Vintage Kit Kraft Dollhouse

 I mentioned a few posts ago that I was working on a project that was almost finished.  Well, here it is!  It's a dollhouse I built from a vintage kit.

 

About a year ago, I saw a vintage dollhouse kit come up on Ebay.  All the pieces were there, but no box, and only the instructions and illustration you see here.  I was intrigued, because the house was made from printed masonite (the brick pattern is lithographed onto the pieces), and I'd never seen a kit like that.  It seemed like it must be older than the popular kits from the 1980's, but I tried to research the company (Kit Kraft from Kenosha, WI), and couldn't find anything except a more modern company of the same name, not related.  Regardless, I decided to bid, and I won!  I wasn't sure whether to be excited or scared- what had I gotten myself into??

 

 I really should have taken a few "in progress" shots, because it was quite a job getting this thing together.  The instructions weren't the best, so there was a lot of guesswork involved along the way.  There were no finished measurements included, so I had no idea how large this thing was going to be!  Had I known it was going to be 43" long, I may have thought twice about it!

 

But anyway, I went ahead and built it!  This is the only unfinished photo I took of it.  I was trying to decide what color to paint the roof shingles, so it sat like this for a couple weeks!

 

 As you see, I decided on an aqua green, and I think it was a perfect choice!  The shingles are actually strips of cardboard with the notched cut.  I painted them, then distressed them with sandpaper.

 

I really wanted the house to look old, so I used crackle paint on ALL the woodwork- boy, this was a task, because there was a LOT of woodwork!  But I'm glad I did, because I love the way it looks!

 

I considered trying to sand down the brick surface, but I was too afraid to mess it up!

 

  I love the all the extra details, like the bay window, the entryway, and the porch.

 

 The windows (at this point) don't have actual glass or plastic in them, but I may add that at a later point.

 

 And here is the inside!

 

 All the wallpaper is scrapbook paper- I tried to use older styles, yet still keep it pretty and bright!

 

The instructions were pretty unclear about that central tower- there were no doors from it into the other rooms, and as you see, the top floor isn't really tall enough to be a floor!  But my husband cut some doors for me, and I just decided that top space can be the attic!

 

 Don't tell the dolls that move in here, but we actually didn't add a door from the top right room into the hallway, because it was too short! 

 

The stairway was not included in the kit.  I purchased this one from Hobby Lobby and worked it into the design of the house.

 

It was a little challenging, because it wasn't quite the right size, but I love the extra character it brings!

 

 The other exciting thing about this house is that it has electricity!  After I got the kit, my husband bought me an electric kit to install, but I quickly learned that it was way too complicated for me!!  So it fell on him, and boy, was it a job!  Very expensive (we kept needing to buy more supplies), and very time-consuming...

 

 In the end, it will be fun to have lights, but I really don't think we'd tackle it again!

 

 And so, that is my latest project!

 

 And you'll probably laugh, but I actually have NO ROOM to display it.  Like really- this thing is HUGE!  So, for the time being, my mother-in-law is going to keep it at her apartment.  She always wanted a dollhouse, and so I told her she can decorate it and "play" with it for as long as she likes, and I can visit it from time to time!

 

I hope you've enjoyed this little tour, and if anyone happens to have any information about Kit Kraft, I'd love to hear it.  I'd really love to know the age of the kit!