My first (thrifted) dollhouse project

[JaimeG]

Hi Everyone, 

I'm new here, just introduced myself to the forum last week. 

I finally grabbed a couple pics of the dollhouse that has started me down this path. I found it at the Salvation Army and walked by it a few times, but couldn't leave it there. For $9.99 I think I got a pretty good deal, even though there is quite a bit of repair to be done. 

I'm a mom to 3 little girls, so I am planning to make this a Christmas gift for them - I'll furnish it simply to start and upgrade as the girls get older and can manage more delicate pieces. 

I have no idea what kind of dollhouse it might be - I suspect from the copyright on the wallpaper it was built in the eighties. I was thinking it was likely from plans, not a kit, since it is sooo very heavy! 

Anyway - if anyone has any thought on the origins I'd love to hear what you think. 

[Sable]

Very nice house. Great bones. Looks well built

[thresadep]

Nice find.  Good luck with rehab Don't be afraid to ask questions here. Some amazing minds. 

[rodentraiser]

For $9.99 for that house, I would have sat out all night waiting for the store to open. That's a great buy!

[JaimeG]

Thanks everyone. I was pretty excited with the find too. It just barely fit in the trunk of my wagon!

Any recommendations as to what I should do first?

My plan was to to try removing the wallpaper and flooring - maybe with fabric softener - and then clean it with a soft brush and soapy water. I want to repaint and I'd like to have grey shingles - I think I'll remove the current shingles that are damaged and replace with new. I don't know that I could match the shingles to repair. 

So in a nutshell - 1) remove wallpaper, 2) clean, 3) repair and glue, 3) repaint, re-paper. 

Jaime

Edited October 5, 2016 by JaimeG

[stickyfingers]

That sounds about right. That is a fabulous find!! Come back any time to ask questions or get ideas. You may find some bargains on some sturdier furniture on ebay. You can also check Walmart and the like for small-scale plastic furniture. It may not be to 1:12 scale, but the kids may not mind.

 

[Sable]

After a good cleaning, I take older houses outside and completely spray them with a few cans of Kilz Primer.  After dry, a good sanding with a sponge sanding block.This gives you a nice clean slate to work with.

i envisioned this house with a grey or dark slate grey roof.  I agree the light stained shingles throw off the balance of the house. 

[MaryKate]

Jamie! Hi, and welcome. I think I know that house!

Back in the very late 80s, my dad and I made a house for my sister, who was 7 at the time, from plans in a book called "How to Build and Furnish a Dollhouse for $100 or Less" by Patricia Maidment. (Here's a link to a copy on Amazon.) The book has you build the house out of heavy duty corrugated cardboard, but Dad used wood from our old kitchen cabinets. So if your model is made from wood and heavy as sin...it could very well be the same one.  We got the book at the library and it disappeared from their shelves about a year after we returned it, and I couldn't remember the title or much about it until I went on a dedicated Google search this spring and finally found it. 

It's the front facade, the room layout, and what I think is a bay window on one side?, that's giving it away for me. It looks like whoever built yours put in some lovely custom touches, like the siding and shingles.

I recently rehabbed that house for my sister's kids. I don't have a lot of great pics of it yet, but here are a handful I took while the reno was in progress. Let me know if you think I'm seeing things!

  

[MaryKate]

Okay, I'm looking more closely, and I think I overreacted! There are similarities, especially the bay, but the dormer/gable is kind of a big difference. Oh, well. I spent so l iong wondering if I'd dreamed the book our house came from, I was excited and jumped the gun. At any rate,  you have a great find there. Best of luck in your rehab!

[JaimeG]

It looks pretty close - it is definitely as heavy as sin! I figured it was from a plan. I could barely move it to take pictures this afternoon! 

I love your yellow house - I'm thinking about colour scheme - I think I am going to leave it blue and white, but change the shingles to grey and maybe add some ivy and window boxes on the outside. 

[Elsbeth]

Fantastic for 9.99!!! 

[claireliontamer]

It's very similar to one I picked up on ebay last year for £3 (about $4 at the moment).  Although the one I have is a much simpler and slightly smalller version.  This is the condition I got mine in:

 

[JaimeG]

$5 Canadian dollars  

That is a great dollhouse - it looks to be about the same size, but the 1st and 3rd floor plans are reversed. 

[wormwoodz]

That is a lovelly house, I love the plantation style and in good shape as well! How big is this house? I am curious about the weight, could be the quality of the wood if it was custom built, is this in 1:12 scale? In any case that is good if it's going to be played with, the sturdier the better :)

Your plan sounds good to me, clean, repair, paint, redecorate. If you plan on adding lights would be best to do it before wallpappering/flooring the house.

[JaimeG]

I haven't measured, but it seems to be 1:12, the doors, stairs etc seem to be the standard size. I'm 5'6 and it comes up to my waist at least. It's about 4 or 5 feet wide. 

I was thinking about adding lights, but haven't decided yet. 

[KathieB]

4 hours ago, JaimeG said:

I haven't measured, but it seems to be 1:12, the doors, stairs etc seem to be the standard size. I'm 5'6 and it comes up to my waist at least. It's about 4 or 5 feet wide. 

I was thinking about adding lights, but haven't decided yet. 

Your daughters will love this house for years, Jaime. Congratulations on snagging a great buy! I'd wait until the kids are older and the furnishings are upgraded to add wiring. Maybe a few battery operated lights for now it you really want lights. Lights seem to be more important to adults than to kids, who are usually playing with their house during the day and thinking more about action than ambience.

[JaimeG]

On October 8, 2016 at 7:08:44 AM, KathieB said:

Your daughters will love this house for years, Jaime. Congratulations on snagging a great buy! I'd wait until the kids are older and the furnishings are upgraded to add wiring. Maybe a few battery operated lights for now it you really want lights. Lights seem to be more important to adults than to kids, who are usually playing with their house during the day and thinking more about action than ambience.

That is good advice Kathie - I may wait on the lights and add them as a STEM project with the girls when they are a bit older. 

[Sable]

You could pre wire with tapewire under the wallpaper now, take really good pictures of where the wire is located and install the light fixtures later.

[Sable]

My first dollhouse was built during the Depression and given to us in 1960. It was huge. My father installed the big old Christmas lights on the ceiling. I was 5 years old at the time and the oldest of 5 kids. The five of us were taught to respect the lights and not play with the bulbs. I loved the fact that there was light in our house on those dreary rainy days in our dark NY home.