Danish house, part 5

 Read part 1, part 2, part 3 and part 4 of this story. 

Once again, I am renovating this house for a specific purpose, and a true collector would probably be horrified, because many authentic details will be lost. I bought this house extremely cheap, and I won't ever sell it as a vintage item so I can do whatever I want with it. 

And I want a roof that looks like a house roof, not like a dollhouse roof. It's fine when the house is a toy for a child to play with, but a single-sheet roof does not look natural. So it's not just that the roof was damaged - it needed a new look. 

I carefully studied period-correct roofs (there was a very interesting discussion thread, in Swedish, about various options), and I considered using corrugated cardboard for tiles, but finally decided on plain black slates. 

I have done this before, and this time I didn't use cereal boxes, but rather recycled binders from my old students' theses that I had been saving for this purpose. They have just the right colour and texture. 

I marked the tiles with a bone folder - an indispensable tool that I originally acquired for book binding, but that proved extremely versatile. Then cut the sheet into horisontal strips and glued directly onto the roof, shifting every other strip. 

I think this picture very clearly illustrates the difference - and I almost forgot to take it. I turned some of the tiles upward a bit, to make them look more realistic. I may also sand them slightly to age them. 

It took the time it took, but I am very pleased with the result. I will probably paint the ridge black, but will keep the wooden beams. I don't like the look of the chimney but haven't yet decided what to do with it. 

Next, and as a little side project before embarking on floors, I made curtains for the living room. I wanted something unusual, and I remembered that my mother-in-law, who was very much into modern design, had curtains matching wallpaper, and this felt exactly the kind of thing a functionalist designer would do. 

It took some thinking and a few trials-and-errors, but finally I figured out how to do it. 

First, I printed out the Jacobsen wallpaper in very thin, 45-gram paper. Then I cut two bits of corrugated cardboard (the one I had discarded for roof tiles) and glued on the wallpaper to emulate folds. For rod I used a skewer, hung the curtains into jewellery jump rings and attached with eye screws. 

Of course you cannot fully draw these curtains, but they look much more realistic than most dollhouse courtains I have seen, including those in museums. 

Well, now I have no further pretexts to avoid dealing with floors and the ground-floor wallpaper, but it is a serious decision, and I need to think it through. Meanwhile, I will focus in some details, like period-correct ceiling lights. I can also make some kitchen items. Come back soon! 

Danish house, part 4

 Read part 1, part 2 and part 3 of this story. 

As I have mentioned before, the original Hanse houses had a small front gable that the previous owner had removed in favour of the middle partition. The gable has two purposes. It supports the roof when there is no partition. And it will conceal display lights when I come that far. First, I made a template from cardboard. 

For the real thing, I used foam board. 

When it dried, it looked like this: 

I think this is a lovely feature of this old house that makes it so distinct from later models and from Lundby houses. 

My next step was making windows. The original Hanse houses didn't have window frames, and maybe it was fine for children to play with, but it doesn't look natural. I wanted windows in appropriate functionalist style ("funkis"), and they are relatively easy to make from coffee stirrers and recycled folder covers. 

This is what they look like on the outside and inside: 

The ground floor window is ready, but not inserted yet because I haven't decided what I want to do with wallpaper. 

After this hard work I rewarded myself by arranging furniture including the old Brio kitchen which still needs to be designed properly. I don't know what the middle room will be so at the moment there are two "bat" chairs there. Under the stairs I have temporarily arranged a bathroom; the equipment is Renwall rather than Brio, but for the time being it will do. 

 

Next steps include floors and roof. Come back soon. 

Barbecue, part 3

Read the previous post about this project.

I had several ideas about how to make a fake window, but in the end I cut it from card and put a bit of transparent plastic and two bits of ribbon behind it. I glued the assembly onto the wall, then added the frame, made of coffee stirrers. I made the shutters from strips of wood and coffee stirrers and painted with the same technique as the door.

I made a window box from a bit of a biscuit box - just the right size and shape.

