Scale: Since I work quite a bit at scales approaching O, HO, and N model railroad gages, I am confused when someone asks for "quarter scale or HO" sized people.

When building objects for each gauge, I use these closest fractional scales: 1/4"=1' for O, 1/8"=1' for HO, and 1/16" = 1' for N. They are not exact (i.e. HO is 1/87 and 1/8"=1' is 1/96) but close enough that the difference is not noted when put into a layout.

The advice given was accurate, however. People of each of these scales/gages are available at any railroad model oriented hobby shop. I have purchased many at each scale and used them in my architectural models. I will guarantee that if you put "quarter scale" people in an HO layout, they will never fit thru the doors. ( A common problem with those neat village setups sold in Hallmark shops)

Dave

Front Opening Houses: You can get around the landscaping issues by having very low foundation landscaping with the sidewalk directly in front of the house and creating a yard/garden on the side. Cut some windows in the back and cover the outsides with pretty postcards so you are not looking at the wall. Another idea I saw somewhere and an still "thinking on" was a front opening house that had a tiny ledge extending into the room over the floor. Then when you open the front a tiny bit of the room comes away with it. They had small things on it, like perhaps a stool, some vases, and stuff like that. This way the hinged front had sort of a vignette effect.

Linda in GA

Front/back opening houses; In the UK we are more familiar with front opening houses and speaking for myself I prefer to look at the house "face on" with all the curtains "flapping" as it were just as they did in the early days of Baby Houses. The best dolls house makers in the UK will put additional windows in the sides, back, or wherever you want them to maximize light, viewing and realism. The dolls houses they make are usually the basic item (excellent in itself) but customers can make changes or additions to this design to suit their own requirements.
To answer the question about kits having "ready cut parts". It means what it says. The entire house is all cut out so all you have to do is follow the instructions and fix it all together like a giant jigsaw puzzle. With a plywood house of top quality there is minimal sanding or filling of gaps. I have completed a Honeychurch Town House and am working on an Anglesey Victorian shop and after just priming and sanding they were both ready to decorate.

Karon

Front Opening Dollhouses: Following the thread about dollhouses that are front opening. Speaking from the "displaying" point of view for our miniature museum due to open the end of June--they are difficult to display. We have one dollhouse that has a removable front and back and we will hang these pieces above the dollhouse. Another house has hinges on 2 sections of the front. We will also hang these pieces--however, it is a shame to lose the lovely 2nd floor porch area--but to be able to see the interior, it is necessary. We also have a 3 story + dormer apt house with shops on the 1st floor. This building is completely enclosed and the dormer areas lift up. It has a lovely facade which loses a lot when it is opened. We choose not to open the dormers but are opening the two sides. We had to have display bases and covers built for these pieces and displaying is not a "piece of cake." I think front-openings are fine for your own personal use, but for museum display they create some display problems.

This is one reason that my big dollhouse has the front and back solid and the both sides open, with plexi on each floor that can be removed with the simple removal of 2 screws. That way if I want to get into the kitchen, I remove that floor's plexi (about 12" high and 36" wide) and don't have to wrestle with a huge piece of plastic that covers the entire side.

Fay in St. Louis

Front Opening Dollhouses: This is not to try to sway anyone's opinions, but there is much to be said for both styles of mini houses. The N.E. Town House featured on my web site is a front opening style and it was a delight to work in. There are windows in the back. There are 15 windows on the front doors and I always have it closed when someone new comes to see it so they can "window peep" inside. Since it is electrified, it never fails to delight them.

When it was on exhibit twice, I had a piece of Plexiglas which was screwed to the opened front and the doors remained open but could still be seen if desired. It was built in 1980 and I have never had to dust anything in it. The same does not hold true for my "real" house that we live in. I also have a Victorian dh with a tower, which is four sided (like a real house) and it stands in a corner on a table built for it. It is not finished but is a pain to try to turn around even though it stands away from the walls. Those zero-clearance turn tables would be nice, but I don't have one & suspect they are very pricey.

Jeanette in Wisconsin

Front Opening Dollhouses: To avoid the "box" room look, what if you did a false wall a few inches into the room, with the door propped half open. Before you glued in the wall you could set up part of a scene to glimpse through the door way. Maybe a pantry or linen closet type thing? What does everyone think? I haven't tried it but it sounds neat. I bet you could even make the false wall removable incase you ever wanted to redecorate with a minimum of effort.

Linda in GA

Side Opening House: To all who want to see a house with side-openings: Have you ever seen this website? It has a great house with little shops on the ground floor and lovely rooms : it opens on both sides. But also other great projects worth visiting. Is this a member from SS? I don't know where I got this website, but it is GORGEOUS! Worth visiting and drooling!
http://swallace.bizland.com/chessington_plazamainpage.htm

I have a front opening house, mainly because of the cats and the dust. But I am very happy with it. The front also tells something about the house and the period. AND: What is a shop without a front?!

Atie J. from Holland

Houseworks Victorian/Front Opening Dollhouses: I have the Houseworks Victorian and I love it. It was my dream house. Some things haven't gone well but we keep plugging away.

One of my complaints about dolls houses is they have so many windows that it becomes hard to arrange furniture. I opted not to put the windows in the back panel because of this. I have a fireplace on the back wall of the living room and the room above which will be the master bedroom. I also added a staircase from the second to third floors. We split the top floor into three rooms and one is the bathroom. I didn't use the bathroom that they suggest on the second floor. That is one big room.

One of the windows that goes onto the balcony is now a door. I moved the steps to the front of the porch and made the base of the porch shorter so I can have real lattice. I'm sure that doesn't make sense but it works.

I really suggest you get the plan book that comes separate. Some of the directions that came with the house are poor (at least to me). We used piano hinges (very long hinges from Home Depot) instead of the short ones that come with the kit for the roof. It is much sturdier. We've had some problems with the doors, they just don't want to hang right. And at least in my house, there are still dust bunnies even with the doors. It's a great house .

Rita A.

Front Opening Dollhouses: Coming from the UK myself I cannot for the life of me understand why anybody would want the bother of spinning a house around just to look at it from the back. All you have to do is arrange your landscaping to accommodate the opening 'doors'. I don't fully understand your idea about postcards Linda - you don't have to cut a hole in the wall of the house but you can always put a 'false' window on the back wall to make it look as if there is a view beyond. Is this what you mean? My basement did not have access to the main house for some obscure reason so I have 'done away' with the stairs to the main house and will put in a false door with a piccy of stairs beyond it giving the illusion of a staircase and at the same time allowing me to put that space that should be the basement hallway to better use. Does this make sense to you? now that I see it in print it looks confusing but I cannot think how else to explain it!

Dolly Kay

Front Opening Dollhouses/Plexiglas front: My house opens from the front so that the stairs go up from front to back. The outside front of the house is in one piece with windows, clapboard, etc. So that I wouldn't have to remove the front every time someone wanted to see it, I came up very a very satisfactory solution. I used tiny earth magnets (very powerful - available from Lee Valley) and countersunk them into the inside edges of both the house and the front piece making sure they match properly. I have extra magnets and a piece of Plexiglas that fits over the front and is easily held in place with the magnets. Because the magnets are countersunk, the front piece will fit right over the plexi if I don't feel like removing it. I'm really pleased with this and plan to do the same technique on roomboxes. Hope this gives you some ideas.

Housebound in Ontario