A 1950s house

[rodentraiser]

This photo is from a blog by a woman named Kate and after reading the first part, I think she'd fit right in here.

http://retrorenovation.com/2015/01/19/7-steps-build-a-diy-dollhouse/

I am really starting to like this house. In fact, I have visions of the living room with this window in it, only turned the other way.:

 

Now my house currently looks like this:

 

And I have the basement for it. Now suppose I take the basement out from under my house and instead put the house on a base that's about 4 1/2" high (the basement is 9" high). Then I put the basement up against the house and base (basement is not on a base) and build a living room on top of the basement.

I guess then, on the outside, the steps to the entry will have to go up a full flight. But inside, the house will be a split level house. In the living room, stairs will go half a flight down to the kitchen and dining area and up a half flight to the bedroom and bathroom. past the dining area, the stairs will go down half a flight to the basement.

That's as far as my imagination has taken me so far.

I'm not sure if I want to change the roofline on my house to match the picture though. It would be a lot of work, but pretty easy to do. Any feedback on this would be welcome. Thanks!

 

[Mid-life madness]

I would love to see a split level dollhouse. In Las Vegas, Mid-century architecture is pretty much the only home vintage style we have. (nothing before that era was really built to last)

Your idea sounds groovy .

 

[Sable]

I like it.

[Debsrand56]

I love it! The inspiration house is very cool, and I, too, would like to see a split level.  I do think you should change your roof line.  I know it would be work, but it would be more in keeping with the style of the house.  What a fun idea!

[rodentraiser]

Well, now I'm starting to rethink this. If I got a house that looked close to mine, that is (2 floors and a floor under the roof), I could place it on the basement and have 4 levels on that side and 3 levels on the other side, still putting  a 4 1/2" base under my house and having a split level without changing the roofline. You know, the problem is, I really don't know what I want.

[Griffonfeathers]

2 hours ago, rodentraiser said:

ell, now I'm starting to rethink this. If I got a house that looked close to mine, that is (2 floors and a floor under the roof), I could place it on the basement and have 4 levels on that side and 3 levels on the other side, still putting  a 4 1/2" base under my house and having a split level without changing the roofline. You know, the problem is, I really don't know what I want.

Hrm... I love the idea. And believe me when I say I understand not really knowing what you want.

A split level house would be AMAZING. But this might not be the house to do it with. Hrm...

[havanaholly]

The split-level houses I was ever in might have two levels on one side and one to two levels on the other, but I cannot recall any houses with more levels than that on either side!

[Guest]

This might not help you Kelly but I think you've just lit a fire!..........and right there in the middle of the flames I think I see my next build!.........I used to read tea leaves until they bagged them.........and they didn't work either!

I shall spy on you with much interest!

[Mid-life madness]

I think you are right on track.

Usually you enter on the ground floor(main floor) All of the living area is here. There are 2 small runs of staircases. One up, one down. The downstairs is subterranean but not quite a basement. Might have the washer dryer etc, and a bedroom.....Upper level has bedrooms etc.  Split levels are know to maximize the space available on a small plot of land.

[My Miniature Madness]

Help me understand how wide the house would be with the new addition. Would it be separable so you could move it when necessary? Would you have to give up your couch to accommodate it? 

The first dollhouse I really got to work on was kind of like your inspiration photo, only it hung on the wall so there was no access to the front side. Our house was TINY so it was the only way. Maybe you could make yours that way to save on space? Just spilballing...

[Mid-life madness]

Did you check out real life plans on line to help? Plans

[rodentraiser]

WHOAAAAA everyone!

Holly, I know split levels don't usually have more than a couple levels. But I'm just taking it a step (or ten) further. I always do.

Mike, don't hold your breath. This could take me the next 40 years. But if you do a split level, I'm gonna hang on to what you do! And if this has lit a fire in anyone else, go for it!

Jodi, my couch stays. It doesn't go for any dollhouse, no matter how much I want it. I love my couch. This isn't mine, but it's what it's what mine looks like. I think it's the only thing of value that I own anymore:

I think the house to add on would have to be at least 24" long. Since the house I already own is 32", that would make it...um...56" long and too long to fit in my bedroom. I could get the second part, but it would have to wait till I moved somewhere else to be able to put it together. And since I am going to be living in either my car or a shed the next time I move, that could be a while.

Carrie, I lived in a split level for many years. A split level as they're built don't appeal to me at all, but a single wide room split level is very appealing. Like these trailers. I could so live in one of these:

 

The split level house in the first picture was made from plans. Here are two blogs about the house.

http://retrorenovation.com/2015/01/12/betsy-mccall-dollhouse-diy/

https://flipthisminihouse.com/tag/dollshouses/

If I were to do that house, I think I would lengthen the living room just a little and place the front entry next to the chimney.

