A House in 22 Days - Day 6

Naturally, as tends to happen, when you have a short time frame a million things come up which eat into your time.  I got shipped off for a conference this week and last week there was a rash of people quitting!  It's now December 17th at 12:30 am and the panic is settling in firmly.  The walls are starting to go up but there's still a solarium to build, wood to be stained and windows to install!

Overall, it looks like a bit of progress is being made, that is the benefit to blogging - you can see how far you've come!  In addition to what's in the photo, i have the front door stained, baseboards are drying, and the glue is setting on all the major parts of the structure.  Tomorrow the mantles will go in and the remaining outer walls will be complete before lunch - then I start on the solarium while Ben tackles the kitchen (bathroom "tip out" in the kit).  The plan is to use the left room as a dining area if we can ever find a set for his niece.

The lino tiles are holding up well to the twisting that comes with construction, and the spackle grout hasn't chipped at all which is rather surprising.  As you can see I have the wall braced with scrap wood and a small box, four clamps, tape, and positive thoughts!

The fireplace mantles are stained and will be ready to go in tomorrow.  We picked up some beads at Walmart tonight to make a sculpture to hang over the mantle, as well as a sun plaque to hang on the other side of the chimney to break up the white a bit.  The trim work has been cut/stained and should be able to go in tomorrow as well.

Glencroft - Day 4 through 6

I've been working sporadically on Glencroft while I was sick this last week, mostly because everything I need to finish off the Chantilly is still in a box, somewhere, probably wrapped in paper and dust.

I have the second floor installed and glued.  I put white cardstock up in the living room rather than try to plaster, and I was very sure I didn't want stucco on all the walls.  I then undertook the paperclay fireplace.

First off, Paperclay is vastly superior to the DAS modelling clay I used in the Chantilly.  It has virtually no odour, isn't sticky, and takes longer to dry so it is far easier to work with.  Also it goes through the pasta machine much slicker which is again because it isn't sticky.

I rolled out numerous strips of paper clay and glued them to the bare plywood, then with a moist paper towel I smoothed the pieces together and built up some texture.  Next the stones were shaped by pressing the lines in and pulling the clay towards the centre of the stone to add depth.

After the clay dried I added black watercolours to the cracks in the stone and blocked in stone colours with the left over paint on my watercolour palette.  A few dirty washes of grey with a bit of yellow or red and the tones were evened out quite nicely.

The wiring was a touch trickier than I thought, i dug out a channel for the right wall sconce with my dremel and built the clay up over top.  the left sconce and the candles on the second floor have individual holes for the wires to run through, at this point I know the power strip is either going in the chimney or in the foundation,either way the wires are traveling through the chimney to get to their destination.

When I built the baseboard in the living room I left them high enough to accomodate hardwood flooring, they will also accommodate the roundwire should I decide to add table or floor lamps.  The dining room / kitchen will have ceiling fixtures.The hardest part of the wiring so far has been the planning by a long shot.  It's hard to know where you will want lighting when all you have built is a portion of a large box!

Glencroft - Day 1 through 3

Well my move is finally almost complete - almost because I still haven't finished unpacking everything.  It certainly will be nice to be able to use the garage once this endeavour has been completed.  One of the boxes that did get unpacked however is my Glencroft.  I really have enjoyed working on the Chantilly for mom, so I have decided to build another slightly larger (ie. full scale) house, with full electrification, to sit in the hallway of the new house.  I've had my eye on the Glencroft for years so this is actually quite an exciting undertaking.

The first difference is of course the scale, this house is freaking huge!  The second massive difference is I'm now working with a die-cut kit rather than a laser cut.  The difference in detail is definitely noticeable, but then it will be easier to add detail to this scale as well - it all comes out in the wash.

The third difference I've noticed is the cost to work on a larger scale house.  I got wood for the 1st story flooring today and it cost about as much as all the flooring for the Chantilly, and possibly the siding as well.  The entire Chantilly will easily fit in the living room of Glencroft.

That said, I have a stack of HOM furniture kits kicking around, so it will be cheaper to furnish :)

I completed a few dry fits and I think I have narrowed down the problem areas in this house - they are the ceiling beams, the stair well, and the yard if I choose to install it.  Today I papered the stairwell and started staining the lower portions of the living room walls and exposed framework with Minwax Jacobean.  Any of the wood with the "good side" exposed seems to take another coat of two of stain to match the stain put on the "bad side", but at least I'm getting it to match.

I also think I will forego the kit mantle for the first floor fireplace and fashion a more elaborate fireplace to compliment the siding, and then plaster or paper the upper portions of the walls to keep the room from becoming too dark and depressing.  I also need to mark out the lighting and find a place to hide this electrical panel.

 

Chantilly - Day 8

Today was roofing and staircase installation day, as well as trying to figure out what the hell to do with this silly little fireplace.  I chopped up some balsa wood and framed out a case for the insert to see how it would look under the staircase.  Originally I had entertained putting it in the corner but the windows are in the way.

Alternatively, I could cover the two side windows with a chimney and put the fireplace front and centre in the living room.  I will slide this fireplace around for the next couple of days before making a decision, it's far too hot here to be thinking anyway!

The roof was .. let's say.. an adventure to put on.  it's a snug fit for sure, gotta love those laser kits for having zero give.  I was able to secure it down with wood glue and an insane amount of masking tape however - no mega clamp reqired.

Another discovery was with the staircase, although all the individual pieces go in nicely on a dry fit, when you actually put that bottom stair in it secures everything quite rigidly, and with no give, and with the hardwood flooring, that rail going upstairs is next to impossible to get in.  I ended up having to surgically alter the side rail by cutting off the tab and then compensating with glue, there was no way in hell that rail was going in any other way.  I think if I were doing this kit again, I'd install the stairs (or at least the case) right after the first walls go up, floor around it, and never have to worry about it again :)