Starting the Landscaping

I knew it was going to be a bit tricky to landscape the ryokan because of the hinged extensions, so I decided to use 1" styrofoam insulation, and put it on a "hill".

It was sitting flat on a piece of 2' x4' plywood, so I thought I would just trace a freeform shape around the bottom of the ryokan, and make make another shape a little larger under that. It was going to be a gradual hill from one layer to the next. Well, cutting styrofoam isn't all that easy when you don't have the proper tools, and you live on an island where you can't buy the tools. Anyway, with the help of several kinds of utility knives and a trusty hacksaw blade, I managed to cut some shapes I was happy with.

When I got the ryokan mounted onto the styrofoam, the extensions were still rubbing on the base, which would mean that they would wear off any landscaping I put on there.
I decided I would make a base exactly 1" larger than the house, so the extensions would be hanging over the base when opened. The 1" margin around the house would be a slate walkway. (Real ryokans are apt to have a stone walkway close to the building because it keeps them from getting muddy when it rains).

Anyway, stupid me, I forgot how dumb it would look when it was closed, to have the extensions hanging in mid air, not to mention that the portico would be too low. Duh!!! So I cut more styrofoam to go under the extensions and portico, then sanded the styrofoam so it would be low enough so the extensions wouldn't rub on the base.

The freeform styrofoam shape is also wider that the 2' plywood, so I cut another piece of styrofoam to 2'6" x 4', and will mount everything on that. I didn't feel like moving the whole house another time, so I don't have a photo with the larger base yet. Tomorrow I hope to take the house off and glue all the styrofoam layers together. Then I will spackle the cracks where the pieces come together, score the "slate" paving stones, and paint them grey, and paint the rest of the landscaping green. Eventually, I will use my Woodland Scenics stuff and other things to decorate it.