The Coventry Cottage Dollhouse Day 2

Installing the porch roof can be challenging, so it's important to dry fit it several times to understand how it should be positioned. 

The roof is designed to snap around the dollhouse and hold everything together. If your walls are straight and well-constructed, the installation will go more smoothly. This is why I always stress the importance of keeping your dollhouse straight and ensuring tight joints from the foundation up. If a part doesn’t fit properly, don’t rely on spackle to cover gaps; instead, make sure everything fits correctly before moving on. 

To simplify the installation of the front bay, I painted the bay roof first and then added the walls. Installing the walls was straightforward; I clamped everything to let it dry. I will wait to install the sill until after painting the bay. 

Before starting on the porch posts, complete all painting tasks. Be sure to paint the floor, porch roof, both top and bottom, and all walls. After painting, I spackled any gaps and applied a second coat of paint. When it comes to the porch posts, ensure that the porch is finished and that both the posts and trim are fully painted before installation. Assemble all porch posts and trim at once. I started with each porch wall followed by attaching the corresponding trim on top. Make sure not to let the glue dry before everything is in place; otherwise, you won’t be able to adjust for a proper fit. Begin with the posts closest to the front bay. 

While the porch dried overnight, I worked on the bay. I spackled any gaps between the floor and roof, then painted the bay and added the sill, which I had previously painted and was ready for installation. To address larger gaps between the bay walls, I used skewers for support since spackle wouldn’t provide a clean look. The skewers helped conceal these gaps effectively. Wooden dowels in the right width would also work.