Greenleaf Fairfield Dollhouse Kit - 1/24 Scale

IT'S FUN - IT's GREAT. This house is an exceptional buy. You can build as shipped and it will be very nice, or you can upgrade with extras listed in the instructions. It seems to be the most compact of the miniature dollhouses too which might be a plus for storage since it doesn't come apart. Calling it a dollhouse is a little deceiving because it is a miniature and well suited to an adult builder -the sky's the limit on tricking this house out. The more craft experience you have of any type, the easier the build and more creative you can be.Although the instructions and piece sheets are daunting, it is relatively easy to construct if you follow the directions.The fits are tight, but pieces do fit well for the most part. They do mean it when they say construct in the order directed. I did use a very small file to enlarge some slots a little (some tab/slot places just woulnd't fit) and a nailfile to smooth tight places. I needed a small hammer to tap parts in that fit tightly. Tweezers might not be bad.Before you buy, examine the reason you're buying. If you expect to assemble this on Christmas Eve for the next morning, it won't happen. If you take the time to do a nice job (which is easy but does take time) decide whether you'll let a child play with this as a dollhouse. It's pretty sturdy, but will smudge and may break. If you can't stand that after all your work, buy the child another type of house. This house is probably for an older child who might collect miniatures or help with construction. If you want to buy the house just for the challenge and fun - you can't go wrong.

As many reviews have said, assembly can be a bit tricky. The wood splinters so easily, (I had more splinters in my fingers than I can count) pieces don’t always fit together properly and some pieces arrive warped… but, if you pull out extra sand paper and spend more time making things fit together the end result is so worth it. This was my first attempt at a full dollhouse but I wasn’t ready for a 1:12 scale, so finding this half scale dollhouse was perfect! You definitely have to read and become familiar with the instructions, especially if you plan to customize any part or add lighting. It took me about 45 days from start to finish, but I made a lot of changes that took extra time before I could move on to the next step. I made some of the pieces inside myself, which also took extra time. If you’re able to do any landscaping outside it completely finishes the overall look. If you’re doing this as a display, take extra time as you assemble because once each floor is glued in you can’t go back. I chose to hide my lighting wires in the floor above each ceiling, so I had to carve out the channels before I could assemble each floor. So preplanning is very helpful. I also wallpapered each wall before assembly so doing a mock up before gluing is helpful to figure out where the wallpaper should go. If you’re doing this as a dollhouse for play, I definitely recommend doing a bit of sanding before assembly to avoid anyone getting splinters during playtime. Despite the “negatives” I still give it 5 stars and highly recommend, it’s absolutely beautiful when completed!

One star is not low enough to explain how horrible this item is. If I could give negative stars, I would.We purchased this for my daughter’s 13 birthday, as she wanted a dollhouse she could build. This seemed like a great deal. First off, the directions are complete garbage and not at all very clear. The pieces do not fit together without having to take a Dremel or some other saw to trim and cut. After seeing the absolute frustration my daughter and how much difficulty she was having, my wife jumped in to help, as well as myself. I also must add that I am a licensed general contractor in two states. This house cannot be built without altering every single piece to fit. Either the slots weren’t cut large enough or the tabs weren’t cut correctly. It gets to a point where in order to continue building, every, and I mean every, piece has to be altered. I cannot believe we paid even $80 for this item. Knowing what I know now, it wouldn’t be worth $20.

At first this kit can be overwhelming, but after I took a deep breath and took my time. It took me about two months and I’m still installing lights. Many instructions. As far as I’m concerned, the instructions are very, very detailed and very precise. Really need to know how to follow directions. This was so much fun. It’s been 20 years since I put together my last dollhouse. I really really enjoyed this one. Although I stayed up way too late too many nights - it’s addicting. I pre-painted all the sheets of fiber board. Before I cut out the pieces. The fiber board is a bit delicate and will splinter easily.