Blondie Posted December 20, 2006 Share Posted December 20, 2006 Hello, all. I really want to build a house for my niece for her 3rd birthday in April, but I can't decide. I know a few of you have made houses for the little ones, so I thought you could offer some advice. At first I thought it would be the Sugarplum, then the Coventry Cottage, then I thought maybe I should go smaller for her first house so she can clobber it, and thought about the Primrose. Then I thought maybe I should go bigger--the Orchid, Aurthor, or Buttercup. I just can't decide! I want to start in January so I am sure to get it all done (her birthday is right at the beginning of April). I figure since she is so small and I will have to ship it that I should probably skip siding or putting on shingles--I can some up with some other form of decoration/paint/wallpaper for that. But which house?? Any advice would be very helpful! Plus, I did just order that Canterbury, but...wah...I'm too selfish to part with it right away. Perhaps I will give it to her when she's older. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nameless1 Posted December 20, 2006 Share Posted December 20, 2006 I'd vote Arthur, for several reasons: (a) It has a simple shape, with no corners where little hands can't reach. ( It has four rooms, so you can have a complete house with bath and kitchen. © It looks great without elaborate trim. (d) It wraps to ship very easily, due to the simple shape. (Send it Fedex Ground. Yes, I've done this.) (e) The rooms are large enough to hold a reasonable amount of readily available furniture -- some of the smallest cottages require a bit more judgment in buying furniture. Shingles and siding are pretty safe to use, unless the child is likely to actively pry at them. When we packed houses to move, the 25-year-old shingles on my Batrie cottage sustained one break, and the two-year-old shingles on my Arthur none. What I'd consider omitting is the gingerbread trim, including the roof ridge trim (which is the most likely to be damaged if Fedex sets something too heavy atop the box). When I've built for a three-year-old, I've also left off the front door, but I'm not good at installing those in the first place. (What I built was the Haunted Halloween cottage, which works fine in that role, too.) Honestly, though, I just think an Arthur is one of the best houses for a non-collector to own. It's big enough to be interesting and fun to furnish as a full conventional house, but small enough to not take over a room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJEP Posted December 20, 2006 Share Posted December 20, 2006 I agree with Calamari. I was going to say choose one without a lot of elaborate trim. I haven't built the Arthur personally but think it is a good choice for younger children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ms. Mini Posted December 20, 2006 Share Posted December 20, 2006 I would say either the arthur or the sugarplum :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IAK Posted December 20, 2006 Share Posted December 20, 2006 Arthur or Orchid. I just build both and I think they are very similar in size. Have just enough room to "play with". I agree don't add the roof trim, to fragile for little hands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minis On The Edge Posted December 20, 2006 Share Posted December 20, 2006 The Arthur is my vote too. You can get that one together in no time flat too. The rooms are a good size also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blondie Posted December 21, 2006 Author Share Posted December 21, 2006 Well, then, the Arthur it is! I can get busy on that when I get back from visiting the family for Christmas. Thank you for the advice!! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minis On The Edge Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 You'll love this little house. The shell goes up so fast and easy. It takes longer to shingle the house than it does to put the house together:LOL: Keep us posted ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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