Category: "Country Estate"
S/W Crafts Country Estate
I just love an old white farmhouse, which I know must surprise you. :D Awhile back, I fell in love with a kit that fellow miniaturist Heather found on craigslist. It was called Lakeside Manor by S/W Crafts.
Sometime later, I stumbled across an eBay listing for another S/W Crafts house that was very similar. Instead of a full front porch with a balcony, the Country Estate kit has dual entrances and two side porches. The price was high, so I wasn't able to acquire the kit at that time.
I saw a completed one on my local craigslist, but I'm not a fan of rehabs. I prefer to start from scratch. But, the listing made me want the house even more. The person had built it with white siding and deep stained wood trim -- gorgeous!
Recently, the seller lowered the price on the eBay kit, and we were able to make a deal! Hooray! Another vintage kit has been added to my list of future builds! I'm going to have to live past 100, methinks. :D
So, here is the head-on view. The instructions state that this is model #910.
I love the dual entrances.
One is the formal entrance and one leads to the kitchen.
My childhood home had a similar entrance and side porch.
The interior has a good layout, though it will need to have working doors. :D
However, the material for the walls is not that great. It's called "solid wood material" in the instructions which is a pressed board milled into siding.
Even though it might be sacrilegious to not use the original pieces for the build, I don't think I could achieve a decent finish with the existing material without a lot more work than necessary.
Making new boards with better materials would be easier and open up some great possibilities for finishes, too. Like so....
from Wikipedia: Farmhouse in Scheemda, the Netherlands
This build will likely be "farmhouse vintage"...similar to the Haunted Heritage but with a better exterior maintenance plan and a less fancy interior. :]
I'll be setting up the work room shortly and hope to get back in the full swing of miniatures soon. The Brownstone parts and accessories are on the table awaiting my attention.