Third project in the works...Katy's Dollhouse

I have three mini projects going right now (well, actually four, but I'll get to that one at a another time).  Copper Court at home and a few in a spare room where I work to keep me busy during my lunch hours.  This project is for my second cousin Katy who will be three (or is it four?) in March.  She lives in Washington State and I plan to make a trip there next spring to visit my family and also to present her with this dollhouse; which I will have shipped ahead of me so it's there when I get there.

It's the Rose Marie by The House that Jack Built/Melissa & Doug. 

I've never built this particular manufacturers kits before and it was a GREAT buy on eBay, so couldn't pass it up.  So far, there are both some major pro's and con's to this kit.  The biggest plus is that the wood is outstanding.  It's 3/8" cabinet grade plywood like RGT makes their kits from, but there's something about it that makes it far superior to the RGT wood.  It feels smoother to the touch and seems to be a true 3/8" thick; whereas RGT's wood is slightly splintered around door/window openings, and seems just a hair thinner than 3/8" thick.  I'm very impressed with the wood in this M&D kit!!!  The downside I've discovered, is that despite my 19 years in this hobby and using my best efforts to ensure this house is assembled correctly, square, and true...there are pieces that just don't fit properly.  There was also warpage; probably why the kit was priced so well...it could be older and was just improperly stored.  The warpage is easy enough to fix, so I've just ignored it.  But ill fitting pieces are another challenge entirely.  Good thing I keep a decent amount of scrap pieces and wood filler!

So far though, I think this is going to be a great little dollhouse for Katy.  What sold me was the built-in front yard with the fence around it.  I just love this feature!

Will post some photos once I've made some real progress.