Uncle Peter's Warehouse Book Nook Instructions: Steampunk Build Guide with Videos

Uncle Peter's Warehouse is a three-storey steampunk workshop packed into a book nook: a spiral staircase winding through the middle, walls of tools and odd machines, a couple of strange one-wheeled vehicles and a small airship hanging from the rafters. With 134 numbered steps it's a long build, but a very satisfying one. This guide walks through the whole thing in six stages. Under each stage you'll find the matching video from a complete real-time build series, so you can see exactly what a step should look like before you glue it.

Uncle Peter's Warehouse: Quick Facts

• Steps: 134 numbered steps in the manual, most of them short.
• Finished size: 18 x 11 x 23.2 cm (7.1 x 4.3 x 9.1 in). It's taller than most book nooks, so check your shelf height first.
• Build time: the video series below adds up to just under 6 hours of recorded building over 6 sessions. Our own estimate is 6 to 10 hours.
• Difficulty: intermediate. Nothing is hard on its own, but there are many small parts, and the airship skin needs patience.
• Lighting: several LED strings on a battery box with a touch sensor, plus a clear front dust cover. Batteries are not included.

Before You Start: What's in the Box and What to Have Ready

The kit comes with thick pre-cut wooden sheets, clear plastic windows (sturdier than the usual thin film), sticker sheets for the book covers and posters, the LED strings with a battery box and touch sensor, the clear front dust cover, a length of thread for the airship rigging, a tiny teacup, tweezers and sanding sticks. Every picture in the manual has its own step number, which makes it easy to keep your place.

Our guide to the tools and supplies you need to build a book nook covers the basics. For this kit in particular, it's worth having:

• Two kinds of glue: a clear craft glue with a fine nozzle (B-7000 type) for most joints, and a fast super glue for the small parts that need an instant bond, like the stacked tyres and the wheel rims.
• A hot glue gun for anchoring the LED strings.
• A small file or the sanding stick for a few tabs that are too tight, especially under the airship.
• Paint markers: a dark brown one to hide the burnt laser edges, a gold one for the brass railings and a black one for the tyres.
• Small clamps and cotton swabs for wiping away excess glue.

One thing to know about the manual: the translation is a bit literal. When it says "minimum lamp line" it means the shortest LED string, and "second to last long lamp line" means the second longest. Lay the strings out by length before you start and it all makes sense.

Part 1: The Ground Floor Workshop (Steps 1 to 21)

The build opens with the ground floor, and it's quick to get going: lots of short steps, each adding one small thing. Tools and a welding mask are glued straight onto the floor, then you build a drinks cabinet with its bottles and decanter, a small chair, a film projector with its reels, and a desk with schematic stickers, a magnifier and a toolbox. A framework goes up around the desk to support the floor above.

• Glue the cabinet shelves and cross pieces. Several of them are loose on their own, and a drop of glue now saves you from chasing them later.
• Touch up any edge that will face the front. The front legs of the cabinet, for example, peek out once everything is in place.
• The first LED string (the second longest) runs through a notch behind the drinks cabinet, which hides the wire. Two small brackets hold it, and a dab of hot glue keeps it where you want it.

Part 2: The Spiral Staircase, Shelves and Books (Steps 22 to 47)

This is the centrepiece of the kit. The spiral staircase is built in place around a central pole, one numbered step at a time, each with a spacer and a short handrail. The steps are numbered because the notch for the pole shifts slightly on each one, which is what makes the staircase turn. Put them on in order, number side up, and they stack into a proper spiral.

• Go in numerical order and don't worry that the pieces look delicate: they're sturdier than they look.
• Add a drop of glue under any step that feels loose. Most of them hold by friction, but a few don't. A little glue on the spacers also keeps the whole column from drifting out of line.
• Uncle Peter himself is a small figure piece who stands on the landing partway up.

Around the staircase go shelves with lab glassware, a wall clock, and a stack of tyres. The clock numerals are printed in reverse, which surprised Daniel too; it's how the sticker comes, not a mistake on your part. The 10 books (6 large, 4 small) are wooden blocks with sticker covers and are done in a few minutes. For the tyres, a black paint marker on the edges looks cleaner than the supplied black strip, which doesn't line up well with the edges.

Part 3: The Monocycle, the Drawers and the Second Flight of Stairs (Steps 48 to 63)

Next comes one of the kit's odd machines: a one-wheeled vehicle you sit inside, with a seat, kickstands and toothed rings around the wheel. Super glue works best for the outer rims, because you need them to stay exactly where you place them. The manual is a little unclear about how the centre piece attaches; it simply sits in a recess and is glued in place once the rest of the wheel is built.

Then there's a chest of drawers with a lot of tiny drawer fronts. It's the most tedious job in the whole kit, a bit like making books. Daniel went against the manual here and fitted the drawer fronts while the piece was lying flat, one column at a time, which is much easier than doing it upright. A shelf with a gas cylinder and a bunch of flowers, and a stack of five books next to the machinery, finish this stage. The spiral staircase then continues up to the second floor with eight more numbered steps.

Part 4: The Top Floor, the Hoist and the Pegboard (Steps 64 to 91)

The third floor goes on next, with its own LED string tucked behind the railing. Up here you build a rocking chair, a small chest of drawers with the teacup on top, a table, and a hoist with a cable (a silver marker makes the cable read as steel). The railings go in with the thick end of each post at the bottom, and a touch of gold marker turns them into brass.

