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Support: The Orchid Dollhouse Instructions


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Mike, I see that now BUT I don't like how you will be able to SEE the gussets in the dormers. hmmmmmmm

You won't really see the gussets--there's a back edge of the roof that hides them for the most part.

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My Orchid arrived with a warped 2nd-floor sheet. I was so disappointed , I put the kit aside for a few years and worked on other houses. Later I took the warped sheet, piled loads of books (and 2 other kits in their boxes) on top and set it aside in my attic. I'd check every few months on the warpage, but it is still there. Has too much time passed from the original purchase (from HBS) to request a replacement sheet? Or, should I get a plain sheet from the craft store and try cutting out the stairwell and adding tabs? Any suggestions? Thanks.

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If dampening it and letting it dry under flat weight doesn't elliminate the warp, once it's finished and glued in place with the walls it will often straighten out. If you can rock the piece like a rocking chair after the dampening process you can always order a new sheet directly from Greenleaf: http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/about-us/greenleaf_dollhouse.html

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I had the same problem with the 2nd floor. I sprayed it with a little water , wiped it down and piled heavy books on it for a couple of days. It never came out perfectly flat but when I glued it together with the rest of the walls it was acceptable.

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Thanks so much for the input. I never dampened it--that may be the missing element. It is very much "rocking-chair" material, tho, so I think I'd rather just order a replacement sheet and get on with the build. Thanks for being so supportive. Everyone on this forum is Great!

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I hope you will try dampening it first-save time and money,because you'll have to wait for it to come anyway, and I bet it will straighten out! My ex used to rehab old real life furniture and I witnessed him straighten out many a warped piece of wood that everyone thought was hopeless. What have you got to lose,since you have to wait on the mail anyway.:)

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The Orchid seems to be the most popular kit, by far.

It's cute and very gingerbread-y, but it's small and has very few rooms.

Maybe I just love bigger houses with lots of rooms!

Not feeling ;particularly positive tonight. But I've wondered about the immense popularity of the Orchid for some time now.

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The Orchid has the feel of what's known as a real life "starter home". It is a sturdy little cottage with the basic rooms, great charm and a feeling of coziness about it. It also lends itself to any number of decorative schemes with little or no bashing. I've done three of them, each one different, and enjoyed working on all of them. Despite our American leaning toward "bigger is better", a small jewel can be very satisfying.

My Very First Doll House - Build

My Very First Doll House - Furnishings

Second Orchid - built with a 9-year-old

Third Orchid - White Orchid

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I looove all of KathieB's Orchid builds and Brae and Deborah,I love both your ideas and hope you do them soon! I'm a few weeks away from starting The Orchid kit my son gave me for Christmas,but I daydream about it all the time!:)

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I am not as imaginative with my building as you guys are. I wish I could be but I get hung up with trying to get the actual building assembled. Maybe if I build the same house more than once I would think of another way to do it. Next time.......

Today I am going to TRY hard to get the porch on at least!!! That's my goal!

Brae, my Orchid is a house for a family of mice and their relatives that moved in from PA... :giggle:

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Ok Is it just me or did anyone else have problems with the front door not fitting into the opening?????? :bomb: I spent all afternoon shaving it down and it just doesn't fit and looks awful. I didn't want to spend extra money on another door but I guess I have to. Any suggestions ? I am ready to toss the whole house into the nearest trash bin at this point!

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Ok Is it just me or did anyone else have problems with the front door not fitting into the opening?????? :bomb: I spent all afternoon shaving it down and it just doesn't fit and looks awful. I didn't want to spend extra money on another door but I guess I have to. Any suggestions ? I am ready to toss the whole house into the nearest trash bin at this point!

Keep on sanding, you will get it to fit. The paint makes it swell a bit, plus adds a tiny bit of width to it. Plus, the door is now double, so that adds a little more to what has to swing open. I have gotten to where I go ahead and cut some, then sand, then paint, and then sand some more. You'll get it there!

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Tracy I cut and sanded so much of that door off its ridiculous! I just glued that sucker in and its never swinging in or out again. The occupants will have to use the back door! Lesson learned however....buy a separate door for this house next time! :bangin:

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Roxy, tracy is right; you do have to sand and shave quite a bit off the doors after they're together to get them to fit in the opening and to open & close. I've taken to clamping them in the bench vise and sanding them. One of the joys of having the workshop is access to DH's belt & disc sander!

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Holly, I followed your advise about wetting my warped floor, weighting it down on a flat surface and letting it dry. First try made it somewhat flatter. Encouraged, I wet it again and did the same. Even flatter. So I went for the gold and truly Soaked it in the sink while doing a few dishes. Did the flattening routine and let dry for 2 days. That silly floor is now almost perfectly Flat! The tabs now meet the slots and I'll be able to use it. Thanks, again, so much for the advise... I also perused Cynthia Sperin's blog on her Orchid--it's Lovely! Such Wonderful inspiration. :)

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  • 2 months later...
  • 3 months later...

I've had the Orchid kit for about a year and the only reason I had not started building it was the vagueness of the instruction sweet...once I found the instructions online with the illustrations, I immediately dug the kit out of storage in a spare room in my house and started work on it...Just sanding the sheets, popping parts out, organizing, bagging and labeling but it's a start right?

Do you mind telling me what you used to sand the pieces. This process is going really slow.

Thanks.

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