 

I bought these flowers cheap at a car boot sale. Have no idea what kind of flowers they are supposed to be or whether they need leaves, but I won't spend much more time on them, after all the whole wall is just a backdrop for some garden furniture. I may add a rosebush in the left corner.

 I aged the furniture a bit with dark wax. I found the garbage bin at a flea market the other day.

What is left to do now is some details: barbecue tools, wood or coal, meat and other food, plates and glasses, maybe children's toys left behind. This will be fun to make. Come back soon.

Triang house: further exterior details

First of all, apologies to those of you, my dear readers, who left comments on my previous post. For some reason, I haven't been able to reply, and you must think I am terribly rude. If I manage to figure our what's wrong, I will reply properly. Meanwhile, thank you for your support. This is the first time I am dealing with a valuable vintage item, and I want to be careful and respectful, but still restore as much as possible. There seem to be strong feelings against doing anything at all to vintage objects, but so far I haven't done anything irreversible.

There are still several exterior details in need of attention. One of the supports on a bay window is missing.

Beams around the newly installed window are missing, and in the same picture you can see that one of the garage door knobs is missing.

One problem is that most of my supplies are in storage, including a vast collection of old rusty nails. I don't think I have a nail exactly matching the existing one, but I may have two suitable nails. However, this will have to wait.

The front step is missing. Interestingly enough, I have found pictures on the web with and without the step. But you see clearly that something had been glued there. Also the little window left of the front door is broken.

I discovered a mysterious hole in the recess above the front door. You can clearly see traces of a washer.

I was puzzled, because you cannot see any such detail in frontal images, until I found a picture taken from this angle, and it was a hook. There is a hook inside the house to fasten the left-hand front. This hook would fasten the right-hand front. Now I understand why the right-hand front won't stay properly closed. I swear that I have recently seen a picture of a Triang hook for sale on the web and happily told myself that I didn't need it. Now I do, and I cannot find it. However, I have a hook like this in my stored-away supplies, so some time in the future I will put it in.

I am sure I will continue discovering small faults and finding ways to mend them. This even before I venture inside.

I started with the support (I am sure there is a more appropriate word for this architectural feature). Again, I don't have adequate materials at hand, so it may be a temporary solution. It is also next to impossible to match the colour. I had to repaint several times before it was somewhat similar. Luckily, it's not a hugely conspicuous feature. There must be a colour-matching software, but I have not achieved that level of sophistication yet. Maybe when I am renovating my fifteenth Triang I can try it. I have also read some advice on renovations, and one suggestion was using pastel chalk. I have my chalks in storage, like so many other stuff, and it feels unnecessary to buy more. But I might.

Next, I made a front step, which was easy. This time I didn't even try to match colour. I don't like the colour of the large step anyway, so may repaint both or make flagstones. From the images on the web, it's impossible to say what the "original" is. I will have to do more research. In some pictures I have so far found, the little window is to the right of the door, and in others, on the left, like mine. How come?

I then started to make the beams around the right-hand window, in the same technique I made the missing timbre-frame gable beams, but when I looked to check how exactly the beams were mitred, I discovered that they weren't. The whole surround was cut from a single piece of card!

Now, this both made things simpler and more complicated. To begin with, I cut a paper template, just like I did with the window.

Next, I cut a frame from card - as usual, recycling an old notebook. It was not as hard and time-consuming as cutting out the twelve lights in the window.

I then painted the frame, trying to match the colour as close as possible, which is close to impossible - no pun intended. However, this frame will not connect to any other detail of the same colour so unless you know, you won't notice. I put the frame under a pile of heavy books to dry flat.

As I removed the remnants of the original frame, I was not surprised to find that is was attached to the wall with nails, because the other frames were made in the same way. Beautiful, old rusty nails.

You can also see in this picture the original colour of the wall which suggests a) that the frame has been damaged for a long time, and b) that the whole house is dirty as compared to the original. Next question: shall I try to clean it carefully? Maybe not. These cleaner bits will be covered by the frame anyway.

