| Miniature Mansion
I am in the process of building a dollhouse, the Marquam Hill Mansion by Dura-craft. It has three stories, seven main rooms, an attic and two small tower rooms. My idea for the house is that it was built in 1897, but it will be furnished for the family living there in 1927, mostly because I collect magazines from the 1920s so have a good source of inspiration.
These first two photos are the models from the box. My version is a little different, most notably in the color and the expansion I added over the wing on the right.
 
Progress so far:
Assembling the House
| January 31, 2004 |
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I sorted the pieces first so I wouldn't get too confused later down the road. The pieces are made of 3/8" MDF. The trim is mostly made of basswood and the windows, doors and trim are made from 1/4" plywood (from which I've had a few splinters). |
| Next I did a dry run on the dining room table to see how things went together. After this, we hauled it all out to the "shop," where I have a lovely, beat-up countertop to work on. |
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February 2 |
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Then I assembled the floors and foundation. After that dried, I glued the exterior walls into place. The assembly requires wood glue, patience and a good bit of masking tape for holding pieces together while they dry. |
| Oh yeah, and a whole bunch of wood filler. That bottle and box are there to help weight the pieces at that end because they didn't want to stick together. The little sticks in the bay window are propping up the front pieces. |
February 22 |
| Next I added more pieces in preparation for the roof and primed the whole house inside and out before continuing. The oil-based primer also serves as a sealer. It will keep the subsequent colors from soaking into the wood (at least that's what they tell me at the paint store!). |
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I also primed the underside of the roof and attic pieces. By the way, I hate oil paint.
That staircase was an experiment built with the stairs that came in the kit. I think it looks pretty good, but I changed my mind to a staircase with a left turn and a landing because I didn't want to have to deal with curves. |
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This photo is of the exterior, which has been painted yellow, but it's hard to tell because the photo has too much contrast. The front is still lacking the front oriel, trim, the porch railings and other detail. And, of course, the tower. |
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