Darby Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 My daughter was given a dollhouse for Christmas that was built years ago. The family whom built it were not into the miniature dollhouse idea but someone they knew had given them the kit for their daughter. So they built it to the best of their ability. I would like to restore the home for my daughter. I'm not sure the name of the home or where to start on restorations. Someone please help!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaimeG Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 Hi Darby, Once you have 5 posts under you belt, you can post pictures and see if someone here can ID the house for you. Being new to dollhouses myself and having renovated a dollhouse I found at a thrift shop, I can offer a few pieces of advice... First you need to decide how far you are going to renovate...a coat of paint? or are you pulling all the pieces off and starting over? I found a hairdryer to be helpful to soften glue in order to take things apart - the interior trim, stairs and window trim were not the colour I wanted, so a hot hairdryer and a putty knife helped me separate the pieces. I wet down all the wallpaper and scraped it off - the house had a pretty serious mildew odor - so removing all the old wallpaper and a good primer were important. figure out what tools you need and gather them ahead of time - putty knife, small paint brushes, sandpaper etc... Ask questions here - the folks here are helpful and are able to help out with specific issues. Good luck! Jaime 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 Hi & Welcome. You will find a lot of information from dollhouse renovators on the forum Like Jamie said a hairdryer will be really useful. I find a vinegar/water solution will also disolve wood glue. Just paint it on liberally on the joins you want to break and let it do it's magic for an half an hour or so. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercyme Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 Hi Everyone... I have loved the McKinley Dollhouse for years now...and I finally received the kit as a Christmas gift from my husband. I have made shadow boxes and little rooms...but never anything as intricate as this. I am looking forward to reading all your comments and suggestions before I begin working on my first ever Dollhouse! Just introducing myself here... Kathleen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted December 28, 2016 Share Posted December 28, 2016 Hi, Kathleen. There is a Newcomers' Forum where you can post an introduction more people will see & welcome you. The forum building team built & blogged the McKinley here: http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/forum/?app=blog&module=blogs&controller=view&id=12 If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stickyfingers Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 Welcome aboard Carmen and Kathleen! You've found the right place, as there's always someone willing to help or answer a question or share a new technique! Be warned, though, this is addicting! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darby Posted December 29, 2016 Author Share Posted December 29, 2016 Thank you for the advice everyone! The dollhouse has black, blue and white paint on the exterior. The interior has not really had any work done. So I guess I'm luck on that behalf. The windows on the house are not like I've seen on miniature websites. I think because the dollhouse is dated it has outdated parts. The door was broken so I will be replacing it. I was debating on building another floor. I wasn't sure if it was possible. Maybe removing the first floor wall and staircase location. So many ideas! I'm very excited to start this remodeling and scared at the same time because I don't want to ruin it. Especially since a good friend regifted it to my daughter. I can't seem to post a picture. It tells me I can only upload 501.76kb. I have an iPhone 6 not sure how to adjust the picture size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 Carmen, when you have made five posts you can upload your pictures into an album and copy and paste pictures from your album into your posts. I rehab houses that were originally built with hot glue, using a heat gun to disassemble them & scrape off the hot glue, sand the edges and rebuild them using carpenters' wood glue. Since this process usually melts the windows I have begun to make my own replacement doors and windows. When I recently built a new kit I went ahead and built new windows and doors for it: http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/forum/?app=gallery&module=gallery&controller=browse&album=7565 I load pictures into my "Pictures" and resize them there, but I'm using a laptop computer, not a phone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darby Posted December 29, 2016 Author Share Posted December 29, 2016 Thanks havanaholly, The dollhouse was not built with hot glue from the looks of it. I am debating in what direction to go in on the remodeling. I definitely want to paint the exterior and remodel the interior. The previous owners left the inside bare so I won't have much work to do inside. My eldest daughter feels I should leave the structure of the home as it is. But for my youngest daughter I would like to open it up more and add another full story and move the attic up. Building across is not an option since the previous family also gave us a stool that sits perfect under the dollhouse. We also move every few years due to my husband being in the military. I'm afraid the movers might break it in the process. So I may leave any new remodeling for after our move this summer. I can't help but want to start work in the house now, so I may just but a primer on the exterior black and blue paint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sable Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 Prime the entire house first so that you have a clean slate to work with. I use a Kilz Spray Primer. I strongly advise against any new person adding a floor to a house. The front and side walls are the bones to a dollhouse, mess with those and you will have firewood. I am all for the first floor "great room" affect, however, the wall could be a support wall holding up the second floor and keeping it from sagging. Again, I wouldn't do anything structural to it until we know what model, manufacturer and type of wood was used. have you checked under the house to see if there is a label? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sable Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 One advantage of keeping an old AOL email account is that it asks you what size picture you want to send as you email photos from your iPhone. That is what I do when downsizing my photos. I just email them to myself in the proper size so I can post them here. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 38 minutes ago, Sable said: Prime the entire house first so that you have a clean slate to work with. I use a Kilz Spray Primer... I will insert one caveat; do NOT prime anything you will want to stain; paint will go over stain, but stain doesn't work over paint. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darby Posted December 29, 2016 Author Share Posted December 29, 2016 Great advice Sable! Thats exactly what I was afraid of if I tried removing the first floor wall and relocated the staircase. Maybe if I made support beams? I've been going crazy online trying to locate the dollhouse name, company and year. We have checked the bottom and there is no label. The previous owner said it was a kit given to their daughter by a neighbor whose hobby was building miniature dollhouses. Their daughter is 12 years old now. The windows do not open. They are just a clear plastic with a white decorative design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darby Posted December 29, 2016 Author Share Posted December 29, 2016 (edited) Hoping I can post now!! Edited December 29, 2016 by Darby Learning how to post pictures lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darby Posted December 29, 2016 Author Share Posted December 29, 2016 Yay! It worked!! Hoping someone recognizes it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madtex1967 Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 That's the Duracraft Newberg! Google that name and you should come up with several pictures to see how other have built the house. Unfortunately, Duracraft went out of business long ago, but their kits show up on eBay and other sites as well as 2nd hand/thrift stores. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sable Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 Since the stairs only go up one floor I would delete them and put in a support post so you can have the "Open Concept". It is a jewel of a house. And you really can't add an additional floor to that design. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darby Posted December 29, 2016 Author Share Posted December 29, 2016 Awesome! Glad to finally know some important info on the house. I guess I will measure out what the house has going on and see what I can work with. Thanks everyone!! Everyone is so helpful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sable Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 The basement has potential. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 I have that kit still in its box. Someone here who built it used some of the funky third floor spaces for closets. I wound up making all my furniture, etc, precisely so I could get what I wanted to fit where I wanted it to go. My latest, the farmhouse, is still too small to accommodate all the things it wanted, so the fmily sets the dining table and chairs up outside and dines al fresco. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darby Posted December 30, 2016 Author Share Posted December 30, 2016 I've been looking over the inside of the home and it is a very sturdy home. I've decided to search for a new door in hopes to find the original. If I can't find one I will use one I have found on miniatures.com. I will be removing the first floor wall and staircase. I plan to add a support beam and spiral staircase, in hopes to make it an open floor plan. I want it to be easy for my daughter to play and decorate. She would like a bohemian garden home. So I think it will be super cute and fun to work on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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