Country Lane Dollhouse Kit Review: The Complete Build Guide

Before I started this build, I looked everywhere for someone else’s experience with the Country Lane, Real Good Toys’ newest kit. I couldn’t find a single review, blog post, or video. So I’m writing the one I was looking for. This post is the hub for everything I’m learning as I build, and I’ll keep linking new posts back to it as they go up.

The Quick Verdict

The Country Lane is one of the more affordable kits in Real Good Toys’ 1:12 scale lineup and the quality is excellent. It’s a great starter dollhouse whether you’re just beginning your own dollhouse journey or you’re looking for something to gift a child.

Country Lane at a Glance

• 1 inch (1:12) scale
• Front-opening
• 2 rooms plus an attic
• Optional removable roof
• Smooth MDF construction
• Finished size: 15 3/8″W x 17 1/4″D x 30 1/2″H
• Listed at $169 (Real Good Toys runs frequent sales, so it’s worth checking back)

For the full breakdown, including what’s included, what’s not, and the roof/attic options, check out my Country Lane FAQ.

What Makes the Quality Stand Out

The build quality itself is fantastic, on par with the Vermont Farmhouse Jr, which is saying something since that kit has been a longtime favorite in the Real Good Toys lineup. The one piece that genuinely surprised me was the back panel. It’s noticeably thinner than the walls, front door, and roof. At first that gave me pause, but it makes sense once you remember this is a front-opening dollhouse. The back isn’t going to get much attention, so the thinner material there isn’t a dealbreaker.

The instructions are where I’d flag something for first-timers. There are a lot of photos, which was helpful, but the placement of the text next to the pictures isn’t always consistent. It felt like I had to decode the layout before I fully understood the step. It took me multiple read-throughs to really grasp what I was supposed to do at each stage.

My advice: read through the whole instruction booklet once before you pick up any glue, rather than trying to follow it step by step on your first pass. You can do it read through it by section or 2 pages at a time.

Who This Dollhouse Is For

I’d point the Country Lane toward two kinds of people. First, if you’ve never built a dollhouse before and you’re looking for a manageable place to start for your miniature crafts, this kit is a great entry point. Second, if you’re gifting this to a child who’s dreamed of having a dollhouse, this is a great option too. One. benefit of a front opening dollhouse is it that it presents very clean, so if the inside is a “mess” or is disorganized, the closed front door keeps the dollhouse looking put together at all times.

How It Compares to the Vermont Farmhouse Jr

Since I’ve built both, here’s where the two actually differ:

• Foundation: The Country Lane has just 2 foundation pieces, placed toward the front and back, compared to the Vermont Farmhouse Jr’s full 6-piece floor foundation. That’s almost certainly because the Country Lane has a smaller footprint, and the base still feels sturdy, it’s just a different approach.
• Pre-built decor options: Because the Country Lane only has windows and doors on the front, there aren’t as many pre-built options for drapery or room door designs, and the floors read more like open, studio-style spaces. The Vermont Farmhouse Jr came with interior walls and partitions, plus windows on every floor. If you want to be your own mini interior designer and add walls, partitions, or extra windows, the Country Lane gives you the room to do that, it just doesn’t come that way out of the box.
• Flooring: The Vermont Farmhouse Jr includes pre-built hardflooring. It’s not high quality and scuffs easily, but it’s usable straight out of the box if you want to skip that step. The Country Lane only has bare MDF floors with no flooring built in, so you’ll need to add your own regardless of what look you’re going for.
• E-slots: The top two floors of the Vermont Farmhouse Jr include e-slots for hardwiring the dollhouse with tape, but you still need to create the e-slot in the bottom floor. For the Country Lane, all floors include e-slots.

A Few Things to Know Before You Buy

• Paint, glue, curtains, landscaping, and furnishings aren’t included, so budget for those separately.
• You get to choose whether the roof is permanently glued down or removable. I built mine removable for full attic access.
• It doesn’t come pre-wired. If you want lighting, you’ll need a separate wiring kit (I’m using tape wire for mine).

More posts on the individual build steps are coming soon. I’ll keep this page updated as they go live!

Watch the full Country Lane Dollhouse Build