Not buying the full kit? Check this...

If you are feeling more adventurous and don't plan on buying the full mansion kit, then you may be wondering which of the parts you should plan on buying and which ones you will plan on cutting yourself.  Here is a simple list with my suggestion of parts that are in order from most difficult to cut to easiest to cut.

1 - Window Frames - These window frames are cut from 1/8" basswood.  This means a simple Xacto Knife would leave quite a challenge to get these cut out.  They make Xacto Knives with serrated edges, and that might help a little, but it's still going to be a challenge to get all the window frames cut out.  Keep in mind there are 2 frames per window.  That's 48 window frames!  Trust me.  If you are looking to cut time and effort, buy these window frames first.

2 - Window Lights - The window lights are cut from 1/16" basswood so cutting becomes much easier.  But the issue with these is all the small squares that need to be cut out, and - there are still 48 window lights!  Yes, 2 window lights per window.  That's a LOT of cutting.  After the Window Frames, my suggestion would be to buy the window lights.

3 - Atrium Faces - While the windows are cool on this Advent House, and they are the ones getting used, it's really the Atrium that 'shines'.  (literally).  So ensuring proper cuts on the Atrium faces is essential for a great display.  The atrium faces are cut from 1/16" basswood, so it's totally doable with an Exacto Knife, but  the many, many cuts, the precision curves, and the size of each face all contribute to a challenge in itself.  A great step in saving time and effort, we suggest buying the Atrium Faces. (or just get the entire Atrium Kit)

4 - The Door - In the plans, I provide instructions on how to build a door.  But, really, we're talking about hours and hours of work in that process, and just hoping for it to work properly.  Just trust me and go with The Door.

5 - The Structure - The woodworker in you is saying, 'What? that's the easy part!  I have a table saw!'.  And indeed, a well stocked woodworking shop will have everything you need to cut the main structure pieces.  But the Structure is in the top 5 because of several factors.

1. There are LOTS of windows and they each need to be cut by hand, or with a scroll saw, or a fine-tip router.  There is a lot of time involved there.  And one slip of machinery and you'll be re-cutting that part again.
2. Each piece needs to be close to perfect.  With 1/4" thick material, there isn't a lot of fastening surface so each piece needs to be nearly perfect to provide sufficient surface area.  A slip of the table saw blade will create a void where the glue may not work as well.  
3. There are a lot of structure pieces.  From the floor to the walls to the bracing and the roof, there are some 50+ different pieces that are used in the structure.  That's a lot of cutting.

Those are the real challenges of the cutting portion of building this great Advent House.  There are other parts that will present their own challenges, such as the Tower Faces and Tower Frame that are part of the Tower Kit, but they aren't in the top 5 because there are just a couple of those (compared with the 48 of window stuff).  The fencing kit isn't difficult to cut (all straight lines), but there are a lot of cuts.  The Corbels are tiny and can be a finger-grabber, so buying those might make since too.

In the end, I've developed these plans so that anyone can cut and build their own Advent House, but you may want to save yourself the time and effort by just buying the parts and pieces.  Or - go all out and just get the whole Mansion Kit.

Merry Christmas!