Today, I installed the roofs on the dormer windows. By this morning, all the glue had dried, making the dormers very sturdy. This stability was helpful while putting on the roofs, as nothing shifted or moved under pressure. I needed to trim the roofs a bit because they were sticking out into the interior of the dormers. Don’t hesitate to cut as needed; the roofs can be easily trimmed with scissors. The goal is to achieve a polished look, and if that means adjusting something to size, go for it.
Installing the dormer roofs is challenging and requires a lot of dry fitting and trimming until they fit perfectly. Ensure they are just right before gluing them down. There will likely be gaps in the roofs, which is unavoidable. However, since I plan to cover them with sandpaper, it doesn’t bother me. I recommend that anyone building this dollhouse use a material like sandpaper or copper to cover the dormer roofs because gaps will always be present. Covering them hides any imperfections and enhances the overall appearance. If you choose sandpaper, remember you can paint it to match your color scheme; it doesn't have to stay in its original color. The sandpaper for the dormers didn't require hot glue because of its arc shape, which keeps it flat. I used tacky glue to adhere it directly over the wooden dormer roofs, ensuring all gaps were concealed. This process takes patience and careful dry fitting, but the effort is worthwhile.
I also covered the interiors of the dormer roofs with sandpaper to hide any visible gaps from inside the dollhouse. This detail makes a significant difference in achieving a clean and finished look. The interior trims for the dormer windows are quite wide and barely cover the edges of the windows, which is ideal for hiding any unsightly gaps. I cut them in half at the top and then trimmed them down further until they fit well over the window edges. The joint at the top is visible, but I plan to add a decorative wooden piece there to conceal it. If you don’t plan to cover it, ensure that the seam is flush when joining them together.
I completed shingling both sides of the mansard roof using the same method as before: I made a paper template, glued the shingles onto it, and then attached that template to the roof. I also finished siding all around, including the left tower wall, which is very close to the roof.
I had to fill in all gaps around my chimney and fix a trim piece that shifted while drying. The glue sets so hard that I had to chisel it out and re-glue it straight. A lot of spackle was needed to correct the chimney, and I may need to touch it up again after finishing the entire dollhouse. I applied roof trim next to the chimney; however, that was my last piece. I need to order more before I can continue with that task. Additionally, I've run out of sandpaper for the roofs and need to get more as well. I also assembled the cellar window.
Next, I started preparing the brackets. After punching out pieces from their sheets, count them carefully. The best way to organize them is by counting out the large middle pieces first because these indicate how many brackets you have; they are unique pieces without duplicates. For example, there are 38 large middle pieces for both the mansard and tower roofs, meaning you will have 38 brackets once laminated with other pieces. For the porch, there are 6 large middle pieces, resulting in 6 long brackets total. This method helps prevent confusion with side pieces and ensures you have just enough brackets.
After separating out the large middle pieces, everything else will be side pieces. Since each large piece is laminated with smaller ones on both sides, you should have double the number of smaller sides compared to large middles: 12 sides for 6 porch brackets and 76 sides for 38 mansard and tower brackets. Count everything carefully, bag them separately, and work on one wall at a time to avoid confusion. Lightly sand any pieces that need it using a fingernail file; if they don’t need sanding, leave them as is.
I started with the porch by painting all large middle pieces light brown and sides dark brown so that when laminated together, they create a striped effect down the middle. After finishing with the porch, I moved on to one wall at a time while following instructions closely to ensure I used the correct number of brackets for each wall; otherwise, I risk running out of brackets later on.
