Darby Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 My daughter was gifted a beautiful dollhouse. I have no idea what I should do or how to go about remodeling. I've just today found out the dollhouse is a Duracraft Newberg and that the company is no longer in business. The door is missing to the dollhouse and I don't know how common it is to find another one for this model. I wanted to do a complete remodeling to the dollhouse and change the first floor, staircase location, windows and front door to match. I wanted to liven up the house but finding out it is a vintage home I don't want to ruin its uniqueness. What should I do?!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuttiwebgal Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 while it was a vintage kit....refurbishing will not take away its value and depending on what you plan for it... as for the door you can make your own or probably replace with something from Miniatures.com or Hobby Lobby...just measure the door and start looking.. there is nothing wrong about wanting to make the house your own! enjoy! I built this house for my niece many yrs ago....nice to see another getting a new spin on life!! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soapz Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 Hello Carmen, I second what Nutti said. The kits are usually sold for less than $100 on ebay (I got one for $48 a few months ago)- so you are not decreasing the value by fixing it up. Those kits were mass-produced, so even being vintage and discontinued did not really increase its value. In actuality, it's more the opposite. A lot of us are sinking a lot of hours and money into those kits (whether new or refurbish) which will influence the 'monetary' value of a house - however, building/renovating one, giving it your personal touch, putting in your blood,sweat, and tears - is what will make up the value for you. Read some of the entries here in the forum about building, renovating, and who sells what - that should give you a good start to decide what to do with the house. Have fun! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted December 29, 2016 Share Posted December 29, 2016 Making your own replacement door isn't all that difficult. If you go with a replacement component from Houseworks, I believe they come with their own trim, so if you did need to tweak the opening a bit and remove the old trim, it wouldn't be a disaster. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darby Posted December 30, 2016 Author Share Posted December 30, 2016 Thank you so much on your thoughts! I have been going on miniatures.com and hobbylobby.com finding replacement parts and parts I would like to add. I'm super excited to start buying and building! My husband thinks I'm crazy because he knows how detailed I am. I think this will be a great new hobby for me and possibly continuing! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted December 30, 2016 Share Posted December 30, 2016 2 hours ago, Darby said: Thank you so much on your thoughts! I have been going on miniatures.com and hobbylobby.com finding replacement parts and parts I would like to add. I'm super excited to start buying and building! My husband thinks I'm crazy because he knows how detailed I am. I think this will be a great new hobby for me and possibly continuing! This is definitely a hobby for the detail-oriented. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mimajo Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 It's kinda like a virus. Once bitten by the bug, there really is no cure. Have fun. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurafrances Posted October 11, 2017 Share Posted October 11, 2017 (edited) I actually have this exact same dollhouse. My dad built it for me for Christmas when I was a child (in early/mid 90s). It wasn't finished out, meaning it didn't have all the plastic in the windows for the glass and did not have a door either. In fact, it wasn't painted nor did it have any inside flooring or decor. I eventually painted it light pink a few years later and applied brick-like printed fabric on the bottom of the house. Over the years, I used whatever dollhouse and miniature items I found at Michael's and the Dollar Tree to furnish it. Now, over 20 years later, I'm interested in decorating it like a real house just for a fun project. As for the door, I'm sure you could find something or even construct something. Most craft dollhouses from the 90s and before are very similar in size. My dad made me a dog house out of the left over wood when he made the house that Christmas. Hope you have fun! Edited October 11, 2017 by laurafrances 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgwyn Posted October 11, 2017 Share Posted October 11, 2017 I just bought a kit on Ebay. I love the look of the Newburg. I will be watching to see how you redo yours. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L Swearengin Posted October 11, 2017 Share Posted October 11, 2017 My first build was the Newberg. Still my favorite house Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc Posted January 13, 2018 Share Posted January 13, 2018 The real value of any dollhouse is to you or your 'family', and it comes from the time and love you put into it... Ebay doesn't care but anyone your dollhouse touches will care... so make the house your own and make it a reflection of your dream for it. Besides, it isn't really yours until you change it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldenrodfarm Posted January 13, 2018 Share Posted January 13, 2018 I have a newburg I got at a local salvage store, it was $29 about 15 years ago, but still in the box lol I have two projects going now so it will stay there for a little while yet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guidry Steven Posted June 9, 2022 Share Posted June 9, 2022 I built the Newburg and the Ashley Mansions back in the 90's i did 3 Ashley Mansions and 2 Newburg was looking for them for years after only to now find out the ones that made them is gone. very sad about that, all i have left is the Ashley assembly instructions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J_Sea Posted June 12, 2022 Share Posted June 12, 2022 On 12/29/2016 at 5:21 PM, Darby said: Thank you so much on your thoughts! I have been going on miniatures.com and hobbylobby.com finding replacement parts and parts I would like to add. I'm super excited to start buying and building! My husband thinks I'm crazy because he knows how detailed I am. I think this will be a great new hobby for me and possibly continuing! Ha! That’s how it starts! Welcome to the tribe! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.