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Hi,

I've always been interested in building my own dollshouse/ building kits since I was around 14 but my mum never bought me any :(.

So now that i'm 20 and i've got some money, I'm planning my first build.

I'm going to use the Hurstwood Kit and build in 1/24 scale, I plan on doing some kit-bashing to make it look a bit more modern

https://www.craft-products.com/bdh0524-hurstwood-cottage-dolls-house-kit

Here's the design i'm trying to go for:

https://imgur.com/a/QgMpu8v

I'm excited to start the exterior but I want to order the house and things I'd need for the exterior all in one go?

So what's the best way to do brick?

And what's the best way to do wood panelling?

Edited by worldofcrazies
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Welcome to the little family, Sabrina.  You're ordering the kit from Bromley Crafts?  The people who make the reusable templates and mixes to make brick and stone specifically for dollhouses, and you ask?  First of all there is no "best" way do brick or wood panelling or any other architectural treatment, there are only the methods that work best for YOU.  I am rotten at template and brick mix, but I somewhat excel at Beryl Armstrong's method (in her book How to Make Your Dollshouse Special) and use sandpaper (glasspaper) colored with chalk pastels:

gallery_8_151_53121.jpghobby is 

You don't have to get it ALL before you begin, especially if, like me, you find that the house talks to you whilst you're building it.  This hobby is a joy and allows for your creativity to break forth go berserk, so relax and have fun!

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I like your modifications for the house.  From your drawing, are you doing vertical wood strips on part of it?  I did a house with vertical (and diagonal) cedar strip wood.  It was very easy to do, although cutting the individual strips to size took a bit of time.  I just put a natural stain and sealer on the wood, and allowed the natural variegation in color to come through.  Not sure if that is the look you're going for.  As Holly says, there is no one best way to do brick or paneling.  Both egg carton and sandpaper (as Holly used, above) work well for brick in half scale.

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9 hours ago, havanaholly said:

Welcome to the little family, Sabrina.  You're ordering the kit from Bromley Crafts?  The people who make the reusable templates and mixes to make brick and stone specifically for dollhouses, and you ask?

Yeah I know, I was just looking for a cheaper option :'). I've found a video online of someone using stick on cork as bricks.

I'm the kind of person that likes to pre-plan absolutely everything, even though I know this project'll take weeks.

 

4 hours ago, Debsrand56 said:

I did a house with vertical (and diagonal) cedar strip wood.  It was very easy to do, although cutting the individual strips to size took a bit of time.  I just put a natural stain and sealer on the wood, and allowed the natural variegation in color to come through.

Thanks for the tips! That's exactly what I'm looking to do, I've ordered a sheet of basswood and balsa wood with the dolls house since it was only like £1. My boyfriend's got a lot of random tools in his garage so I'm going to rifle through them for some stainer.

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53 minutes ago, worldofcrazies said:

...I know this project'll take weeks...

...or years.  You aren't in a race.  I have been coming up with all sorts of uses for the iron-on wood veneer the hardware stores sell for counter edging.  A steel ruler with a cork back and a utility knife with retractable blades are my besties.

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I like your plan for the modern exterior!

Egg carton bricks can look very realistic but they're also tiny in half scale and take a long time. But you're not planning to brick the whole house, so maybe it won't be so bad. Here's a good post about egg carton bricks: http://www.otterine.com/blog/blog1.php/cutting-egg-carton-bricks-plus (keep in mind that's 1:12 scale, so you'll want to make bricks half that size)

Here's a post on my blog about 1:24 egg carton brick, to help you visualize the size: http://www.emilymorganti.com/blog/?p=10710

For the paneling you could use either a veneer or strip wood, depending on how much you want it to stand out from the side of the house. Micro veneer is essentially flat and you can cut it into whatever width strips you want. I've used it a lot for hardwood floors: http://www.emilymorganti.com/blog/?p=8018

If you don't want to cut and lay down the strips individually, another option would be to buy one of the veneer hardwood flooring sheets (like this) and cut your paneling out of that. Since you're only planning to panel one vertical strip and not the whole house, that might work for you.

 

 

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Hi Sabrina!  I love your enthusiasm!  Reminds me of me a few years back! :D First thing - I LOVE Bromley's - I have their 1:12 brick, stone and quoin stencils and use them with either spackle or paint thickened with a thickening compound that artists use.  Second thing is probably something you'll need to learn yourself.  So many of my projects I've planned down to the 'enth' degree and bought everything I figured I'd need for it.  Very rarely have I used all the things I've bought!  I did a Gypsy wagon from McQueenie Miniatures (another UK shop and they have amazing kits) and bought all this trim etc and then didn't use a single bit of it!  For my latest - a mid 18thC Parisian Apothecary based on an actual tv series set - I studied all the pics I had and ordered everything I figured I'd need for it.  Again - I used very little of what I bought and ended up buying more on and off of what I DID want to use throughout the year it took me to complete.  I know you do need stuff to get started, but also understand that everything tends to take longer than you think it will.  After all, paint has to dry, glue has to set.  You will have time throughout the build to purchase what you need for the next step and as you go your thoughts and opinions may change.  And bear in mind that I'm in NZ and most of what I order takes at least a fortnight to get to me!    Good luck - so looking forward to seeing how you get on!

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