Heritage – shingled gables

The three large gables are supposed to be shingled above the windows according to the instructions. The kit even includes fancy shingles for this purpose.

But, I think something about it is off. First, I think the shingles are too large. Second, and more importantly, I don’t think you’d leave any gable wood exposed on a real life house. It would either also be shingled or have some sort of siding on it. I am guessing the kit is like this to add some Victorian charm while making it a relatively easy job to add the shingles.

To remedy both of these points, I bought Greenleaf half scale speed shingle strips (octagon shape) with the plan to apply them to the entire gable.

Since I would ultimately be painting them, I decided to glue them onto the gable before staining them with the black/grey aging wash. I could always press the pieces flat while drying if they curled while painting and it didn’t matter if I got excess glue on the stained portions since the shingles would be covered by the crackle effect paint.

Here are the three samples I put together to test out which glue would work best and whether the same aging process as the siding would work here as well.

From left to right are Elmer’s wood glue, Aleene’s quick dry tacky glue and Quick Grip glue. I taped the shingles down while drying. The first two lifted after the dark wash. Not necessarily a bad thing on an old house as long as it doesn’t get out of hand.

I then brushed on crackle medium followed by white craft paint. Interestingly, the first one flattened out a bit with only a couple a lifts there and there. Still, I decided to stick (tee-hee) with the Quick Grip glue just for the fact that it dries so fast.

I started by placing the outer gable window trim on the gable and tracing around the edge.

I placed the first shingle strip so that the vertical lines between the shingles lined up with the bottom edge of the gable.

I placed the window trim over the first shingle strip and traced the outline.

I cut the shingle strip to fit with an X-Acto blade and then glued in place with Quick Grip.

The next row was applied so that the bottom shingles lined up with the top of the vertical lines of the first row. Again, I used the window trim as a template.

Once I had a few rows on, I cut the excess off the bottom and sides.

I’ll continue up to the top peak and then repeat for the other two gables, but I already think this looks like a better scale match. There will be trim between the gable shingles and siding to finish off the edge between the two.

I’m very pleased with the results of my experiment.  I think it looks more like the real Victorian houses in my area than it would have with the kit’s oversize shingles.

I absolutely love the shape of the gable windows, too! I’ve adored this house for years, and it’s so much fun finally bringing it to life.

Note to or anyone who is building a Heritage: the diecut arches of the gables end up being a structural part of the finished swinging windows. If you want these to be pristine, take the time now to repair both the interior and exterior portions of these gable parts. You may choose to cut new parts if the kit parts are too far gone. I was able to salvage them later, but it would have been easier before assembly. It was hard to work with them upright. See this post for details.

Categories: The Haunted Heritage
August 1, 2011 | 0 comments

Heritage – front bay window, part 1

The bay windows are one of the nicer features of the Heritage, but they did take some work getting to fit correctly. I’m always leery of the phrase “sand to fit,” because it never works for me. The instructions state you need a distance of 2 1/4″ between the small connectors once in place, and to get there I had to cut 1/16″ off each side edge of the bay window walls and bay window bases. It still isn’t precisely that measurement, but now the whole thing fits solidly.

I also had to cut down the tabs on the main floor since they stuck out past the walls and bases.

Even with the structural integrity in place, there are still gaps between the connectors and the floor board. I wonder if this is more of an organic type of build where everything has a little wiggle room built in so that you can force things into being level and straight.

Categories: The Haunted Heritage
July 30, 2011 | 0 comments

Palladian Door – first upgrade

After seeing the dry fit with the Palladian door, I was sold!

To get this door to work, I needed to adjust the rectangular hole to fit an arched door. You can’t tell from the above photo, but there were two triangle shaped gaps on either side of the top. Enter in two spare pieces from my old lost Dura-Craft kit. I had previously used one to try out finishes.

I had to disassemble the two long pieces on the front wall, but they pulled apart easily.

I marked the door opening on the new pieces and the bottom of the overhead piece and cut out the required opening.

My cuts aren’t the best since I had only a utility knife, but they work fine – no gaps. :]

I glued the new pieces in and prepared the finish as I had for the rest of the walls.

Voilà! Since the wood of this door was on the red side, I’ve painted it charcoal grey as the base layer on the outer trim.

And, a close-up of the top.

I am undecided as to which color I’ll crackle over it, but I needed the dark underlayer besides. The interior trim color will coordinate with the interior finishes…so that is also undecided. I’m still thinking about a door color, too, but might go with blood red. No, literally! I somehow managed to cut myself on the door…first time in awhile that I’ve sacrificed blood to a project.

