Archives for: "January 2013"

Chimney attachment, trim and eave finishing

by brae  

I traced the chimney outline onto a sheet of drawing paper to guide me in cutting the trim that will surround it. The chimney fits well against the house without additional adhesive, but that's not to say it will stay removable.  In theory, I can rem… more »

Juliet balcony, part 1

by brae  

Since the swinging windows are floor-to-ceiling openings and we don't want grandma toppling out the side window, I decided to add a Juliet balcony.  Here's the rough mockup I had made back in March that shows the general idea. There isn't a whole lot… more »

Roof finishing, part 1

by brae  

Now that I have the original back roof pieces attached on the sides and the new roof piece attached in the middle, I can address the roof ridges.  The flat roof is now lower than the back roof, however, so I added a new 1/8" thick plywood layer to it.… more »

Side gable eaves and trim

by brae  

I completed the gable eaves and trims for the open side gable as I had done for the front gable.  This time, I added the finishing trim between the eave and the house before adding the gingerbread.   When I shingled the edges of both side gables, the… more »

New back roof, continued

by brae  

Before gluing on the new back roof, I drilled pilot holes for pins to reinforce the joins. I glued on the new back roof, adding Tyvek reinforcement over the roof ridge.  The final finishing of the roof ridge will cover it. I shingled the new back… more »

The big push forward on Heritage completion, part 2

by brae  

Continued from yesterday's long list of accomplished tasks.  :D I added the final trim for the front gable between the eave and the house.   I added the final trim for the front dormer on the outer edges and between the eave and the house.   I fini… more »

The big push forward on Heritage completion, part 1

by brae  

I wouldn't say I've been slacking on my two current builds, but I felt it was time to spend a weekend truly dedicated to progress.  The Undersized Urbanite contest ends on May 4, so The Artist's Studio needs to be completed by then.  I also have a kille… more »

Left side roof addition and shingling

by brae  

Before gluing the roof addition wall onto the roof, I adjusted the template for the shingles.  This is going to be an interesting bit of roofing.  :\   The lower portion of the left side roof addition completes the bathroom outer wall and the upper pa… more »

Chimney gable trim

by brae  

Unlike the front and left side gables, the chimney gable on the right posed problems with the gable trim.  The chimney sticks out further than the roof edge and therefore blocks the space where the gable trim is intended to be. The gable trim's tabs… more »

Chimney wall exterior finishing and attic work

by brae  

Remember how carefully I planned the siding around the chimney?  Yeah, well, it was somewhat a waste of time because it no longer lines up.  I'll need to edge the chimney with trim, which won't detract from the realism.   But, before I can glue the ch… more »

Grandma's attic - roof addition, part 1

by brae  

There's a good deal of chicken or the egg happening with the attic and its new roof addition.  Before I can glue the back roof pieces on, I need to finish them as much as possible.  It is close to impossible to work on these areas once in place, because… more »

Grandma's attic - wood floor

by brae  

Since I had so many wood strips, I decided to use them for the flooring in addition to the walls.  I made a template of the attic with plain paper first.   I then used that to make my final paper template.   I set a bunch of strips on the template t… more »

Grandma's attic - faux slats and rafters, part 2

by brae  

I continued working on the faux slats and rafters for the attic.  Now, the front gable portion is small to work in, but it is manageable.  Even so, I was not able to get in there to measure.  I used the original gable template from the side gable and us… more »

Grandma's attic - faux slats and rafters

by brae  

I'm mulling over the idea of using vintage newspaper to line the attic as I had done for Baslow Ranch.   But, I also like the look of exposed wood in an old attic regardless of the energy inefficiency.  Since I know what the newspapered attic would lo… more »

Grandma's attic - prep work

by brae  

To help keep the ceiling board in place and (relatively) level, I glued in wood supports along the attic floor.  These were cut very rough to keep with the look of an attic. I cut a new plywood piece for the flat roof since the original kit piece was… more »

Bedroom and hallway ceilings installed

by brae  

I cut the notch for the back roof piece and carved the two remaining wire channels in the bedroom ceiling board.   I also cut the new pieces for the roof addition using the spare wood from the Heritage part sheet that held the gable trims.  :D  Waste… more »

Grandma's attic - lights and removing the dollhouse open back

by brae  

I bought two Lighting Bug lamps for the attic.  One is the hanging kind with the pull chain.  Love these!  There will be more of these in my future builds.  :D The other is a similar fixture with the bare bulb, but it has a wall fitting. Grandma's… more »