vbharrington Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 It seems like I read a thread about this once, but for the life of me I can't remember. I know that electricity in houses is beautiful, and I may end up using it in some of my kits, but is there anyone who doesn't wire for electricity? I know for most it's a matter of personal preference, and I will make my decision based on house to house, but I'm just not sure it's something I want to undertake. Did I read once that Robin Carey doesn't use electricity in her houses? (Not that mine will compare to hers in any way) I have seen so many tutorials that I want to try for non working light fixtures that I'm not sure that I want to use electricity, especially for some of the more open floor plans. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dainagon Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 I am using battery lights in the house I am building now, I just don't have the patience to wire another house. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdodyd Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 I only have wired one house and decided that for the cost and difficulty versus the effect, for me personally it wasn't worth it. I quite enjoy making my own non-working light fixtures and lamps and so do that. Like you I have seen beautiful dollhouses with lights and I admire and applaud those creative and talented people. My three other houses don't have electricity although one has some LED battery-powered lights. It's a matter of personal choice, OK either way in my humble opinion. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My Miniature Madness Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 I have both. I think it is a matter of preference, the type of project you are working on (if you are doing a true to period Tudor, there would not be electricity), and your budget. Lighting can really add up in cost, and if you are doing your first project with lighting, I recommend you start with a small house or roombox. Tapewire systems can be a real bear if your project is MDF. It's easier with 1/8" plywood kits. Roundwire systems are fairly simple, but you need to plan well for where to hide the wires. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 Little electric lights in a dollhouse just don't make me crazy excited. I was going to wire the McKinley, but the person I built it for didn't want lights, either. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elsbeth Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 I just haven't had the patience to learn how to do it. And I doubt I'd have the patience to do it if I knew how. I'm not patient. Out of my 7 houses on display, 2 are wired and 1 works (old wiring can be fragile) - and I bought them that way on Craigslist. The other 5 aren't wired, and I don't miss it...I have some battery lamps that work fine when I want lights in there. Oh - the Lundby houses come wired and look very cute lit up. You have to buy all the lamps, but they plug right in. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esther Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 I've only wired a few houses. most I set in a time that didn't have electricity. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fov Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 I've become an old pro at tape wiring, but often I choose not to. It adds time, frustration, and expense to the project, and I rarely turn the lights on anyway! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 I have lights in some houses, some not. I keep a flashlight on hand when visitors want to see the details. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debora59 Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 Each house is different, but several of mine are not wired at all. My first two I tape wired. But did not enjoy the process at all, wasn't that good at it, so there after I would simply find ways to hide wires. With my latest 1/6 scale house I really wanted to be able to just flick a switch to turn on the lights, so with the use of routered out ceiling beams to tuck the wires into I have been able to accomplish that, which is thrilling to me because the lights are such a big thing to me, all of them, Chandeliers , lamps, fireplaces etc. I turn on the lights everyday.However I do wish I was as accomplished as some of the others here with wiring houses. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuttiwebgal Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 I have hard wired one house with success I have taped wired 2 house with little success I skip it altogether...with the battery option lights if I need a light thats what I'll be getting.. the Queen is taped wired and you can see it...I do dont care for this...could be age since we do not know how old the house is.. when I decide to update I will rip out all the wiring and just light with battery powered lights... is it worth the pain the hassle for a few lights and all the expense...well only you can say for sure but I will say...I am always impressed buy a lit house....it feels homier...is that a word? lol.