I wonder whether there are courses for dollhouse conservation. There must be. Maybe I should go and speak to someone at the Museum of Childhood in London. So far I have found tons of good advice on the web. 

Anyway, here is the result:

 

What I should be able to do when I have my proper tools (you must be tired of me saying this!) is bend back the upper part of the green window surround. I believe it was damaged when the window was broken. But for the moment it will have to stay as it is.

Here is the outcome of exterior work so far. There is not much more I can do right now. Unless you know what I have done, you may not notice any difference, but I am extremely proud of my work.

Triang house: Window repair

As I said before, there are plenty of spares for Triang on ebay, and if authenticity were my priority it would be easy to find what I need. When I worked on Helen Hall, I had to buy spare windows and dormers because there was no way I could make them. I bought windows for my retro house because at that time, seven years ago, I had no confidence at all; today I would perhaps make tolerable window frames from card. So while I still have the option of buying an authentic Triang window, I first want to try and make one myself. I knew it would never be an exact copy because I don't have adequate materials, tools or skills. But at the moment, I just could not stand that gaping hole, as if a bomb had hit it.

 

This window is in the non-opening part of the house, which makes it quite difficult to maneuver, but on the other hand it does not really matter what it looks like inside. The frame is whole, with the tabs to hold the window as well as hinges. One day I may try to make hinged windows, but for now I will make a non-opening window. One advantage of this construction is that it is relatively easy to install and remove the window.

I started by making a paper template to see whether it would work at all.

 

I thought it would.

I then cut a frame from card. Being a recycler, I used the back of a conference notebook.

 

This is the time when a digital cutter might prove helpful. On the other hand it would deprive me of the satisfaction of precision and concentration that such work demands. You cannot think about student essays with a scalpel in your hand! I haven't timed it, but it took me about an hour.

I then painted it first metallic and then off-white acrylic that I immediately wiped off, just to take away the too metally effect of the first coat.

 

Then I glazed the window, and again, as I am a recycler, I don't use expensive acetate from craft shops, but a transparent binder cover that I save from student theses.

 

Last of all, I added curtains. There may be a way of getting original Triang fabric, but I am not there yet. I will use the same fabric for bedding and pretend it is totally intentional. Another option is of course finding a pattern online and printing it  out, either on paper or on plain fabric, but I will save it for later. A house doesn't have to have exactly the same curtains in every room!

 

Here is the result that I am really, really pleased with.






Go ahead and tell me that I am a barbarian ruining a cultural artifact.

There are several more exterior details that need attention. The timber-frame beams around the new window are missing - you can see remnants. I have added a far too shiny pushpin to the garage door. The original is a very plain, ordinary rusty nail, but right now I don't know where to get one like it. I may have to replace both. One support below the bay window is missing. It will be easy. I hope. I will need to match colour.

I am having fun, and I love this house dearly. Cannot wait to get inside! Come back soon.

Roman turret, part 4, in which a window is made

Read the previous posts about this project: part 1, part 2 and part 3.

I started today by cutting a window in the back wall.  With a good scalpel, it's straightforward.

I could leave it like this, but a window in a stone wall would be as deep as the wall is thick, so I need to add at least one layer of cardboard to achieve this depth.

 

A large back piece, held together with masking tape while the glue dries. As I have no egg cartons at the moment, it will be a while until I can do the stone masonry on the back. But as you cannot see it from the front, it's fine so far.

Then I cut through the back for the window.  The depth also enabled me to add a frame that looks more realistic.

 

Close-up:

As you see, I made the frame from coffee stirrers, putting it in the middle of the opening, which emphasises depth. I added filler to the edges. I may paint it over for a smoother surface.

I think it looks very nice.

As a next step, I realised, I need to fix the roof. It feels I will never get back to the partition and ladder, but with them in place, attaching the roof will be a problem.

