Beacon Hill Mansion

[bmatson]

I am new to the dollhouse scene. My husband surprised me last week with a dollhouse for my birthday. And every spare moment since then I have found myself in my basement working on it. I love it. Since this is my first project, I, of course, am just beginning and have some questions.

1). I have read over some discussions on this forum and have found that many of you out there do not use a hot glue gun. I have been using it so far and it has worked just fine for me. Is there something better?

2). I have also read that 'you can never have too many clamps'. What will I need the clamps for?

3). Also, when I get to the point of putting the shingles on (which will be quite awhile away, since I just started), should I paint them? Or just stain them? I dont' know what will look better.

4). Since I am going to be lighting my house, I read that I should build the house, light it, and then do all the wallpapering and carpeting after that so I can hide all the wiring. Is this true?

I think that is all of my questions for now, although I am sure I will have more as I go along.

[wenlaine]

Hi Betty, Congratulations on getting a beautiful house for your birthday.

You will be offered alot of advice about building as we each have our own way of doing things so you just have to find the one that works best for you.

1. We are all in agreement that a hot glue gun is a no-no. I've never used it to build a house but I know that everyone says it will not hold over time. I do use it to hold shingles on as do some others on here. Use a wood glue if you can.

2. Clamps are great, but you can also use many other items such as masking tape to hold pieces together, or clothes pegs for small things. Masking tape will become very important, you'll find.

3. The determining factor about staining or painting shingles is the type of look you are interested in. Neither are wrong, it's just what you prefer. Also some do their staining and/or painting of the shingles before putting them on the roof, some do it once they are all on. It again, is whatever you choose.

4. If you are lighting your house, you should do that before you wallpaper or carpet. Mainly so the wires can be hid. You don't want to put on a beautiful wallpaper and find you need to put a wire along the corner. It wouldn't look very nice. So once the house is together, you wire. There is a wonderful tutorial on wiring a dollhouse by Darrell and it's been a great source of help to lots of us.

I've built this house and it's a beauty. Good luck!

[havanaholly]

, Betty.

1). I have read over some discussions on this forum and have found that many of you out there do not use a hot glue gun.

I prefer carpenter's wood glue because it bonds wood to wood. In many climates the hot glue just isn't very stable & deteriorates & becomes brittle.

2). I have also read that 'you can never have too many clamps'. What will I need the clamps for?

Holding pieces together. I clamp the door halves together whilst they dry, especially since I use chamois leather strips for hinges & I want a nice, tight fit. Also for nice tight fits for other parts. I use masking tape to hold parts together during the dry-fit and for delicate fiddly trim the clamps might mark or crush.

3). Also, when I get to the point of putting the shingles on (which will be quite awhile away, since I just started), should I paint them? Or just stain them? I dont' know what will look better.

After you have built & decorated the rest of your house you can experiment with your shingles. Sometimes I'll dip a rag in the stain and wipe the sheets of shingles, and sometimes I'll just paint them with my India ink & alcohol aging mixture, and sometimes I'll just go out and buy a pack of 60-grit sandpaper and cut shingle strips. You might find, as many of us have, that your kit will "tell" you what it wants.

4). Since I am going to be lighting my house, I read that I should build the house, light it, and then do all the wallpapering and carpeting after that so I can hide all the wiring. Is this true?

Wendy explained it beautifully. If you go with round wire rather than tape wire the baseboards have a routed groove the wire will fit in, but you will want the piece going to a fixture not to show (unless you're doing a retro house like an apartment DH & I lived in early in our marriage where when the house finally got electricity the wires were run over the walls & covered with channel molding).

[MiniMadWoman]

Wendy has covered all your questions so beautifully, there's really no need to elaborate! You will find that masking tape is your best friend. I don't use clamps, I use masking tape for everything! I use Elmer's Probond Interior/Exterior Wood Glue. As far as shingles go . . . I stain them before applying them . . . if I paint shingles, I do it after they've been applied.

You will absolutely love this house! It is my favorite and sits proudly in my dining room. You can see pictures of it at the links below. There is an album and also a photo show.

Enjoy your new house and good luck!

Oh, and one more thing . . . to the forum!

[chattycathy66]

Congrats on your Beacon Hill! I just started it also Best advice is to keep reading these forums; there's the most amazing amount of mini knowlege!

