jmpaggetti Posted November 4, 2019 Share Posted November 4, 2019 I just dont know what to do. I want to give up. I have made several little houses and given them to little girls who would never get one. I have a kiddo who actually wants to help with the build. Due to a divorce and my son going into rehab I have only been able to get kits off craigslist and other such sites. Kiddos mom found a kit at an estate sale and was so excited.....until I opened it. No instructions which isn't that big of a deal. The problem is that there are NO EXTERIOR WALLS. She told me the sellers promised everything was there. Its useless. I can't do this with the "shell" of the house. I could wing it with anything other than that missing. I cant expext Greenleaf to provide it all if and when I send in a missing or damaged sheet. Why do people have to lie? How do I tell this little girl we can't build it? I give up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted November 4, 2019 Share Posted November 4, 2019 Julie, if it's a Dura-Craft kit the walls are possibly short pieces of milled-in plywood with tongue & groove that fit together and without the instruction booklet you would have the devil's own time figuring them out (I see what look like the long frame pieces that hold the walls in place once the sections are glued together). If the sheets are there in the box with the exterior wall pieces just punched out you could trace them onto large pieces of foam core, corrugated cardboard or other stiff flat material and reinforce with sanding sealer and later drywall mud. You might have to get real creative with windows & doors, but you will have a kiddo to help decide those things, and maybe her momma can help you to score what you'll need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stickyfingers Posted November 4, 2019 Share Posted November 4, 2019 What kit is it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbnmini Posted November 4, 2019 Share Posted November 4, 2019 Don't give up yet!! Yes- please let us know what kit it is because someone on here most likely has the instructions to make sense of that pile! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shannonc60 Posted November 4, 2019 Share Posted November 4, 2019 If someone finds the instructions then there might be schematics showing the walls too, which would help. I agree with everyone else don’t give up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmpaggetti Posted November 4, 2019 Author Share Posted November 4, 2019 Havanaholly. Im certain they are not there. Most everything that is to ve punched out is there and is intsct. Thank you tho. This is the Heritage. Supposed to have rain gutters....downspouts etc. This was going to be just what she wanted. I'm just so disappointed. I tried putting a pic on here but my phone won't let me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted November 4, 2019 Share Posted November 4, 2019 Julie, that just sucks! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmpaggetti Posted November 4, 2019 Author Share Posted November 4, 2019 It really does suck. I looked up some diagrams on building other houses but I'm just not good at doing it that way. I have tried. They dont turn out nearly as nice and also not near the quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fov Posted November 5, 2019 Share Posted November 5, 2019 Here are the instructions for the Heritage: https://printmini.com/heritage/index.html As Holly mentioned, the walls are made from little tongue and groove pieces that you fit together. (Not big plywood pieces that get punched out.) You're sure you don't have those? Judging from the diagram, one side is flat and the other side looks like clapboard siding. If those are missing, you can add up the sizes of the pieces that form the walls (as shown in the schematics), and you'll have the dimensions of the walls. If wood is too expensive or difficult for you to work with I bet you could make them out of foam core. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted November 5, 2019 Share Posted November 5, 2019 Julie, click on Emily's link. Dura-Craft instructions included the schematics and they are all in the link. Another idea is to measure the pieces and cut them out of paper (scrap paper, old newspaper) and make patterns of the wall sections and cut those out of foam core or corrugated cardboard. Once you slap some sealer on each side & it dries you're ready to build. You can reinforce your structure with spackle on the inside and use strips of card posterboard for siding. If you build with foamcore you can reinforce your glue joints with steel dressmaker pins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmpaggetti Posted November 5, 2019 Author Share Posted November 5, 2019 Wow you folks are awesome. I know the tongue and groove material and I love working with it....its not in the box. Just the sheets of punch out stuff. I will try fabricating the walls myself. Not sure with what yet. Will let ya know what I decide and how it goes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted November 5, 2019 Share Posted November 5, 2019 Your kiddo can appreciate your problem solving skills and her momma can sit up & take notice, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc Posted November 6, 2019 Share Posted November 6, 2019 These walls are made of pieces 1 1/2 tall with 3 clapboards and tongue-and-groove top/bottom: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc Posted November 6, 2019 Share Posted November 6, 2019 Coming up with these or smooth substitutes would not be impossible, but you would have to make sure everything (everything!) else is in the box... count; label; mark it off the list; Here is the list of clapboard pieces: 2) 15" 3) 8 1/2 3) 7 3/4 5) 6 18) 3 1/8 36) 2 12) 1 3/8 10) 1 1/4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted November 6, 2019 Share Posted November 6, 2019 With Figure 1. Julie, you can make patterns for the external walls. If there are no punch outs for the internal walls, you & the kiddo can decide where you want them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grazhina Posted November 6, 2019 Share Posted November 6, 2019 The first dollhouse I ever built, over 27 years ago, was the Heritage and it's sitting in a corner in my attic. Looking at those instructions I remember why I decided building the addition was easier than the kit itself. I feel for you Julie, and if it'll be any help I can take detail photos this week, and post them. BTW, now I know why I have a piece of dollhouse molding that looks like a gutter, it must have been left over from the Heritage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grazhina Posted November 7, 2019 Share Posted November 7, 2019 I've been looking online for some help for you. There are a lot of photos of the house online which could be helpful I was just thinking that it might be easier to cut walls out of 1/8" plywood and gluing on clapboards like Brae did, see her link below. Mat board might work, offhand I'm not sure of the thickness vs 1/8" plywood. From a Greenleaf forum discussion: On 7/20/2019, 12:27:35, Jennifer W. said: I’m missing siding for a Duracraft Farmhouse. I’ve contacted a couple of companies that make dollhouse siding that I read about on these forums and I’m waiting for replies. In the meantime if anyone has any Duracraft siding I’d be happy to purchase it. I don’t care about the lengths, I can cut to the dimensions I need. Brae answered: I built a Heritage where I changed one wall. I made the replacement wall from plywood and 1/2" lap clapboard siding sheets. It was a pretty close match. http://www.otterine.com/blog/blog1.php/replacement-side-wall-and-siding I also found a video on You Tube on building the Heritage. And tips from Annie's Minis Also a few pix that might be helpful on Kellee's Kreations Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmpaggetti Posted November 7, 2019 Author Share Posted November 7, 2019 You guys are all great. I have almost everything elsr in the box. I am missing some of the wall connecting strips of wood but that is ok. I have some from another kit left over that may work. I actually have a sheet of marker board that I am going to try to use just cant paint it because it is a shiny plastic material. Again....thank you everyone. Btw....mom is being less than helpful saying its a waste of time snd I should just buy another kit. Yeah....i will get right on that. NOT. This will work....i know it will Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shannonc60 Posted November 7, 2019 Share Posted November 7, 2019 These guys make and sell replacement Duracraft mouldings: http://www.manchesterdollhouseandwoodworks.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted November 7, 2019 Share Posted November 7, 2019 Krylon makes a spray paint for plastics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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