Barbie Dollhouse Plans

This page is dedicated to barbie dollhouse plans to make your own Barbie dollhouse for that special someone.

Children have been playing with doll houses for the past 200 years. Most were made of wood, but by 1900, toy makers began making doll houses from paper. Children could also build their own doll house with building blocks such as a set of the Happi Time miniature rubber bricks.

Most of the doll house and furniture plans that are available online are miniatures and would not stand up to the rough play of 7 to 8 year old children. Building miniature doll houses is a hobby for adults. They spend many happy hours making the most detailed miniatures that are too delicate for children to play with.

Playscale.

There is much confusion regarding the scale of Barbie dollhouse plans. Kid friendly Barbie doll houses are often refered to as playscale, also called half scale because it refers to the ratio of 1/6 which means 1 foot in real life equals 6 inches, or half a foot.

Playscale dolls and action figures are mostly around 11 1/2 to 12 inches tall, which presents a particular challenge to the designers and builders of Barbie doll houses: size. Design and build a playscale dollhouse with two stories and an attic and it measures around 4ft high, 5ft wide and 8 inches deep. This takes up a fair amount of space, not to mention the weight. When compared to the diminutive protaginist, it does seem a little over the top.

Materials.

Barbie doll houses for play can be made from almost anything, but if you want it to last, wood is the best material. Foam core can be cut with a sharp utility knife and steel ruler and assembled with hot melt glue. Interior decorations should be added before final construction.

Investing a bit of time and effort pays dividends with a Barbie dollhouse that will give hours of fun and memories that last a lifetime. It can even be a family project - involve your daughter in the planning stage, or keep it a big secret and a guessing game with clues and hints as to what is about to happen.

Parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles have great pleasure/enjoyment and satisfaction making Barbie doll houses. It doesn't have to be only a little girl that plays with a dolls house. Little boys also need places to park their cars and construction toys. You wouldn't call them a dolls house, perhaps playsets is a better term.

Medieval castles and forts, firestations, service stations, farmyard barns and even log cabins are a favourite amongst boys. The list is as long as your imagination. Recycle a bookcase with a few modifications a bit of paint, and it becomes whatever you want it to be.

It would be a good idea to design and build a dolls house to be multipurpose, for example, a storage drawer as a basement or bookshelves.

Tools.

If you already have woodworking equipment such as bandsaws and sanding machines, that is a bonus, but not to worry if you don't.

You don't need a fully equipped woodworking shop to complete most of these projects, if it is a one off construction, you could make a dolls house with normal handyman tools.

If you are willing to invest in power tools, this list of tools for making wooden toys for making wooden toys is a good place to start.

Skill level.

If you can saw a straight line and know which end of the hammer meets the nail, then generally speaking, you can build a simple dolls house. Not that there are any nails in a dolls house, mind you.

Free barbie doll house plans - this one stands about 3ft tall, but here is the advantange: it can be taken apart to fold flat for storage.

Another free doll house plan for dolls up to 5 1/2 inches tall. Similar in construction to the free barbie dollhouse plans.

Barbie dollhouse plans to buy from Amazon. Choose from Traditional, Southern Mansion and Cottage styles.

Bunnings in Australia has a free do-it-yourself brochure on how to build a dolls house. Again, the tools are very elementary, being a tape measure, a square, a screwdriver, and a fine tooth panel saw or power saw.

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