The Official Building/Remodeling Showboat Thread

[Joria]

Ok, the hallway makes sense then.  It would be a cool sort of surprise to see a display at the end of that hall.  I like it.

[Balkor]

Here is my latest and what I consider my best home yet, A nice, two bedroom beach house with the best view in town (Check last picture to see what I mean.)  However I am concerned with my building style on how I normally have quite large, expensive (82k for this) houses that can only really support small families.

First shot is the front of house, I got the whole bridge over a swimming pool idea from the house next door xD And the random plants are my attempts of landscaping.



Second shot is the back of the house, showing off both areas for relaxing and sunbathing ^^ Also if wanted an access to the pool.



Third shot is the upstairs of the house, starting with the Top right corner (White room) and going clockwise we have main living area, Master bedroom 1 with Private Study and En-suit, Master bedroom 2 with Private Study and En-suit, Main Media Room/Study.  Finally in the center I'm not sure If ill have any furniture, maybe a couple of chairs and plants.



Final shot of the actual house is the downstairs and again starting at the top right (Wooden floors) going clockwise there is the Kitchen with Dining room, Garage 1, Garage 2, Powder/Laundry room with Main Bathroom.  Again with the center I'm not sure if ill be furnishing.



Finally we have that great view I was on about ^^



Once I've funished ill retake the pictures for everyone but unfortunately I need to go to work soon =(

[Happytime]

That is an awesome view, Balkor.

I like the way you've got the "front stairs / access bridge" to match the stonework on the sides of the house as well.

I'm not sure I'd want my Sims driving their cars across those bridges though ... hehe

   -- Happytime

[Balkor]

That is an awesome view, Balkor.

I like the way you've got the "front stairs / access bridge" to match the stonework on the sides of the house as well.

I'm not sure I'd want my Sims driving their cars across those bridges though ... hehe

   -- Happytime

Thanks ^^ Also they arent actually bridges for the car area, I can't paint tiles straight over a Pool and I figured for RP purposes it would be better to just not have a pool there anyways.

[Joria]

Balkor, another building star is born!  Terrific house.  I love it all.  When I look at houses folks have built I think, "would I personally like to live in this house"?  With this one you built the answer is a definite and emphatic YES!

[pepperpizzapal]

I've finally started work on a house that I've decided to try and do more than a giant box. Got the outside finished! I used the lot next to Stony Falls, just since I like that place so much. Keeping with that theme, the outside is done in various kinds of stone and masonry.



The patio out back is perfect for large parties, so long as you can scrounge up enough food.



This is my favorite part right here, the loveseat underneath the cherry tree. There are going to be romantic moments there, for sure! Originally, I was going to change the bench to fit the neutral colors of the rest of the house, but I liked how the default pink matched with the tree, so I kept it. I know that the area in front seems empty, but that's the driveway. I had to move the cars to get a decent shot.



And this room, jutting off the side of the guest house, is the sun room. At first I intended it to be the family mausoleum, but I decided to put that into my basement instead.



Of course, I now have the teensy problem of that fact that, unfinished and unfurnished, my family can't afford to move into it yet. Oops. Over the next few days I'll furnish the inside, the basement, and the balcony so I know about how much my sims will have to work to get into the house at all.

[samoht04]

It looks like a very nice house, I don't know if it was your pictures or my screen but they looked very blurry? What graphics setting do you use?

[pepperpizzapal]

I'm not sure, actually. I never messed with the settings, so they're still on whatever the default is. Maybe I'll go play with those next time I get on to see if I can improve things any.

[samoht04]

It could be me, I followed another link on another thread and got no picture showing up.  And the thumbnail is clearer than the normal-ish photo.

[pepperpizzapal]

No, it's not just you, samoht. Looking back over them, they seem blurry to me, too.
Yup, I'm certainly playing with the graphics options next time I go play the game.

[Joria]

Hey, pepperpizza, keep us posted as the house develops.  So far it's looking really good.

