Dollhouse completion time

[minimodelworld]

Hi everyone,

Just weighing up which dollhouse kit to buy (have made room kits but not full house kits before) and don't have a lot of time to work on it, so wondered how long each manufacturer's kits takes on average to complete? Mainly looking at RGT, Greenleaf and Duracraft. I know it'll vary based on skill but any advice for a newbie would be much appreciated!

Also, do Duracraft have a website? I can't seem to find one!

[havanaholly]

Dura-Craft has been out of business for about 25 years or so.  How long it takes to complete a build depends on how much time you have to spend on it and how good you want it to look when it's done.  Die-cut kits such as Greenleaf's take a good bit of careful preparation time sanding and filling and waiting for the wood glue to dry, but the results are one of the prettiest dollhouses you could ask for; their laser-cut kits fly together.  I have built two of the Dura-Craft kits in wood, but none of their MDF kits.  I haven't built any of the RGT kits, but several of our members have and will weigh in soon, I'm sure.

[Muriel]

Hi, 

On the whole in their basic form mdf houses (eg RGT) go together much quicker than plywood houses (eg Greenleaf). The walls and floors tend to slot into place and hold each other in place while the glue dries. The two I put together could be done (undecorated) in an afternoon. If you want to decorate, then time depends on what you want to do. Simple painting just requires time for the paint to dry. The thicker MDF walls tended not to warp much when I painted mine. Wallpapering takes a little longer to measure and stick/dry. Outsides - again milled siding will be relatively quick to paint, cutting strips of siding to paint and glue on will take relatively ages, days rather than hours. Roof - painted quick, shingled slow. 

I love the plywood tab & slot houses much more than the MDF ones (I find them more interesting, easier to bash (change) and lighter to carry/move), but they take longer to put together. 

If you don't have much time cause you need it finished soon, painting an MDF one might be the way to go; if you don't have much time each day, but it doesn't matter that it'll take months of an hour here or there, then choose the house that you like the look of best - the Greenleaf ones can be done a little bit at a time. 

If you're keeping the house you can always go back and renovate and update it when you have more time 😉 Who's the house for? If a child, MDF ones tend to be a bit more robust to be played with by little children. More careful older children and adults will be fine playing with thinner plywood houses.