Zhe Gao QL0935 Hill Tavern Modular Update - Third Floor Furnished!

Hello again! Welcome back to Bricks and Figs, my blog about MOCs and mods I create using not Lego bricks.  Feel free to use the Labels in this blog's sidebar to check out some of my other builds and creations.  I also post my latest not Lego set acquisitions on my other blog called Its Not Lego, so please check that out too!

This blog post is a continuation of the Zhe Gao Hill Tavern modifications, specifically it will look at the third floor that has been fully furnished.   If you just jumped in here randomly, you may want to check out my other blog posts first to get some context.   Here's my list of posts specifically about the Zhe Gao Hill Tavern evolution.

1. A look at the original set

2. Modular conversion

3. First floor furnished

4. Second floor furnished        

5. Third Floor furnished       <---- you are here

6. Bonus Pics (coming soon!)

Ok, let's continue!

I decided early on that the tavern owner would stay on premises, so his studio apartment would occupy the third floor of the modular building. Here's what the it looked like prior to renovations.  That's not the tavern owner in the pic, that's the renovation contractor BTW.   Let's take the apartment tour!

And here's tavern owner Ned in his brand new apartment.  The first room you encounter when you enter is the spacious kitchen, equipped with stove, oven, fridge and sink with lots of storage.  

Meals can be eaten at the kitchen table.  Tonight, Ned ordered a pepperoni pizza, which he will enjoy once we leave. 

If Ned wants to catch up on a football game, he can watch it on his big screen TV on his couch in the living room.

Ok, let's see where we will go next.

Right behind the couch is his workspace, where he can do the paperwork for the tavern and watch his stock portfolio on his computer.

Ned's apartment doesn't have a separate bedroom, hence it's only a studio, but that's good enough for him.

Fortunately, his studio apartment has room for a decent sized bathroom. It has a shower, toilet, sink and mirror.

Finally, here are a few more wider angle shots of Ned's apartment so you can get an idea of the layout.

Alright, I think it's time to leave and let Ned enjoy his pizza before it gets too cold.

BTW,  you can find the Zhe Gao QL0935 Hill Tavern set on Aliexpress by following the link below.

Thanks for visiting Bricks and Figs, and hope you can come back soon!  Bye!

Zhe Gao Hill Tavern QL0935 Modular building MOC - Second Floor Furnished!

Hello again! Welcome back to Bricks and Figs, my blog about MOCs and mods I create using not Lego bricks.  If you are new here, please feel free to loiter and check out my other builds.  

This blog post is a continuation of my Zhe Gao Hill Tavern modifications, specifically it will look at the second floor that has been fully furnished.   If you just jumped in here randomly, you may want to check out my other blog posts first to get some context.   Here's my list of posts specifically about the Zhe Gao Hill Tavern evolution.

1. A look at the original set

2. Modular conversion

3. First floor furnished

4. Second floor furnished        <--- you are here

5. Third Floor furnished

6. Bonus Pics (coming soon!)

Here's what the second floor looked like in the original Hill Tavern set.  The second floor was a bedroom and bathroom.

Now it's a VIP lounge.  I kept the original windows on the front but raised the floor height so it wouldn't feel so cramped.

The VIP lounge has very fancy artwork on the wall and it also has a nice area rug on the floor.  It is very well lit from the large window wall.  Patrons sit on the comfy white leather sofa and chairs.

There is an impeccably dressed server bringing out the liquid refreshments.  Behind him is the door that leads outside where there is a staircase that goes to the third floor.  There is also a small hallway on his right.  That leads out to the second floor patio.

Here's the second floor patio where two more patrons are enjoying their drinks.  It's a new addition that wasn't in the original set.

Moving back inside, we can see the stairwell that connects the first and second floor. To its left is another bar counter.  Behind the bar counter is a lady bartender who has a helper to put away the wine glasses.  There are some colourful liqeur bottles in the shelf behind bartender.

You can see that the patrons are all very well off by their suits.  I ran out of red brown tiles so I had to substitute some dark brown tiles instead.  Hopefully I can replace them soon.

A toast to another successful business transaction!

Bartender lady will be happy with the tips she makes today.

Hope you enjoyed the tour of the second floor VIP lounge.  If you want to see more, please visit my next post where we will see the third floor studio apartment where the owner of the Hill Tavern lives.   See you there!