Now, this door change will require other changes. First, the front porch will have to be lifted to clear the top of this taller door, but I had already planned to replace the square posts with turned posts to dress it up a bit and those posts are taller anyway. I can cut them to the size I need. Second, there’s a window on top of the porch that will have to be shortened on the bottom. And third, the interior trim on this door will be too tall for the first floor ceiling. I am thinking a two-story foyer leading to my new centered staircase ought to fix that problem! Besides, a haunted house needs a dramatic entrance.

Categories: The Haunted Heritage
July 30, 2011 | 0 comments

Heritage – the first dry fit

A few of the square connectors were broken in the kit, so while I await replacement pieces from Manchester Woodworks I used some extras from the Newport kit to set up the first dry fit.

Above is a Houseworks interior door as a stand-in for the moment. But, I am considering using this gorgeous Houseworks Palladian Double Entry Door that I had in my stash from a bargain lot of miniatures I bought awhile ago. I even tried to sell it at a bargain price but no one wanted it. It was meant to be. Using this door will involve some extensive bashing, but that’s pretty much my way these days. (Yes, that’s the first note to myself written on the porch. It reads, “Stairs before base” with a smiley after.)

I also made a fine purchase from Katie’s Clay Corner…two stone horse heads. They are wonderfully made, and I see them atop columns on either side of an iron gate. =cue spooky music=

The angled bay window connectors for the Heritage needed to be cut from lengths of provided wood and assembled. I am glad this is not my first attempt at a kit so I have an idea of what the instructions are getting at and what the end result will be. I’ve mentioned my old Dura-Craft kit from when I was younger. That kit languished in the basement after overwhelming both my mom and me, then was lost almost entirely to a flood. Even with the limited experience I have now, I can easily see why this sort of kit overwhelmed us.

I cut the appropriate lengths for the small connectors and taped them together along the outer edge (without glue). This held them in place for me to check the fit.

I opened the two connector pieces like a book and spread glue along the inner surfaces.

I then pressed the glued edges together and taped around the assembly at the top, bottom and middle.

Easy peasy…until I got to the next step. I had to glue a small connector to a large connector then cut off the excess from the long edge.

Uh…okay. I followed the same principle for assembly as above but first taped the inner edges together to keep the pieces in line while I applied the glue to the inner surface. Cutting off the excess was a bit of a leap of faith. I used a utility knife to score along the edge and removed most of the overhang.

I then used the blade like a vegetable peeler to smooth it out.  I was left with a choppy edge, though.

I sanded the edge it into a smooth, rounded corner. I actually think this unintentional detail might work wonderfully for an old house. But, it was my least favorite part so far.

Categories: The Haunted Heritage
July 29, 2011 | 0 comments

Old time gas lights

Other than Baslow Ranch, I’ve worked only in contemporary style.  In keeping with the creepy old house on the hill theme I’ve started in the Heritage, I had to venture into the past.  :D  No LEDs here, my friends…just dim gaslight, kerosene and candles.

The photos here are all the product shots, so I can’t say for certain what the quality is like (other than the Clare Bell lights below, which are fab)…but I am hopeful I will be able to work some magic when the shipment arrives.

I’ll be using one or both of the Clare Bell Brass Coach Lamps that didn’t end up working for Baxter Pointe Villa on the front porch.

These are the lights I bought for the living room.  First, a pair of Chrysolite Gaslight Wall Lamp Kits for above the yet-to-be-determined fireplace.

And, a Chrysolite Gaslight Chandelier Kit for general lighting.

This is a fairly long room, so I might end up using the Chrysolite Banquet Lamp (not a kit) here as well, perhaps on a side table.  The one I ordered has purple flowers.

There are three kits for the bedroom, all by Chrysolite.  First, the Bracket Lamp kits with ruby color bases.  These will go in the bedroom, likely on either side of the bed.

And, the Zenith Hanging Chandelier Kit for general lighting in the room.

I bought the same Bracket Lamp kits for the bathroom but chose white instead.

If something I have in the works for the bedroom pans out, I might be using a different lamp in addition to the ruby sconces and, in that case, the Zenith fixture will move to the bathroom. I am still deciding on kitchen and attic lighting, though I do have some things in mind.

Update: I am very pleased with the kits. They seem very straightforward and have good quality parts.

They are completely open to customization, which is the main reason I predominantly use kits for furniture. I like to pick my own colors and finishes.

The only snag in the Chrysolite kits is the supplied bulb; it’s not a replaceable type of unit. If I am going through the trouble of wiring my house, I want to be able to replace burned out bulbs. Since I use hardwiring and not the plug in type of lights, replaceable bulbs are a must for me. Since these are kits, I can purchase replaceable bulbs and use them instead. 

Categories: The Haunted Heritage
July 28, 2011 | 0 comments