Pinkie Posted September 21, 2016 Share Posted September 21, 2016 Hi, first let me apologize for posting the pictures in the topic and not starting an album and any other faux pas I may have made. I don't ever use forums, although I am aware that they do all have their own culture, rules levels of acceptable behavior. I appreciate all the help I was given about shingling the house. I was able to get everything I need and will start soon. I am having some trouble with the stairs. I can't figure out the scale of the house. I have dyscalculia (like dyslexia, but with mathematical concepts) and I just don't understand the directions for translating my measurements into scale. My measurements also seem incorrect, although I've done them several times. But I don't know if he used a kit or if it was completely homemade, which means the measurements might not be exact. This is what I know: From the floor the the ceiling on the first level is 9.1" From the floor to the top of the stairway opening is 9.5" From the back of the stairway opening to the front of the house is 12.6" I'm not sure what to do. Everyone has told me there stairs are either too big or too small. I looked at a few that you can put together, but they required power tools. I'm so incredibly discouraged and confused, and I just wish my Grandpa was here to help me. Thank you. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beulah Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 Oh i wish i could help you with the scale, but i am not very good at it either, not to worry, someone will come to your rescue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stickyfingers Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 Hi and welcome! I just browsed through your other posts, and it looks like a neat project, and a very sweet thing to do. Good for you!! About the stairs...not sure what you mean by the scale of the house? You mean you don't know if it's 1:12 or 1:24, etc? From your measurements, it sounds like 1:12. Hobby Lobby, HBS, ebay, etc. sell a pre-made stair kit that sounds like it would work. It comes with the stairs all assembled, and you add the railings and posts. If I were doing this house for a child that age, I would buy the ready made stairs (at Hobby Lobby with a coupon) and finish them however (paint, stain) and just glue them in. Maybe add a post at the bottom, but don't know if I'd bother with rails and spindles, as they are the most fiddly and delicate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 Nicole, can you use a ruler to measure, or does your problem extend to rulers? Because if you have a 12" ruler, it is one foot (1') long and each of the long lines with a number is one inch (1"), so a room that is nine and a half feet high in your own house would be 9 1/2" high in a 1:12 scale dollhouse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinkie Posted September 22, 2016 Author Share Posted September 22, 2016 I used a dress maker's tape measure, since it was more flexible. I know the number were not exact, but it did seem to me that it was very close to a 1:12 and that those products should work. But when I went to buy something, I don't know if I was telling them the wrong measurement or something, I was told the product was the wrong scale for my house, and I automatically trust other people's calculations over mine. So it's probable that I was right that it is a 1:12 and that's the scale I should buy. Not truly understanding how all this works, I think I gave the person the measurement from the floor to the top of the opening to the stairway whole, not the floor to the ceiling. And that is entirely wrong, correct? How do you guys do this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdodyd Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 There is generally not very much difference between the height from the floor to the ceiling and the height from the floor to the top of the opening for the stairway, maybe 1/4 to 1/2 inch or even less. I wonder if the person was measuring the length of the stairway itself, not realizing that the height of the installed stairway is not the same as the length of the stairway if you measure it by itself lying down. To me it sounds like a pre-built 1:12 scale stairway would be just fine. You can always adjust the stairway a bit by the use of small pieces of wood or trim if needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted September 22, 2016 Share Posted September 22, 2016 I would invest in a 12" or 18" steel ruler with a cork back. Dressmaker's fabric tape measures stretch over time & are not as accurate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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