Sunday, March 17, 2019

Floors, Windows and Stairs

My weekend didn't start out all that well.  I got home on Friday night and found this.


That's the pigeon on the floor by the way.



So despite there being very little room, The Building Inspector has been leaping from the floor to the roof of the cottage and has been... investigating the dollhouse.  I've come home to find the pigeon in the garden and the spire over the front door gable broken.  So the pigeon has already been glued back on the roof once.  The gable has been broken four times now.

I put the spire and pigeon inside the house and then put the vegetable garden in too.  I fixed the wall.  The glue is still drying.

So I spent part of my Saturday morning trying to figure out a way to get the cottage covered.  Without breaking the spires or the tree.  I'm a little irked actually.  Tali's been getting glared at all weekend.

When I finally did start working on the current projects I did get the railing on the spiral stairs. I used a rounded cord and threaded it through my spindles.




I'm going to paint the whole thing with modge podge to stiffen up the railing.  Then I'll coat it with gesso and paint it metallic black.

Then I started thinking of how I could support my floors with my three story build.  And figured out a way to get the angles for the mansard roof.  I'm going to do a flat roof, similar to my Gothic Victorian, for the book store.  The third floor will have a ceiling height of maybe nine inches and the bottom two floors will have ten inch ceilings.

I'm planning to have a nice plaster ceiling for the second floor.  I have some wood trim that I can paint to look like plaster.  The chandelier will hang from a nice ceiling medallion.  I'll have to change out the chain so it hangs lower but I'm pretty sure I've got some in my stash that will work.

So I got some of my wood lengths and glued them to the edges of my side walls.  They'll look like part of the trim in the store.


I used a piece of scrap wood to make sure I allowed enough room for my second floor.


So I'll run the railing around the opening in the middle of the floor and near the edge of the opening for the stairs.  The support beams are also where I'll put my magnets to hold the walls on.

I was planning on putting actual stairs in the back, to go up to the third floor.  But I'm really debating that.  If I don't put stairs in, I can use the space to put my wires and the transformer.  I can put a false door on the second floor and make a bit more of a landing for the third floor.  That way it looks as if the stairs go up to the third floor.



I think that way I can hide the wires and save myself some trouble.

I also did a mock up of the front elevation with the dormers for the third floor taped in place.  They'll sit a little bit higher up but I like the look of them.


I'll need to cut my top wall to accommodate them, but that won't be too hard.  I want to add some trim too, at the top of the second floor.  Give it a slightly more Victorian look.  I don't want the pediments on top of the windows, I think they'd look too busy.  At least four small ones would.  Maybe a larger one in the middle and two smaller on the side and then something to give the top pizzazz.

I also want to do the edges in brick or stone, something very geometric. Like this:


I love that contrast and it would be fun to do something like that on the corners.  I've seen quite a few buildings that are mostly brick with painted wooden facades.  We'll see.

How are the rest of you doing?





28 comments:

  1. Why I´m not surprised? These little creatures are a nightmare for dollhouses lol. Now I have all my dollhouses cramped in a small locked room and from time to time they manage to snick in and do some damage. But we still love them, don´t we? I´m following your plans and I´m excited about then. They stairs look great.

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    1. I wish I Had a small room to put them in. I might have to build a case for it. I love her but she doesn't understand boundaries at all.

      This is why I like the dollhouses to be enclosed.

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  2. Your plans look great, Sheila, I'm following with great interest your developments for this new house! And I'm curious how you'll tackle the mansard roof...
    Oh, your naughty cats, of course you were irked, it's such a beautiful and highly awarded dollhouse!!!
    Hug, Ilona

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    1. Thanks! I'm cautiously pleased so far but it seems to be going well. I want something fairly easy for the exterior so I'm still debating about it.

      The cat is in real trouble. She's going to get locked up if she's not careful.

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  3. Hello Sheila,
    I am glad there was not more major damage done to your house. The addition to the new build is awesome. I really love the extra floor idea and the way you built it will enable you to place furniture nicely. Great work!
    Big hug
    Giac

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    1. Hi Giac!
      You and me both! I'm really grateful she didn't attack the tree.

      That's what I was hoping for, an interesting line for the roof and enough space to make it livable.

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  4. Oh my, not only did the building inspector kill the pigeon, he (she?) gate-crashed to do it!!!
    I know it is super early stages, but this is well underway to become a super elegant building. I like your ideas for omitting real stairs to the top floor and use a bit of spacial illusion.
    Anna x

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    1. Yeah, since the wall was only made of styrofoam covered with cardboard it couldn't take her weight.

