Exciting stuff...

My Lyddington shop arrived yesterday.  As of now I have resisted going at it like a whirlwind - my usual approach.  As I mentioned previously I want a space to work in and we need to get on with that first.  It is very hard though as I am itching to at least do the dry build so I can get an idea of its size.  I have absolutely no spatial awareness skills and can never actually visualise the volume of anything in a space, so it is nigh  on useless giving me dimensions - yes, I understand them but, no, I can't visualise them.

I don't really remember assembling the Wentworth and I wonder if I was as fazed by the seemingly zillion bits of stuff in the package.  If anyone out there has built stuff and has any tips I'd be so grateful for your help.  I am mostly concerned about what parts I should paint or paper or whatever BEFORE assembling or whether I should just throw up the building and go at it from there.  Painting the ceilings before building seems reasonable but after that I'm stuck.  I've trawled the web but get conflicting and incomplete notions from what I find there.

I have two sets of dog-leg stairs (no spindles or rail).  I don't see how these can go in and then add the handrail and spindles in situ and then try to paint them - surely it would be better to build and paint the stairs first and then put them in?

Last time I worked out which internal walls were to be painted and which to be papered and did that before building but it wasn't all that easy to get right and I was only papering the back wall so there wouldn't be a problem with any corners having gaps.

As for the outside; the last project came painted and papered from DHE.  I am tackling this one myself.  I am veering towards versi slips for the brickwork as there won't be much of it.  I shall paint the side walls (to match the brick) as they would be attached to the rest of the terrace in reality.  Not sure if I can run to versi slates for the roof but would love to do so........  again suggestions welcome.  I'm not confident I can use the pressed card sort of things and then paint it realistically which is another option I've considered.

I want to leave out the quoins which come with the kit but I also want to add window sills inside and out and don't know how to go about that either.

I am assuming a silk emulsion rather than an oil base for the exterior woodwork????

As for the work space.....

It is freezing cold and neither of us want to go out and work in the garden getting the summerhouse cleaned up.  I know summerhouse sounds grand - it is just a shed with a lot of glass but if I call it a shed that conjures up another image so I'll have to go with summerhouse I think.  Anyway it needs a wash and then a paint job before I can move in.

We have just got back from a trawl round Ikea buying the 'furniture'.  I sussed it out on line first.  In fact I nearly ordered it on line and the delivery would have cost £35 (!!) which was a lot on low priced items. My smarty pants other half suggested we go and have a look at the stuff and make sure it is what I want.  It turned out that getting it from the shop and arranging the delivery there only costs £15 and it will be here tomorrow.

I'll take photos as we go along and tell you the saga .

Meanwhile lots of little EBay bargains are still arriving.  Today's haul was a music stand and, from another seller, I got three lovely little jugs.  I decided it seems a bit daft just showing you screeds and screeds of stuff as it arrives.  The photos get added to the online Le Tout Paris contents album so if you are curious you can just check in there now and again and see what I've got so far.  

Something I don't understand is how a business in Shanghai can sell me a music stand for £2.99 (free post) and mail it by a fast method which is signed for on delivery at this end. Where is the profit in this?

As you can see I have a zillion thoughts going on at once and that's only the dolls house - don't even get me started on the garden which is desperate for attention and a real life kitchen that needs a rethink/rebuild.  All of which needed doing yesterday as far as I'm concerned. 

I don't sleep well!!