[bmatson]

Okay thanks for all your input. Now about this wood thing......I have the whole house put together (or most of the frame, anyway) and am working on the first floor stairs (which, incidently, are taking a lot longer than i thought they would!). Anyway. I have used hot glue up until now to hold the joints together and for the stairs. I know one of you said that overtime it will deteriorate and lose its hold, and since it gets pretty hot here, does that mean in the summer time the glue will start to warp? Is there any way I can help the hot glue I've already used?? Thanks!!

[Hallowell]

Have fun with your Beacon Hill

[havanaholly]

Heat makes the hot glue brittle over time. In fact you CAN disassemble your house with the help of a blow-dryer, if you wanted to start over with wood glue... (please don't hit me, I'm a little elderly lady wearing glasses with very fragile skin & bones!).

[chattycathy66]

You are so right about those stairs! You think you're making progress...and then it's like a huge standstill. All I can say is the time you take prepping those stairs will be well worth it

I too used hot glue on my first few pieces...until I read more here...what can you do, the instructions say to use it,lol....I just reinforced my joints(where I could ) with wood glue....so far, so good

Isn't it fun!! I'm having a great time!

[bmatson]

Don't worry havana.....I have no desire to hit you

My husband also recommended getting a blow dryer (or even the tip of the hot glue gun) to loosen the glue and reglue it, one joint at a time. Since as I mentioned, I only have done the main structure of the house, right now is the time to undo it if I need to, which I will.

And I have a question about wallpapering in general. I know wallpapering is a task under the best of conditions. But I know that right before I put my staircase in, I need to put wallpaper up since it will be nearly impossible to do it after the stairs are in. Now, my question is, should I wallpaper just that one section, or should I do the whole wall? Because it's quite a big wall that goes to the "dining room". And I don't know if it would look dumb if i just do that one stair section and then later there is an obvious seam in the paper when i go to do the rest of the wall. I have never done this before, so please forgive me if my question is a bit, um, beginnerish

[bmatson]

Cathy--

I checked out the pictures of your BH and it looks like it's coming along very nicely. How far along are you?

All I know is that I am obsessed! Literally every spare minute I am working on it. I'm one of those weird ones who actually enjoys cleaning my own house and making everything look nice. But now here is a house where i can literally build it from the ground up and do whatever I want with it. It's like a dream come true for me.

[wenlaine]

Betty, I was going to suggest taking it apart and starting over but I didn't have the heart since you've put alot of work into it. But I'm really glad to hear that you are going to do that. You won't be sorry and you will get really nice clean joints as well. I find with hot glue, it doesn't give a really really tight bond which you get from wood glues.

As far as wallpapering, I don't see any reason why you can't do that one side where the stairs go and then after you get the stairs in, you can finish the rest of the room. You didn't mention whether you were going to wire it or not. That will definitely help in your decision whether to wallpaper all of the room before the stairs are in or not. Whichever you decide, don't do what I did and have the whole house completely built, stairs in and all, and then wallpaper. That truely was a lesson learned.

[havanaholly]

As long as you have enough wallpaper to do the area you want, go ahead and do the part where the stairs go. If it's a pattern you'll need to drop-match anyway.

Another thing I do, since I began to use Linda Cullen's method of standing the house upsidedown or however else it needs to go to get the paint & papering done, is to use a Stanley heavy-duty stapler on the corners to reinforce them, and along the wall tops where the roof pieces join, since they get covered with siding or shingles or whatever, anyway.

You are going to have so much fun building the BH!!!

[bmatson]

I will be wiring my house, so that means I will need to do all the wallpapering and carpeting and whatnot after the wiring. And I understand that it will be a good bit more difficult than wallpapering as I go. But from what i've heard, that's kind of the only way to do it. Is there another, better way? Thanks for the warning, Wenlaine!

So Havana, what you are saying is it's okay if i don't do a whole wall of wallpaper at a time, so there will be "seams"? I'm not just talking about the stairs, I'm talking about the wallpapering in general. Maybe if you do an exact match of the seams you won't be able to tell. Am I right? Oh, and thanks for the stapling tip.

So far it has been so much fun doing this house. Of course, that was before I've been stuck forever on the stairs And it doesn't help that I am somewhat of a perfectionist. Plus I'm impatient. But I have vowed to myself that I will not be impatient with this house and take shortcuts and pay the price by having it look maybe not as good as I'd like. The quality is in the details. So far, so good Plus, I have you wonderful people that know way more than me that have been a great help already.

