In order to have a “house on the hill” feeling, my friend suggested adding some extra height to the foundation so I could actually landscape and not end up with a completely flat yard. Smart cookie, that one! :D
I traced the foundation, stairs, chimney and cellar doors onto a 3/8″ plywood sheet, and he used a jigsaw to cut them out. He cut the component bases separate so I could have the ability to move them as needed.
The house and the related components will sit off the ground and I can make the lawn rolling and uneven.
He suggested cutting the cellar and chimney pieces small so I could add holes in the ground around them if I wanted. Another great idea!
One thing I needed to take care of before adding this extra base was to create my main wire channels on the bottom of the main landscape board. Most of the wiring will run through the house and toward the chimney. Some of the first floor wiring will go directly through the floor and open foundation…and the cellar lights are already in the foundation. These cellar lights will be completely inaccessible once the house is built, so I used LEDs with insanely long lifespans.
I drilled three holes under the area where the chimney will stand, though I might need only one or two in the end. Easier to drill them now than to attempt adding more later.
Next came the wide channel for the wiring made using a Dremel. All the wiring will run out toward the back and I’ll add plugs to use with the power strip. I’ll be covering the bottom of the baseboard with felt to protect the wires and to keep the plywood from scratching its display table, but I won’t glue the felt in this corner so I can access the wires if ever needed.
I glued the extra house base to the larger lawn board and will paint the exposed edges once dry. I’m not going to glue the house to its new base right now since I am not quite sure how I’ll address the landscaping anyway. But, I can now move onto the interior, even with the base unattached.
