The dormers can be confusing because they are assembled differently from the other windows. While all the other dollhouse windows have large trim placed over small trim for a cascading effect, the dormers have small trim over large trim. Keep this difference in mind, as you may be used to assembling the windows in one way, but the dormers require the opposite method. It's easy to make a mistake, so refer to the dormer window picture in the instruction sheet to ensure yours looks correct. I plan to install my dormers differently than instructed because I want them to be movable.
First, gather all your dormer parts and finish them as needed. You can see how I finished mine in the photos below. If you want different colors for the interior and exterior of the dormers, make sure to finish them accordingly. The parts of the sills that will be visible inside and outside should match those areas. I finished the light and dark brown exteriors before laminating the sills together, then finished the white interiors afterward, just like with the other windows.
Once all your dormer parts are finished, you can pre-assemble by laminating the dormer fronts together. Remember, the small trim goes over the large trim. You can also laminate the top trims (with diamonds) and the L-shaped parts. Laminating everything before installation will simplify the process.
Installation of the Dormer Sills
I installed the finished and laminated window sills into their openings without using glue; I recommend not using glue at all. This allows for flexibility so you can adjust them up and down for a straight fit as you add parts. A mallet may be necessary to tap them down since the mansard veneer can create a tight fit. Once installed, you’ll see that the white sills face inward and the brown sills face outward.
After ensuring your sills are straight, add the interior sill bottom trim, gluing it to both the wall and bottom of the sills. Make sure everything is aligned before gluing. Step back from the dollhouse to check for straightness. In my bathroom, I used beadboard trim as the sill bottom trim for those dormer windows.
Installation of the Dormer Sides
The instructions suggest pre-assembling the dormer sides onto the front trim before installation, but I chose not to do this. Attaching the sides first can cause strain and warping when installing the fronts on the sills, leading to misalignment with the walls. Since my dormers will be movable, I want to avoid any issues that could affect their operation. Warped fronts may hinder window movement, and attaching sides first can also expose tabs that are difficult to conceal. Instead of pre-assembling, I cut off the tabs from the sides, sanded down any rough edges, and primed them. Then I glued the sides into their openings, ensuring they were flush with both the interior wall and bottom of the sills. I faced the cut edges toward the interior since they will be hidden by interior dormer trim.
Next, I installed the interior dormer trim. Although this trim conceals some edges of the dormer sides, you will still need touch-up paint and spackle later on. Completing these steps before adding the dormer fronts makes it easy to finish the interiors since you can reach in from both sides for spackling and painting.
Installation of Dormer Roofs
The roofs are made from thin sheets of wood veneer laminated onto cardboard backing, allowing them to bend easily into a circular shape that fits in the dormer openings on top of the sides. You will need to trim each dormer roof individually for a proper fit; this is easily done with scissors as each window may require different amounts trimmed off. Use masking tape to clamp everything until dry.
Finishing the Dormer Interior
Before installing the dormer fronts, ensure the interiors are fully finished. I chose to cover the interior of my dormers with ceiling paper, which is white like my trim, thick, textured, and forgiving of mistakes. This is ideal for the dormer interiors, but you could also use patterned wallpaper or sandpaper, which can be painted any color. Covering the interiors of the dormers provides a polished look with minimal effort. Due to the numerous nooks and crannies, even a well-finished job may still reveal some imperfections if left uncovered. Additionally, controlling the amount of spackle used in these tight spaces is crucial, as sanding it smooth can be very difficult.
To cover your dormers, start with a paper template that fits perfectly inside the curve of each dormer. Once you have your template, transfer it to your chosen covering. I used tacky glue to attach the ceiling paper. You will need to apply spackle in the interior to fill any gaps between the roof edge and the trim. After it dries, touch up with paint. If you plan to apply a textured finish using spackle or stucco, I recommend first covering the area with cardstock or thin cardboard for an even surface.
Finishing the Dormer Exterior
For the exterior, touch up the paint on your sills and paint the exposed sides of the dormers. I painted mine dark brown to create contrast against my light shingles. There’s no need for spackle in the gaps between the dormers and the mansard panel since shingles will cover these areas.
Dormer Copper Roofs
In a real house, dormers would likely have copper roofs. You can mimic this look using miniature copper sheets from craft or miniatures stores. In hardware stores, look for metallic paint samples in copper colors that are large enough for small roofs. Alternatively, you might find scrapbook paper or construction paper in copper shades. I initially planned to paint cardstock with copper paint but found it too dark for my needs. Instead, I discovered copper-colored gift boxes at a dollar store that were perfect for my project. I disassembled the boxes to find large enough sections to cover the roofs.
After making a paper template of each dormer roof area, I transferred it to the copper box paper. Each dormer requires its own template since they vary slightly in size. Making templates is straightforward with copy paper; just fold and crease it around your dormer tops and cut slightly larger than needed for adjustments. Ensure a perfect fit before transferring to your copper material, especially since I only had four boxes for four dormers. If you accidentally cut too much, remember that shingles will cover some areas at the top and L-shaped pieces will hide any imperfections along the sides.
I glued down my "copper" roofs using tacky glue and secured them with glue sticks and small binder clips since masking tape might damage paper. The glue dries quickly, and any marks from the clips will be concealed later by L-shaped pieces. The copper boxes were small but sufficient for covering the roofs. I had to use sections with folds because there weren't larger areas without them. I strategically placed these folds at the center of each roof to resemble seams found in real copper roofs, ensuring all four roofs matched.
