Full Mansion Kit Build Time

I get a lot of questions about how long it will take to fully build the Full Mansion Kit.  And this is a great question.  Many people want to know if they have the time in their schedule and if they can get it done before Christmas, or even before December 1st so that they can use it as designed, for a Christmas Advent Calendar.

Well question no more.  We have recently redesigned the Full Mansion Kit to make it easier to use, build and finish.

We now estimate only 2 good weekends, and some hours during those 2 weeks to fully finish this Full Mansion Kit.

The process is as follows:

Week 1:
Spray paint the Atrium Faces, Atrium Back, Window Sills, Dormer Walls, Dormer Extensions, Window Keystones Backers, Fencing and Tower Faces.
Disassemble the Door and Paint that too. (You may want to add additional details to the door as well)
Lay out all window frames and shutters to ensure each is opening the direction you want them to open.  Then spray paint all exposed sides of each.
Decide on window images and get those printed on the supplied vellum.

Label and break out all of the individual structure parts (Please keep these organized)  Cut and sand as needed.


Weekend 1:
Assemble the Tower Cuppola (add trim and spire) - Then paint.
Assemble the Main Structure
Attach Concrete Bases to the assembled Main Structure
Use a simple wood putty to fill in all gaps and holes, sand to desired smoothness.
Mask off the main structure and use a grey Stone Texture spray to cover the Concrete Bases.
Next, Mask off the bottom part of the structure (including the bases), and use a texture (orange peel, stone, etc) on the roof front, sides and top (no need to coat the back side, unless you want to).

Use glue spray (on a very light spray setting) to attach the vellum to one side of the a shutter.
Put hinges in Frames, and sandwich the shutters inside the frames, around the hinge, using the glue spray.  Use a small drop of super glue to glue the hinge to the the inside of the shutter.
Place a 'masking' paper in the completed windows, then use spray glue to attach the images on the backs of the window frames.

Attach the Dormer walls and dormer extensions to the dormer windows.

Spray Glue the image to the back of the door.

Week 2:
Assemble the Tower
Use a glue spray to put vellum on the backsides of the Atrium Faces, then assemble the Atrium.
Apply the exterior finish of choice to the main structure walls (Advent House Plans sells 3 different exterior brick options). If using the formed or real clay brick, also apply the grout (sold separately)
Put the Door where it belongs

Weekend 2:
You are now ready to assemble it all together.
Attach Windows to structure
Put Atirum on Structure
Put Tower on Atrium
Add Interior Lighting (not included)

And VIOLA!  Complete!  Beautiful!  Take a picture, send it my way, then display proudly your work of beauty.  Let everyone enjoy this great Christmas Tradition beginning today!

Merry Christmas to all.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I"m not one to ever skip Thanksgiving for Christmas.  I don't listen to Christmas music before Thanksgiving, I don't decorate for Christmas before Thanksgiving, and I certainly don't turn on my outside Christmas lights before I celebrate the Thanks part of the Thanksgiving season.

I feel it is important to celebrate Thanks for all of the blessings in my life.  Certainly Christmas is the 'Season of Giving', and one should give thanks always - but I'm a staunch supporter of the Thanksgiving Holiday.

Now with that being said, I have to note that Thanksgiving is THIS Thursday - and that means that Christmas is barely *ONE * MONTH * AWAY*!!

Why is this important?  Because if you want to have a Christmas Advent House prominently displayed in your house, or business, by Christmas Morning, I'm thinking you'd better get started building.  There are no more available pre-built Advent Houses available for this year from any other supplier.  But you can build your own for This Year by ordering one from AdventHousePlans.  The 'Full Mansion Kit' contains everything you need to complete the Advent House, except for the finishes (ie. brick, paint, texture and lighting).

So what are you waiting for?  Buy your AdventHouseKit today and get started building!  With some effort and focus, you can have your Beautiful Advent House displayed on your mantel, or table, or even at your office.

You can purchase a kit here:
http://adventhouseplans.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=111&product_id=101

Don't miss out this year - buy one today!

What's Not Included?

I get lots of questions about the Advent House and one of the most common is what is NOT included in the 'Full Mansion Kit'?  So here is a list of items that you will need to provide, that is NOT included in the Full Mansion Kit:

• Super Glue - And, if desired, wood glue for the main structure
• Paint - We can't ship spray paint (we use dark green and black on our test models)
• Texture - We can't ship this either (we suggest a simple grey stone texture from your local hardware store.
• Exterior Finish - We sell 3 types of exterior brick finish on our website or you can find another option.
• Interior Lighting - We suggest a 25-light LED string of Christmas lights.  Or a single, low-watt switchable bulb.
• Exterior Decorations - Snow, icicles, trees, ponds, benches, etc....
• A Printer - For printing the images on the included vellum for behind the windows and the door (the images are included as a download after purchase of the Full Mansion Kit)

So, there you go - everything you need to get an Advent House set up and beautiful for Christmas Next Year!  

Christmas is Coming!

The end of October signals a desire to begin planning for Christmas.  The leaves are falling; the air is colder.  Maybe you already have snow on the ground. In all parts of the world, people are gearing up for Christmas.

What do you need to plan for Christmas this year?  Who is getting what presents?  What are you getting for Christmas?  Real Christmas Tree or a Fake one?  What family will you be seeing?  There are plenty of plans to make to be ready.