Here's my latest endeavor.  This is the "house" my current attempt at dynasty is living in:




I wanted to take outdoor living to the extreme. LOL.  The little "houses" you see are, upper right hand corner, the bathroom/laundry room.  Below that is the stairs to the basement/museum.  This may change if I can figure out what I need to do to put it up in the air above the living quarters.  Having trouble with "can't level terrain".

Here's the lounge/living room:




Master bedroom, which is a work in progress: (ooops.  Forgot to  make the bed.)




The kitchen/dining area:




And the heir's bedroom:





Mind you, none of this is what I call "done".  Just need to put my cash in other places, yet I wanted that beautifully decorated moodlet and got it without any walls except in the bathroom.  My founder loves white and her spouse loves black so it made it really easy for me to chose colors to decorate with!  Jr. loves orange so he has a room of his own. lol  I'd like some feedback on this please.  I am not wedded to the idea that all gens will have to live al fresco.  I'm fluctuating back and forth between putting the living space in the basement and the museum up in the current living space, or even making that multi level by putting "rooms" up on pillars. 

[wildredchild]

I love what you have done for the living arrangements Joria.  I will be certain to follow any other pics when you have decided what direction you want to go.

[LlamaMama]

This is a really creative approach to outdoor living!

But...do you make offerings every day to the Meteor Gods?

[Aiwe]

I've had fun reading through this thread, so even though I'm not the world's greatest builder I thought I'd share images of the starter home I made some time ago (It's been up on the exchange for ages and ages http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=227446 if you're interested.)

This is the front of the house, landscaping wise it's a little bare, but it's made on a budget.


This is from the back, I'm particularly fond of the little raised patio area.


This is how it's laid out inside, I've got it set up for a couple with or expecting a baby, but I've also used that smaller bedroom as an office. Since ambitions I tend to put a washing machine in the bathroom next to the shower, it fits just nicely and in real life my grandparents actually had their washing machine in the bathroom at their old house.


In case it's hard to tell what's where from the plan (the colour scheme doesn't help) here's a view with the walls semi-down.


I'm feeling I should try some more building again now, I haven't really done any in ages, I use this one for pretty much all my starting families, it's affordable for a couple furnished and even a lone Sim can buy it unfurnished and have enough cash left over for the really essential stuff and despite all the weird shapes Sims navigate through it nicely and there's room for a chess table in the main room and so forth. But I guess I can't have every Sim from now until eternity live in a toadstool shaped cottage... time to build something new. Does whoever built the tree house (it was pages and pages ago and I'm lazy) mind if I try one of those? Because that looks like an interesting thing to play with. I also keep meaning to build a house that's an old railway carriage... now, if only EA would co-operate and give me a nice semi-circular roof-style to play with. I like building starter homes I guess. It's probably because I'm allergic to money cheats AND shoe-boxes.

[Lilygirl]

Aiwe, that's a really neat house!

My biggest problem with octagonal-type shapes is that I'm too picky and stuck on the 'realism' concept. Meaning, sometimes I have to change the house to fit the roof because the original "would never be built that way in real life!" As bizarre as this roof is, it really fits into the unique look of the house. And I'm so with you on the semi-circular roof pattern!

As for the floor plan and back patio, perfect! So unique and yet very functional. It's got everything you need in a starter home including room for skill-building furniture, toddler toys, and room to move around.

[AriaGirl77]

I love your little starter house Aiwe!  It's so cute, and very functional for a starter family.  I love the angles and the roof shape, great ideas!

[Saltypaws]

I built a tree house quite a while back, so that one might be it.  I think samoht did too, could have been either one.   Just find you a big tree and you should be set.  I really like the design of your house.  I have an Octagon house on the exchange and really came out nice.  I haven't even used it yet myself, but it has alot of the new stuff in it.  Keep up the good work.

[Aiwe]

Thanks for the encouragement everyone, I'm glad people liked my starter home. I'm going to give the tree-house a try in a bit, will post pictures if it turns out nicely.

[Aiwe]

Okay I started on my tree house, this is very much a work in progress at the moment, but I/ thought I'd share anyway.



