The Exterior

AFTER: Remodeled Exterior with new roof, three separate first-floor porches, a second-floor patio over a built-out kitchen, freshly stucco'd outside walls, aqua-painted wooden window and door trim, landscaping and a flagstone patio.

The newly remodeled exterior showing the bedroom's walk-out patio over the built-out kitchen.

The newly remodeled exterior, showing the exterior chimney and the open rafters of the living room ceiling.

The family pups (one on the second-floor patio, the four others on the lawn below) were definitely included in the dollhouse refurb. Plastic dogs were re-painted and their sizes were altered to represent the correct size and actual coat patterns of the family's five dogs.

The bay windows were an add-on to increase area inside the house. Flower boxes beneath the windows and potted plants on the windowsills were added. The acetate window inserts are recycled from the original dollhouse, although they did have to be trimmed to fit the newly added narrow bay windows.

"Granite" (contact paper) steps leading to the front door that is flanked by colorful, flowering bushes (flocked, painted christmas trees) and potted plants. Horse head statues (chess pieces) mark the entry to the walkway.

Front left porch (off living room) with plants and a potting shelf (process I used for making the potting shelf is shown in the next photo).

Steps taken to build the potting shelf and decorate the left porch, as well as the steps used to make gardening tools that are stored in a basket on the top ledge of the potting shelf.

Continuation of the exterior fleur-de-lis decor on the window trims and the roof.

Walkout patio from master bedroom with several potted plants and a birdcage with two parrots.

The floral trellis wall planter and flower boxes on the outside kitchen wall, and the steps of building the trellis wall planter.

To create the flagstone patio, a base was painted and then five different colors of paper stones were cut out and glued on the base. Then, each separate stone was layered with various shades of textured paints. Finally, the entire patio was sealed with two coats of Mod-Podge.

The dollhouse completely happy in its rightful home.

The parrot cage and its under lighting.

Methods used to create lawns and hedges.

Outdoor fire pit (process I used for making the fire pit is shown in the next photo).

Steps taken to make outdoor fire pit.

BEFORE/AFTER: The front door was completely revised to fit in with the new exterior and revised window designs (using scrapbook hardware for door hinges and scrapbook brads for door knockers).

I covered where some of the old windows were, enlarged some existing ones, and reduced sizes of others - each and every window was somehow altered from the original dollhouse's design. 

Some windows were replaced with "stained glass" versions - images printed on transparencies that were then coated with clear embossing powder and heat set.

Completed new roof, including "moss" and fleur-de-lis accents (process I used for making the roof is shown in the next 3 photos):


The original roof was covered in brittle "shaker style" wood shingles that were showing their age considerably. The roof covering was converted to one that resembles a "red clay tile roof"...

FIRST STEP: Removal of the prior wood roofing using elbow grease and a hot air gun to melt the old glue.

SECOND STEP: Create "clay barrel tiles" by cutting up and gluing several quartered sections of cardboard tube rolls onto roof base (being super-cautious to not pinch or melt any of the lighting wires).

THIRD & LAST STEP: Painting patina colors on all of the "clay" roof tiles. Took four passes of layering the paints to reach the final look I had envisioned.

After an interior fireplace was installed, the house needed a corresponding exterior chimney. Cereal box cardboard and patterned scrapbook paper to the rescue.

All 5 pups are on the second-floor patio with the parrots, ready to turn in for the night.