How to Build a Replica House

Measure the house. The house you want to replicate can be just a plan, or you may want to make a model of an existing house, such as a historical home. If that is the case, you will need the dimensions of the house. You will need to measure all sides, the height of its tallest points, and the sizes of the porch and the windows.

Determine the scale that you will use. A common scale is 1/4 inch = 1 foot. After you decide on your scale, convert your measurements to scale. If the house is 100 feet long and you are using a 1/4 inch = 1 foot scale, the new measurement will be 25 inches, for example.

Draw a scale version of the replica house you want to build. If you are making the model from blueprints, change the existing measurements to your new scale.

Cut the pieces for your replica house. You can use any building material, but wood will hold up much better than cardboard. Balsa wood is often used because it is easy to cut and work with. It is possible to cut it with an X-acto knife, making it easy to control the cuts. Use your scale building drawings to measure and cut out the sections of the house.

Assemble your pieces. Refer to the modeling plans often. You can hold balsa wood well with superglue. Just hold the pieces together for a little while while the glue dries.

Now you can add minor details to complete the look of your replica house. Carving out small details like shingles or masonry can be tricky, and it's much easier to paint them once the replica is almost completed, Of course, if you can, it's better to do the details properly, but it is often an extremely difficult task, and drawing the details with paint also looks nice.