Demolition and Reconstruction

The first step in my doll house rehab was to pull off the broken trim and the cardboard surface of the rear roof. I didn't need any special equipment beyond a flat screwdriver, but I felt like I needed to call for a teeny tiny dumpster.

The new trim was cut from lengths of craft trim that I found at Michael's, the big box craft store. I took a sample with me from the pieces I had removed, and they had bins of the stuff. I decided to add shutters to the house, and they had the perfect trim, which I cut to size. I also bought a small craft saw and a utility knife.



Here's the old cardboard back roof. I pulled it off, but underneath the wood was bumpy with old glue and nails. The replacement came in the form of a roll of thin cork, which I found at the hardware store. Its intended use was to replace car engine gaskets. I cut it to size, and glued it down with heavy duty adhesive. All of the rest of the repair has been done with regular wood glue.


You can see the new rear roof in this photo. I painted it, and the front roof, with deck stain and sealant. All of the paints I used in this project have been leftovers I found in my garage.

Here's a shot of the house with it's old trim scraped off and with the roof repaired. The glue and stain were pretty stinky, so the house spent a lot of time on the back porch. The messy brick work around the entrance was sanded flat and pained to match the rest of the house.

The purple was a trial color for the body of the house. I though it might make a good choice for a bright and colorful fantasy palace, but this purple reminded me too much of those plastic Barbie houses, so it was not the final color selected. Next I'll show you the finished exterior, including the side yard.