I've spent a lot of time online looking at what other miniaturists have done and have read quite a few tutorials on everything from making my own furniture to basic building and decorating techniques.  After a quick search on amazon.com, I quickly discovered just how many books there are on the subject.  Since I really don't know what books I'll want to add to my collection permanently, I finally got around to signing up for a library card.  :]  My local library has a drive-up window and a bookmobile that stops right by my house once a week.  The library has certainly changed since the last time I visited!

I checked out five books that seemed promising, though only one was devoted exclusively to building and decorating techniques.  She used a number of houses with different features to illustrate her points, so it has universal application.  This is a "must read" for any dollhouse builder, but in my opinion you have to get to it before you do anything.

The ABC's of Dollhouse Finishing by Barbara Warner

One thing I especially liked was her commentary on windows in brick houses, that they are recessed into the brick and not installed on top the way windows are on a sided house.  Of course, then I found myself eyeing all the brick houses on the way to work and found she was right.  But, I also saw windows with cast stone surrounds that mimic the look of a 'regular' window.  Here are some examples I found on the net.

I want a more realistic look to my dollhouse, but since the Newport is prefinished, there really isn't a way for me to recess the windows in the typical fashion and be able to match the exterior around the edges of the window.  I thought about installing the windows in reverse, making them flush with the outer wall, with the pediment and sill as finishing (this would have the decorative trim on the interior, which didn't look bad at all).  This is similar to the look of the lefthand windows in the picture above.

click to enlarge

But, I like the decorative trim on the outside, so we'll just say they're cast stone.  ;]