Question:
I would love to buy my daughter a dolls house this Xmas, but think that they are far too expensive for what they are. The one in ELC is £80, and then you have to pay £12.50 for the family and furniture in at least 4 rooms, so it's too much in total.
Has anyone seen one that's better value? I don't mind if it's wood or plastic, as long as it's a bargain.
Many thanks.
Answers:
I got one for my daughter from the argos clearance for just £7.49 - see here
We haven't opened it yet so can't tell you what it's like!!
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I got one from toysrus at christmas-
It was £50 including all the furniture for every room and the family. /its good quality too,
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I've just seen this one from ToysRus myself and thought it looked good. Will it take a battering, do you think?
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The house itself is flat packed and didn't take long to assemble. Yes I think it would withstand alot of 'rough battering' as my son was 2.5 at the time we got it for dd (4) and he is very rough- and nothing has broken off it yet. Certainly the furniture sets seem identical to the elc ones to me. Have a look instore, usually they have a demo model.
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I bought my daughters for £24.99 from the john Lewis sale last January. I knew i wanted the enchanted palace by le toy van. I also found a code for free delivery !!
letter box also had it in thier sale but it was for a little more. its a fantastic quality.
i googled until i came up with sale prices. It normally retails anywhere from £64.99 - £74.99.
They do appear on ebay now and again , I think some people must of bought them in bulk anticipating christmas. (why didnt i think of that !!)
good luck , I know it took me ages !! but it was so worth it.
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I bought the previous wooden ELC one on e bay for a franction of the price. I also bought all the room sets for a cheap price too - all in excellent condition. Worth a look
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Not sure what age your dd is, which would make a difference in the type and price of the dolls house.
Sue Rider Charity Shops sell Dolls Houses (can't remember the prices) and the furniture and stuff too.
I really, really loved my DH as a child and was heart broken when it was used to make the bonfire by my brothers *sigh*
Now, I have two
The point I'm making is, if she's a under 7yrs old, then cheap and cheerful might do the trick; if she's over that age, it might be worth considering paying a little extra to get something that will last her for years and years.
The other advice I'd give is, half the pleasure of owning a DH is making bits and bobs yourself from everyday objects. So, (again depending on her age) think about if it would suit her better to be creative and make things rather than rush out and try to decorate/furnish it all in one go.
Best of luck and wishing you both many happy DH hours
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I bought the ELC dolls house for my daughter a few years ago, she now uses it as a house for her Lil Bratz dolls!
I gave it a couple of coats of clear varnish though as I noticed scuff marks and I didn't want it to look scruffy. Did the job! They also get very dusty so maybe throw a cover on it when its not in use.
Sarah
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We've always found cheap dolls house furniture in charity shops (Sue Ryder, BHF), especially in the run up to Christmas. I've seen plenty of Dolls houses for sale on ebay over the years but if you have the time why not make your own! Plan's available on the net, scrap ply from local mill, glue , nails, etc. - that's what we did, lucky we had tools (including router - plane with 2 handles!) worked out very cheap on costs but expensive on time!!!