Marian Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 I need some advice. Is the San Franciscan a real hard build? I saw one on eBay pretty inexpensive. The sellers says that all the moldings, corner pieces, downspout basically all the long pieces are in the kit. Also the walls and all 23 sheets of material are there.....along with the roof and windows. So what could be missing? Should I pass on this kit and keep looking? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 Dura-Craft is no longer in business, so getting replacement parts can be interesting. If all the wall pieces and long frame pieces are there, you can always fiddle with the door and window openings and use Houseworks or other components. Unfortunately, the only way to tell if all the pieces are there is to sit down with the instruction booklet in one hand and the open kit box in the other and go through each piece and check it off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbytsdy Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 Which San Fran is it, 550, 555, or 557? I have built the 557 and am finishing up the 555; they aren't as nice to build as Greenleaf houses (because of all that trim cutting, for one thing). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marian Posted September 11, 2016 Author Share Posted September 11, 2016 Thanks holly and rbytsdy. I think I'm going to pass on it. It's like pulling teeth to get an answer from the seller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thresadep Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 Im doing san fran 555 now. Almost done too. WHEW! It is not an easy dollhouse but it is a great learning experience. It is very construction oriented. By that I mean many angles to cut. The kit does come with a miter block of wood. That helps a lot but as most of us know, the wood for dollhouses can be a bit hard to cut without splits. I wish it had more tabs for securing before gluing. Like mentioned here Dura-Craft is no longer in business, you should take extra care in cutting the wood strips. If the price is right, I would get that kit. If nothing else you can use the parts for other houses. Read you passed on getting kit but just in case....^^ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 My rule of thumb is that if it isn't still sealed in its box I'll pass on it, but remember I have a humongous stack of unbuilt kits... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marian Posted September 11, 2016 Author Share Posted September 11, 2016 It's not sealed in the box holly. I passed on it. I need to put the baseboards and trim around the doors and windows on the Washington. Not sure what I'll build next. Thresa it's on eBay and the starting bid is $40.00. I think it's probably more than I can handle right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thresadep Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 $40$'start bid) plus shipping..and this house is a huge pain. Good decision to pass. Mine is about to become friends with my driveway. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 DH & I found mine on the bottom of a pile of sporting goods in a Sam's that had just opened, and it rang up at the register for $30; this was in 1991, and I finished it some time in 1994. I would build another one only because I have built as many other, different kits as I have. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genieDOLL Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 I found mine 2/3 constructed but with zero parts; the challenge was that the MDF is thick and hard to cut and the window box openings were too large and crooked for the Houseworks windows I bought. I fiddled for years with refitting via poster board and gave up and hired a real life carpenter! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbnmini Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 Well Barbara- glad that you found someone to help you out with yours....my "real life carpenter", a.k.a my husband, basically tries not to get involved with my dollhouses! LOL I had to fend for myself when doing my San Fran rehab. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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