The dorm was converted in the early '50s to a B&B for tourists visiting the mine and ranch. Today there are 20 guest rooms, a bathroom on each floor, a utility/storage room and the rental office. The roof has recently been re-roofed with 3-in-1 tab shingles. Blue seemed like a good color to be seen from town (free advertising).

PLANS

The building was designed to be built using 1/16 plywood for the shell, Grandt Line doors and windows, 10” clapboard siding and individually-cut treads and stringers for the stairs at each end. The shingles are DollHouseDesigns.com strip shingles. I designed the building using the same construction techniques developed through the evolution of DollHouseDesigns.com. The plans were drawn in 1:12 scale and then reduced to 1:87.1 scale. I used DeltaCad® to design and scale the plans. The foundation, all panels, rafters, stair tread and stringers were drawn out, arranged on a sheet and printed full-size on 8.5x11 paper with a standard printer. The pattern, with two edges carefully trimmed, is sprayed with tacky glue and pressed in place on a square corner of the 1/16 plywood. The pieces are cut without measuring anything: just align a steel straight edge and cut. This method provides accuracy and consistency when cutting multiples of the same piece (such as stair stringers, rafters, etc.). The paper pattern can be removed right before gluing.

FOUNDATION

Using 3/16 basswood for the foundation, the strips are glued to the paper plan. (The building shell can be started while waiting for the foundation to dry.) Cut away the excess paper from the outside of the foundation: the pattern does not need it. The glue-coated foundation wall is dipped in flat-stones to be cut away from the inside of the foundation frame. The paper adds strength to the foundation frame while working the stone.

Coat the edges of the foundation with “stone”. Plaster of Paris, collected from scenery, is sifted through 1/4 inch and then 1/8 inch screens. The 1/8 to 1/4 sized pieces are used for the stone. Tapping the collection container, the flat rocks seem to float to the surface.  After the glue has dried, grind stones flat with hobby tool. Coat the sides of the foundation walls with glue and press into the flat stones. A light spray of wet water helps the glue wick into all the crevices.

After the glue is thoroughly dry, use a Dremel with a drum sander to flatten the stones to approximately 1/32 thickness. Weather with ink/alcohol wash. After the site is cleared and leveled, the foundation is placed and checked for level. When satisfied, glue the foundation in place with the paper pattern facing up. Leave the paper pattern in place until ready to work the piece.

BUILDING SHELL

After carefully cutting one edge of the pattern, it is sprayed with Krylon adhesive and aligned to the 1/16 plywood. Use a steel straightedge to cut the roof, wall and floor panels. Attach glue blocks to the walls and end panels and, after dry, glue floors and walls together. The floors help to align the panels.

SIDING

Using the drawings as a guide, strips of lap siding are cut to length and glued in place (supervision is needed when cutting and gluing). The drawings/patterns were created using the cut-out openings measured from the doors/windows that had already been purchased. The shell is nearly complete.

WINDOWS & DOORS

The windows are created using an art or CAD program to draw curtains and wall/floors. Put the windows in place, rafters set, stoop set: supervisor's wife standing in door, checking it out. A strip of clear packing tape over the printed window and cut out the individual windows. The tape serves as glazing.

Paint the shell and install the window curtains with the clear packing tape out. Put a drop of CA glue in each corner and insert the painted window frames.

I found a couple of pictures in the Walther’s catalog of figures that were just the right size to be standing in 2 of the doors.

ROOF

Shingles are printed on blue paper, painted with red and black diagonal stripes, cut into strips, and glued to the roof. Take care to alternate the ”tab slots” to simulate the way shingles are installed. Rafter ends are glued in place (again, under close supervision), aligned with the drawing. Nothing has been measured while in the shop. All measuring is completed in the design phase while using the CAD program.

After painting the roof edges, glue in place and secure with kitchen plastic wrap.

DETAILS

The stringer pattern was tacky-glued to long pieces of 1/32 plywood and cut out using a new blade. The long strips allow for easier handling and bracing upright for attaching the treads.

Strips of 1/32 plywood were cut to length and glued to the stringers. I glued 3 treads in place and allowed them to dry before gluing the remaining treads. The stoops and roof were cut from scraps - no drawing was produced for these details. The steps down from the 1st floor stoops are glued to the ground as are the front and rear stoop. This provides for absolute alignment of the building on the foundation (the dorm is not secured). The treads are glued in place. Details are in place - now he has started carrying his seat cushion.