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The Orchid - off to a decent start!!


PepperJoAz

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  • 1 month later...

Updating... 

 

Living room:  separating wall and stairs installed.  Last item will be crown moulding along the separating wall.  

 

Dining room:  floor made and installed, painted golden oak.  It's a nice contrast to the cherry in the kitchen and matches the living room carpet well.  Last item for the dining room is door handles for the french doors.  

 

Kitchen:  I had to add some trim to the hole created for the bay window.  I think it will fit now with no gaps.  I want to trim the legs for the sink/cabinet so that the top is even with the bottom of the bay window.  Kitchen also needs crown moulding and baseboards.  I'm thinking of waiting for the baseboards until after I decide about cabinets, etc.  

 

Bathroom:  I have removed the paneling I created, in order to install new & improved paneling.  I also bought a piece of 1/32" plywood to make a knee wall in the bathroom.  Working out the kinks in this plan today... Crossing fingers and hoping for the best.  

 

Closet / Dressing room:  Floor has been installed.  Trim around bathroom door and the doorway into the bedroom are in place.  Today I started painting the underside of the roof in order to really get this moving along! 

 

Bedroom:  The stairway railing is installed.  I created a template for the carpet.  I installed window and trim on the inside.  Once the carpet is in, this room will need baseboards.  Once the roof is in, I will attach the dormers and gable and see if I need to trim the inside of the windows somehow - they may need it, since the roof pieces are not the originals.  

 

Outside:  I painted over the area where the Orchid and Primrose front pieces join.  It looks pretty smooth, but I think I need to do another coat of paint to the entire house.  I am also considering maybe having climbing ivy in that area to hide the seam a little.  I also plan to create a "stone" foundation for around the entire house, but can't decide WHEN to do that.  Before the porch? After the porch? ON the porch??? So many possibilities !!  I have one flower box that is the same size as the bay window - I want to make 2 more to go under the living room and dining room windows as well.  I have not installed any windows or trim on the outside - I wanted the ability to lay the house flat on the front for installing trim, etc on the inside.  It may be time to start that soon....and I think it will look like there is much more progress !!!  

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Wow sounds like you've been one busy mini builder lately!

As I was reading down the list, it almost sounded like you were working on a real life house if I hadn't known you are a miniaturist on a mini forum!!

Congrats.

Have you tried running a little spackle over the join seam and sanding it out? Often that's enough to hide it.

On the other hand most additions to RL houses have some molding type trimwork where the add-ons come together. Another option.

That downspout idea sounds good too.

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Selkie,  I don't have spackle, but I used some wood filler along the seam at the worst parts.  I also sanded a bunch.  Sitting here looking at it now, with more natural light than electric light, it actually looks pretty good.  I still think another coat of paint on the outside may be a good idea.  

 

I like the down spout idea, too - certainly something to consider!!  

 

I thought of trim, too, and also considered having the stone from the foundation come up there and on the corners of the house.  Not sure how that would look, and can't find any examples in google searches, but I'm not sure my search terms are good enough to find what I'm after.  

 

Who knew when I started this that I'd have to make all these decisions?!?!?!?!?!

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  • 1 month later...

Wow, it's been awhile!!  Not sure I have much to show for it....  it's been quite a summer !!!  

But, there is progress, so there's that!! 

Living room:  All trim installed.  Needs a front door and I will consider it finished. Until I start thinking of the furniture.... 

Dining room:  Added decorative trim to the french doors where there was a gap in the frame.  Still needs door handles for the french doors.  

Kitchen:  Purchased a stove when I visited Earth & Tree in New Hampshire this summer.  That gives me a definite "theme" for the kitchen (white with oak tops), so I will be able to move forward with that.  I turned a cabinet into a sink, just need to make some cold porcelain for the basin part.  I need to decide on upper cabinets / shelves and find a fridge. 

Bathroom:  Knee wall created and installed and the bathroom is paneled (sort of a faux bead board look).  I made the knee wall as tall as the window, and pulled it out a bit, so there is a shelf under the window that goes the width of the room.  I really like how it turned out. I have the basics for the bathroom, but will need details like towel rack or shelf, mirror, stuff like that.  

Middle upstairs room:  I wanted a third space upstairs and kept thinking of it as a hallway, but since it wasn't at the actual top of the stairs, I thought it wouldn't work as a hallway.  I changed my plan and was calling it a dressing room / closet, but that never quite felt right.  Tonight, I sent a picture of the upstairs to my best friend.  She replies with "I love the hallway in the middle".  So...I guess it's back to being a hallway????  I have no idea.  Either way, I installed baseboards in that space tonight, so all that space needs to be finished is a doorknob on the bathroom door.  

Bedroom:  Carpet installed.  2 of 3 pieces of baseboard painted,so I should be able to get those installed this week.  I am likely going to use crown molding in the corners of the bedroom where it meets the wall, and may have some sort of frame for the gable (which is not yet installed....).  I installed carpet tonight, and I like it, but wish I had maybe gone a shade darker.  I may like it more when I get furniture in there (which is a whole other topic....how bad is it to make furniture that is slightly off scale, just because I think it looks better???)  

Outside - not a lot of progress!!!  I have added a rock foundation to one long wall, and have the "rocks" for the other 3 walls.  It's just time consuming!!!  (My husband has found a new video game to play...I likely will find A LOT of time for the doll house....).  I did also glue on the front half of the roof.  I am excited to glue on dormer soon!!!  I also still need to install the outside part of the window on the three "double hung" windows.  

 

So, some progress.... parts I really like... and at the same time, I keep thinking of "before" and "after" pictures, like when someone buys a "fixer upper".  I feel like I'm building a "before" picture....LOL 

I don't have pictures yet but will try to add some soon.  Maybe I'll finish this thing before Christmas..... (maybe!!) 

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how bad is it to make furniture that is slightly off scale, just because I think it looks better???)  

Go for it. Remember, it's all in the perception of the viewer. A long as all of the furniture in the room is compatible, a slight scale difference won't be noticeable. 

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  • 1 month later...

Slowly but surely...making my way through... currently waiting on a gluing jig to help with some of the details.  Still a lot to do, but I keep thinking of how many different people have said their first house took a long time... I want to be done, but at the same time, I know it needs to take as long as it takes!! 

Here are some pictures to update (also in the gallery)

BATHROOM SHOWING WALL PANELS  RESIZED.jpg

BEDROOM.jpg

DINING ROOM.jpg

HALLWAY.jpg

KITCHEN.jpg

LIVING ROOM.jpg

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Great progress. Just went through your album. It's changed so much over time. Love hiw your bathroom is turning out. I remember you were so frustrated with that for awhile. It's worth it now. 

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