mjcmaisto Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 I had a beautiful dollhouse built for me and it has a heavy hinged roof. I'm not sure if I want to keep this but I was told it was important to keep the roof line intact. I've seen other houses without it. Could you please let me know if I am making a mistake removing this piece? I've included a picture of the front and back with the hinged roof closed and opened. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 Hi, Mary. Welcome to the forum. Your dollhouse is charming! It can be anything you want it to be. Finishing your house just the way you want it is one of the joys of miniatures. It's our own little world, and unlike the real world, we can pretty much control what happens in it. I can see how you'd want the back to be more open. The roof flap does block the view of the top rooms. If you go to the Greenleaf Dollhouse store site and look at a number of the houses, you'll find that the back sides of many of them have just a narrow line of shingles along the edges and across the top. The Willow is a two-storey house with an attic with the back similar to yours. Personally, I don't think it would be a mistake to remove that roof flap if that's what you want to do. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadie05 Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 Given that it is hinged, it seems that you could easily remove the rear flap and preserve the ability to restore it in the future if you changed your mind. What a nice DH - happy finishing! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjcmaisto Posted July 4, 2018 Author Share Posted July 4, 2018 8 hours ago, KathieB said: Hi, Mary. Welcome to the forum. Your dollhouse is charming! It can be anything you want it to be. Finishing your house just the way you want it is one of the joys of miniatures. It's our own little world, and unlike the real world, we can pretty much control what happens in it. I can see how you'd want the back to be more open. The roof flap does block the view of the top rooms. If you go to the Greenleaf Dollhouse store site and look at a number of the houses, you'll find that the back sides of many of them have just a narrow line of shingles along the edges and across the top. The Willow is a two-storey house with an attic with the back similar to yours. Personally, I don't think it would be a mistake to remove that roof flap if that's what you want to do. Thank you, Kathie. I love that answer. Finishing this dollhouse has been so much fun! will check out the other houses to get some ideas. I love this forum for all the advice and support! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjcmaisto Posted July 4, 2018 Author Share Posted July 4, 2018 8 hours ago, sadie05 said: Given that it is hinged, it seems that you could easily remove the rear flap and preserve the ability to restore it in the future if you changed your mind. What a nice DH - happy finishing! Thank you, Sadie! That's true; it is easy to remove and I can always replace it if I see it was a mistake. I appreciate your insight! 8 hours ago, KathieB said: Hi, Mary. Welcome to the forum. Your dollhouse is charming! It can be anything you want it to be. Finishing your house just the way you want it is one of the joys of miniatures. It's our own little world, and unlike the real world, we can pretty much control what happens in it. I can see how you'd want the back to be more open. The roof flap does block the view of the top rooms. If you go to the Greenleaf Dollhouse store site and look at a number of the houses, you'll find that the back sides of many of them have just a narrow line of shingles along the edges and across the top. The Willow is a two-storey house with an attic with the back similar to yours. Personally, I don't think it would be a mistake to remove that roof flap if that's what you want to do. Thank you, Kathie. I love that answer. Finishing this dollhouse has been so much fun! will check out the other houses to get some ideas. I love this forum for all the advice and support! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 Hi, Mary. When you have made five posts you can make an album to show "in progress" photos of how you finish your gorgeous house. As Kathie points out, Greenleaf roof backs leave access to the top floors. Here's how the Washington 2.0 does it, with a cut out: The Glencroft just leaves it off in back: And the Orchid has the cut-out rear roof: so you can do pretty much as you please. In the end it's up to what the house wants. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sable Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 Still a work in process, but you can see the side strips which define the roof line while keeping the top floor open: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sable Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 For safety concerns, if you choose to keep the roof as is, please install a hydraulic device so the heavy wood won’t fall onto a child’s head. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fov Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 I think if you just remove that piece it will look unfinished, like something's missing. I would remove it and add strips to each side so it looks like the picture Sable posted. From the side view, the roof will look the same on the front and on the back -- I think that's what you mean by keeping the roof line intact. Also - it looks like your dormers are attached directly to the roof without an opening? Have you thought about cutting holes in the roof so the dormers become part of the rooms? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodentraiser Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 I would also add a roof strip to the center divider, just the length of it. That will definitely give it a finished look. That's a very nice house! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjcmaisto Posted July 16, 2018 Author Share Posted July 16, 2018 Holy Smoke, I just saw all these replies from my original question back on July third! I missed quite of few of your helpful ideas and I apologize for not answering sooner! Love, love the idea of two roof strips running on the side! I will definitely consider that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjcmaisto Posted July 16, 2018 Author Share Posted July 16, 2018 On 7/4/2018, 3:03:32, fov said: I think if you just remove that piece it will look unfinished, like something's missing. I would remove it and add strips to each side so it looks like the picture Sable posted. From the side view, the roof will look the same on the front and on the back -- I think that's what you mean by keeping the roof line intact. Also - it looks like your dormers are attached directly to the roof without an opening? Have you thought about cutting holes in the roof so the dormers become part of the rooms? I did consider cutting holes in the roof, but a friend with some experience in dollhouse building warned me away from that. Still, I would love to have more light coming in on that level. As I mentioned, I am pretty new at this and cutting into that heavy roof is a little scary. I did find a great site that spells it out pretty well. But then, I don't really have major tools, except for a dremel and hand saws. Any ideas on how to plan for this would help and I do have a helpful son I could ask for guidance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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