Thanks for visiting Bricks and Figs, and hope you can come back soon!  Bye!

Zhe Gao Hill Tavern QL0935 Updated - First Floor Interior!

Hello brick fans!   If you are new to my Bricks and Figs blog, welcome!  And if you aren't, welcome back!  So sorry for not posting very often, I've been building a few MOCs and Mods lately, but just haven't gotten around to posting pics of them.  That reminds me, I also need to update my other blog It's Not Lego!  Do feel free to head on over there too to see what new alt Lego sets I've acquired and built.

So today, we are returning to look at my updates to the Zhe Gao brand Hill Tavern, set number is QL0935. 

This blog post is a continuation of my Hill Tavern modifications, specifically it will look at the second floor that has been fully furnished.   If you just jumped in here randomly, you may want to check out my other blog posts first to get some context.   Here's my list of posts specifically about the Zhe Gao Hill Tavern evolution.

1. A look at the original set

2. Modular conversion

3. First floor furnished        <--- you are here

4. Second floor furnished      

5. Third Floor furnished

6. Bonus Pics (coming soon!)

 It's taken me awhile to get all the parts and pieces, but now it's all done and I'm very pleased to show you the full interiors of each floor of the Zhe Gao Hill Tavern.  

Warning!  As always, I take way too many pictures, so my apologies if you've got a slow internet connection.  Ok, let's go!

In my alt Lego town, this Hill Tavern is my first pub or tavern establishment.  With that in mind, the immediate interior update had to be the bar area.  The layout of the main floor was perfect to locate the bar into the jut-out.  In the above pic, I was supposed to just put some rudimentary bricks down to figure out the flow, but I got carried away with adding details.  This was supposed to be a planning exercise, not a building one.

For the bar area, I wanted a long counter with bar stools where patrons could sit. I also wanted a huge wall of glasses and bottles and I also wanted taps to dispense draft beers. To facilitate deliveries, I needed a back door with easy access to the bar, so it only made sense to put the door in the back corner.

Here's the first of three booths.  Two by the windows and a third one will be added to the back wall.  I thought it would be interesting to elevate the booths and entrance. BTW, the tavern owner's name is Ned.  He has various wait staff employed at one time or another.  Here Sally is letting the customers at the booth that the first drink is free, because they are still opening up.  At the counter is Bill, he is camera shy and doesn't like his picture to be taken.

And here's how the bar area turned out.  Instead of just shelves on the wall, I put the glasses into a display unit.  Got some nice liquors for the guests with deeper pockets. I also moved the taps to free up the area at the end of the counter.  I added a sink and dishwasher to rinse and wash the glasses.  Above the dishwasher is the order and payment terminal.  I added a clock to let patrons know when closing time was.  Bill turns out to be a regular.  Ellie is working today.  Fun fact, Ned doesn't drink, so that's why you always see him with a glass of water.

Tada!  The fully finished first floor, hope you like it!   I've made it a point of making sure all my modular MOC have tiled floors, it costs me more in parts, but I think it gives a cleaner look, don't you?  Here you can see all three booths. I made the booths a bit more decorative.  There's a staircase to the second floor, and underneath is a washroom.  It's late afternoon, and the construction workers decide to get together for drinks.  Luckily the open area in the middle can accommodate big groups.

Pictured above is one of several TVs located throughout the establishment.

Here's a better view of the third booth, and the door to the washroom.  Sometimes famous people will come in to have a drink.

Another look at the staircase to the second floor.  I subsequently tiled the landing. Maybe I'll update this pic later.

Those guys can get a bit loud.  Hopefully there's some music playing in the background to drown them out a bit.  

Another day, another dollar.  It's nice and peaceful in the morning before the crowds come in.  Out back, are some of the empties from the night before.  There's even an extra chair for emergency seating.  Pretty sure Bill will wander in at any moment.

So, this post is getting kinda long, so I'm going to end it here.   Hope you enjoyed the tour of the first floor bar.  If you want to see more, please visit my next post where we will see the VIP lounge on the second floor.   See you there!

BTW,  you can find the Zhe Gao QL0935 Hill Tavern set on Aliexpress by following the link below.

Thanks for visiting Bricks and Figs, and hope you can come back soon!  Bye!


