Whitebrush Manor - The Beginning
My story begins easily enough. I was early teens back in the 80s when Dura-Craft (now out of business) released this dollhouse as a kit. For neither the faint of heart nor those with small square footage, it has 13 rooms and measures 25" deep, 52" wide, and 45" tall.
Even back then the kit was expensive... several hundred dollars. A veritable fortune! And the pre-assembled house? Pfft.... forget it! Which is why I couldn't believe my luck when I got it for my birthday.
But.... years passed and the dollhouse was never completed. Mom and I would start it, together and/or separately, wind up frustrated/bored and just shove it back in the attic again. As it turns out, this is probably a good thing. I can imagine what would've happened to it once life happened. I'm sure it would've wound up damaged beyond repair, or even sold.
I was 17 the last time I decided to put it together, but was foiled by a missing piece.
Or was I?
I'm not sure what made me pull it down a few months ago and inventory all the pieces, but I'm glad I did. Even after all these years and several moves, the kit is complete!
Now, the base is assembled and the house is (finally) on its way to being put together.
One of the purposes of this blog is to document my journey to physical enlightenment (or at least to the completion of this house, anyway). My husband's eyes glaze over when I start talking authentic Victorian embellishments to replicate in 1:12 scale, so blogging will give me a chatting outlet. An added bonus is that family members interested in minis can check in and see progress from out of town (hi, Sara!).
I want pictures of the completed project available to anyone in case they'd like to reference them. In my own searches, I have come across a few pictures but many have been kit-bashed, have teeny-tiny pictures, or don't show the whole thing from all sides (I am a visual person, so this is important to me). I have the instructions in case there's anyone out there needing a free copy.
I plan to leave the floor plan as close to original as I can, though I do have some major upgrades in mind. They are mainly cosmetic and I'll go over those in another post.
I have dubbed it "Whitebrush Manor" in honor of the very first (real) house I bought, which also serves the purpose of making it easy to search posts, should you be so inclined.
Super cute picture of adorable little house on Whitebrush Loop below. I'm even planning to paint the Manor a pinkish color.
If anyone has questions or comments, let me know. Tips for constructing this behemoth are highly encouraged.
Even back then the kit was expensive... several hundred dollars. A veritable fortune! And the pre-assembled house? Pfft.... forget it! Which is why I couldn't believe my luck when I got it for my birthday.
But.... years passed and the dollhouse was never completed. Mom and I would start it, together and/or separately, wind up frustrated/bored and just shove it back in the attic again. As it turns out, this is probably a good thing. I can imagine what would've happened to it once life happened. I'm sure it would've wound up damaged beyond repair, or even sold.
I was 17 the last time I decided to put it together, but was foiled by a missing piece.
Or was I?
I'm not sure what made me pull it down a few months ago and inventory all the pieces, but I'm glad I did. Even after all these years and several moves, the kit is complete!
Now, the base is assembled and the house is (finally) on its way to being put together.
One of the purposes of this blog is to document my journey to physical enlightenment (or at least to the completion of this house, anyway). My husband's eyes glaze over when I start talking authentic Victorian embellishments to replicate in 1:12 scale, so blogging will give me a chatting outlet. An added bonus is that family members interested in minis can check in and see progress from out of town (hi, Sara!).
I want pictures of the completed project available to anyone in case they'd like to reference them. In my own searches, I have come across a few pictures but many have been kit-bashed, have teeny-tiny pictures, or don't show the whole thing from all sides (I am a visual person, so this is important to me). I have the instructions in case there's anyone out there needing a free copy.
I plan to leave the floor plan as close to original as I can, though I do have some major upgrades in mind. They are mainly cosmetic and I'll go over those in another post.
I have dubbed it "Whitebrush Manor" in honor of the very first (real) house I bought, which also serves the purpose of making it easy to search posts, should you be so inclined.
Super cute picture of adorable little house on Whitebrush Loop below. I'm even planning to paint the Manor a pinkish color.
If anyone has questions or comments, let me know. Tips for constructing this behemoth are highly encouraged.
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