This dollhouse goes together in a subassembly which is then joined with the first floor foundation assembly.
The walls are a little difficult to keep together during assembly so clamp with masking tape as you go along and have patience. Do not add any other walls to the structure except what's in the instructions. You need to fit the first floor staircase to the shell now and additional walls will interfere with that installation.
Shell Preparation
You need to prepare the staircase walls before you install the staircase into the dollhouse. With the staircase in the way you will not be able to have full access to this area for finishing.
Wallpaper the walls that will surround the staircase after you prime them. If your wallpaper paste bottle becomes hard to open, turn it upside and hit it against a very hard surface, preferably a concrete floor. This will crack the glue that might have dried around the inside of the twist cap and loosen it so it can be turned.
Do not install any ceiling paper at this time. It will not allow you to fit the staircase in properly.
I also primed the floor because I will be using a flooring cover.
I cut out the doors after the wallpaper was semi-dry. Don't wait for it to be fully dry because it will make your cuts harder and cause rough edges around the door openings.
Keep In Mind
You need to allow the wallpaper time to dry thoroughly before attempting to install the staircase. If you do not, be more difficult to install the staircase with moisture swollen walls. The potential for damage to the wallpaper will also be higher.
Bashing Options
A blog reader asked me this question and I decided to post the reply in this entry since it seems like it would be an option many might want to try. The foyer/dining room/living room area can be bashed in the way shown below.
If you want a larger, more visible dining room/living room area, you can omit segments of the middle wall which separates the foyer from the living room. This wall should not be omitted in its entirety though. You must keep the section that is circled below but you can omit the two walls I put X's on. By omitting these walls, you can open up the dining/living room area while still maintaining a separate foyer.
You can omit the door from the circled wall by simply leaving it in the opening and wallpapering over it, since a door in this area would not make any sense if you are opening the foyer.
You can not omit the circled wall because it bears the load of the second floor and it's also the wall the staircase end is resting on. Finish it by placing a trim piece along this walls back edge.
