 kg: 47 Euro (if want want insurance: plus an extra of 36 Euro for premium mail),

for parcels over 10 and up to 20 kg: 68 Euro (if you want insurance: plus an extra of 71 Euro for premium mail).

For orders over 500 Euro there will be no postage costs added.

Best wishes,

pp. Fritz Thaler

When I wrote back very nicely to ask if he could please consider PayPal, which would put the money right in his account just like a bank transfer, he didn't respond. I even said I'd pay a higher price to cover the PayPal fee (~2%), if that was his concern. But he never answered another email from me.

His terms were so unreasonable that I briefly got paranoid and wondered if it was personal, somehow. I couldn't believe he did business this way. It's so punishingly harsh towards all non-German customers. But the same information in his email is posted on the Web site - it wasn't just for me. This is the Google translation of the German:

http://www.zanella-miniaturen.de/AGB.htm

General terms for private clients

- All rates are quoted in Euro and include the VAT of 19%.

All offers are not-binding and without obligation.

- Deliveries are only made against advance payment by bank transfer .

Please wait for the pre- invoice which we will send you by email.

After receipt of the delivery will be sent to you .

- Bank : Raiffeisenbank eG The Golden Path , BLZ 740 611 01 , Account No. 4050258 ,

SWIFT code : GENODEF1RGS , IBAN no . DE 63 7406 1101 58 0004 0502

- The delivery time is about 1 to 2 weeks. For larger delays, we would notify you.

- The minimum order amount is 30 , - EUR .

- For orders below 50 , - EUR the shipping costs within Germany amounted to 6.90 EUR .

For orders between 50, - and 100 , - EUR amount dei shipping within Germany

3, - EUR .

For orders over 100, - EUR of the dispatch within Germany is free.

For shipments abroad, the actual shipping cost calculation .

- You have a 14 -day return policy .

If the returned goods is impeccable, your purchase price will be refunded.

When returning the Purchaser shall bear the cost of postage .

Returned freight collect shipments will not be accepted .

If you have grounds for complaint , please contact us before returning with us

that we can discuss how to proceed.

- Catalogs of our products within Germany against sending of 6, - EUR in stamps

will be required outside of Germany against sending of 15, - EUR in cash.

- Upon presentation of business registration resellers can , the terms of

ask for retail from us.

- The jurisdiction is D- 94078 Freyung

Interestingly, the site-provided English translation is slightly less bombastic about bank transfers. It says, "Deliveries are principally subject to payment in advance by bank transfer." rather than "Deliveries are only made against advance payment by bank transfer." Maybe he only does this to non-German people he doesn't know? It still makes no sense. PayPal protects sellers just fine - I use it in my own business. It's got to drive away a lot of business. I'm sure I'm not the only non-German interested in buying who said "No thanks" when told the terms. The only way it makes sense is if he's dishonest.

Am I the only one to whom this sounds crazy? When I told the German woman who told me about him that his terms seemed weirdly unreasonable, she got extremely angry at me and stopped talking to me. Seriously! I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone.

The miniature airport is in Hamburg, and the Franz Zanella Miniatures shop is about 120km north in Schoenberg (1.5 hour drive). Maybe one day I'll take a trip to Germany and see it all for myself.

[permutations]

I've only skimmed through the 1st video-will go back later-but,wow! The airliner taking off impressed me!! I want a RC helicopter so bad I could burst!haha

You might want to look at the second video first. It's shorter, and explains what you're looking at in English. I don't speak German, so I was a bit confused by the first video. I wasn't sure where it was or what it was. It seems to be a amateur video shot by someone who visited the place. The second video is a TV news piece, professionally produced.

If you can find a copy of Making Dollhouse Miniatures with Polymer Clay by Sue Heaser, I think you will like it. She has a lot of tuts on mixing clays and information on making items from clay that you might be able to adapt to making some of the things you want. She may not be quite as realistic as others,but she's good nonetheless and I am still learning a lot from her. So,just a thought! ^_^ If I could do links I'd find a review for you....

I found the book on Amazon and it does look really good - even with all tutorials available on the internet. But the price... Ouch! Maybe I can find it somewhere for cheaper.

