The Dollhouse and Why You Should Build One? By Lily Morgan At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

The doll house has been a popular toy and hobby for many children and adults for many centuries. In fact, the doll house has been in existence for thousands of years. In the beginning these miniature homes were used for religious purposes, as those found in Egyptian tombs. Later, the “baby house” evolved. These were actually cases where miniature rooms displayed every architectural detail and were made with extremely detailed miniature furniture. These were collected by wealthy matrons in cities like Germany, England and Holland.

From these “baby houses,” the doll house evolved and even today we have some exemplary pieces in museums all over the nation. Among the most famous of these doll houses is the “Queen Mary’s” doll house which was created by Sir Edwin Lutyens. In North America one of the most elegant doll houses is the Colleen Moore Fairy Castle, and the Thorne Rooms. These very famous doll houses are all housed in famous museums around the world.

As you can see, building a doll house is not only an interesting hobby to start with a child, but it is also very educational, especially if you study up on interesting, famous doll houses, and visit a few doll house museums with your child.

Building the Doll House You Have Always Dreamed of

Do you want to know how to build a great doll house? First you need to decide on whether this will be a play doll house or a collector doll house--one that will keep all of those treasured miniatures. You will also need to decide on the scale you are going to use to build the doll house, most are built at a 1/12 scale, or one inch per every real life foot.

Your Doll House Design

Before starting, think about the doll house design you want. There are several doll house plans you can buy, which aren’t very expensive. You can get ideas on other websites. You might even want to visit a few doll house museums, and specialty shops to get a design.

If you are not an experienced carpenter, then you want to start with a simple plan. If you do not have much experience and try something too difficult, you will get discouraged fairly easily.

The Pattern

You can either purchase an already made pattern or draw your own. Remember you will need the floor, three walls and the fourth will be open, as well as two pieces for the roof. Your pattern should also have the windows and doors drawn out.

The Construction

Use ¾ inch plywood for the bottom and 3/8 inch plywood for the walls. Then place your pattern over the wood and mark it. Cut the wood with a saw and then cut out the doors and windows.

Once you have everything cut out, sand it all smoothly, glue it together with wood glue, and add a few small nails to make it stronger. After you have glued and nailed the structure, sand it all again to make it smooth. Once it is all put together you can paint it and it’s all ready.

You and your child will be ready for hours and hours of pleasure. Dollhouses are not just made for children to play with. There are all kinds of furniture and accessories that you will love making with your child. Some of these are made from specialized woods and are fabricated in intricate detail. Other accessories are made with cardboard, clay and a little varnish.

You and your children will enjoy making the dollhouse, playing with it, adding furniture, decorations, accessories, and seasonal items.

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