DIY Barbie Doll House: Week #1 Planning

Well this is a little different from my usual posts. Grandbaby will be three on Saturday and I will have call her Grandgirl after that. So, since she so loves the little Marx metal dollhouse we have in the basement, we thought we would build a BARBIE DreamingHouse for her for Christmas.

Now we are building the house substantial to last forever, but for the furnishings, I have been collecting things since March. Many items will be altered or handmade. Once a Week I will do a Barbie Post to update you on the progress of this very big project.

Step:1 

Planning-After researching the internet and looking for all the scale 1:6 meaning 1" in real life is 6" in Barbieland, same for Bratz and Monster high. There are some fabulous ideas online...and many, many Barbie DIY's. We decided to adapt an idea based on one bookcase plan. Built from 1/2" plywood this will be a substantial piece of furniture. This is the site I used for FREE PLANS.

Step:2 

My Plans were drawn to scale on grid paper...1 square = 1" or 6" in Barbie scale.

BarbieDIY oldnewgreenredo

Here is the original plan we adapted ours from, originally 51 1/2" tall by 45" wide x 12 1/4" deep.
Since Barbie furniture is scaled large we opted to increase the depth to 16" and also to add stairways, so we added to the width to be 48" exterior and that makes it 47" wide inside the house.

Our total height will be 48" which is the size of a 1/2 sheet of plywood for the back.

BarbieDIYoldnewgreenredo

Since I have been collecting OLD and used furnishings, I drew the plans---with furniture I had in mind, and some I will still have to make (sink, stove, counters, desk, shelving, side tables, lighting, bed)

My drawing above is the second floor showing kitchen to the left, stairwells, and dining/living room to the right.

I drew plans for each wall, floor and interior wall. Then I placed outlines of furniture on all the plans...to see if I had enough room or needed more items. This kept me from buying too much. The spaces filled  up quickly, and keeping in mind a three year-old playing with it all.

BarbieDIYoldnewgreenredo

The middle above is the left side wall, all three floors: bottom/garage, 2nd/kitchen drawn in, 3rd tub and window placement in bathroom. To the right are the interior walls and stairwells. This is very tight and will be steep. I have no idea how I'm making the stairs, yet...the railings will be minimal and will involve acrylic sheets (we have scraps around from some other projects).

Step 3:

Laying out the furniture on the to scale plans.

BarbieDIYoldnewgreenredo

The Dune Buggy will be parked in the garage on the lower left. The left wall is shown here, with garage on right, the kitchen on level 2, and the bath on level three(left).

BarbieDIYoldnewgreenredo

Today I transferred my plans to the rough cut pieces. To double check placements from my drawings, I set up the furniture roughly according to the plans. I altered windows..etc. to accomodate visuals.
Barbie furniture is scaled so low---I will be adding height to just about everything, except the kitchen
appliances.

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 Ken barely fits in the tub for the upstairs bathroom, that's OK, he will have a shower in his bathroom on level 1.

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Here is a panel I took from the Barbie shopper/vending machine, which I found still full of shoes/accessories for $3.99 at Goodwill, but it didn't work and was abandoned. Anyway I took the back off and am using the filigree panels (REDO) as windows for the bathroom and Barbies' bedroom --how cool is that? The cabinet itself will be the closet in the bathroom.

BarbieDIYoldnewgreenredo

Back to Ken's bathroom.

Lower Level 1, on the far right wall. Ken's blue shower is on the bottom with the toilet, and then his closet/wardrobe. Marked on the board are two windows. A narrow partition or screen will be put between the toilet and the wardrobe to give Ken privacy, from his dressing room.

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Here is Ken and his interior wall dividing the 1st floor Mancave and his bathroom. The (Barbie) sink unit was dismantled from the shower unit and will be mounted to the wall. Some towel holders are  removed for painting silver. His bathroom/Mancave will be in blue, brown and beige tones.

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The two plastic doors will be used for a wall cabinet...that will have mirrors on the inside of the doors, maybe. Everything will be manly brown-beige-blue.

Seriously everything I found was hideous pink or purple and needs a REDO.

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Step 4: 

Adjusting the plans to work with the furniture.

Right wall--the second and third floor. In the middle (level 2) the short pink couch will be REDONE and raised 1". The window is marked to scale with the sofa.  To the left is a 12" bed of Barbie's on the third level, she will have a double-bed though, which I am making NEW with that length.

