First dollhouse beacon hill

[hubfd]

Hello! 

I'm so in love with the beacon hill dollhouse and I intended to buy it. It would be my first dollhouse and i am super excited. 😁 However recently I red that it is an extremly difficult house to build, especcialy for a first time. 

Are there people who did this also as a first build? And what are your experiences? Is it possible to do? Are there things I have to know before I start?

Thank you!

Kind regards

[havanaholly]

I have not yet built the Beacon Hill, but my first dollhouse was the Dura-Craft San Franciscan, which was also a large, somewhat complex house.  I made a few mistakes on it. but I make mistakes on every house I build and it ceases to bother me because I find it fun to figure out a fix that's also an improvement.  If you take your time and check the suggestions other members will offer you, you will be able to make it your dream house.  There are members whose first dollhouse build was the Garfield, for goodness' sake!

[KathieB]

Even the most complex house gets built one step at a time. The Beacon Hill may have more steps than some, but with this forum to help with challenging bits, you can do it.  

Some first-steps advice for a beginner:

• Read the Instructions.
• Read them again.
• Check the boards against the schematics to be sure you have everything.
• Number the boards with a magic marker for easy retrieval
• Begin by following the steps in the instructions to put the house into dry fit (assembled with masking or painter's tape, not glue). This will give you a feel for the house and an opportunity to adjust the tabs and slots (utility knife and/or sandpaper) to fit perfectly.
• Do not put the acetate/plastic in the windows until the house is nearly finished. You'll be surprised how often it helps to be able to reach through the window opening. Plus it damages easily.

[hubfd]

3 hours ago, havanaholly said:

I have not yet built the Beacon Hill, but my first dollhouse was the Dura-Craft San Franciscan, which was also a large, somewhat complex house.  I made a few mistakes on it. but I make mistakes on every house I build and it ceases to bother me because I find it fun to figure out a fix that's also an improvement.  If you take your time and check the suggestions other members will offer you, you will be able to make it your dream house.  There are members whose first dollhouse build was the Garfield, for goodness' sake!

Thank you for your respond! I think I should try it then... indeed the Garfield looks even more complicated!

[hubfd]

3 hours ago, KathieB said:

Even the most complex house gets built one step at a time. The Beacon Hill may have more steps than some, but with this forum to help with challenging bits, you can do it.  

Some first-steps advice for a beginner:

• Read the Instructions.
• Read them again.
• Check the boards against the schematics to be sure you have everything.
• Number the boards with a magic marker for easy retrieval
• Begin by following the steps in the instructions to put the house into dry fit (assembled with masking or painter's tape, not glue). This will give you a feel for the house and an opportunity to adjust the tabs and slots (utility knife and/or sandpaper) to fit perfectly.
• Do not put the acetate/plastic in the windows until the house is nearly finished. You'll be surprised how often it helps to be able to reach through the window opening. Plus it damages easily.

Thanks for the tips! I can definitly use them! ☺️

[Khadi]

I bashed a Beacon Hill to be the part of a castle.  I don't recall the main structure being very difficult.  I can't speak to the windows and trim, however, because I didn't did straighten the wall in the entry hall.  This made the big room on the first floor larger. 

I have personally found the bigger houses like the Beacon Hill and the Garfield much easier than the smaller houses.  I had the most trouble with the Orchid, which is ironically a house that many people start with.

Edited May 22, 2022 by Khadi

[Donna K]

Beacon Hill is my first miniature house and this is my third summer working on it (I build Legos during winter). I decided not to add electricity since this is my first, and I, probably skipping the siding. I found https://jennsminis.wordpress.com to be very helpful and also Brad Vaughan’s YouTube collection.

This is a late post, wondering how your building is going?