      I really like the bookstore building so far. I think the false walls will make it visually interesting inside. I'm hoping to get more done on my loft next week.

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  5. Naughty building inspector! What a relief that you managed to fix the damage.
    Your new building project is getting on nicely. I love the spiral staircase and its railings as well as all the ideas you have for the third floor. I take pleasure in following and thank you for sharing.
    Hugs, Drora

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    1. Thanks Drora! I'm hoping once I get the staircase painted it'll look more uniform.

      Maybe next week I'll get more done on everything.

      Delete
  6. You have some fun things going. I am intrigued with the spiral stair. Looking forward to see how it turns out. I like your 3rd floor also with the mansard roof and the arched windows. The quoining on the front will look great also!

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    1. Thanks Troy! That's what I'm hoping for, an interesting look.

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  7. When Woodson first joined the family, I had my mini houses displayed all around the house. That soon changed, and now they are where they don't spark his curiosity. If he had the ability to jump and explore as cats do, I'd be in real trouble. I hope you find a great solution!
    The facade is looking so wonderful, and I love the ideas for the finishes!

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  8. Ohhh, what a bad luck! But thanks to the heavens that there wasn't anything more serious... And it's so good to hear you managed to fixed everything.
    Stairs looks really great already.
    I like the idea of geometric edges. :)

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    1. Thanks! With luck I'll figure something out.

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  9. Your plans look great! :) I'm following with great interest your developments for this new house!
    The Building Inspector was only testing the streng of connections in doll house... I hope cute kitten will not make more damages in the future.

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    1. Thanks! I need to do something for the loft besides the spiral stairs though. I need to make a window opening bigger and I might tackle that this weekend. Along with making/finding the glass for it.

      Delete
  10. Oh, those little building inspectors! We love them, but they can wreak such havoc! Mine likes to go on my craft desk and start pushing things onto the floor if she doesn't think I'm paying enough attention to her. That does bring me running quickly! I really like the way your build is going, and I like the inspiration building a lot. I look forward to seeing it incorporated. Also like the stairs--great job on DIYing your own spiral staircase!

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    1. Oh I love her, but she's got a death wish. She knows she's not allowed but she does it anyway.

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  11. I love the new building. It looks very elegant. And the spiral staircase will be perfect! My friend just gave me materials to make a spiral staircase because I liked the one she built in her artist's loft. I can't wait to see yours painted.

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    1. Thanks! I want that Victorian look.

      I'm excited about the staircase. One or two last details to figure out and then I'm priming it.

      Delete
  12. Hi Sheila. Happy Friday! I like your ideas for the exterior decoration of this build. It sounds like it will be quite elegant. And I am agreat fan of creating an illusion. Hiding your wires whilst giving the impression of additional staircases solves two problems with minimal fuss. I hope you have a great weekend. X

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    1. Thanks Shannon! TGIF! I'm hoping to either use brick paper or maybe something else to make the illusion of bricks.

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  13. Hi Sheila! I am sorry your building inspector is causing so much trouble...!!! I would be losing sleep over that... after putting so much love and care into every detail... Naughty naughty kitty! I really hope you find a safe place for the Cottage to live. As for the new building... it is "going up" fast Lol! The facade is looking very elegant with those dormers in the roof... almost looks Parisian! You are at the stage of building where there are still so many options... I always have a problem with those decisions... like where to hide the wires... maybe it's why my projects take so long to finish! LOL! Clearly you have some good ideas and know what you are going for... I can't wait to see it develop! :):)

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    1. Hey Betsy! It gets even better. No pictures but I caught the building inspector's apprentice on top of it. Nothing broken but I'm so glad those magnets are strong.

      I'm playing with the front façade this morning. Still trying to figure out how to finish the outside. And how to hide the wires.

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  14. Building inspector went after the pigeon hmmm? Happy nothing was really broken.
    I think your floor supports are a great idea, I struggled with that in my big house and used columns like you too. I know I'm so behind in commenting, so it's probably too late, but if one of those supports had been hollow it would have been a great spot to hide some wiring...

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    1. She did. I still haven't glued it back on yet. The garden is sitting somewhere else still.

      I'm planning on some paneling and perhaps wallpaper and that'll hide the wiring I think.

      Delete