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Garfield dollhouse


Charlotta

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Hi, I am new to this forum.  I bought the Garfield dollhouse kit at an estate sale today and am excited for my new winter project.  It looks complete but lacked the instructions so was grateful to be able to download them on this site.  This will be my third miniature house.  The last one was the Queen Anne and it turned out really well.  I am looking forward to seeing other peoples projects progress and pick up some helpful hints for a successful finish for this new project.  

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I’m just starting a Garfield also. I just joined this group so you can see me in intros about a week ago. I am taping the foundation pieces together. I’m not doing well but determined to figure it out.  I’ll try to attach a photo.   No I guess not. But I’m up to piece 8 of the foundation but it’s not the best set up for working on it yet. Will be happy to follow you on our journey.   I do think I’ll get the pieces in the correct places tomorrow.   Then I’ll move it into its winter work space. 

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Welcome to the little family, Charlotte.  Die-cut houses like Greenleaf's are somewhat fiddly to build.  I have found it's best to start off putting the parts together with masking tape (or painters' tape) both to see how they go together, to sand or shave the tabs and slots for a better fit and to get an idea of how the house will look all together before I glue anything I might have to take apart again later.  Also, there are areas in larger houses that will be impossible for me to fit my hand, much less glue or a paintbrush, to prime or decorate once the house is all glued together.

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Welcome!  I have built two Garfields- one inverted.  It's a little tricky starting out, but I have actually found it to be one of the easier dollhouses to build.  It is also a house that can be easily bashed or reconfigured by adding or moving walls.  I would advise building it in a room where you can easily move it or where it is going to stay.  I would also recommend placing it on a sturdy surface and not putting shingles or siding on until you have located it in it's final location- unless you have someone big and strong to help you.  It does get quite heavy and awkward to move when it is finished.

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8 minutes ago, Khadi said:

I would advise building it in a room where you can easily move it

Like, measure the doorways, hallways, stairways, etc. between the spot where it is built and where it will later reside. I have  friend who bought the the Garfield before checking the dimensions and had to return the kit as the finished house would not have fit through the doorway!

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11 minutes ago, Khadi said:

Welcome!  I have built two Garfields- one inverted.  It's a little tricky starting out, but I have actually found it to be one of the easier dollhouses to build.  It is also a house that can be easily bashed or reconfigured by adding or moving walls.  I would advise building it in a room where you can easily move it or where it is going to stay.  I would also recommend placing it on a sturdy surface and not putting shingles or siding on until you have located it in it's final location- unless you have someone big and strong to help you.  It does get quite heavy and awkward to move when it is finished.

The picture you see under my name is one of my Garfields.  I changed the door to the side and added the portico.  I also used paper stone, because I feared that if I used stone siding, it would be too heavy to budge.

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Welcome Charlotte,:wave:

The Garfield is a beautiful, grand house.

This blog link below may help you. Also, there a quite a few You Tube videos from others who have documented building the house. Just search the You Tube site

https://moreminis.blogspot.com/

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4 hours ago, Khadi said:

Welcome!  I have built two Garfields- one inverted.  It's a little tricky starting out, but I have actually found it to be one of the easier dollhouses to build.  It is also a house that can be easily bashed or reconfigured by adding or moving walls.  I would advise building it in a room where you can easily move it or where it is going to stay.  I would also recommend placing it on a sturdy surface and not putting shingles or siding on until you have located it in it's final location- unless you have someone big and strong to help you.  It does get quite heavy and awkward to move when it is finished.

I’m sanding the foundation pieces while progressing to finding where and how they fit. When y’all been saying dry fit, it sounds like you dry fit the whole house first. But the directions say to follow step by step. Don’t skip any step. How do you keep it all in order?  

