Putting in the stairs

 

This was my favourite stage so far, the stairs! So exciting, they really add lots of nice detail to the house. This is me painting all the little pieces that will be white, the risers and the spindles. The handrail and treads are stained.

And here are the stairs in place:

The whole left wall of this house has lots of details, there is a built-in bookcase, two fireplaces and of course, the stairs. That's what makes the Glencroft special.

Here are some details of the stairs:

And the top half:

As you can see the joins around the tabs look pretty messy so I'm going to use filler and sand/prime/paint those areas again. The edge of the stairs will be covered by a wall though so I don't have to do the sides, just the interior walls.

I also spent forever fussing with the handrails. The ones in the kit were just square on the edges, obviously, but to fit nicely against the wall and each other I sanded them down to angled edges. But then they were too short.

So I made new ones using the strips between other pieces on the sheets. You can cut them with an exacto knife then sand them to the right length and angle on the edges.  I was pleased with the results, but there's nothing like taking a close-up photo to see all the flaws - I will have to prime over that glue!

Also at this stage I have to decide how the stairwell will be decorated as it won't be very accessible once that side wall goes up. I have a vintage ribbon that may make a nice carpet but I'm not sure if it's the style I want for the house.

Although so far the decorating style I've decided on is just anything I think is pretty. And, it occurs to me now, anything I'm not allowed to do in our real house!