Friday 2 April 2010

Where to begin?

It's the Easter weekend and I'm not starting my new job until Wednesday, so it seems like an ideal time to make a start on this kitbash.

I've once again taken over the dining table to be my work area - my family got so used to this arrangement during my 18 month Willowcrest build that they have accepted eating on the picnic table virtually without comment.

The kit is going to require some significant modifications to achieve a similar layout to the Pickett Hill house.  It is never going to be exactly the same, but I would like it to be similar. The first step is to go through the kit to check what I've got.  I'm off to a good start:  I'm not missing any plywood sheets, and only a couple of them are slightly warped.

The next step is to start carefully punching out the sections of the house that I think I am going to use, and doing a dry run with masking tape while I start thinking through the modifications.  I'm trying not to punch out any slots or windows/doorways until I really have to, as many of these will not be used or will be altered in shape.

I'm making a list of what I am going to be changing, as I think of things while I am doing the dry run.  For example,
  • my house is not going to have a tower, but I do need a wall where the tower front wall is.  I think I am going to have to cut a new front wall that runs the full width of the hallway, with a new centred door aperture for my Grandtline front door. I will need to cut down the right tower wall to be level with the roofline.
  • The left wall needs to run the full width of the left wall.  So I will cut off the left bay completely, and cut a new doublewidth left wall.  This will change the roofline of this gable, so I may need to cut new roof pieces.
  • I am not going to use the Fairfield chimney, so I am not punching out any of the holes through which it passes.  I will need to make a new dividing wall between the bedrooms since the chimney/hearth wall won't be dividing these.
  • I will replace the right front bay with a Houseworks H5008 Victorian bay window, and the rear windows with Houseworks French Doors opening into a (separately purchased) conservatory.
The biggest puzzle is what to do with the staircase.  As far as I can tell from the Pickett Hill photos, their staircase is hidden from view and possibly not even fully functional.  I want to be able to cut back the floor of the bedroom to create a doubleheight living room like the Pickett Hill, but at the moment the Fairfield staircase is in the way.  I am going to have to build the staircase first to see how big it is, so I have started gluing on the treads and risers.

1 comment:

  1. Just as well you have had lots of experience with other builds before you tackle this quite complicated kit-bash. It's a shame you didn't have some 'hands on' look-see of a completed one, even in quarter scale it would have been helpful. But having read further on I know you did a wonderful job - I am full of admiration for you!

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