Make Your Own Curved Portico House

As I have slowly been making my way through Steven Leeds’ Glitterhouses, converting them from PDFs to SVGs, some of the patterns have been calling me to flesh them out with window frames, doors, or other small changes. But when I got to Glitterhouse #12, a complete yet altered picture of the house flashed into my mind. I actually had to hold myself back from making the changes to Steven’s files right then, and instead published them as he had envisioned the house. Then I set to work making the SVGs of the house as I had visualized it.

Besides the changes to the windows and doors, and the style of the portico balcony, the biggest change was my decision to leave off the balconies on the sides. They remind me of a chalet, while I wanted the focus of this house to be on the elegant curved front portico.

This Is How You Make the Curved Portico House

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Curved Portico House Pattern Materials

My free pattern for the Curved Portico House from the A Cottage in the Forest Library – get the password for free by filling out the form at the bottom of this page.
Cardstock, Cardboard (Kraftboard), 30 point Chipboard, or Aluminum Cans – your choice!
Translucent Vellum
Double sided adhesive tape – 1/8″
Glue – If using cardstock, I suggest Art Glitter Glue. For aluminum cans, I use Aleene’s The Ultimate Glue. For cardboard or chipboard houses, I like Aleene’s Fast Grab Tacky Glue. I put it in a bottle with a thin metal tip.
A Cutting Machine like a Cricut Maker or Cricut Explore or, if you are going to make the pattern from the PDF an X-Acto knife or Cricut TrueControl Knife. I know the Cricut TrueControl knife looks expensive next to an X-Acto knife. I have both on my work desk, the X-Acto for aluminum cans and the TrueControl Knife for cardstock and cardboard. I really like the TrueControl knife because the blade doesn’t twist loose while you are working. I am constantly having to tighten my X-Acto knife.
An Embossing Machine and folders. I believe only one of the embossing folders I used, the Kwan Crafts Leaves Plastic Embossing Folder, is still available for purchase. Unfortunately, the companies that make embossing folders retire them all the time. If you see one you like and think you will use a lot, snap it up while it is available.
Bone folder (optional) A bone folder helps you make sharp folds when you are using cardstock or cardboard. I have found it even helps with aluminum cans. I now use my bone folder to deepen score lines all the time.
Decorative papers (optional – for cardboard)
Multi-surface satin finish acrylic paints or Ranger distress inks (optional – for cardboard or cardstock.) Having finally used both on a cardboard house, these work very well. I had trouble finding some of the colors I needed in the FolkArt paints and used the Craftsmart brand instead. They went on just as smoothly. With the distress inks, make sure they dry thoroughly before handling the pieces or you will have stained fingers. I speak from experience.

Steps to Make the Curved Portico House

Download the Curved Portico House pattern from A Cottage in the Forest library
Import the Curved Portico House pattern into your design software
Cut out the pattern – I use my Cricut Maker
Texture the pieces (necessary if using aluminum cans.) I use my Sizzix Bigkick
Glue on window frames, then attach vellum windows
Assemble the house structure, including Main Roof
Add the Bottom Insert & the Side Roofs
Add the Portico
Make base and decorate as desired

How To Make the Curved Portico House

Download the Curved Portico House Pattern

Download the Curved Portico House pattern from A Cottage in the Forest Library. Don’t forget to unzip it. The pattern is available in multiple formats – as a SVG (scalable vector graphics), DXF (drawing eXchange format) or PDF file. Currently, I do not have a Silhouette or Brother Machine to test the corresponding files. If you have problems using those files please let me know so I can troubleshoot what might be going wrong.

Import the Curved Portico House Pattern Into Design Software

You no longer need to worry about changing and attaching the score lines if you use Cricut Design Space!

Cut out all of your cardstock, cardboard or aluminum can pieces using my pattern. If you are using cardboard and don’t intend to glue glitter or decorative papers onto your house, I suggest visiting Lucy Foxworth’s blog at Paper Glitter Glue where Lucy explores multiple ways to paint and texture your cardboard house.

Refer to the PDF I included with the svg pattern for the name of each of the pieces you need to cut out.

Texture The Pieces

If desired, texture each of the house shapes using your embossing machine and texture folders.

Glue On Door And Window Trim

Glue on the window trim and the doors. You can add them after you put the building together, but it is much easier to add before the building is constructed.

Attach The Vellum

Use glue or the 1/8″ double sided adhesive tape to attach vellum to the inside of the building pieces. Again, this is much easier while the walls are flat. If you use glue to attach the vellum be careful not use too much it can bleed into your window space and ruin the look.

Assemble The House Structure

Fold the building along the score lines. Glue the front to the back.

Glue on the Main Roof. I found it easiest to glue down one side of the roof from the peak down, then when the glue on that side was set, glue down the other side.

Add the Bottom Insert

Check the fit of the bottom insert piece, adjusting any of the fold lines as necessary. You may need to trim the corners. Glue in the bottom insert piece now as it will help to help to stiffen and square up the walls of the building before you add on the side roofs.

Now glue on each of the side roofs.

Add the Portico

Glue the steps together and glue onto the front of the building. You may need to glue several steps of each size together to make them high enough to look like seperate steps. When I made a model using Kraftboard, I glued three of each size together. If you are using chipboard, one or two of each will probably be sufficient. I had to glue together 8 aluminum can pieces of each size to make the stairs deep enough.

Fold the tabs of the Portico porch and glue one of the curved porch pieces into the tabs. Then flip the porch over and glue the 2nd piece onto the bottom of the porch.

Roll each of the rectangular column pieces around a skewer and glue the long edges together. Glue the bottom of the columns onto the stairs, then glue the Portico porch onto the front of the house on top of the columns.

Glue the small stairs to the back if desired.

Make Base and Decorate As Desired

For the Curved Portico house I started with a rectangle of aluminum 6 1/4 inches wide by 6 inches deep. I cut a small circle under where the building will sit, then textured the base and turned under 1/4 inch on each side. This allows me to string fairy lights under the bases of the different buildings in my village. In this case I have ironed emerald green foil HTV (heat transfer vinyl) onto my base, and textured it with the Crackle folder by Darice.

Enjoy making the Curved Portico House! I would love to see your finished design. Please share a photo of it with me by emailing me at Jackie@acottageintheforest.com.