AliExpress.com Product - ZHEGAO QL0935 Creator MOC Street View Series Hill Tavern Building Blocks 1367pcs Bricks Toys Sets Compatible Creator

I converted my Zhe Gao QL0935 Hill Tavern into a modular building

Hey brick fans, welcome back to my blog Bricks and Figs.  Also a very Happy 4th of July to all our American friends to the south.  On my other blog Its-Not-Lego I recently showcased my very first Zhe Gao branded Not Lego building set, called the Hill Tavern.  

This blog post is a part of my Zhe Gao Hill Tavern series, specifically it will look at the conversion to a modular building.   If you just jumped in here randomly, you may want to check out my other blog posts first to get some context.   Here's my list of posts specifically about the Zhe Gao Hill Tavern.

1. A look at the original set

2. Modular conversion         <--- you are here

3. First floor furnished

4. Second floor furnished        

5. Third Floor furnished

6. Bonus Pics (coming soon!)

I was very pleased with the results of the 1367 piece set Hill Tavern and it turned out to be even nicer than I expected for a set that only cost me $50 Cdn on Aliexpress.

For $50, you aren't going to get a full sized modular building.  Those will cost you double the cost.  So I wanted to see if I could make the Tavern a full sized modular using only the brick parts in my stash. I had a navy blue 32x32 stud baseplate laying around and it complements the colouring scheme of the set, so that's what I decided to use for the project at hand.

 After disassembling the building, I started by laying out the outside patio tiles and creating a new sidewalk on the baseplate.  I didn't have enough of the sand blue 2x2 tiles so I just added some extra white ones.  The original building design was 24 studs wide so I replicated the window arch on the new addition.
A lot of dark gray brick were used on the main floor walls.  Since my bricks are from a hodgepodge of different brands, the colour variations are very noticeable, which is unavoidable.  If I had sourced all of my bricks from one vendor, I wouldn't have this problem.

 Here's the preliminary test fit of the second floor onto the first floor to check what plate bricks I need to use to extend the second floor footprint.  Pictured above I put a glass door on the second floor, but later I decided it might look too similar to the front of the Parisian Restaurant, so I changed it to a smaller window instead.

 Here's the completed first floor of the modified Hill Tavern.  I replaced the non standard minifigures from the Zhe Gao set with my own.  I added a barkeeper, a random lady, a janitor and a street musician.  I don't normally use the stickers that come with the set, but this time I did.  Height of the main floor was increased by 2 bricks and that allowed me to add some extra cornice detailing.

Poor guy is not making any money today, he must not sound very good.

 I added a door around back for deliveries.  Empty bottles and trash are picked up here.  I think I need to add an awning over the door in future.

Right now the interior is completely empty.  Furnishing this modular will be another project in itself.  I want to make it like a sports bar with big TVs hanging from the walls with bar counters and stools.

The original tavern set came with stairs to the upper floors so I will need to add those back in also.

 Here's the Tavern's new second floor.  The big white nothingness in the center of the original design has been replaced by this small window.  The patio was moved to the second floor from the third floor.

I guess the second floor could function as a restaurant, if I added a few tables and chairs.  I used the dark orange bricks for the sides of the building but for the back wall I just used light gray bricks.

I like that this side is really detailed with the columns and picture window.  Oops, I forgot to finish off the top of the railing.  I added two extra minifigs to the patio.  One a patron of the tavern, the other could be the server.

First and second floor completed.

There is a lot more useable space on the newly constructed third floor.  Before it was just a patio with a narrow room.

 I'll probably make the third floor an apartment for the barkeeper.  There weren't a lot of sand blue bricks in the set, so I had to use my own here.  I used light gray on the back wall.  To give the third floor a bit more height, I moved the navy blue groove bricks from the rooftop to the third floor.

 I had to use black plates from my stash to make a rooftop big enough to cover the enhanced third floor.

Here's the back of the modified Hill Tavern.  I might add a french balcony to the third floor later because the small windows don't provide enough light.  I completely rebuilt the main floor walls so that the dark gray bricks weren't as blotchy as before.

I hope you enjoyed this look at the fully modularised Zhe Gao Hill Tavern.

And finally, this the how the new Hill Tavern looks placed into a row of buildings.   You can find the Zhe Gao QL0935 Hill Tavern set on Aliexpress by following the link below.

Thanks for visiting Bricks and Figs, and hope you can come back soon!  Bye!