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roxxie2 Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 I wired my first house looooooooong ago and haven't since. I like battery lights!!! No muss no fuss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustCallMeAnna Posted January 14, 2016 Share Posted January 14, 2016 I haven't wired. I looked into it when I started building, but at the time I couldn't justify the expense. With time, I've ventured more towards building homes for under-privileged children; so electricity went out the window for me! With the homes I've been building for myself, I've found that picking up a battery powered light here and there doesn't hurt my pocket as much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalesq Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 So far I haven't wired any of my houses (or used tape wire). I've used battery operated lights in some, but that's it. I like how the houses look with or without lights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdforsten21 Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 I love both! I don't plan on wiring the dollhouse I am starting. I have researched tape wiring and think I will wait till I make a smaller house before trying it out. So for now battery powered lights will work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyole Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 My Chantilly has been wired but she's not finished yet, so I don't have any lights in. I periodically check the status of the tape wire and get very excited to see it still works. I have used the battery operated lights and they allow a lot of flexibility as to where you will want the lights once the house is finished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kathi17 Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 When I started my first dollhouse, a stick built Georgian which the cats creamed, I was hard wiring it with a wiring kit I bought. I even bought a few lights ad sconces for it. Then the cats took care of the house, and I abandoned that one. A couple of years ago, I bought a tape wire kit, but still haven't used it. If I do, it will probably be in something small, like a roombox. I like building my own lights and things, and I really don't want to get into wiring them. When I want lights, I will probably go the battery route for the houses. It seems much simpler, but it would be fun to put a chandelier and sconces into a roombox like a grand ballroom or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stickyfingers Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 This is all good to hear. I'm having a bit of angst about the next build. One minute I'm all ready to wire...it looks so easy in the videos, and houses that are wonderfully lit are a bit magical. Why wouldn't you wire? The next minute, I see all of these comments, and I have a friend that had the same experience, spent a lot of time, money and effort, and in the end, none of it worked. Has anyone had any experience using battery packs? There are some lights that are just so perfect for the scene, but rather than wire the whole house, you just use a battery pack? I do think the LED lights are the wave of the future, but waiting for the manufacturers to offer a bit more variety is tedious. There's not a ton of variety for any of the lights, but I'd say the LEDs still offer only about a quarter of the choices. If you've wired a house and it didn't work, why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smjsome Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 I have attached small lamps, Xmas trees, to small battery packs. I've mixed led and round wire, and battery ans some house with no lights at all. Depends on the house really. i bought a strand of fairy lights that plug in on clearance a few years ago, I'm building it into my Winter House, floor by floor, sort of like ceiling can lights. It'll be my main light source, makes the house glow, I think it will be so pretty at christmas. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuttiwebgal Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 both times I had tape wired houses when I was trimming out the wallpaper guess who forgot the tape wire was on that wall...sigh... thats when I knew I wouldnt do that kind of lighting anymore...lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 I fall on the electrify side! If I couldn't light my houses then I wouldn't bother building them. I read so many comments about the pros and cons of tape vs wire..........battery vs 12v!..............You are all building and bashing kits that are far more complicated than our UK kits.......some are even building scratch! Believe me if you all can achieve the level of quality that you so often do then putting in electrics is the easy part! For me the only way is round wire........it suits how I build. I find it easier to route wire throughout than I do tape and when it's all done the chances of developing a fault on wire are almost zero and that can't be said for tape! You all get amazing results from kits that would have me tearing what little hair I've got out so lighting's as easy as falling off a log! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shannonc60 Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 Yep - patience - me - not a great fit. Some of mine are wired, some are not. It scares me, I have issues with getting it right, it's costly and it's just not a deal breaker for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladymelissa Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 Maybe stupid question: but does their exist battery operated lights in scale 1:24? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shamrockgirl18 Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 16 hours ago, Elsbeth said: I just haven't had the patience to learn how to do it. And I doubt I'd have the patience to do it if I knew how. I'm not patient. Same here. When I bought the lighthouse dh (clearance floor model from AC Moore many yrs ago) I was very happy that the light on top was wired and working because I wouldn't know how to do it. And with some of my houses, it's not accurate. For example, my Ingalls family cabin wouldn't have electricity because they didn't have electricity. I think if I knew someone who could help me learn it, I'd like to know the basics, but I'm reluctant to try to self-educate when something can be so costly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 2 minutes ago, shamrockgirl18 said: And with some of my houses, it's not accurate. For example, my Ingalls family cabin wouldn't have electricity because they didn't have electricity. But they would have had candles, lanterns, etc., which can be electrified. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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