Why a Manor?

I have wanted to build a proper multi-room Victorian manor for as long as I have been in this hobby. Not a kit — a full scratch-build from my own floorplan. Seven rooms across three floors: a formal drawing room, a library, a dining room, a kitchen, a master bedroom, a nursery, and an attic room.

The attic room is where the interesting things happen. In my imagined history of this house, the attic has been many things: a servant's room, a storage space, and finally — in the 1890s — the private studio of the youngest daughter, who painted watercolors that no one was permitted to see.

Week 1–2: Foundations

I ordered 3/8" basswood sheets and spent the first two weeks simply cutting and fitting the basic shell. The frame is glued with Titebond III.

Week 3: The Wallpaper Disaster

Do not apply wallpaper before the walls are completely, thoroughly, definitively dry. I thought mine were. They were not. Three walls buckled. I had to strip and restart.

Current Status

The shell is complete and structurally sound. I am now working on the drawing room ceiling medallion.