Step Two for creating your dream doll house relates to some important practicalities. How much space do you have available? How much building do you want to do? What is your budget?

Once again the key to creating your dream doll house rests with good planning. When we began planning our dream doll house, we started by focusing on the time period we wanted to represent or the theme for our doll house. Now, we need to think of the physical aspects of space.

You may have a dream of creating a Victorian doll house village representing a historical event. But, if this doesn't fit into your apartment, we may need to scale down the goal of having a village until there is a larger space available. Look closely as the space you will have for your doll house and don't forget that you may want to have consistent access to the front and back for re-arrangement of your miniatures and for viewing. The space you have available will help determine the scale of house that you can choose.

Once you have the scale of doll house in mind, you can look at the array of options related to how much building you are interested in doing. Some people prefer to do everything from scratch and choose to get plans and build their doll house. Others prefer to choose from the large selection of doll house kits. Another option is to choose a finished doll house that requires no assembly and comes straight out of the box, ready to add miniatures.

After you have determined the size and decided on whether you will build it yourself or not, you can then find the one that is perfect for your taste and your budget.

Don't forget that you can always scale-up your doll house collection as your available space, budget or interest in building increases. Finding the perfect doll house that fits into your life is much more enjoyable than the frustration of a doll house that is too big for your space or budget.

Ellen Egan is a dollhouse enthusiast who specializes in Victorian dollhouses, wooden dollhouses and miniature dollhouse furniture.