Tennyson Construction

Page two: The main structure

Note: Images can be clicked for a larger view.

The Tennyson was designed so that the main floor was not raised above 'ground level'. I decided to build a base for the house so that the transformer for the lights can be hidden under the house. I made the base out pieces of 1/4" by 3" basswood.

This picture shows some of the base pieces being glued to the main floor. Paint cans make great weights to hold things while the glue dries!

8 weeks into the project, the walls finally start going up!

A lot of things had to be done before the gluing began. Some of the things I completed were:

Window and Door Trim: Cut out, sanded, sealed, trimed to fit, and painted. Plus painted edges of window and door cutouts.
Base: Cut and glued to bottom floor.
Doors: Cut out, sanded, painted, installed 'stained glass', installed hinges, attached to walls, and attached doorknobs.
Floors: Stained and varnished some of the floors, to give them the appearance of being hardwood.
Walls: Painted the interior walls white. This was done to prepare the surface for wallpaper.
Wiring: Planned the location of each outlet and light fixture. Cut grooves in the walls to house the wires.

I flipped the house upside down to finish gluing the main walls. The floors wanted to warp a bit, so the side wall did not want to meet the floors at the top and bottom of the house. I couldn't apply enough pressure to the attic floor to make the house plumb, so I clamped the house with the long nylon strap.

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