After all the hard work on the tower's interior, I finally moved on to the exterior, which took quite a while to complete. I accomplished a lot during this phase.
I started with the siding, then installed the tower window. Next, I hinged the front door and two screen doors - one for the balcony and one for the kitchen. I still need to buy hardware for them. Hinging doors is never easy, and these screen doors are particularly challenging due to their intricate details. Painting them requires patience, as you must wait at least 24 hours for the paint to dry; otherwise, the wood becomes too soft to hold the hinges. I learned this lesson the hard way with my kitchen screen door, which broke into several pieces when I added the hinges. I had to reassemble it while it was hinged, which was difficult and nearly caused me to lose the door. Fortunately, I managed to salvage it, and it still works, though not as flexibly as it could have. Having learned from my mistake, I successfully installed the tower screen door, which works perfectly. This door was crucial because it allows full access to my custom staircase.
I added trim to the corners to match the rest of the dollhouse. Before installing the porch and balcony railings, I applied satin varnish to all the siding. This enhanced the color and provided a nice sheen.
Next, I installed the porch railing and balcony railing. I found half-scale, laser-cut balcony railing pieces at Ron's Miniatures; they were the last ones available. Thankfully, there was enough to complete the entire balcony, and I appreciated that they were flat, matching the tab-and-slot style of the dollhouse. I also needed to do a lot of touch-ups and fill in small gaps with spackle to achieve the look I wanted for the house.
Now it's time to tackle the attic next!
