Sunday 14 July 2013

The £100 House

"Is it possible to buy, build and furnish a dolls' house for less than £100?"

I posed the question to my hubby over dinner one evening. His eyes lit up with a devious gleam. This was clearly not only something that would keep me out of mischief for a few months, but I'd be doing it on a budget too! It was definitely not something to be sneezed at! I don't think he's quite forgiven me for the impulsive purchase of Gulliver's when I just nipped into Miniatura for some plants and a pair of rubber gloves.

And so, the rules of the game were drawn up.
  • £100 cash. Not a penny more can be spent. This must include the purchase of the house and everything to go in it.
  • Anything in my scrap bag of fabric, or hubby's wood remnants, or odds and ends of cardboard, glue, fabric and paint are fair game. They're leftovers from other projects and have no monetary value.
  • Nothing can be used from other dolls' houses or purchases that are intended for future dolls' houses.
  • Swaps MAY be possible - and, indeed, probably necessary when my maiden voyage into polymer clay results in a 12th scale version of The Blob.
  • Shipping counts in the £100 total.
So, with no further beating around the bush, may I present my first £30 very well spent on eBay.
As you can see, it's a Sid Cooke shop, which has been partially tackled by someone else. I like the look of these shops anyway, but it came with loads of extras, including a load of Richard Stacey bricks and mortar to finish off the job someone has started. 

The additional baseboard is perfect for an outdoor cafe (well, we might as well make the most of the weather we've been having!) and I've got lots of wood and shelving and a couple of DHE lights for inside. And a handcart. Because my sanity is clearly off to hell in it with this project!

My immediate plan is simple. Let's get the externals of this shop finished off for zero money before I go on holiday. Now I just need my hens keep their legs crossed a bit because I need their egg boxes for paving slabs.

Can I turn this abandoned shop into a trendy modern coffee shop for less than £100? I truly have no idea, but it's going to be immense fun finding out.

2 comments:

  1. What a fabulous challenge (and what a bargain find to start the ball rolling!)

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  2. I'm delighted with it. Needless to say, we're sticking with modern, but this definitely isn't the build for your wonderful pouffes. They've arrived safely, by the way, and we're both thrilled with how wonderful they are!

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