Another important step in planning for Christmas is getting your Christmas Advent House.  You can buy a completed Advent House at a couple of small shops online, but they are spendy and you're unlikely to get your house this year.  You'll probably be on a waiting list and be lucky to get your house 2 years from now!

Save yourself the time and money and buy a Full Mansion Kit from us.  The kit is a fraction of the cost of a completed house, comes with everything you need to construct your own Family Christmas Advent House, and you can Buy It Today, and have it ready for Christmas This Year!

That's right, don't sit on a waiting list hoping to get your house sometime in a few years from now, buy the Full Mansion Kit, build it at home in a couple of weeks and have it ready before December 1st of this year!

If you are feeling particularly crafty, you can check out the other Kits we offer.  Save yourself some cutting time on those, but build the rest from the Advent House Plans that you can purchase.

Whatever your choice, planning for Christmas this year MUST include a plan to get a Christmas Advent House today as part of your decorations.  Build it from plans, or part kits, or from the Full Mansion Kit, but get your Advent House Today!

Christmas in July, 2013

It's late July. In our area there hasn't been a single flake of snow in what seems like forever.  Seems like a good time to get started on your Advent House!

So go check these out:

First, look at the Full Mansion Kit, This kit contains everything you need to build the Advent House, minus the finishes such as paint, texture, snow, icicles, etc.

Feeling a lot more adventurous?  Buy a set of the Advent House Plans.  The plans provide you with everything you need to cut and build your advent house.  Dimensions, layouts, design, etc.  You can do it all yourself by building every single piece yourself.

Maybe want to be somewhere in between the two?  You can purchase the Advent House Structure, all pre-cut and ready for assembly.  Or, buy the Window Kits (includes everything you need for a single window).  Perhaps you'd like to try your hand at the Atrium Kit?

It's Christmas in July!  Time to be thinking about Christmas!  Get started on your plans, parts and kits so that your Christmas Advent House will be ready to go on December 1st!

It's long after Christmas now ..... SALE!

It's long after Christmas 2011 now, so that must mean it's time to start preparing for Christmas 2012.  What better way to keep the Christmas Spirit all year long by working on building your very own Christmas Vacation Advent House!  And what better time is there to get started than right now, when the Full Mansion Advent House Kit is on sale!

For a limited time with a limited quantity, you can get your Full Mansion Advent House Kit for 20% off, at just $399.99.  But move fast because the deal is only good on the 'In-Stock' items.  Once they're out of stock - you're out of luck.

So move now, visit http://www.adventhouseplans.com to get started, or go straight to the Full Mansion Kit and buy now!

Have questions?  Visit the Advent House Plans Forums to get answers, or, Contact Us here.

Illustrated Window Build

Here it is - the Illustrated Window Build.  This is the step-by-step into building your windows for your Advent House.

The end goal looks like this:

So how do we get there?  We follow these instructions, as illustrated below:




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Beginning

We start the Window Build by painting.  Paint one side of each window frame and window light, making sure you get the edges too.  Whatever method you choose to paint, get everything painted up and dried well.  Hang the parts from a line, lay them on the ground, spray paint, craft paint.  Your choice. Keep in mind that the Keystones and Dormer Extensions will absorb paint differently than the frames and lights so you'll need to ensure they end up the same color by painting different amounts on the parts.

After painting and drying, you'll need to attach the Vellum to one side of the window lights.  To do this, reference the Tower Frame instructions.  In short, lay the window light on a protected surface and lightly spray with spray adhesive.  Then carefully lay the vellum on top.  After drying, use a sharp knife/exacto knife to trim all edges.  Do this to half of the window lights (the other half get glued to the back of these 'vellumed' lights).

In this image you can see I'm trimming the pieces out of the full sheet of vellum.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Mark Hinge Locations

Next we mark where the hinges will be.  Since the hinges (the little black nails) have depth, we need to trim a small amount of material out of the hinge location.  Stack two window lights and place them inside a single window frame. (this brings the window light with the vellum up to the same level as the window frame)

Mark or cut a line in the center of the window light and the corresponding location on the frame.  Make note on the frame of the bump-out where the hinge will be.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mark Top Location

Also mark the top location for the hinge.  Be sure the window light is totally centered in the window frame before marking.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Trim Hinge Location

Now take the time to trim out the vellum and wood so that the hinge will sit in there and the two window lights will still fully contact each other.

Make sure you trim both sides equally so the window light is centered in the window frame.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PreFit Window Lights

After placing the hinges in the window light and gluing the two faces together (you'll use spray adhesive on the non-vellum window light then press the two together.)  You will have the hinge in place.

Now lay the window light assembly into the window frame and trim the window frame to have the hinge fit there as well.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Semi-Completed

After ensuring the hinges fit well, glue the two frames together, sandwiching the window lights and hinges in between.  You'll probably want to keep pressure on this assembly while the adhesive dries.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At this point, the window assembly can go several directions.  First, if you plan on using this as a 'wall' window (not on the roof), then you're almost done with the assembly.  You'll need to add the keystone, the keystone backer (optional), determine the orientation of the opening, add the window image on the back and put on the window handle.

To determine the direction of the window opening, consider where all of the window will be on the house.  If the window is on the right-hand side, you'll want the window handle to be on the left of the hinge and vice versa on the other side.  If it's a middle window, it's your choice.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Additional Details on completing the Windows are pending.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------