How to Light a Doll House

One of the hardest decisions you'll face when doing your doll house or room box is whether or not to add working lights to it. While the concept of wanting lights that work seems like a wonderfully appealing idea, there's a few things you need to know first.

First things first you should try to make this decision before you carpet or wallpaper your doll house, as you'll want to hide the tape and wires behind this. Another thing you need to think over is how many lights you will need. This will determine the size of the transformer you will need, and it will also help you to determine estimated cost. An estimated $25 to $40 will buy you your wiring kit, but the lights, too will cost. From my online shopping, I've seen working electric lights run from an average of $10 to more than $30 PER working light fixture.

Once you've decided you want to seriously consider electric lights, you'll need to look up some nice resources on the process of hooking up the lights. (I will provide some helpful links at the end of this article.) You are about to become a miniature electrician, take this title seriously and do your research! You don't want to buy the sets only to find that you can't seem to figure out how to wire it all up!

If you are anything like me this step alone will stall your progress for years. One side of me knows I want (and really do need) electric lights in the house. The other part says I can't do that, it looks complex and it's going to cost a fortune. Though, what good is it to make all of your own minis and decorate a house beautifully if you can't see half of the work without a flashlight? The fact that it's very difficult (but not impossible) to electrify after wallpapering and carpeting your house only adds to the difficulty deciding.

Don't rush this decision. Think about it long and hard and weigh all of the pros and cons. Look online for a general idea of what your lights will cost to buy, and weigh that cost with how serious you are about this hobby. Read some online articles about the process of wiring. How easy does it seem for you to pull off? Do you know someone that could help out? It is only after all of this, that you'll know what decision is best for you.

Sometimes even the most frugal of doll house and room box owners will know when they need to save or to spend out a bit to make for a better, prettier doll house.

Online Resource Guides for Electrifying Your Doll House.

• Sp Miniatures Tips
• Doll House Miniature Club Tips
• Hobby House's Guide (With illustrations)