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On the otherside of the Level 1 interior wall, is Ken's soon to be desk bookcase. I'm just playing here to see the proportions. I found two of these case things for 1.99 each at Savers, a REDO--They were from bead kits. I'm using one as kitchen cupboards and one for Ken's desk...which will be custom built from scraps. Again...nice blue, tan, browns in this room and lots of Chicago BEARS accents.

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He really looks like he wants to work here...LOL. The rest of the ManCave will be shown later.

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 Here is a rough layout of the kitchen. Hmmm, it's going to be tight. The cartons in the back are where the stove and counters will go. The sink will go next to the pink dishwasher (99cents), The refrigerator I bought NEW...$8.99 at Walmart.

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Can you see the stove on the right there? And I'll raise the shelves up to the top of the dishwasher...maybe granite countertops...You never know. Still looking for a stove and sink...but am prepared to build them if necessary. Kitchen will be green and white with appliances in Stainless steel. I found brushed chrome stickum paper at OfficeMax for 99 cents a sheet.

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The Fridge was a good buy, and came with some accessories. I think the pink handles have to go silver though.

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I'm thinking I may make the table drop leaf (REDO). How often will Barbie have company more than Ken? And that will uncramp the kitchen, besides company can be served on the dining table in the next room.

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On to the second floor living room, dining area. Two couches cornered with a round skirted table and lamp. I will raise each of the couches an inch...honestly they are too low for the height of the dolls.
This area will be greens/grays/black and silver.  I'm thinking tailored skirts and a bit of cushions with bolsters and pillows in contemporary prints.

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Here is an inexpensive table and chair set (comes with dinnerware) that I ordered online...was under $17.00 with shipping. The chairs are flexible plastic, and I'm not sure about them...I will be supergluing the table though. I sure don't want to put it together again. It is sturdy, as long as nothing slips out of place, hence the glue.

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The scale of this room is looking good, things to add yet, TV...birdcage, coffeetable, bookcase, lamps, lighting. The room is long and skinny...but that all should work.

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I'm excited about the 3rd floor vaulted ceiling Bathroom/Bedroom. The wood piece on the right will become an upholstered headboard to the double Barbie bed. With fru-fru skirted tables on the sides with lamps, it will fill the far right of the room. This room will be pink and white, and another color.
I have yet to pick out fabrics.

The large dresser is deep 4" and pretty good size. Painted a solid white with some pink handles, maybe a silver front. It will hold much of Barbie's wardrobe. A mirror and her accessories will be on top. A chaise,  side chair and dressing table will finish off this room. 

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Here is the layout at the top of the stairs. Artwork and a clock will be on the high wall of the stairway almost at the peak of vaulted ceiling. The pink dresser will be in front of the railings and banister of the stairs. Again, think silver, and some pink here. Thinking crystal or pearl knobs here.

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This is the bathroom/dressing room. On the right of the sink will be a cutout door to the bedroom

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The sink will be on this wall with a wonderful mirror above it...can't you see it?
The wardrobe (REDO-busted vending machine)....will hold accessories and shoes and hanging clothes and the vending area in the middle will become shelves for towels etc.

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And here is Ken again in the tub...in front of a filigree window...use your imagination. At the foot of the tub will be a tiled planter to finish off the tub. Again, think silver knobs, but this room will be pinkish, but only as much as I can stand.

Step 5:

Make a list of items still needed and shop for moldings.

I hope you weren't bored with all the planning, but this saved a fortune doing it this way. To buy a Barbie House already furnished of this size, would be $300-400 dollars, maybe more. And we will be less than half of that, for sure. Planning does save money and creates a NON-putrid pink haven for Barbie and Ken to live in. Many Barbie houses are 8" deep...which is only enough for a narrow bed along the back.

When Grandbaby turns 10, she can change it all,  however she wants to. That will be fun to do it all over again. I hope I am around to help her.

NEXT POST: Priming, Painting, Windows, Doors, and Electrical.

Dollhouse posts here,

DIY Barbie house Week 1 Planning
DIY Barbie House Week2 Cutting and Painting
DIY Barbie House Week 3 Windows
DIY Barbie House Week 3 Finally Color
DIY Barbie House Week 4 Assembly

DIY Barbie House Week 5 Stairs and Moldings
DIY Barbie House Week 5 Final Lighting
DIY Barbie House Moving in with Vintage Furnishings

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Sandi

All the opinions and photographs in this blog are my own, I have not been paid or reimbursed in anyway for my opinions or posts. Please do not use my photos without linking back to this blog without my permission. 

Thank you for your cooperation, Sandi Magle