Who has built a dollhouse? Val? I need ideas...

[mamabear]

So, in a total twist, and just to show how fickle both grandparents and turning-nine-year-olds can be, my mom's getting each of the kids a larger Playmobil item and less cash. Katie definitely wants to save up for a bike and plans to have enough for the bike swap. (Me: "Does it matter to you if it's new or used?" K: "Mom! I don't care, as long as it works good!" ) And she wants either a large hunk of Peridot, her birthstone (at $4 a gram, that's quite a desire) or a dollhouse...We have wood furniture and tree blocks and tons of bendy fairies and other wee folk to inhabit such a house. We have steep eaves upstairs...I'm thinking of making one special corner of the eaves a custom fairy-suitable dollhouse. I am considering using some pieces of the Tree Blocks for floors and furniture. And have access to a variety of natural wood for structural posts, and plenty of wood scraps for big floors. I have um, as far as saws, I have a jigsaw and a circular saw for larger cuts. But I'm not a woodworker...

So I want to build them a dollhouse. Birthday is next Weds (22). Help? Ideas? Links? TIA...

(Oh and I envision building it behind a sheet...Katie will want to be surprised but know what it is, kwim? And then setting it all up with inhabitants and furniture for the birthday, and revealing it...)

[lupineperriwink]

I have built a barn (easy) and treehouse (little more difficult). Both are used here for faires and My Little Ponies

[mamabear]

OMG, those are gorgeous!!! Any tips for me? Did you use a pattern, or just wing it?

[lupineperriwink]

The barn is a copy of one I saw on eBay last fall. I used graph paper and figured out how large to make it based on standard sized lumber. I think I used 2 boards that were 12" x 4' long I spent maybe $25 on everything for the barn and the one on eBay was almost $200

The tree house was a shrub that was too close to the house so we cut it down. I trimmed all the branches off to what I wanted and then used cardboard as templates to design the levels. The base was hollowed out with a chainsaw (it's a really cool little cave down there) and I cut the door out with a dremel tool. It's screwed into a round wooden table top that used to be part of a macrame hanging table. I covered the base with felted wool.

If you have a tree to cut down you just need the wood for the levels and some screws. The whole thing cost under $20

[tmrhopkins]

that tree house is so neat!!!!

What an awesome idea.

Tawnya

PS, sorry, no hints for you but I just had to comment on that tree house....

[branwyn]

those are gorgeous!

i was going to suggest building simple bookshelves and lining them with fabric but those treehouse ones put my idea to shame :O

[lupineperriwink]

a bookshelf would be just as easy and if you get a nice wooden one at a second hand store you are halfway there.