How to Make a Doll House

by HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

A doll house can make a wonderful gift and building it can be as simple or as complex as you want. Toy manufacturers offer kits, which include pre-cut wood that need assembly. Making a basic homemade doll house requires just a little bit of wood-working skill and can be loads of fun for the whole family. Follow these instructions to learn about building a 24-inch (60.96-centimeter) wide, 15-inch (38.1-centimeter) deep and 24-inch (60.96-centimeter) high, two-story wooden doll house.

What you need:

  • Sheet of ½inch plywood
  • L-shaped brackets
  • Flat brackets
  • Small jig saw
  • Screwdriver
  • Screws
  • Tape measure
  • Pencil
  • Paint and paintbrush -- optional

Here's what to do:

  1. Mark off three 24-by-15-inch (60.96-by-38.1-centimeter) sections of plywood.
  2. Cut three pieces of plywood along the lines marked above. These will be the floors and roof, and will hereafter be referred to as A.
  3. Mark four 15-by-12-inch (38.1-by-30.48-centimeter) sections of plywood.
  4. Cut four pieces of plywood, which will hereafter be referred to as B. These will be the side walls.
  5. Mark two 24-by-12-inch (60.96-by-30.48-centimeter) sections of plywood.
  6. Cut two pieces of plywood, which will hereafter be referred to as C. These will be the back walls.
  7. Take two pieces of B and place them opposite each other with one piece of C in between them, making a three-sided box. Attach the three pieces together using two L-shaped brackets at each corner.
  8. Place the three-sided box onto a piece of A. Attach the box to A using two L-shaped brackets for each wall.
  9. Place one piece of A on top of the three-sided box to form the ceiling of the lower floor. Attach it with L-shaped brackets.
  10. Repeat step 7 to make another three-sided box.
  11. Place one piece of A on top of the box for the roof. Attach the roof with L-shaped brackets.
  12. Place the second box (with the roof) on top of the first box. Make sure the walls of the two boxes are flush with each other.
  13. Attach the two boxes using the flat brackets on the outside of the house.
  14. Paint the interior of the doll house.

[sources: Do It Yourself, Mahalo]

You've just made your first doll house!