DIY Handmade Wooden Dollhouse {Video and Free Plans}

This simple DIY wooden dollhouse makes a great gift for your kids or grandkids. Build it with inexpensive lumber and a few tools. Scroll for a step-by-step tutorial, a video tutorial, and free dollhouse plans.

This simple DIY wooden dollhouse makes a great gift. Build it with inexpensive lumber and a few tools. Click for a step-by-step tutorials and free plans.

Today I’m excited to show you this simple DIY handmade wooden dollhouse I built for my 5-year-old granddaughter, Bridget Kate. The same girl I made a tree swing for a couple of summers ago, if you remember. That girl can pretty much get anything she wants from this grandma. That means you can expect more kid-related projects for your kiddos and grand kiddos going forward. Woot!

This project was a last-minute build right before Christmas. I used inexpensive lumber and just a few tools. Given how pricey dollhouses are, building your own is a HUGE savings. As always, I have a detailed tutorial for you along with free plans!. So, if you’re ready, let’s get started. Note: If reading isn’t your jam you can scroll down to the video at the bottom. You’re welcome 🙂

DIY Simple Handmade Wooden Doll House

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Materials Needed

(3) 1″x 6″x 6′ boards –> (cuts: 3 @ 22 1/2″, 2 @ 20″, and 2 @ 8″). See plans for details on the pitched roof.
(1) 2′ x 4′ piece of 1/4″ plywood
Tools I used: Miter Saw, Jig Saw, Brad Nail Gun
Scrapbook paper
Paper adhesive
Wood Glue (if you liked the glue bottle in the video you can find it here)
Clamps
Right angle square
Paint of choice
Optional: Dollhouse furniture and unfinished peg dolls

Step 1: Cut and assemble the middle pieces

Cut lumber to size as outlined in the materials section above and also in the plans. A few of the pieces for this build are the exact same size, so I recommend you cut two or three boards at the same time. This will not only save time, but it will also ensure that all of the pieces are exactly the same length. I used my miter saw to cut all of the pieces I needed to begin with, except the 3 for the pitched roof. I left those for the end so I could measure on the spot once the house was put together.

I should warn you, in the plans, you will see that I drew the sequence to put the pieces together a little differently. The order you do things in doesn’t matter, as long as you make sure you have enough room to get your hand (and your nail gun) in there.

Because of that, I started with the middle section and made two L-shape pieces. I used wood glue at the seams and my brad nail gun. The placement of the vertical pieces isn’t that important. Just stagger them enough so they’re not on top of each other. If you want a true “open concept” dollhouse, you can leave them out 🙂

Step 2: Attach the surrounding pieces

Below is a picture of what you should end up with. The three horizontal boards are 22 1/2″, the two sideboards are 20″ and the two short, vertical boards that divide the rooms are 8″. It can get a little awkward maneuvering the pieces. Be sure to use clamps and a right angle square to keep everything straight as you put it together. And don’t forget to use glue at every seam. It really makes a difference!

Notice that the bottom floor board will be “sandwiched” in between the two side boards, meaning that the side boards will touch the floor. You may also notice that the bottom board in the pic is a 1x 8. I initially wanted the base of the house to be larger, but I didn’t like the look, so I ended up trimming that piece off. Nothing for you to worry about since you’ll be getting 1x 6s.

Step 3: The pitched roof

Please refer to the plans for details on this. Basically, I started by cutting a 45-degree bevel into the end of a 1x 6, then I made a straight cut at 8″ on the other end. This is the piece that’s inside the yellow circle in the picture. I placed the piece on top but I didn’t attach it (I attached it at the end nailing from the top of the roof).

I then grabbed a 1×6 and a pencil, marked the angle placement, and took the longer board to the miter saw to cut the bevels on each end. Once I attached one side of the pitched roof, I let the 8″ vertical piece prop the one board up on the left side, while I marked the angle on the board on the right side in the same way.

I’ll be honest, this was kind of sketchy, but it did the job. I was building this piece on a whim and figuring things out as I went. The side angle seams weren’t perfect but nothing a little wood filler couldn’t handle (watch the video at the bottom of this post for a close up). In the end, I ended up cutting a 45-degree bevel on one end (the end that touched the sideboard) and a 42-degree bevel on the pitched end. I did this on each of the two boards. The two boards that formed the pitched roof were 15- 1/4″ from long point to long point.

Step 4: Paint the dollhouse

At this point, I sanded the edges and painted the dollhouse a light grey color.

Step 5: Prepare and attach the back piece

To give the dollhouse a back wall, I simply traced the roof and each of the rooms onto a 1/4″ plywood piece, using a pencil. Because I got a 2′ x 4′ remnant piece, it was exactly the same width of the house, so all I had to worry about cutting was the A-frame. I used a jig saw for this part.

Once the piece was cut and traced, I added “wall paper” to the smaller rooms. I cut scrapbook paper to size and adhered with mod podge, an awesome adhesive that dries clear. I applied it on the back and front of the paper so it’d stay on good, then carefully painted the rest of the piece white.

After that, the rest is smooth sailing! Simply attach it to the back of the house with wood glue and brad nails.

And of course, you can’t have a dollhouse without dollhouse furniture ! Besides the cute furniture, I am obsessed with the little wooden family that the wife of one of my co-worker’s PAINTED for me!! (holy talent!!) Aren’t they cute!?!. If you’re talented like that you can find the unfinished wooden peg dolls on Amazon.

That’s all my friends! Here are a few more picture of the finished handmade dollhouse! I hope you build one! If you like this project , join the sawdust sisters DIY community for more easy, doable projects, and don’t forget to download the plans for this dollhouse!