What seems to be causing the emotions????
I finished the construction on the Greenleaf McKinley!!!!
I started work on Christmas night after having stared at the box for a few weeks. I admittedly had moments of frustration during the build. It for the most part it was a really positive experience for my first go-round with building my own house!!!!
I chose to nix the trim. It just seemed over the top and not what I wanted. The only trim I MAY include is the trim on the edge of the roof...the peak trim is a definite NO!!! I still have a few of the final components to install....namely the bathroom cabinet, the fireplace, staircaseand chimney. The tower roof attached and the brackets put on..but all that stuff will be installed as I finish each section of the house!
So my reflections on the build....and notes should I ever build another McKinley and maybe before I build another kit.
I was totally overwhelmed when I first opened the box. Luckily they do include the caution to not panic on the instructions. It let me know that what I was feeling was normal. Well done Greenleaf!
I chose to build my house and decorate...wallpaper, apply siding and whatnot after it was built. I had a vague idea about what I wanted to do in the bathroom and the kitchen...but no where else. Vague....the house needs to 'speak to me'. And it wasn't really speaking to me when it was in the box in pieces!!! Looking at the completed yet incomplete house I have mixed feelings about this choice. If I HAD chosen colors before hand I most likely would have not been happy with my choices! However as I look at the house I'm looking at more difficult fussy work yet to come!
Electricity....wow I'm kinda stumped at how to move the electric tape between rooms since the door trim is already in place. Guess I'll be using extra tape to navigate.
What changes would I make during a future build of this house if I were to build it again?
The stairs...annoying to build!!! Had Greenleaf simply included an extra staircase spine (that's what it was called at least) it would have gone SOOOO much easier and I would have been happier with the results. If i everbuilt this again I would trace theincluded spine and create my own...each stair would easily be placed and perfectly evenly!!
The drawers???? Really???? Perfectly square and the right drawer will NOT fit. The left drawer front was messed up and I had to trim quite a chunk off....honestly that is the only part of the build that I am not happy with at all. So I will probably be doing a false panel on that left drawer space....or build a new drawer out of my own material. It was the only thing that didn't go together smoothly...and yes everything was carefully labeled.
The tower was a bit unweildy....but that I imagine is par for the course. So definitely have an extra set of hands present for that day.
The instructions...ouch. Not exactly user friendly!!!! Navigateable though...maybe!. At least I think I did everything right...but I was constantly pulling up pictures of the McKinley online to try to figure out what they were telling me to do!
Why didn't I look at the picture on the box? Well because the picture was pretty marred during shipping. So it was not a viable option. Speaking of that shipping? This was a birthday gift from my boyfriend....a surprise gift!!!! His complaint was that it came in an open box...so HAD we been living together or had it come while I was at his place the surprise would have been totally ruined!!!!
All in all it was a fun process.
Now on to the fun of interior design and decorating!!! (Slowly as I'm broooooke!!!!)
I chose to nix the trim. It just seemed over the top and not what I wanted. The only trim I MAY include is the trim on the edge of the roof...the peak trim is a definite NO!!! I still have a few of the final components to install....namely the bathroom cabinet, the fireplace, staircaseand chimney. The tower roof attached and the brackets put on..but all that stuff will be installed as I finish each section of the house!
So my reflections on the build....and notes should I ever build another McKinley and maybe before I build another kit.
I was totally overwhelmed when I first opened the box. Luckily they do include the caution to not panic on the instructions. It let me know that what I was feeling was normal. Well done Greenleaf!
I chose to build my house and decorate...wallpaper, apply siding and whatnot after it was built. I had a vague idea about what I wanted to do in the bathroom and the kitchen...but no where else. Vague....the house needs to 'speak to me'. And it wasn't really speaking to me when it was in the box in pieces!!! Looking at the completed yet incomplete house I have mixed feelings about this choice. If I HAD chosen colors before hand I most likely would have not been happy with my choices! However as I look at the house I'm looking at more difficult fussy work yet to come!
Electricity....wow I'm kinda stumped at how to move the electric tape between rooms since the door trim is already in place. Guess I'll be using extra tape to navigate.
What changes would I make during a future build of this house if I were to build it again?
The stairs...annoying to build!!! Had Greenleaf simply included an extra staircase spine (that's what it was called at least) it would have gone SOOOO much easier and I would have been happier with the results. If i everbuilt this again I would trace theincluded spine and create my own...each stair would easily be placed and perfectly evenly!!
The drawers???? Really???? Perfectly square and the right drawer will NOT fit. The left drawer front was messed up and I had to trim quite a chunk off....honestly that is the only part of the build that I am not happy with at all. So I will probably be doing a false panel on that left drawer space....or build a new drawer out of my own material. It was the only thing that didn't go together smoothly...and yes everything was carefully labeled.
The tower was a bit unweildy....but that I imagine is par for the course. So definitely have an extra set of hands present for that day.
The instructions...ouch. Not exactly user friendly!!!! Navigateable though...maybe!. At least I think I did everything right...but I was constantly pulling up pictures of the McKinley online to try to figure out what they were telling me to do!
Why didn't I look at the picture on the box? Well because the picture was pretty marred during shipping. So it was not a viable option. Speaking of that shipping? This was a birthday gift from my boyfriend....a surprise gift!!!! His complaint was that it came in an open box...so HAD we been living together or had it come while I was at his place the surprise would have been totally ruined!!!!
All in all it was a fun process.
Now on to the fun of interior design and decorating!!! (Slowly as I'm broooooke!!!!)
I am so excited to find your blog, another dollhouse builder. I will enjoy watching you work on the McKinley. It looks like a marvelous house. Thanks for dropping by my dollhouse blog. Great to see you there.
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