Here's the thing about changing the roofline and extending the living room in my house, though. If I extend it too long, the roofline is going to be way exaggerated. I'm not sure that's going to look good. Wendy, I think you're right in saying this isn't the house for it.

 And actually, the more I think about it, the more I want to make a split level trailer out of two trailer kits. Now that would be something. Hmmm, maybe I'd have to use three kits.

 

[Guest]

17 hours ago, Griffonfeathers said:

Hrm... I love the idea. And believe me when I say I understand not really knowing what you want.

A split level house would be AMAZING. But this might not be the house to do it with. Hrm...

I agree.. I love the idea.. but not really with this house. My two cents would be to continue this house as planned and make your next house a 1950's split level that you can find a better suited shell for.
 

If you don't like my two cents.. chuck ém in the fountain and do what you want. 

 

[Elsbeth]

22 hours ago, rodentraiser said:

 

 

1 hour ago, rodentraiser said:

 

 

 

Please please please please put a TV into the stairs of whatever house  you make!!!!!!! I loooooooooove that!

[Shy Spirit]

I lived in a split-level for about fifteen years. 

There was a flight of stairs at the front, with a verandah.  Enter into a small front foyer with a large closet, with the kitchen straight ahead.  The living room was to the right.  The dining room followed on from the living room (open concept), with a flight of nine stairs up to a hallway with a bathroom on the right, a bedroom on left, continue down the hall to a linen cupboard on the right, another (large) bedroom on the left, and a bedroom right at the end of the hall.  The kitchen ran the length of the living room and dining room.  There were three steps down from the kitchen to a back hall with another big closet.  A back door opened onto the driveway.  Directly in front of the steps (across the hall) was a large family room with sliding glass doors to a patio, and garden.  Beside that to the right, was another large bedroom, with an ensuite bathroom that could also be entered from the right end of the hallway.  Turn right at that door, and there was a door to the basement.  I think there were twelve steps down to the basement.  At the bottom, turn right for the laundry room.  Turn to the left for the furnace room.  A spacious finished basement, with a cold-room at the far end.  There was a built-in bar that could be entered from the laundry room, but "served" the basement.  Beside that, was a small bedroom/study.  (It was used as either at different stages of our family life there.)  There was a huge crawl-space - you literally had to sit on your haunches to move around - that extended under the family room and bedroom area. 

So there were four levels in that house.  Basement (with half windows in the laundry room and study/bedroom), back-split (ground floor family room, bedroom, bathroom), kitchen/living room/dining room level, and upstairs bedrooms and bathroom.

[LadyGunn]

I have friends whose real life house is a split level with 7 levels. Basement, family room (that's partly underground), main floor, kids' bedrooms, master suite, and then two more levels. A family who had it before had 10 kids and I'm assuming the upper levels have bedrooms, although my friends use it for storage and I think some is sitting empty for now.

[havanaholly]

Welcome home, Rosalind!  I've missed you.

[Shy Spirit]

Thanks for the welcome back, Holly.   

 

I've been reading posts here and there, but haven't been participating in the world in general - never mind the Greenleaf mini-cosmos.  I shall try to post a bit more ...

 

[havanaholly]

Life has a way of throwing us curves...

[L Swearengin]

And folks think the "tiny house" movement is new.  I love the old trailer.

[KathieB]

In the split level department, I lived on a 46-foot flush-deck Chris Craft for several years. Deck was the top level. Down a few steps to the lounge/living room, 2nd level. A few steps down aft to the 3rd level, the master cabin. Down the same distance forward to the galley. Down a few more steps forward of the galley to a 2nd cabin. So, actually 4 levels altogether.  <Really, Kathie, you have two large buildings under construction and you're thinking about a split-level boat?>

This not the exact boat but one similar to it.

[rodentraiser]

Wow! That's cool, Kathie.

Well, I have decided to go split level with Bramble, but not 1950s split level. I'm just going to add another house, like the Simplicity onto Bramble and put it on the basement. The two roof lines will not line up, but they'll complement each other. Like this:

 

Except one house will be on a basement 9" high and the other house will be on a base 4 1/2" high.

 

[AndreaJane]

On 4/3/2017, 5:30:29, rodentraiser said:

 

 

I flat out love this house.  I grew up in an Eichler (very mid-century Modern for those not familiar) and have a particular fondness for the style.  I would love to get my hands on a kit like that.

When I first started this dollhouse journey (oh about two months ago) I was thinking I would just fix up my Beacon Hill, furnish it and that would be the end of it.  Hahaha!  Now I want ALL THE HOUSES!!  And maybe a vintage Airstream in 1:12 scale...

[rodentraiser]

That's why I'm thinking the trailer kit (or two or three) would be a good project to make look like this house. I'm not crazy about the 50s in themselves, but i love this style of house as well.