These are the original plans for Ravyn's Doll House. I made this one up in my spare time over the course of about two days. It's a simple design. No fireplace, no side doors or windows, and it won't have an elaborate gutter system or exterior. I left a big access in the main attic, not for playing in, but as a place for her to store extra furniture and dolls. The stairwell will be the hardest for me to build. I'm nervous about getting the measurements exact and have decided to wait on it until I get something physically built that I can see, feel, and measure.

In preparation for building the house I bought some furnishings on Ebay. I found a lot of cabinets and windows with 2 doors. Both were unfinished which gave me LOTS of room to customize things my way. Plus they contained enough pieces for at least two houses. I was quite happy and hope to find more good deals like these in the future.

After designing the house in Hamapatch I printed out the design from all angles and began figuring measurements. Then I used them to cut out the parts I needed from 1/2" and 1/4" plywood. It took me about 4 hours to completely cut everything out.

After all that cutting I "mocked it up" in the den to see if everything fit. To my surprise I had measured and cut everything correctly on the first try. My mistake will come later. This picture was snapped a split second before "Hurricane Kitty" blew in and destroyed it.

So before the day was over I decided to beginning building. I took the four interior walls, cut out the doorways, and put together most of the first floor. I really just wanted to make sure that me method of installation (screws, instead of wood glue) would work. And it did, perfectly.

The next day I had some time to myself so I got some more done, but this is as far as I can go before beginning work on the stairwell. I's also moved it out into the garage since it's gotten hard to hide from the little one.

About a week later I finally got the chance to work on it again. I quickly attached the pieces of the second floor and snapped a picture. You can see that I cut the hole for the stairwell beforehand. I won't manufacture and install that until the house is complete. It will be too fragile and may break if I'm constantly moving the house around.

By the end of the day I had finished the 2nd floor, attached the front of the house (to mock it up), and cut out the pieces I needed for the small (secondary) roof on the side You can tell that the right portion of the second floor is warping. That's a by-product of my mocking up the front that I intend to fix.

It was too cold tonight so I didn't get around to doing much with my projects. I did, however, manage to paint some of the "detailed" pieces for the children's bedroom furniture. These are parts that are left over from multiple models I've built in the past. The "Dolls" are actually characters from the animie cartoon "Zoids", and the jets are left over from two aircraft carrier models. There's also sailers that are left over from a bunch of sailboats I've made over the years.

The weather's finally turning nice again so I've had a chance to do some work. This has turned into a soothing project; Something to work on in order to get out of the house. This night I began cutting out the windows and door. Then I mocked it up to get a feel for how it'll look.

I also began the long, difficult task of fabricating the stairs. To the left is just the base and supports. The actual steps will be a time-consuming project in its own. I'm not looking forward to it, but I insist on creating every "major" part of the house myself.

This weekend I got started on the wallpaper. I had started few rooms when I snapped this pict. Ravyn was passing by while I had the house on its side so I decided to compare sizes. By the end of the day I had the Kitchen complete (including the floor) and the upstars wallpaper and ceiling done. Just a note for future reference, Contact paper is GREAT for dollhouses!

I finally found some free (good) carpet! I would like to thank my coworker Cheri for supplying it. She said that it was gathering dust in a closet somewhere. Next I have to go get some short nails to hold it down. I've also gotten a lead on some free roof shingles and white linoleum for the bathroom. Then all I'll need to actually finish the house is siding. With all this free, extra stuff lying around the next house should go much faster!

Well, I ended up cheating on the stairs. Time was running short on time (I'm down to a week and a half) and came across these at my girlfriend's aunt's house. It was part of a bigger display that I cannibalized. I'll paint it white and I think it'll work out fine.

I'd like to thank my friend Eric for giving me all these left over shingles for the roof. They're a pain to cut, but I want the house to look realistic, not fake with wooden shingles like ordinary dool houses you buy from the store.

This siding was actually a 1/8" piece of birch wood that I cut up using a scroll saw. I hot-glued it on.

Finally Finished!!! Here's the end result. Susan and I worked hard on Christmas Eve to get it done. she stained the outside of the windows and doors as I attached the siding, stained the attic, and painted the house. The furniture will be added to over time for birthdays and such.