The Orchid Freya Ruby-Rose Posted April 30, 2022 Share Posted April 30, 2022 Greetings! I am new to this and am on a time-table to build "The Orchid" for my new granddaughters in Switzerland. What is the average build time for this house, understanding that I cannot actually assemble it until I arrive in Switzerland? I purchased the kit prior to our first time to see them. Unfortunately, at that time I was recovering from chemo and my dexterity was not good. It has improved and I think i can do it. (I'm a retired steel mill firefighter/volunteer firefighter/college professor.) Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted April 30, 2022 Share Posted April 30, 2022 (edited) What a nice present for your granddaughters! Estimating an average time is difficult, as it all depends on the outcome you desire. Before you head for Switzerland, you may want to finish the pieces -- remove them from the sheets of plywood, sand, do any filling necessary, etc. -- Place them in multiple plastic bags of various sizes marked with what they are. You may also want to stain the floor pieces, give a prime coat to the walls, ceiling, and exterior after putting the house together in a dry fit (tape only, no glue) to see what colors/stains you want where. Then you can disassemble the house to paint or wallpaper it and pack flat for the trip. Assembly/gluing on site should not take more than a few hours. Really, most of the time is spent in the prep work. Good luck! (This assumes you will not be electrifying it.) Edited April 30, 2022 by KathieB 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted April 30, 2022 Share Posted April 30, 2022 I built my first Orchid kit at my middle son's house; because I was making it into a shop with living quarters upstairs it took me a while, but the basic dry fit, prime/ stain, assembly with glue and papering took less than a week. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Orchid Freya Ruby-Rose Posted May 1, 2022 Author Share Posted May 1, 2022 Thank you Kathie & Holly! This helps. Obviously new to this. If you hanged me as a "carpenter", you would hang an innocent man. I plan to begin working on it this week. We leave in four... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted May 2, 2022 Share Posted May 2, 2022 Keep in mind that we are our own worst critics. Any flaws in the execution will likely not be noticed by anyone but you. Another hint: take pictures as you do the prep work. They will help remind you where pieces go when you work on the final assembly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Orchid Freya Ruby-Rose Posted May 5, 2022 Author Share Posted May 5, 2022 I am progressing rather slowly. Some of the die cuts are not exact. For example the Orchid has two octagonal windows, two interior, two exterior pieces. One is not cut correctly so it does not fit evenly with the other piece. Another issue is the bay window. The center assembly, one interior, one exterior, is shown to have one edge wider than the other. Unfortunately, there are only a few 16ths of an inch difference, and the inside of the interior piece is wider than the inside of the exterior piece. Am I trying to be too exact? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted May 5, 2022 Share Posted May 5, 2022 I used the narrower pieces for the interior of the bay window and the wider pieces for the exterior so they would fit the trapezoid-shaped window top & bottom. I cut lengths of bamboo skewers to fit the gaps between the exterior sections and spackled over them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Orchid Freya Ruby-Rose Posted May 5, 2022 Author Share Posted May 5, 2022 I am also using the imperfections for the interior. In a few instances the laminations essentially disintegrated even after lengthy work with an Exacto blade. Some required wood putty. I split the difference, which was minimal. I'm a little confused. I have used all of the plastic for windows and doors and do not see a trapezoid. Everything is rectangular except the dormer and gable windows, which are octagonal. Am I missing something? Also, I noticed somewhere on the website that these doll houses are not "intended" for small children. My grand daughters are 1 & 3. Should I be waiting to give this to them? Thanks for for expertise! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted May 5, 2022 Share Posted May 5, 2022 (edited) When I build for any age child to play with I reinforce the edges with steel staples and I also glue 1/4" strip wood to all the inside corners. You will also want to leave off doors and windows and smooth the sides of the openings with sanding and spackle/ joint compound rubbed on and sanded smooth when dry for very young children, who put their hands through those openings to move their various "inhabitants" around the houses. The top & bottom of the bay window on my Orchid are trapezoids; the edge that goes along the top and bottom edges of the opening are the length of the opening; the outer edges are the length of the top and bottom of the large window; the side panes of the bay are anled and fit along the short angled ends. Edited May 5, 2022 by havanaholly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyole Posted May 5, 2022 Share Posted May 5, 2022 I would not add all the gingerbread to the house for these little ones. It is delicate and will break easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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