The best detail of this stage is the pegboard wall: a drill, chisels, an adjustable wrench, a brush, a clamp and even a vice, each glued to its outline. It goes faster than it looks. Posters go on the outer wall as stickers, and a chalkboard with a pair of goggles sits on the ledge. The whole wall then slots into place.

• Fit the railing posts on the second floor before the third floor goes on. Daniel forgot and had to add them afterwards, which is much fiddlier.
• Don't press too hard on small pieces like the rocking chair. Wiggle them in instead.

Part 5: The Second Vehicle and the Airship Frame (Steps 92 to 108)

A second, smaller vehicle with extra wheels comes first, including a few tiny acrylic pieces. Peel the protective film off both sides; it's easy to miss on parts this small. The seat back on this one is fragile, so handle it gently.

Then the fun part: the airship. You build its skeleton of ribs, with gears that actually turn, propellers on both sides and a tail fin. The longest LED string goes right into the middle of the frame, so the finished airship glows from the inside. A small dab of hot glue holds the bulb in position.

Part 6: The Airship Skin, the Walls and the Final Wiring (Steps 109 to the End)

The last session is the longest. More gears go on the tail, then the gondola hangs underneath the airship. Some gondola panels are too tight, so shave the tabs slightly with a file instead of forcing them. The rigging is a length of thread strung between the holes on the envelope and the gondola; there's no fixed pattern, so a simple loop pulled tight and tied off looks fine.

The envelope covering is a thin, paper-like sheet glued onto the ribs. This was the most frustrating part of Daniel's build: super glue held on some ribs and not others. The sheet seems to have a slightly smoother side and a rougher side, and it bonds better one way round. Use enough glue to let it soak in, press and hold, and keep a hot glue gun ready as a backup.

After that, the side walls go up with their brackets and windows, and the airship is hung between them.

• Check which way up each airship part goes before you glue it. Daniel installed one piece upside down, and his airship ended up hanging at a slight angle.
• Test the lights before closing the back. The strings are bright, and this is the last easy moment to adjust them.
• Place the touch sensor where you can reach it once the book nook is on the shelf, and fix it lightly so it doesn't press itself.

The roof, the battery compartment door and the back panel close everything up, and the clear dust cover slides in at the front. It can be removed again for cleaning.

Common Problems and How to Fix Them

The airship covering won't stick

Try the other side of the sheet, use a little more super glue so it soaks in, and hold it for a few seconds. If a rib still refuses, a small bead of hot glue does the job.

Tabs are too tight to fit

Some pieces, especially around the gondola, are slightly oversized. Take a couple of passes with the sanding stick or a file rather than pushing hard, because the thin parts snap easily.

The spiral staircase leans or wobbles

Check that the steps went on in numerical order and that each one sits down on its spacer. A drop of glue under the loose steps holds the column straight.

The lights flicker or switch on by themselves

The touch sensor is quite sensitive, and a wire pressing on it can trigger it. Make sure nothing touches the sensor and that the battery box is seated firmly. For a full checklist, see our guide on what to do when book nook LEDs aren't working.

Stickers or small parts keep coming loose

Narrow stickers and small decorative parts often need a thin line of clear glue underneath. It's quicker to add it at the start than to redo them later.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to build Uncle Peter's Warehouse?

Plan for 6 to 10 hours. The full build in the videos above adds up to just under 6 hours of recorded work over 6 sessions. The drawers and the airship covering take the longest. For a general view of build times, see how long it takes to build a book nook.

Is there a PDF of the Uncle Peter's Warehouse instructions?

Yes. You can download the manual as a PDF in English, German, Spanish, French, Italian or Portuguese: leave your email in the box just above these questions and the download button appears straight away. The kit also comes with a printed, illustrated manual with numbered steps.

How difficult is it?

It's rated intermediate. The individual steps are simple, but there are 134 of them and a lot of small parts. If it's your first kit, have a look at how to build your first book nook before you start.

Is this the same kit as the Steampunk Warehouse book nook?

Yes. We sell Uncle Peter's Warehouse as the Steampunk Warehouse Book Nook DIY Kit.

Is glue included?

Kits shipped from our EU or US stock include glue. Kits shipped internationally don't, because of air freight restrictions on adhesives.

Are batteries included?

No. You'll need batteries for the battery box.

Does it come with a dust cover?

Yes. A clear cover slides into the front once the build is finished, and you can take it out again for cleaning.

How big is it when finished?

18 x 11 x 23.2 cm (7.1 x 4.3 x 9.1 in). It's tall, so measure your shelf first. Our guide to book nook sizes explains how.

Ready to Build Your Own?

If the spiral staircase and the airship caught your eye, the Steampunk Warehouse book nook kit comes with everything you've seen in the videos. And if you like following a build step by step, our TARDIS book nook guide is done the same way.

About the Videos in This Guide

The videos come from Daniel Builds, who filmed his whole Uncle Peter's Warehouse build in real time, including the mistakes and how he fixed them. We aren't connected to his channel; it's simply the most complete walkthrough of this kit we've found. If it helps you, give him a subscribe.

On YouTube the playlist is listed newest first, so in this guide the videos are in build order, and each one carries on with the next stage when it finishes.