The idea is to have different rooms on different levels connected by walkways, the room visible there is going to be a living room / study kind of room, I'm going to put the bedroom round the other side of the big tree and have the kitchen and bathroom at ground level or just on a foundation because I don't think it would be practical to get plumbing and heavy duty electrics or gas for a stove up a tree. I'm also thinking of putting in another higher platform for a telescope I think this is probably the home of a stargazer/collector and an artist, that's my kind of guiding concept anyway.

[wildredchild]

Great start on the treehouse Aiwe!  I will definitely wait to see the finished product with baited breath.

[Pam]

@Joria:

That's a very clever and unique idea you've got there.  And very lovely, too.  LlamaMama mentioned the Meteor Gods.  She's got a point.  That would be my main concern for everyone who likes to live outside.  I've never seen or heard of a Sim getting hit by a meteor while indoors, so it probably increases your chances of being hit.  Just saying. 

[Joria]

@Joria:

That's a very clever and unique idea you've got there.  And very lovely, too.  LlamaMama mentioned the Meteor Gods.  She's got a point.  That would be my main concern for everyone who likes to live outside.  I've never seen or heard of a Sim getting hit by a meteor while indoors, so it probably increases your chances of being hit.  Just saying. 

I have never been hit by, or lost anything to a meteor, and my original intention was just to make a beautifully landscaped lot, then raise a building above it, (you know how I like to put my houses up in the air!), and then have the lot become a sort of maze where the museum would be.  As my immortals came along and aged up, the elders would transfer to living quarters either higher up, (more elevated levels), or underground in the basement since I've figured out how to make basement homes, homey.  As it turns out, I have to redo that dynasty.  I went there last night thinking I'd just play it out but it really saddened me so I probably won't keep it.

Aiwe:  did you read my mind?  My very FIRST house as a Sims3 player was all connected octagons!  Then I decided, wait, put the octagons up in the air.  So I had a below level with kitchen/dining area and a small "visitor" lounge and a library, then up above I had bedrooms and bathrooms for the bedrooms, plus a huge deck that basically surrounded all the different octagons making each bedroom have it's own private deck area plus a large one for entertaining.  It was for a legacy I was working on and it just kept spawning new octagons.  It DID look like a cluster of mushrooms.  Sadly, my pc crashed and I lost it all and had not saved any screenies elsewhere.  Lost my legacy, (I was up to gen 4), and everything.  Yours is different from mine and really adorable.  I love that look for a house.  I must say your pathing flows better than mine did and looks very playable.  I had a few awkward moments in mine.  I love the way you're doing your tree house too.  One of the things I really love playing around with is elevations.

[Aiwe]

I just like octagons for some reason, they look good, they aren't enormously practical because they make it difficult to place furniture, but they look good. As for the tree house it was partially inspired by an advert I saw in a magazine for bespoke tree-houses, the website is http://www.blueforest.com/bespoke-treehouses some of them are gorgeous, pity I can't anything like afford them. Am really glad you like them though, will go away now and work on that tree house some more.

[AriaGirl77]

I really love the tree house idea!  I'm thinking it would work out really cool with some of the items from the Faire Folk Life set. 

[pallyndrome]

I am finally going to show you my new house for the one and only family I play (mostly). I moved the biggest house from Riverview to Twinbrook and redid the whole thing because I found the old house boring. I am really pleased with it. 5 photos can't really show you the whole extent of it. It has 3 lounge rooms (2 with tvs), dining room, kitchen, 5 bedrooms, 3 car + bikes garage, art room, study/library, exercise room, 6 bathrooms, laundry, party room, and lots of hallways with odds and ends in them. Oh and a kids room that is decorated but not in use at the moment. Outside there's a pool with a view, a pond, a paved area with tables and  umbrellas, a trampoline, a gnubb set, and even a little tree house for the future kids to play in! Oh and many verandas, and an unfinished basement. If anyone wants me to upload it or show more pictures just let me know, though right now there are sims in the house.

Photos: most of the ground level:


My favourite room:


The party area outside with trampoline and pool, fire place, chairs and tables with umbrellas, etc.:


And the view of the house from the front:


And I had a 5th photo but it wouldn't load...