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I haven't taken on any new BIG projects, mostly because I don't have room, but the Grand Hotel was the biggest to date!

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Here you are looking over the atrium to the main floor of the hotel. I doubled the floors' size and extended the floors out the back.

Panels of foam core were used for the back walls, and some pieces were on hinges. These were all redone in 1/4" plywood once I had everything tested and fitted.


The hotel's original front doors were missing,and I replaced them with pivoting clear plastic, and the walls and trim were repainted. I left the blue clear window grids as is.
The original planters were missing, so installed some mini columns to be planters. I also raised the building on custom cut 2x4"s to look like a foundationa and it also increased the ceiling height, by 1 3/4". A lot in a doll's world.


The Atrium two-story 'stained glass' window was mounted on clear plastic and two wood side supports. This is removeable to take photos inside. Most walls had removeable parts or entire walls on hinges to allow access into the building for staging and doing photos.


Here is how the building is set up with the outer walls completely removed.I used Cake columns on bases for floor supports. These are attached with velcro everywhere, which makes it easy to take apart and still sturdy.


Lower left is a Salon, above Colette/Callies apartment, lower right is the bakery, above is Lara's/Sindy's studio apartment.


I'm a scrounger, all those closets in Vickie's once had doors which I saved, hinges and all. Those doors were used in the hotel. The window is from a thrift store mini Mattel house...trashed that I tore apart.(Sometimes you can find a trashed house for under $3-4 and it's worth it for the parts.



I've set up the walls w/o the windows doors to see how the fit for the hall connecting to the elevator.


This is the hall side of the wall, with the painted door and the trim all installed and glued down.


Because I was improvising, I needed a hinge, so a bit of curved wood trim was cut down to attach the door to the wall.


Tiled floors are actually photo copys of actually flooring (color altered) and glued down with modgepodge and then spray sealer.


Callie's apartment window...the left wall is hinged at the back and overlaps the plastic of the hotel and is attached with velcro. Fitting the new floor was tricky and hand sawn on lines from a paper pattern.


Here is another example from scrounging, those cheap houses that I tore apart, I save the cabinetry/kitchens even bathrooms for parts. Here the kitchen counter will be perfect for a studio apartment.


Here you see the two hall walls from scrounged parts, similar but not exact, so will be unified color and door paint will make it look planned.




Here's the hall after paint, everything looks seamless.



Inside the small studio I use foam core for a divider wall to the couch/bed area and a bathroom.



This is the bathroom side...a pedestal sink will go here, just to the right is a bathroom unit from a cheap Mattel apartment.


Self contained, I removed a shower door from another shower unit and used it for the door to the bathroom and it also swings to the shower.



Paint, tiled floors and it's starting to look finished. Just need a railing on the overlook.


Looking into Callie's living room/apartment, the door on the back right is to a fictitious kitchen/bedroom area. I may build temp rooms for this as this hotel/now called GrandView already takes up a 6foot by 30" table. Ella has demanded a huge closet and bedroom.


A shot over the front into the studio apartment...yes everything will fit. Hinges on the walls, make life easy, and velcro works perfectly.


My table tools. Plywood and 2x4's are cut in the garage by hubby. He does a great job if I literally draw the lines on everything. I do all the construction with these basic tools. MOST important is the dremel/drill with a saw tool on it, and I left out the mini-mitre box and mini saw that does all that trim. Paint is all acrylics, craft and sating wall paint.

All my detailed posts with instructions are on my ad-free blog, here's the second floor move in post,

I'll share the downstairs next week!