Customer Reviews

Build Your Own Inexpensive Dollhouse (Dover Woodworking)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you want what HFH builds, a simple, decent house, this book is for you. The fact that it's still in print after over thirty years should tell you something. This is a simple, solid, easy to build dollhouse from a single sheet of plywood. It's to the 1"-1' scale. It has a back and a front, something a lot of dollhouses don't have.

This is a sturdy home that a child could sit on without harming. He uses one piece of 4' X 8' X 1/2" wood, which can be as expensive as you like. The directions are clear, the cutting pattern is laid out for you, and he tells how to make its simple construction even easier (for instance, not beveling a roof piece) but then goes on to tell you how to make it fancier (adding moldings, attic dormers, flower boxes, shutters). He even shows you how to make doors.

His house has a staircase, which again not all dollhouses have, but he believes is important to the house. There is a living room, dining room, kitchen, adult bedroom, child bedroom and bath. There are over 40 diagrams and pictures. This would be a good first woodworking project (maybe after a birdhouse) for an adult to do with a child. The child would get to learn about fractions, moving one-dimensional ideas to three-dimensional reality, tools, safety, how to sand, countersink holes and then putty, nailing, etc. Even decorating!

You can't ask for more from a $5.95 book.

This book is not for the person who wants a dollhouse with gingerbread trim...I mean, the author doesn't seem to care too much about architectural detail. For the handyman type who wants to build a dollhouse for a child to play with, this book will suit you, but I do think spending a few dollars more on pre-cut pieces of higher quality wood to suit the overall size of the dollhouse would be worth the extra cost. Trying to do the house with a single sheet of plywood creates more work than necessary and the sanding of the cut edges can be tedious. So, my advice is to use the basics provided in this book and modify them slightly to make your own unique dollhouse. Don't be afraid to make it slightly larger or smaller, add a few pieces of decorative trim and create something a little bit prettier than the house on the cover. :)

We made a dollhouse from one sheet of wood with hardly any waste. It came out really cute! I do not work with wood normally and I did it. I was very happy! It is a nice size for the fisher-price bendable dolls. It closes up to put away. It has an attic where the child could put outdoor furniture or a barbie pool or you could use it for storage.

When my grand daughters were admiring the doll houses at the museum, we got the idea that building one together
would be fun. This book/plan was perfect for the inexperienced/beginner woodworker on a budget like me. I tripped over a couple of things. We were so excited to see it coming together that I forgot to read all of the directions. The plan is so flexible though that it didn't make any difference, it came out so cute. My grand daughters are very happy with the result. It cost me more than $30, but this is 2010, not 1970 and because I made some choices to accessorize differently than the author. I'm happy that this book has been kept in print.

How would you like to build your own inexpensive dollhouse with just one sheet of 4' by 8' plywood and home tools? With the high price of a lot of dollhouse kits out there, who wouldn't want to do this? Myself included. With this book, you can do just that. Yes, you can. And with that same piece of wood, you can make furnishings and accessories to decorate and finish your dollhouse.
Following the directions in this book, one can make a basic two-story dollhouse that one can modify to his/her preferences. Anyone can build this dollhouse. No carpentry or wood-working experience is needed. You can build it anywhere and tailor it to your likes and dislikes. At 44 pages, it isn't a large book, but it tells you all you need to know.
I haven't used this book to build a dollhouse, yet, but from what I see the instructions are pretty clear-cut. It's basically a box with interior walls fitted inside. I intend using this book to make this dollhouse in the near future once I finish work on my custom made house. My husband was once a carpetner and agrees that anyone can do it. It wouldn't be too difficult at all, just time consuming.

This is a useful book and provides a good basis for learning how to design and assemble a dollhouse built from scratch.

This book is invaliable for the beginner hobbist. Gives details on how to start and finish simple dollhouse using minimal tools. A must have for the begginer or child hobbist.