Chapter 1 (Fascicolo N.1) Portico

January 17-18th 2012 (I'll post the start and end date of a chapter altho I don't work on the house every day)
Ok, so the instructions mix the furnishings and the buildings.  I may end up jumping back and forth if I end up getting bored or pissed off with frustrating construction.  But I’ll try and stick to the order they present the pieces in.
Here are how the pieces are presented (in blister packs with a pic numbering the pieces).  I think it’s best to open everything and be sure all the pieces are there.  Sanding down each wooden piece and checking for uneven edges is a must before beginning to assemble.  Also so when it comes to to actually painting the pieces, there are no areas which have uneven color due to changes in the wood.
I also prepared all my colors beforehand.  Most are 1:1 water paint ratio but some are pretty diluted or not at all.  Obviously I’ll end up changing the color schemes to my own liking since most of the furnishings are pretty dull looking - natural wood color and such. 
I also assembled some tools which will make the construction helpful.  The kit actually included lots of tools : hammer, tweezers, glue, screwdriver, sandpaper and sandpaper kits etc.  But I’ve added in some top notch wood glue, small vices, double faced sticky tape used in quilting because it’s only a few mm wide and even a round rotating quilting blade.  Works pretty good too.  I may even end up using a drummel tool for sanding or fixing pieces.
Working on the portico of the house, some of the pieces needed lots of sanding to make them fit.  Hope it will fit together later too.  The steps were a little off since they required holding on to the pieces till the glue set so I just went thru the instructions and glued together individual pieces that can then be propped up on one another making it easier to lay the pieces on the work surface instead of holding them in my hands and waiting...
The chair was an example of uneven fit.  And the table needed extra sanding to make the pieces fit together.  I painted them my own idea of colors - black and red.  I also added a diluted amount of varnish to the surfaces to give them a slight sheen with undiluted to the black chair for more gloss.  If you buy high gloss varnish, just dilute it to tone down the shine.