After a month’s break, I started working on my puzzle house again yesterday. With the shingles done, the next big task is the porch. I started by adding trim to the front corners of the house, where the siding doesn’t quite meet. I used 90-degree corner trim and painted it the same color as the house.

Next, I glued wood blocks I’d prepared earlier to the back of the porch roof, to make it easier to attach to the house. This was necessary because I’d covered up the slots that were intended for the porch roof with siding. (I also cut off the tabs, since I knew I wouldn’t be using the slots.) The blocks are cut at a 45-degree angle and by gluing one side to the back of the porch roof, and the other side to the side of the house, the roof is (more or less) firmly attached.

Next came the porch posts. Since I don’t want this house to be overly Victorian-looking, I decided to make my own posts out of strip wood rather than buying something frilly. I used the disc sander to create 45-degree angles to rest against the underside of the porch roof. These haven’t been glued in yet, but here’s how they’ll look.

Finally, I cut the porch railings to size and glued in the spindles. The spindles are Glen Owen brand, and a little less fancy than the Victorian spindles Houseworks sells in half scale. I’ll paint them once the glue is dry.

Not bad for a few hours of work! Once all the porch pieces are painted and glued in, I’ll shingle the porch roof, and then it will be interior decorating time…