Bookshelf Dollhouse

Comments about Fortune East Bookshelf Dollhouse:

I have been searching for a dollhouse bookcase for several months since my daughter turned two. I almost bought this one at first sight, but the negative reviews on quality and difficult assembling kept we away. After not able to find one I like elsewhere (the one from Target.com was also nice and reasonably priced, but was out of stock for months), I decided to give this one a try.

The assembling wasn't too bad. I did it by myself since I couldn't wait till the weekend for my husband. The only thing I used that wasn't included was a screwdriver. It's reasonably well manufactured, but the unique and cute design made it a little tricky to put together. I had to work hard to make sure all connection points fit, before fasten the screws. And there were lots of screws. -;)

It turned out just like the picture and seems pretty sturdy.

The only complain I have is there were a few minor flaws on the surface, but nothing too obvious to affect the overall appearance.

Comments about Fortune East Bookshelf Dollhouse:

Very versatile
Great size
Very durable

Comments about Fortune East Bookshelf Dollhouse:

Arrived beat up. Corners were flawed. That may or may not be from the delivery company. Pilot holes were missing as well as a couple screws. After a lot of work and extra touching up and a trip to the hardware store it turned out pretty cute. Seems durable but if a kid tried to climb on it I think it would tip over.

Comments about Fortune East Bookshelf Dollhouse:

I was impressed with the beauty of this product, but the structure was awful. I felt that it was overpriced for what we got. :( The screws stripped easily and we ended up using wood glue to help support the roof. Overall, I was not impressed. :( I've ordered and received many things through this company, this is the 1st item I didn't care for.

Comments about Fortune East Bookshelf Dollhouse:

This bookshelf is very cute, but before buying, you should make sure you are ready to assemble it. It is poorly manufactured, and will require extra effort to build it properly.
The problems I found included:
- pilot holes need to be re-drilled
- pilot holes are too big, so self-tapping screws strip the hole after tapping it
- dowels are not long enough, and do not fit firmly (I wound up glueing all the dowelled connections)
- middle "floor" piece was warped
- Lower "column" piece was not long enough
- It did not come with all the screws I needed
- Roof assembly is very difficult, and screws are not long enough to hold the weight

Bottom line: if you're handy and willing to spend a little extra time on this, it will come together fine. But don't buy it if not. The things I wound up doing included glueing all the dowels, drilling pilot holes, and finding some larger wood screws for the roof assembly - nothing huge.

One last note: I posted a negative review here on this product the day after my first attempt at assembly. One Step Ahead contacted me the next day to see if they could "make it right". They were very nice, and I was impressed with their service. However, I am not impressed that they apparently thought that gave them the right to take my review down.

Comments about Fortune East Bookshelf Dollhouse:

This house comes in many pieces and ambiguous assembly instructions. Missing screws and the pieces do not fit together well. One screw was actually flat on top without anywhere to insert screwdriver? Overall, this is way too expensive for the quality and the company argued over the use of a coupon and insisted on charging "handling" fees that further increased the price. Nonetheless, my daughter likes it.