In attempting to make some more space I cleared out a drawer of old bills from more than ten years ago. Why I was keeping them I have no clue.
I put things from my desk in the drawer and made paint shelves out of super thick cardboard so my paint wouldn't be stacked willy nilly in the desk cubbies.
It's not perfect but its better and at least they're loosely organized.
I got a jigsaw because I found one pretty cheap and I figured it would be useful for window and door cutting. My husband says he'll buy me a table saw for my birthday but that's not until May. So I'll end up waiting to do the dormers but that's okay. I need to work on the main door and make a mock up of the front door bump out. I won't need to cut on angles to do that.
In the meantime I got the side wall and the front and back gable walls cut down. I'm waiting on some basswood to arrive for my upper walls. I taped some balsa and cardboard together and used some of my extra baseboard for the upper floor.
It's rough but it gives me an idea of how wide I want the upper floor to be. I think what I've got now is a bit too wide. It's more than an inch on either side and I don't like that. I think maybe three quarters of an inch on either side would look better.
See? It's too much on the sides. If I do a three quarter inch bump out on the sides and on the front it'll serve as a roof for the bay window. I can do the same depth of a bump out for the front door and carry it up to another small gable over it.
I didn't have enough scrap wood to mock up the new widths for the cut off gable pieces or the roof so I'll have to do that next weekend. Once I get all of it measured out I can start to determine how big of a fireplace I'll need, the chimney and if I'll want a fireplace on the second floor as well.
I do have plenty of cardboard for the stone at least.
My big conundrum is if I should make the tower hinged to open so I can see the stairs. I think it might make it easier to build them.
It's hard to judge the bump out based on the pics. Is go with your gut on what looks best.
ReplyDeleteI like your new paint storage.
Thanks! I need to mess with the measurements some but as it is I think it looks a bit off.
DeleteI'm hoping the paint storage will keep me from buying duplicates too often.
Your paints are very well organized! Mine are all in a cardboard box, very messy and not practical at all.
ReplyDeleteThe hinged tower sounds like a good idea!
Thanks. They were in a plastic bin. Also not very practical.
DeleteHinged tower... yeah I don't make my life harder or anything.
Nice paint storage! I need to do something like this.. Mine are all in a bucket lol. The mock up is a good idea.. I agree you should go with your gut. Oh, and definitely a hinged tower. If I was a first time viewer of your finished build.. The tower is the first place is want to look :D
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteHopefully I can pull it off.
Agreed re opening tower. Sounds fun! And as Keli said, go with your gut on the bump out. If it looks too small later, you can add thickness to the walls.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the feedback. I got some hinges today so hopefully construction will get going more quickly soon.
DeleteI do most of my cutting with a jigsaw. I find that I can even cut fairly small pieces of wood by clamping them to the side of a desk, and with practise, you will learn to do nice straight cuts. I have a mini table saw, but find it too small for most things, it's only useful when building furniture.
ReplyDeleteLove the idea of a hinged tower, and your paint storage is a very good plan. Mine are in a box under my desk, where I can never find the colour I'm looking for.
The jigsaw worked pretty well for cutting down the walls. But if I want to cut angles for the dormers, I need a circular table saw with an angle attachment.
DeleteThat's where my paint was, a plastic bin and no ability to see my colors. This isn't great but it's better. And it was free.
I can't believe you did all your wonderful building additions with just a jigsaw.
ReplyDeleteI am still dreaming of power tools and I only make room boxes.
Your paints shelves look great.
Hugs, Drora
Well so far it's just been cutting straight lines. And I even goofed up that on one piece but it's fixable so I'm not going to worry about it too much.
DeleteThanks! I'm just glad to get the paint somewhere I can see most of it.
I really like the proportions of the house with it a little taller. I'm honestly just so excited for this kit transformation!
ReplyDeleteAnd yay for a table saw!! I can't even imagine going this long doing miniatures with out one!
That all said, I just saw Jodi's comment on BlueprintMinis and she was talking about an oscillating tool by Dewalt and she said it cuts MDF like butter for making openings! I'm so intrigued.
Thanks! I'm excited to get moving on it. I'm hoping to get the second floor measurements set and the floor cut out this coming weekend.
DeleteOh yes yay! There's a reason I work with foam core board on NOLA House and didn't do a lot of new windows on the Craftsman. Cutting MDF by hand is...painful.
Now I need to go look at her comment and see what she's talking about. MDF like butter sounds good. Though to be fair to the new jigsaw, it does pretty good.
Hi Sheila! I am a big fan of doing cardboard mock-ups before committing to cutting the wood! It makes it so much easier to refine those proportions that do matter in the long run! I think your design is coming along and will be so much fun to follow your building process! I am glad you got a jigsaw.... I think I need to get myself some "real" tools! LOL!
ReplyDeleteThanks! Cardboard is a big help. The jig saw is really a huge help too. I'm excited about getting the whole thing set up in wood and then I can really get going on it.
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