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Inheriting an incomplete house


RobertOfOhio

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Hello, as to not write an 8 page novel i will be short and to the point so emotion is kept out. 

My father passed 8 weeks ago and had a massive Greenleaf doll house which is incomplete. In addition, he had a house that my grandmother was putting together when she passed; but was too emotional to finish it. My mother has indicated that i should come by and pick them up and complete them as i see fit. That raises a whole slew of other questions which will wait another day.... My intention is to complete the houses and figure out what to do with them after that. I have three daughters so i have options. :) 

The question for you today is, should i go purchase an inexpensive doll house and cut my teeth on those? My dad's is absolutely massive, my grandmothers isnt as big but holds as much emotional value to my mother as my dad's. I'm not really down on the lingo, don't really know where to begin... but i want to properly honor my father and grandmother and complete these projects. Completing them will also ensure i stay in my spouses good graces as well. =)

-Robert 

Edited by RobertOfOhio
Fixed various grammar issues
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Welcome Robert!

I suspect your spouse may secretly want a dollhouse for herself?  Why not cherish the houses as family heirlooms once they are completed. You can always build a third one for the other daughter.

Have you identified the house models yet? and do they have all of their pieces?

14 minutes ago, RobertOfOhio said:

The question for you today is, should i go purchase an inexpensive doll house and cut my teeth on those?

I think I would probably give the models you have a go,  but knowing which model you have and how complete it is would let the other members and I give you a more sensible answer.

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Welcome, Robert.  Is the massive house the Greenleaf Garfield?  I think at present that's the hugest dollhouse kit out there.  If the kit parts are all there you might hunt down the instructions and schematics sheets to help you finish; and if not, call Greenleaf to see about ordering them.  You can click on the "Greenleaf Dollhouse Kits" at the bottom of the page to go to the company's home page, and from there you can look at their various kits to see if yours are any of theirs.  If you still have the boxes you could post pictures of them to see if anyone can ID them.

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Welcome, Robert.

As none of know which houses you have, as well as not knowing what kind of progress has been made on them, it is somewhat difficult to give you good advice.

Also, it would help to know what exactly you plan on doing. Finishing is one thing, the question here is "how": Are they wallpapered? Do you want wood floors? What time period should the interior be? Do you have furniture already? Do you know which room is going to be what?  

Are they wired already? Do you want them wired? Do you want to go with battery lights? The options to finish a house are almost endless. 

You might want to think about either starting an online album here (you need 5 posts to do so) or post links to an online album. It helps us to see where you are at and help you working on it.

Do you need to buy a small one for 'training'? I personally don't think so, but that is a matter of preference.

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Thanks to each of you. Once i take possession of the houses i will start the album as it makes the best sense. The instructions will be somewhere as my dad was very organized.. But he also had every report card we ever had. So once we find the folder/file cabinet named doll house instructions we will be in business. As you all can imagine, sometimes my mom wants us to tear through and start cleaning things up of my dads. The very next minute things are a bit much and we back off and go at her pace. So sometimes we all end up with various pieces from dad,

One point of clarification, the houses will stay in the family blood line one way or another at least in the immediate future. I am one of five immediate children, and personally have three of my dad's many grand kids. In some ways i'm honestly distancing myself a bit emotionally to that decision just yet as this was something my dad did as a hobby and very personal to him.

Relating to the question of how to decorate? My dad and his mother would pick up pieces and parts when ever they visited the local miniature stores. Wall paper, carpet, various furniture, electrical, and the list goes on. I got choices without investing just yet... Right now i'm a bit overwhelmed and dont even know where to start. 

Your responses have been right on and i thank each of you. 

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Are you handy with tools? Do you have a good (warm) work area? 

We will guide you along. We have online links and advice for almost anything dollhouse related. Take it a step at a time, ask questions and keep in mind these will be long term projects so don’t feel rushed.

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Welcome to the forum Robert! I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. I'm sure it's all overwhelming especially since the houses are large. We have a bit of a mantra here and that's to "let the house tell you what it wants." Often times we have all these grand ideas in our heads but, once we start working, we realize the house has other plans. Each house has a voice. Listen to it and it will guide you. I would start by just taking an inventory of everything and then setting it aside in an organized way. After that, I'd just look at some architectural magazines, design websites, and maybe some examples of what other have done. You may find that you have a Victorian house that the "owner" has decided should be modern farmhouse on the inside. Just take a breather and have fun! We're here to help!

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Robert, I just went through a major 'organizing; phase and here is what helped me with the miniatures: Bins, plenty of bins. Sort furniture and accessories by room: living room in one, bathroom in the next, and so on. next for building parts, then electrical, glues, etc - stackable bins with lids - I found cheap ones at Home Depot. Get clear ones so you can see what's in them. Once you have the majority of it together, set it up so you know where everything is, get your tools ready, get a comfy chair (lots of sitting....) and a nice work table and go for it. None of it is miracle work, on occasion it only takes creative problem solving - and you have plenty of skilled people here who are happy to help. 

When you have your inventory sorted let us know. We have incredibly talented interior designers here, carpentry specialists and Jacks of all trades. We know where to buy, how to do and who to ask. 

Having been through the same as you are going through right now, try taking it one day at a time. It's been over a year now and there are things us kids cannot touch yet, and other times where we have to stop my dad from throwing out everything without looking through. It might not feel like it right now, but you will get used to it. My thoughts are with you.

Chris

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Hello and welcome Robert. :wave:  For now, let me just send you a group cyber hug :group: I lost my dad 2 years ago (wow, has it been that long already?) so I understand the overwhelmed feeling of what needs to be done and just the emotional sting of such a loss.  For now, just get the houses to their safe spot and give them a friendly pat and a promise to get back to them soon - they will understand and patiently wait. 

 

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Hi Robert and welcome!  I'm sorry for your loss.....it sounds like you had an amazing Dad!  Reading between the lines, especially given the fact that you're far from an only child, I reckon that your Mum has chosen for these to go to you because she knows that you'll respect them and the memories attached to them.  Have confidence in your mum's choice - she knows you all as no one else does.  You can only do one thing at a time and sometimes when it's all a little overwhelming, we do need to focus on one thing rather than trying to think of it as a whole.  I would also really enlist the help of your girls - let it be a family project and encourage them to have a say.  By the sounds of it, your father would appreciate his grandbabies having a say in his beloved houses.

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Robert, so sorry for your loss.  I, myself, came back to miniatures when my Mom passed almost 3 years ago - it's helped me.  I hope it will do the same for you once you begin to restore and complete the houses.  I know we will all have more suggestions once we know what houses you're trying to complete.

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