When you look at a dollhouse do you think: "this kit is almost perfect, except for..."?

The following discussion is subjective. It is derived from my experiences with kit-bashing. As with all aspects of miniatures, the results depend not only on the builder's ability, but on the working environment. For the record, I have not always been 100% pleased with my results.

Whether a kit should be bashed depends on the extent of the bashing needed, the quality of wood in the kit, the wood that you would be using for the bash, and the tools that you have on hand and that you feel comfortable using. Somewhere in the mix is the money needed for supplies, time involved to bash the kit (always longer than you think), and how much frustration you can tolerate (something always goes wrong). It is easier to bash a kit as you build than when the dollhouse is finished..

Before you begin:

It is nice if you could see a built version of the kit - not only for an accurate view - but so that you can measure it. Many manufacturers give a footprint size for the dollhouse. This includes porches, steps, and even roof overhangs! You may be unpleasantly surprised to find that the interior room sizes are smaller than you expected. Look to see that doors, windows, room partitions, fireplaces, and staircases leave adequate wall space to arrange furniture. Lacking a completed dollhouse, look carefully at the exterior and interior pictures of the dollhouse.

Buy graph paper and draw up plans incorporating your new ideas. If you prefer computer design, do it on a computer - but do this step. Do a lot of thinking. Once you crystallize your ideas, this kit may seem far from perfect!

Once you buy the kit, tape the structure together and review what you need to do. Does bashing still seem to be the way to go? Is it still a nice design? Do you have to redraw the plans? Is the structural integrity still there? Sometimes it turns out that you really should custom (scratch) build.

Make sure you make all the modification you really want, including making the house larger. As long as you decide to bash - go whole-hog!

Main Tools I use:

For 3/8" wood:

-Jig saw: I cut straight outside edges and interior edges (windows, doorways) with this. Measure carefully and draw lines where needed. Hints: To insure straight edges when needed, clamp the wood and a straight edge to the worktable. To cut windows, use a 1/4" drill bit and drill at the corners so that the jig saw can turn. To cut curves, drill some holes along the curve to guide the blade.

-Full-size electric drill and DeWalt - type cordless full-size drill.

-Table saw - I do not use this. My husband does and he cuts large pieces of wood for me. If you must cut large pieces you need a table saw, or a dollhouse shop or lumber yard where you can buy the lumber and have the store cut it.

For All woods:

-Dremel-type drill with flexi-shaft. I only use this drill when and where I need small diameter holes or need to route channels in areas that I can't reach with a full-size drill.

-Hammers (heavy and lightweight), screw drivers, chisels, etc.

-Craft knives with lots of fresh blades.

-Metal ruler as a cutting edge, and clamps to lock the wood and the ruler to the cutting surface.

-Set squares, roofers' squares, T-squares - whatever you call them, the tools that help you make right angles of floor to wall to ceiling.

-Glue - I prefer Aileen's Tacky or Dap (household) caulking to glue houses together. I like tough but flexible glues that can be "undone" when necessary. For making a large piece of wood by merging two smaller pieces, I like Elmer's yellow wood glue. All glue drips should be cleaned up immediately. They are difficult to remove when they are dry.

-Lots of masking tape

-Everything else

Discussion:
 

1/8" Plywood Kits:

-Westerly (Greenleaf Westville) - too much of a bash, easier to scratch build. See at http://community.webshots.com/user/irismarch2 and Greenleaf and AllThingsMini blogs.

-Toad Hall (Greenleaf Glencroft) - just the right amount of bash for my sanity and for structural integrity. See http://community.webshots.com/user/irismarch

-Badger's Hollow (Duracraft Ashley merged with a Corona Buttercup, and then "custom" bashed recently - too much of a bash, should have left the cottage alone and scratch built a new house. See  http://community.webshots.com/user/irismarch
 

3/8" MDF Kits:

-The Original Rowbottom Manse (Petite Dreams version of RGT's Alison, Jr. - just the right amount of bash for my sanity and for structural integrity. Two houses were merged into one and the new house deepened. See http://community.webshots.com/user/irismarch

-The Rumford Townhouse - an Odd Job kit built just as came out of the box! The only straight kit I have done … hmmm… See http://community.webshots.com/user/irismarch2
 

3/8" Plywood Kits:

-Abigails Teashop & Bakery - scratch-built. See http://community.webshots.com/user/irismarch2

-La Malcontenta (RGT Thornhill) - just the right amount of bash for my sanity and for structural integrity. See http://community.webshots.com/user/irismarch2

-The Bookshop (RGT Shop) - too much of a bash since the original shop is almost non-existent and the expansion was considerable - should have been scratch built. The bashed house does have structural integrity. See http://community.webshots.com/user/irismarch2

-La Extravaganza - a well-thought out, scratch-built, very large Georgian house. See http://community.webshots.com/user/irismarch

I have divided the following discussion by wood dimension.

1/8" kits:

I like the 1/8" houses. The designs are charming but the quality of the wood leaves a lot to be desired. I have done minor and major bashing on them. Minor bashing works fairly well, major bashing can be a horror. Due to my personal experiences, I will not build any more houses of 1/8" plywood. Minor bashing means adding/modifying a door or window, using a commercial straight-run staircase in place of the build-your-own that came with the kit, etc. Major includes removing or adding a wall and changing rooflines. An extension works well, but the extension is best built as a complete unit (floor(s), 3 walls, roof) and then glued to the house; see Toad Hall's extension. Remember that not only is the wood flimsy, but that house holds together by tabs and slots. If you want to add a wall, consider cutting the piece with tabs and add slots (with a craft knife). Also, remember that expanses greater than about 12" require a wall or column/posts to keep the ceiling from sagging. (See the open area on the first floor of Westerly). Do not do a kit-bash of a kit-bash. I did this for Badger' Hollow - this was a mistake. Building stability suffers and anxiety rises exponentially!

Try not to use the original wood scraps or house sections if you are doing large-area work. Consider cutting or re-cutting pieces in Baltic Birch 1/8" plywood (craft/hobby shops) or 1/8" MDF (Lowe's, Home Depot). I know this costs more money, but it is worth it for structural integrity and ease of construction.

Try to cut tabs in the new pieces and slots in the original building; otherwise you should use corner moulding to make right angles secure. You may decide to use these corners, regardless.

3/8" Plywood or MDF

These kits are much more amenable to bashing than 1/8" plywood kits. If you don't like to use power tools you will need good quality saws, hand-drills, and extra time and muscle. These thicker woods make it easier to do elaborate modifications, to have longer expanses without sagging, and can be glued or nailed, etc. Drill a pilot hole for nails and screws. While you can make a large section from smaller pieces, you still don’t want to do too much of this. It is always better to have a nice, continuous piece of wood.

If need be, birch plywood can be merged to MDF. When I was building the Original Rowbottom Manse, I could not find 3/8" MDF to make the house deeper. I had enough MDF in both kits to make the house into the style I wanted, but no extra. I bought 3/8" Baltic Birch plywood, cut the extensions needed, and then glued the birch to the MDF. This worked well but required careful lining up because 3/8" is not necessarily the materials' precise dimension. I added 4" to the depth starting with the ground floor and walls, and worked up. Small extensions at the ends usually don't require cutting entire new pieces.

Thick-wood dollhouse's Tacky or Dap (household) caulking to glue houses together. I prefer tough but flexible glues that can be "undone" when necessary.