[MiniDoxLuvr]

I am new to the dollhouse scene. My husband surprised me last week with a dollhouse for my birthday. And every spare moment since then I have found myself in my basement working on it. I love it. Since this is my first project, I, of course, am just beginning and have some questions.

1). I have read over some discussions on this forum and have found that many of you out there do not use a hot glue gun. I have been using it so far and it has worked just fine for me. Is there something better?

Yes it will APPEAR to work well in the beginning, but hot glue from glue guns leaves gaps, and it breaks down over time. It won't hold up. I prefer Aileen's tacky glue. Wood glue works well but more runny wheras tacky glue is just sticky enough not to run everywhere but a superior hold and does not leave gaps.

2). I have also read that 'you can never have too many clamps'. What will I need the clamps for?

I have built several houses and never once used a clamp. I use duct tape as it has a stronger hold than most masking tape and I use lots of it. I have never had to clamp anything that I could not temporarily hold with duct tape.

3). Also, when I get to the point of putting the shingles on (which will be quite awhile away, since I just started), should I paint them? Or just stain them? I dont' know what will look better.

Personal preference, and personally I think stain looks better. But it honestly depends on the look you are going for. I am a huge fan of real looking asphalt shingles in black and grays....I rarely have ever used the cedar shakes that come with kits...but that is just a personal preference of mine. On certain houses tho they look great!

4). Since I am going to be lighting my house, I read that I should build the house, light it, and then do all the wallpapering and carpeting after that so I can hide all the wiring. Is this true?

ABSOLUTELY!

I think that is all of my questions for now, although I am sure I will have more as I go along.

My responses are above embedded in the quote and below each of your questions. I have not read your replies, I am sure I am being redundant. HAPPY BLDG! This is a GREAT hobby for anyone who enjoys working with wood and who has a crafty side~!~ I have been fascinated wtih miniatures since I was a small kid...and i have always loved wood, even love the SMELL of wood! This hobby brings my artistic side full circle with my love for getting my hands dirty and bldg things.

Glad to hear you are redoing the part you hot glued. The BH is too grand of a house to do in a subpar glue! It will last longer and look so much better with wood glue!

As for the stairs and wallpaper, honestly putting in the stairs is always one of the last things I do in the construction phase so I have never run into an issue of papering one wall and not the others all at the same time. I build the stair case if it is a kit and dry fit it just for appearance until the rest is all done.

[havanaholly]

it's okay if i don't do a whole wall of wallpaper at a time, so there will be "seams"?...if you do an exact match of the seams you won't be able to tell. Am I right?

Just make sure to have an extra sheet or two for matching patterns. Have you ever done 1:1 wallpapering? (I have hung it in smaller houses with DH & I helped a professional paperhanger repaper the walls of our 75-year old "Sears kit" house in OH.) If you're careful, especially if you go ahead and paper however much of the wall you can, you'll do just fine. If you leave 1/4" extra on the edge of the paper you can match the pattern 1/8" - 1/4" overlap rather than butting the seams. When the patterns match exactly and the paper toward the open side of the house laps the paper towards the rear of the house the seams aren't noticeable.

One way to solve the wire concealment dilemma is to make exact paper patterns of each wall in the room you want to paper, carefully cut cardstock templates using the patterns and prime and paper or paint the templates. You apply the card with doublesided tape along the edges and lay the templates over your wired walls.

Oh, and thanks for the stapling tip.

I learned that one building kits for children to play with.

[chattycathy66]

Hi Betty, I just finished putting in the small partitions for dining room/living room, and on the second and third floor...but I think I'm going to stop there to do the wiring.

I put in most of the hall wall paper, except where I plan to add lighting. (most will be ceiling/hanging type) I left sections out on the tower wall because I'm going to add exterior coach light by front door and wall lights on 3rd floor.

I work fulltime and have 3 children, so I mostly work on the house late at nite, or little bits during the days I'm off and the kids are at school....I need a good deal of brainpower for this lighting experience, so hopefully I'll get a little time this weekend.

Had 2 good days of progress this week, so I'm happy!

[MiniDoxLuvr]

So..question for you BH owners. For the curved roof peaks, what do you have to do? Wet them and bend?

Always wondered aobut that, assumed you must wet and bend them in place. I'd be worried that I wouldn't be able to get it to bend just so...and what about the shingles? How do you get them to bend in the same places?

[Lisa R.]

