DOLLS’ HOUSES
Our daughter with her dolls’ house, furnished from my wife’s childhood collection
SCALE Normal scale is 1/12th of full size 1 ft becomes 1 inch or 300 mm become 25 mm
MATERIALS Medium-density fibre board (mdf) Overhead transparency for windows Piano hinges Corrugated cardboard, wallpaper
TOOLS Scroll saw Jigsaw Mini table saw Router (table) Lathe Drum sander
PROXXON TOOLS Mini drill Mini table saw
Mini shaper Mini thicknesser
Triton extension table
DECISIONS the number of rooms (lounge, dining room, bathroom, kitchen, bedroom(s)); access (3-sided with open back, 4-sided with removable front panels, 4-sided with hinged front panels); staircase; portico; balconies or decks; fireplace(s) and chimneys;
opening windows, pelmets and curtain rods; lighting; roof (flat, corrugated, tiled); floors (plain, tiled or wooden planks); interior doors (doorways only, opening doors, French windows); interior walls (painted or wall papered);
exterior walls (painted or brick or stone effect); garage or other outbuildings. colour scheme
PRICING This is the most difficult part. Costs of materials are easy to assess but the time taken in the intricate construction can never be charged at a realistic rate. So, as always, it boils down to what the buyer is prepared to pay! A million Rand real house does not scale down to a 1/12th dolls’ house anywhere near R83 000!
Furniture Magnificent scale furniture is made by Koekoe Jonker and Brian Edwards (Port Alfred). These are really collector’s pieces. For the rougher handling of children, Suzi-Q has lower price sets made in China.
A simple 4-roomed house
The interior – with furniture
Another version of a 4-roomed house
6-roomed house
Interior view
Top of the range - Mansion
FEATURES Eight rooms Garage (with tip-up door) Staircase Lighting (by transformer) Simulated flooring Cornices, skirting boards, curtain rails Tiled roof
Interior views
Lighting
The entrance and balcony
More interiors
Restoration of rustic house
Furnished interior
Settler cottage – from Cross Street
My replication
Interior views
More interiors
Open-plan house
FEATURES Simultaneous access for several children Some moveable pieces (staircase & balcony) Moveable partitions to define rooms Parts of the roof can be removed
The moveable staircase (with storeroom)
Backview (with moveable partitions)
Moveable entrance & balcony
Construction details
Georgian house – under construction
Completed
Hallway & Kitchen
Ground floor & Upper Room
Attic Rooms
Village shop
Shop interior
More interior views
Queen Mary’s dolls’ house in Windsor Castle (www. royalcollection. org Queen Mary’s dolls’ house in Windsor Castle (www.royalcollection.org.uk/queenmarysdollshouse/house.html)