Finally! I had enough pieces popped out and labeled, enough time, and enough hand comfort and mobility to do a preliminary dry fit. For the most part, it went smoothly and made sense. That is ~ until it came to the front wall.
This is the Lily lying on her side. See the long slit in the board on the right, above the two swatches of blue tape? The front wall was supposed to slip in there. The thing is, it is a very tight fit and wrangling with it was just threatening to break off a part of the porch or front wall.
This is the front wall piece that is supposed to slide in. The slit under the double door is supposed to go into the slit in the floor and the piece is supposed to slide in place.
Only sliding was NOT a happening thing. Argh!
I ended up filing the tabs on both the floor and the front wall down a bit to accommodate the tightness.
I didn't want to make too much of a change because in the end, I do want everything to fit together tightly.
There it is ~ in place!
The fin coming up the middle of the roof is where the mansard roof will attach. That will be tomorrow's venture.
This is a very spacious dollhouse compared to the Aster and the Orchid. There is access from the back of the house seen here, and also access from the side.
The is the side access, next to the bay wall. My Aster Fairy House is photo~bombing. :-)
This was a gratifying day. Now I can picture where this is going, and get some ideas about what I want to do with the interior. Time to let her talk to me before I start working on the stairways and trim.
Good on you Chris for doing a dry fit. My human, Sam, is rather naughty and has never done a dry fit of a house. She just makes "adjustments" afterwards!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Isabelle. Your human is very brave! I find most of my mistakes out by dry~fitting. This time, I discovered I put the second floor stairs in backwards, so I was able to mark with pencil which direction to put them in when it's time to glue it all together.
DeleteThat's funny Chris. Sam actually put the second floor of my office in backwards, so now the stairs are on the opposite side of where they were supposed to go. We both like it so it works.
DeleteYou are so far ahead of us!! Where are we going to put this huge house ?!?
ReplyDeleteAbby and Hannah, I am hoping to make all of the mistakes before you start. :-)
DeleteHere's my recommendation after getting started:
Don't even bother looking at the sheets at the top of the kit with a kazillion little pieces. Dig right down to the bottom of the kit for sheets 1 - 6 and take out the structural parts so you can do your dryfit. Once it starts coming together, it is much more fun.
Where to put them? LOL! Good question.
LOL! This all sounds way too familiar. Every time I see instructions that call for sliding one wood part into another I know I'm about to have trouble. But you did it and wonderfully too. It's looking incredible.
ReplyDeletehugs♥,
Caroline
It was a bear; it's good to know I'm not alone wrestling with these sliding issues. :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Chris! I agree with you 100%! A dry fit is the best way to actually see how the space will work! It also allows you to plan any changes that you are thinking about making before you get too far into the build. I hate reading instructions but I can figure out the plan sequence a whole lot easier if I am seeing the space before me physically. I guess we all need to be fearless in whatever method we decide to choose that will work the best for us. Anyway, your Lily is looking good already! I have always loved the proportions of this kit; so it is nice to see it in action!
ReplyDeleteelizabeth
Not only is it no fun to read the instructions, so often they don't even make sense to me until I physically execute them. I was ready to physically execute that front wall trying to get it to fit, LOL!
DeleteThe dry fit also helps me make wallpaper decisions, etc. I like to paper before building, although I think I'll have to do a combination before and after papering with this one. I am afraid I'll scrape the paper right off the front wall when I try to put it back in permanently.
Yes, I think that you have to adapt whatever will work best for each room. I have the WILLOWCREST sitting in the box that I know will have a hallway that will be a Pig to try and paper or decorate after the fact. It will have to be done before it is enclosed. Right now I am working on the Arthur, plain and simple .... building up my courage! hahah You're Lily is such a pretty house and I love the roof! Just take your time with the front wall and watch how you use your hand! No violence! (smiles)
ReplyDeleteelizabeth