I am new to the dollhouse scene. My husband surprised me last week with a dollhouse for my birthday. And every spare moment since then I have found myself in my basement working on it. I love it. Since this is my first project, I, of course, am just beginning and have some questions.

1). I have read over some discussions on this forum and have found that many of you out there do not use a hot glue gun. I have been using it so far and it has worked just fine for me. Is there something better?

2). I have also read that 'you can never have too many clamps'. What will I need the clamps for?

3). Also, when I get to the point of putting the shingles on (which will be quite awhile away, since I just started), should I paint them? Or just stain them? I dont' know what will look better.

4). Since I am going to be lighting my house, I read that I should build the house, light it, and then do all the wallpapering and carpeting after that so I can hide all the wiring. Is this true?

I think that is all of my questions for now, although I am sure I will have more as I go along.

I always use Aleene's Wood Glue, it bonds in 20 minutes and produces a very stable bond over 24 hours. I would never use a hot glue gun although my DH uses one to adhere metal to glass very successfully.

I use masking tape and weights (actually my kitchen scale weights). I do have some small clamps for things like creating a railing.

The treatment of the shingles is really up to you - take a look at some of the galleries - there are treatments I would never have dreamed of.

You should do the lighting first, the big decision is whether to tape or wire - I use wire which has the disadvantage that you have to groove the wood to fit it in but it is a little more reliable - I think that most people use tape.

Lisa R.

[chattycathy66]

Well, not that I've actually gotten to the roof,lol...but it seems that the roof sections are already somewhat pre-formed....I'm not sure what else needs to be done, but that's how they came out of the box

[Lisa_F]

If you're careful, especially if you go ahead and paper however much of the wall you can, you'll do just fine. If you leave 1/4" extra on the edge of the paper you can match the pattern 1/8" - 1/4" overlap rather than butting the seams. When the patterns match exactly and the paper toward the open side of the house laps the paper towards the rear of the house the seams aren't noticeable.

What a wonderful tip Holly, thank you!!! While I was building the San Franciscan for my niece for Christmas, I stopped at a local scrap book shop & bought tons of scrap book paper that looked like mini wallpaper. But then when I got ready to do wall papering, I realized that I was gonna have to piece sheets together to cover the walls as none of the 12x12 sheets were big enough to do an entire wall. Not knowing any better, I pieced two sheets together - end to end next to each other and when it was done the seams were quite obvious. I ended up pulling it all out and buying dollhouse wallpaper (at quite a larger expense than scrapbook paper!) so that I wouldn't have that problem.

That left me with tons of scrapbook paper that was/is sooo pretty and very well suited for walls that I didn't think would work for wall paper.

Now after reading your tip, I'm gonna give it another try - doing it your way. Thanks again!

[Minis On The Edge]

You are doing such a wonderful job on your Beacon Hill! I have been drooling all over my keyboard! Thanks for the eye candy!

[bmatson]

Okay Holly--thanks for that wallpapering tip. I understand what you're saying and that is a great tip. I have been wondering how that would work.

So I FINALLY got the 1st floor stairs done. Cathy, you were right--all the work was well worth it.

And Wendy, thanks for the wiring tips. One more question though, I would assume that I wait until the house is completely assembled, inside and out, before starting the wiring process. I know one of the lovely ladies mentioned something about starting her lighting before the house was completely done. Or is there no one way to do it?

I know that some of you are including pictures of your beautiful houses in these conversations. I would love to follow suit. But as most of you know, I am taking my house apart completely and redoing it, so I really don't see the point. Believe me, as soon as I have something good to show you, I will!! But it might be awhile.

[havanaholly]

I haven't built the BH, but my Dura-Craft Cambridge has a mansard roof with a hefty curve in it, and the shingles were equally hefty scale cedar shakes, and they went on flat, so they're glued on where they make contact with the surface.

Where the Glencroft's roof curves over the front door I used my utility knife & steel straight edge and scored the plywood halfway through and wet it and while it was wet I bent it onto the curve of the wall, well-glued, and stapeled that puppy into place. I made my roofing slates out of reinforced construction paper for that one. On 1:1 houses with roof curves the shingles, unless they're asphalt shingles that have been up there a while, don't curve. We live in a barrel-shaped house that is shingled all over with cypress shakes and they don't bend or curve.

[chattycathy66]

Don't worry Betty, you'll have pictures soon enough....all of a sudden things will just go together