I could cheat and just put the roof with gables on top, but in my model picture, there is no ceiling on the upper floor, just massive beams that hold the roof. So now I need to figure out how to construct this beam system and how to fix them onto the roof and onto the main structure.

I am sure you are curious about how I will manage it. Come back soon.

Window boxes

Now that I have roses on a trellis and ivy up the pillars, I also want window boxes. I would very much like to have iron-wrought boxes, but I haven't yet figured out how to make them. Preferably, I find some rubbish I can use.

While I am waiting for this particular rubbish to come my way, I have unearthed another piece of rubbish, or rather two. I have no idea what they are. Someone gave them to me a few years ago, and I have saved them to use as planters.

 

So first of all I put some air-drying clay into each. White tack would work too. Then I put a drop of glue into each planter and covered with coffee-grounds, for compost. It was just as messy as real planting.

 

Then I planted the flowers. I don't remember where these come from, most likely a job lot because I wouldn't have bought them for their own sake. I am not good at flowers, so maybe they are wrong for window boxes. Maybe they are climbers or whatever. But it's too late.

 

Now to the box itself. I considered various models (until I have wrought-iron ones), and I found some bits of angle moulding. Putting two bits together made a perfect window box. I glued on craft sticks on the sides, and for consoles I used bits of fancy coving.

 

I am not absolutely sure yet which windows will have these boxes. I only have two sets of planters, but then all boxes don't have to be exactly the same, do they? Tentatively, they are on the ground floor.

Tudor illumination

This weekend I have traveled three hundred years back in time from my Victorian house to my Tudor house. If you want to see my Tudor house you will need to travel four years back in time of my blog, to the post when I last did some major work on it, and move backwards, to the day my husband brought home the shell he found at a recycling station. In between, you can read about how I decorated the house, added timber, made an inglenook and many other details. I have done some more work on the house since then, mostly adding objects I found at flea markets; but largely the Tudor house has been neglected, obscured by its more splendid Victorian neighbour.

The reason I went back to Tudor is that I want to install display lights. A dilemma with period houses is that you cannot have electricity in older houses, but you may still want some lights to show the details inside. The Tudor house is deep, and you cannot see very well even by daylight. I am with Brian Long, the author of The Authentic Tudor and Stuart Dolls' House, who says that even though there would of course be no electricity in a Tudor house it is still legitimate to have display lights. And in a Tudor house it is easy to hide display lights behind beams.

So I thought.

I bought 10cm LED strips with batteries and planned to attach the strips behind beams and hide the battery holders somewhere. The somewhere proved to be problematic. The holders are larger than you think, and they are very conspicuous in a miniature environment. I have several solutions. In the solar - which is the upper floor with the great bed - I can drill a hole behind the beam and hide the battery in the attic. I can disguise it as a treasure chest. On the ground and first floors, I can let the batteries sit on the outside. It won't be tremendously decorative, but it might work. I can also hide them behind stairs, but so far I haven't figured out how to attach them. I will sleep on it and go on tomorrow.

But while I was at it, I removed all objects from the house and dusted them, and also dusted floors and stairs and inspected all things that needed attention. For instance, last time I worked on this house, I inserted window panes in the solar, but never fixed them properly. Now was the right moment.

The original shell just had openings, but I added "leaded" window panes made from bottle protection mesh (the kind you get at taxfree shops in airports) which I glued onto a piece of old plastic folder. Looking at it now, I wonder how I could ever think that it was satisfactory. But I have had so much practice since then. So now I added a window frame, properly mitred, to match the timbers.

This looks so much neater. And from the outside, it looks like this:

I also hinged the back shutter in the kitchen that I had been postponing ever since, because it was such an awkward space to work in. But now I had no excuses, so I fixed that. And I mended the front door that had been broken from start. Now it can be opened and closed properly. This is what the kitchen will be like, with light (the battery holder just outside the picture edge, to the right.

Hopefully, tomorrow I will finish all the lights and have something to show. Come back!