You now have your kit and you are all excited and you start to get nervous too. Don't be.
The makers of dollhouse kits sell thousands of them and they have for years. They have been successful for many years. That means that they pay attention to their customers and try to give them what they want. They all have complete, reasonably easy to read instructions as well as web sites with additional instructions, forums, blogs, and contact information if you are having a problem. Hopefully you have read my posts about the differences between the houses. I will not repeat here.
If you are someone who like daily support and advice, you can also do a google search for groups that are into dollhouse building and miniatures. I have a tendency to use Facebook, but they are not the only ones. There are a ton of them out there. Most of them will not be right for you but at least one of them will be. There are as many types of groups as there are people. And, of course, if I can help you in any way, just let me know. I would enjoy it.
There are several things that you need or should do, particularly if it is your first build:
The makers of dollhouse kits sell thousands of them and they have for years. They have been successful for many years. That means that they pay attention to their customers and try to give them what they want. They all have complete, reasonably easy to read instructions as well as web sites with additional instructions, forums, blogs, and contact information if you are having a problem. Hopefully you have read my posts about the differences between the houses. I will not repeat here.
If you are someone who like daily support and advice, you can also do a google search for groups that are into dollhouse building and miniatures. I have a tendency to use Facebook, but they are not the only ones. There are a ton of them out there. Most of them will not be right for you but at least one of them will be. There are as many types of groups as there are people. And, of course, if I can help you in any way, just let me know. I would enjoy it.
There are several things that you need or should do, particularly if it is your first build:
- Do not rush. Take your time. Don't make a schedule.
- Find some sort of a permanent perfectly level workspace so at least the part under construction does not need to be moved. If you need to move parts, etc., have an orderly place where they can be stored in order.
- When you open the box do it so in such a way that you can keep the unused pieces and instructions in the original box and are able to close it. You have no idea how big a time saver that is.
- If it says you will need any tools or supplies, get them before you start.
- When this is all done, open the instructions and look through them. Some people do better knowing the whole process before they start. Some are scared by that, so they should just concentrate on having a vague idea of what section would come first, second, third, etc. Sort of like, OK, first I do the base, then I do the left wall, then I do the right wall, then I do the front, then I do the roof, then I put in the partitions, here is the supply list, here is the parts layout. The whole idea is for the instructions to be familiar to you.
- On your first build, it is usually a good idea to follow the directions exactly. Once you get some experience you will find a dozen ways to get it right that all work, but right now, the instructions usually are the easiest way for people who don't know what they are doing to get a good result. One example, when I do a house, I usually use wood glue to glue it together. Most instructions call for a faster acting glue. I like the tighter fit that wood glue gives, but-- to use it you need clamps and tape and need to secure it tightly for hours without moving. That is scary for a beginner and is easy to do wrong and isn't actually needed to have a good house, so the instructions do not say to do it that way.
- Take a deep breath and start on the first step. That usually is the base. the biggest problem that I have ever seen with first time houses is the base is not square. If the base is not square, the house gets off kilter and gets sloppier and harder to put together as you get higher. Make sure all of the corners are precise and perfectly square and everything is level and fits without having to force fit pieces. You will be rewarded by a house that goes together perfectly without warping or pieces that fit wrong.
- As the shell goes up, make sure everything fits smoothly. If you have to force fit a piece, take it out and figure out what is wrong. If you can't find what, stop for now and come back later. That will actually make the build finish sooner. If you are lucky and/or careful this will never be a problem.
- If you actually, in the very very rare circumstance, get a defective piece of wood, contact the manufacturer. They have always reshipped the piece for me, but I was a wholesale customer. If you damage a piece, they will usually ship it to you for a small charge. I cannot guarantee they will, but if you send them a picture and are honest and polite, they will know and are usually helpful to the best of their ability and if there is a charge, it's not a big one.
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