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Where you'd normally glue, you just hold it together with tape - masking tape/blue painters tape - that sticks but is easily removed without damaging anything. So you still follow instructions step by step, but just use tape instead of glue. When it is fully built, you can then check it out, make notes, and then dismantle. If you aren't 100% sure, I'd strongly recommend labelling your pieces so that when you take them apart again, you can easily figure out which bit you need when putting it together again. I tend to dry fit mine a few times, first to see what it will look like to help me plan the rooms, then I decorate some parts of it, put it back together to make sure they fit/look right, take apart, decorate some more, back and forth a bit until I'm happy, then I start gluing. Some bits like stairs you can potentially glue earlier, though often I think with Greenleaf houses the stairs end up being part of the structure. In my houses I've replaced the stairs with alternate ones, so it isn't essential to use the kit ones, you might just need to do some thinking outside of the instructions - again the dry fit helps to see where you could change things. 

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Vicki, I'm a visual learner so sometimes the instructions are no help at all, so I do the dry fit until I either understand what the instructions are trying to tell me, or I find another way to get to the same destination.  Occasionally I have had to put the entire house into dry fit before it looks right.

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I think I like the dry fit all of it. I know it will fit where I want it to go. My house was just measured for an electric motor chair and if it fits so will the house and a ramp is outside the door so I’m all set there. Engery Wise I can do a couple of hours so I like the idea of dry fit, finishing some walls etc.   thanks for all y’all help

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6 hours ago, havanaholly said:

Vicki, I'm a visual learner so sometimes the instructions are no help at all, so I do the dry fit until I either understand what the instructions are trying to tell me, or I find another way to get to the same destination.  Occasionally I have had to put the entire house into dry fit before it looks right.

I'm with Holly.  I can't understand the directions no matter how hard I try.  I find the pieces required for a particular section, label them, and then treat them like a puzzle until I get it right.  I then tape it together to make sure it is correct before I glue.  It's also nice to dry fit the exterior walls, if for no other reason, so that you can see that you are working towards something.  It keeps me motivated during those early stages when it seems like no progress is being made.

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  • 2 years later...

Good morning everyone, I am starting to build my Garfield Dollhouse for the first time.  I believe I have all of the instructions but I am wondering if there are any videos on how to start?  I know how important it is to make sure I do this right so I want to make sure I don’t mess it up and I learn more visually than by reading.  Any help/suggestions is GREATLY APPRECIATED 

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There are a number of blogs by folks who have built the Garfield.  Invest in a few rolls of blue painters' tape or masking tape and do a dry fit first, without gluing anything.  You can whittle or sand the tabs and slots to get a more perfect fit and take a long look at how the rooms go together and otherwise listen to the house tell you what it wants.

Edited by havanaholly
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  • 1 month later...

It's been a few years since I got the Garfield.  I've tried to work on it some every week.  Now that I'm 81 I'm slower and It had to be set aside for the Christmas tree and my quilting.  Here it is the last half of Feb.  I was going to add a picture but it exceeded size.  Any way.  I didn't stain my shingles.  I was going to paint them after I had them on the roof.  They are on the roof.  I want to either leave them alone for clear sealer or paint them same color as the cream colored trim.  Would that work?  I painted the the wood under the shingles with the trim color before applying the shingles.

Edited by Vickid
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I have now added a photo of the back of my Garfield.  The question of staining roof shingles came up.  I painted the roof the same color as my trim.  Then I really liked the color of the shingles.  Could I use the time paint on the shingles or clear varnish.  I'm into the third bag of 1,000 shingles and haven't done the porch roof yet, so I can't take them all off.

 I'm up to the attic and I'm going to get sample size bottles of paint to paint the different areas.  Except for one room, and that one is over my "children's" room, second floor left.   My niece from HI sent me some HI material and I'm using that the paper the area.

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My Dad painted the shingles on my Pepperwood Farm when he made it. I have often thought of stripping them to their natural shade. I have a small gazebo that had shingles that were clear coated, not sure but probably with polyurethane, that darkened hideously over time (years). If you decide to use a clear finish read the label to see if it says non yellowing or inhibits yellowing. You have done a very nice job. 

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