The Design

Although the house itself is from a pre-set design, our imaginations are the only limits as to how this will ultimately look.  The shop with the awning over it in the original picture will be a replica of Out Of The Ordinary's Gift Shop section.  The second shop, the one with the small alcove outside its door,  will be a Florist's shop. 

The design itself is a 3-story dollhouse.  The first (ground) floor consists of 2 separate shops.  A stairway from one of the shops leads to the second floor, where there are 2 spacious rooms.  The third floor also has 2 rooms, but you have to magically jump from the second to the third floor, since the plan does not call for a staircase.  (We didn't design it, we just cut it out!)  The second and third floors are an open concept, where half-walls and faux-walls give the illusion of divisions. 

Likes, Dislikes and Tips

Like:  The open concept gives the viewer the illusion of big rooms, and very little view obstruction.

Like:  The shops themselves are not particularly big, but they have nooks and crannies that truly resemble small shops - particularly in Europe.

Dislike:  If you're a realist, the missing stairway between the second and third floor will drive you batty.  Personally, we voted for a teenager's *bachelor pad*, because they can't get down once they're up there.  Can you tell we have both survived bringing up teenagers?

Dislike:  There is a section of the third floor that has no window. The design calls for a full wall.  We will be looking at adding a window to that wall, even though the two full walls below this one have no windows in them.  Maybe that's where we can put a fire escape for that imprisoned teenager?  Heck no!

Tip:  Try to decide what your shops will be, before you start.  What you decide to build may affect some of your finishing plans, and may call for you to alter placement of certain components (like windows or awnings). For those familiar with the term "kit bashing", you have an advantage here, in that the pieces are not yet cut.  Careful pre-planning will result in faster and better results. Unless, of course, you're like us, and decide to change things after we have a box of cut pieces.

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