[kat57]

My word,those book prices are steeeep! I'm so sorry-I didn't realize...I got mine at one of the chain bookstores,when I could still afford to buy books! The U.S. price on the back is $19.99,Canada $29.95. But if we got it at one of the stores that had a discount card,my son or I would have paid a lower price,plus I often used to find dollhouse miniatures books on the clearance tables! So,that's pretty disheartening that it's so high now! Sorry-next time I'll check it out better before I suggest something! Yikes!

Oh,my RC helicopter comment-I just meant that seeing that airliner 'pretend' to fly off made me remember I wish I could get one-an RC helicopter that is! But I'll take a look at the second video.

I for sure don't what to tell you about the miniatures proprieter-unless it's him who is paranoid to sell to certain countries-maybe he got burned. I'd just want to find someone easier to purchase from...but I do understand your frustration at his mysterious policy and behavior!

[Stacey6163]

I got my Sue Heaser working with polymer clay book from ebay for $4 with free shipping .Another good source is Amazon.com , I bought several books on miniatures for $3 to $5 each , they have a large selection , and for being used they are in excellent shape.

[permutations]

I got my Sue Heaser working with polymer clay book from ebay for $4 with free shipping .Another good source is Amazon.com , I bought several books on miniatures for $3 to $5 each , they have a large selection , and for being used they are in excellent shape.

You are very lucky!! I found it for $26 and bought it. No more spending for me for a while.

[Stacey6163]

I know how that goes. I've spent my limit , no more miniatures for a couple of weeks.

[Jeffrey]

I love this bathroom set if you are looking for realism. only thing is the toilet seat doesn't open but that doesn't bother me.

http://www.miniatures.com/Updated-Basic-Bathroom-by-Houseworks-P23218.aspx

[KathieB]

Thanks for the link to the German site. I just spent way too much time drooling over the tiny tools. I love realistic, and this fellow hits it out of the park.

[havanaholly]

Whether the holes in the bottom of the commode bowl bend back towards the tank or not doesn't give me fits, since the dolls don't seem to use it for the same purpose as the 1:1 ones (I hope). I got hooked on making my own bathroom fixtures after reading Patricia King's book on the subject.

[permutations]

I love this bathroom set if you are looking for realism. only thing is the toilet seat doesn't open but that doesn't bother me.

http://www.miniatures.com/Updated-Basic-Bathroom-by-Houseworks-P23218.aspx

I've actually got 3 different bathroom sets. One is artisan-made, and has a fantastic shower/tub and sink. I'm making a shower curtain for it using teeny brass eyelets on some fabric I found. I'll attach it to the rod with S-hooks. But I didn't like the toilet that came with the set.

I also have a very nice Reutter set - one of the all-white ones (I don't like the flowers). The artisan-made shower/tub and sink are better. It has the best toilet sold, but I still don't love it. The top part of the toilet seat comes up, but the bottom is glued down. And there is a perfectly round hole at the bottom of the tank, which bothers me. The top of the tank doesn't come up, and I don't like that the fixtures (e.g. toilet handle) are gold. Who has gold fixtures?

I bought a third set for very cheap (because it's in terrible shape) because I liked how the inside of the bowl was sculpted. But that's the only thing about it I like - too many other problems to use. I bought a wooden toilet seat, but it's just sitting unattached on top of it because... too hard to explain. I'm going to fix up this set and re-sell it.

Here's what I have now for a bathroom. This is in a cubby hole around my fireplace (my full-size real fireplace) since I don't have a dollhouse yet. Everything is too crowded and it's not well displayed, but you can sort of see it. The tub and sink are the artisan-made ones, and the toilet is the broken down one with the seat just perched (unattached) on top. I haven't added the shower curtain yet, but I did add the knob on the cabinet under the sink (it didn't come with one).

Never mind the red thing in the tub. I should have taken that out before snapping the picture. It's a set of miniature blank books that my sister brought back for me from a trip to Japan. The box has dots on it like a giant die. It's colorful and cute, but not for a dollhouse. I'm running out of places to put things (really need that dollhouse), so I stuck it in the tub.

Whether the holes in the bottom of the commode bowl bend back towards the tank or not doesn't give me fits, since the dolls don't seem to use it for the same purpose as the 1:1 ones (I hope). I got hooked on making my own bathroom fixtures after reading Patricia King's book on the subject.

I took a look at the reviews of her books, and I don't think her methods would be realistic enough to satisfy me. I want to try sculpting a toilet out of clay. I think I can do it. I was a sculpture major in college. I can do a portrait or figure in clay - why not a toilet?