sisvicki Posted November 4, 2014 Share Posted November 4, 2014 Hello, I'm new on this forum. I though I would say hello as I'm lurking about looking for information. I picked up a SF 555 at a charity auction, the box was sealed up but obviously opened but was in good shape, and still fairly heavy. Yes, I bid on it sight unseen. It was for a good cause either way! So it has good news and bad news. Good news: the instructions are there and all the sheets are there and it has quite of bit of trim in it, which I haven't inventoried yet. The bad news is that the main parts of the house are missing. My thought is I can buy some plywood, trace the parts that are missing from the negative spaces on the sheets, cut them out and still build the house! So is that crazy? Is it doable? Did I mention my husband is a carpenter? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chapchap73 Posted November 4, 2014 Share Posted November 4, 2014 If you are crazy then most of us should be locked away for the good of society :lol: You are lucky to have the negative spaces in your sheets. Lots of times partial kits do not have these. I say get yourself a piece of wood and go for it! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Summersethomes Posted November 4, 2014 Share Posted November 4, 2014 it's doable, I read on someones blog that she bought a house off Ebay (not sure if it was ebay but I think it was) and some parts were missing....I think ...(fuzzy memory) what she did was use the empty parts as a template and she went on to build her house(for the life of me I dont remember who did it but I think she may be a member here..not sure though) so for her everything turned out pretty much ok. *I'll probably remember who it was at 2:00 am in the morning* good luck and I think that was a song..if I were a carpenter and you were a lady..would you marry me anyway..would you have my baby. I liked that song..anyway..good luck Hugs Marisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted November 4, 2014 Share Posted November 4, 2014 I agree with Sarah. Your husband the carpenter can do up the missing pieces with little difficulty from the negative spaces. By the way, we seldom use the term "crazy" around here. You're more likely to hear "enthusiastic". 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalesq Posted November 4, 2014 Share Posted November 4, 2014 Yep, enlist hubby's help, and have fun. And welcome to the forum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CraftyMtnMom Posted November 4, 2014 Share Posted November 4, 2014 Welcome from one Vicki to another. Glad you joined us. I have saved a few of my scraps to maybe try the same thing in the future. Then some scraps I snip up and make misc. pieces for the house with them. But I think that is a great idea. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sisvicki Posted November 4, 2014 Author Share Posted November 4, 2014 Well, thank you, everybody, for the welcome and support and I'm off to order up some plywood!! Or at least to shop prices... wonder what grade I should get... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sisvicki Posted November 4, 2014 Author Share Posted November 4, 2014 BTW, the draftsman in me would really like to scan the instructions, scale the sheets in AutoCAD, compare the scaled parts sizes to the actual, punched out parts, and, if the sizes match, I would have a printable pattern to use again! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbnmini Posted November 4, 2014 Share Posted November 4, 2014 You're a draftsman and hubby is a carpenter!? Sheesh! Between the two of you, you should be able to pump out a really awesome San Fran! ;) BTW- Welcome to our little family, Vicki! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheckMouse Posted November 4, 2014 Share Posted November 4, 2014 Definitely a good idea to scan all the instructions and diagrams before you start. Then you can always go back to the original if you have to. Sounds like you and your husband have all the skills you need for this project! :welcome: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted November 4, 2014 Share Posted November 4, 2014 Welcome to the little family, Vicki. The SF555 was the first kit I ever built, back when Dura-Craft was still in business. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Summersethomes Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 It was Otterine, I read it on her blog and she's still building the house (but she has shut down her blog because she's moving, she's very nice so I dont think she'd mind if you asked her questions...if she does just blame me.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sisvicki Posted December 5, 2014 Author Share Posted December 5, 2014 An update: I have finally successfully purchased plywood (after ordering 1/4" instead of 1/8". Not sure how I did that, but, you know, in the excitement of the project anything is bound to happen), and cut out the missing parts from the negatives on the sheets. I even got to use my scrollsaw, which I am afraid of for some reason, but I digress... New problem: The side walls are made up of some type of tongue and grooved milled pieces glued together. I can't seem to find a source to purchase these pieces. I've also read that the channels you slip the side walls into are troublesome for shrinking and cracking issues. Could I simply cut my sidewalls from more plywood and perhaps join the sidewalls in a different manner? Does anyone have any tutorial sites for joining the walls in a different way? Does anyone have a source to purchase the side wall parts? Could I use a different brand for sidewall parts? Do I sound like a five year old asking unending questions, yet? hee. I'm going to do some more lurking and reading... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiniCrazy Posted December 6, 2014 Share Posted December 6, 2014 Depending on how much you need, since this company is out of business you are either at the mercy of someone making you a deal on some or buying another small kit on EBay or find a way to incorporate another type od siding into your design. If you are looking for corner posts and such you can find them reasonable on EBay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CraftyMtnMom Posted December 6, 2014 Share Posted December 6, 2014 Or since you and hubby are very talented (and lucky to be so)... maybe you could find some small trim and use a table saw to make the pieces you need. If I had a table saw and needed these pieces, I would. I get the idea from watching a carpenter friend cutting boards on a table saw and the boards, at one point (before he accomplished what he was doing), had that same groove in them. I remember thinking that someday I could do the same thing if I needed to (I had only built the Heritage and thought all dollhouses came with those pieces for the corners and edges - little did I know back then ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L Swearengin Posted December 6, 2014 Share Posted December 6, 2014 If you can't find the corner pieces you need, and you have a router, your spouse might be able to take a square dowel (Menard's has them) and use the router to create the space you need to fit the house into. I am NOT a carpenter, but watch lots of wood working stuff on TV LOL. If you have a ShopSmith, it should be a lot easier. My dad had one and he could make anything on that puppy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L Swearengin Posted December 6, 2014 Share Posted December 6, 2014 Oh, did I mention I am scared to death of my power tools???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiniCrazy Posted December 6, 2014 Share Posted December 6, 2014 Lawanda I'm with you I love my power tools but I'm also scared to death using them. I guess that could be a good thing maybe it makes me safer with them to know that if I'm not careful they could do all the evil things that are running through my mind as I'm using them. That of course doesn't stop me just makes me put if off till I gain enough courage to get started. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BirkholzS Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 I have a SF557 San Franciscan Doll House Kit but am in need of a template for the Tower Roof. It is the 6 triangles that form the top of the tower. Would you be able to trace one of the triangles and send it to me via email? I would be grateful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 I can't help you with the roof template, other than telling you a way to make one using the length of the top of the tower wall, but I do invite you to go to the Newcomers' Forum and introduce yourself to the gang. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodentraiser Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Um, Vicki, are you sure the main pieces to the house are missing? Because that siding you describe, is supposed to slide down in between the channels and make the walls. The siding part is the outside of the walls and the back of the siding is the inside of the walls. Maybe I misunderstood, though. Are you saying that you have neither sidewalls nor siding for your house? And there is a guy on eBay who makes parts for Duracraft houses, although I don't know if he makes the siding. His eBay user name is austinnoggles, so you might be able to look him up using that. And no, you are definitely not crazy. One of the things I did when I had a Duracraft SF, was I didn't like the channels in between the walls. So I got 1/8" plywood and recut ALL the pieces to go in between the channels on the inside, making smooth walls all around on the inside and basically making the house 1/4" thick. I also used the new pieces to hold up the second floor, so I could use my own cove molding. When you consider that each bay window needed 6 pieces cut for each of them, and there are 5 bay windows...now THAT was crazy. But it made a great house and I am so sorry I sold that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sisvicki Posted December 15, 2014 Author Share Posted December 15, 2014 Hi, all, thaks so much for all your answers! A bit of support sure helps staying enthused about this project! I'm sure I bit off a bit more than I should chew. BirkholzS: I would be glad to send you a ".pdf" tracing of that triangle. Just send me your email. Kelly, the SF 555, apparently, had these pieces of siding strips that you cut to length and then glued together vertically to form the side walls and front walls. Those are not in my kit and the instructions don't say how tall they are once together, so I need to figure that all out next. The siding strips look like siding on one side and were smooth on the other (inside). Wow! I bet that 1/4" house had to have been heavy! But sturdy, too! I'm only missing a couple of the corner pieces (although some are already glued togther by the former owner and look kinda of horrible) so I guess after the holidays I will take a real hard look at how I want to put it together. Thank you everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Vicki, the SF555 was the first kit I ever built. The second kit was the Dura-Craft Cambridge, and its exterior walls were the same way. The siding pieces were cut to finished length with a tongue along one edge and a groove along the other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sisvicki Posted November 23, 2015 Author Share Posted November 23, 2015 Update: SF555 has sat in the corner untouched for a very, very long time. I resurrected her over the weekend and since I was unable to find the siding pieces for the side walls, today I placed yet another order for baltic birch plywood to cut my walls from. Next task: inventory the longframe assemblies and see what's missing there. I can see this house taking at least a decade to build... but today, I am feeling determined. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kathi17 Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 I hope you get your house built, I have built two of the MDF versions of that house, and it's gorgeous when finished! Anyway, this guy: http://www.manchesterwoodworks.com/categories/dura-craft-compatible-parts makes Duracraft compatible parts. I've gotten some from him, and they are just as good as the originals. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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