Sims 3 - The Official Building/Remodeling Showboat Thread

[LlamaMama]

Will a lot with modified terrain retain that shape if placed on a flat lot?

[TommyT]

Will a lot with modified terrain retain that shape if placed on a flat lot?

Yup!

[Twinmum]

The blocks will keep their shape, but might look strange if placed on a block that is very different from the one it was created on. I tried my last home in a different position and the driveway (among other things) were really weird. Sometimes just using the soften terrain tool around the edges can fix any discrepancies.

Norma

[danefaith]

Well well, long time reader first time poster?  As the old adage goes.

Been trying to improve my building skills as late, and lo and behold this little diddy manifested.  Call it Sea Side Shack, styled in those contemporary fixer-uppers on that little island twinbrook.




Most compelling feature I think is this glass walkway connecting the front of the lot to the front door and back porch, via tunneling underneath the second story porch.




the floor plan is pretty symmetrical in design.  Front rooms and the loft have a nice brown and fluorescent orange color scheme, kitchen exhibits the most ostentatious shade of lime green I could ever possibly imagine.  The bathroom is beige and predictable.


Aaaand second story bedroom in loft style.

[TollingBells]

Dane, that is a beautiful house. I love the walkway idea, and I'd like to do it...Maybe I'll make a Sunset Valley beach bungalow in a 'glass house' design.

[danefaith]

Thanks!  Glad the glass chamber caught your eye, it took forever to get it to look right. 

  Also, a few striking closeups for effect.  


The glass antechamber.


Living room.


Kitchen.


And the bedroom.

Well there we go!

http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=2832161

if you were at all interested.  thanks, hopefully I pull off another miracle some time down the line.  I'll be sure to share if I do.

[WickedSimmer87]

Wow, what a lovely house danefaith!
Actually, I just made a house on the very same lot, with same kind of pillars underneath Like yours a lot more to be honest, lol.

Hope none of you is against me "borrowing" some ideas from you because the ways you make it look are way better than mine.

[TommyT]

Thanks for sharing danefaith!  Love the attention to detail on the exterior.

[TommyT]

You did an awesome job TommyT.  I am having trouble with building for some reason.  Maybe brain block, not sure.

What works for me is taking my time and trying different things.  Like for this house I told myself "bathrooms everywhere and minimal symmetry" which sounds like a weird phrase, but worked out rather well for this project.  Just pick a couple ideas you wouldn't normally try and capitalize on them.  This house took me about 2 weeks to build because I find myself getting burned out if I spend more than an hour a day on one build.  There are literally hundreds of great houses in the same vein as mine on the Exchange, so being unique is really the only way to set one's home apart from the others (I have a nice surprise in store for my next house ).

[danefaith]

Thanks Tommy.   To say the least, the attention to exterior was no LESS than excruciating.   I like to think I can decorate a room just fine. My biggest problem has always been making the building itself... not look ugly.  Lol.

Totally agree with you, though.  Committing to a kind of "mission" when building really does push you through!  When building the shack, I was so worried about it looking identical to all the other island houses... A two story with an extension.  Then suddenly, "windowed patios," and I was set.

[AriaGirl77]

Awesome houses Tommy & Dane!!!

I'm downloading them both now.

PS: For those interested you can still play homes that include items that you don't have (stuff packs, store items).  The game just automatically replaces them with a similar item.

[danefaith]

Having trouble settling into your thrilling new hobo adventure?   Well, then the DDS [Delightfully Dilapidated Shack] is the home for you!



This humble collection of wooden planks and furniture-like trash heaps is sure to ease the burdens of your new life of vagrancy!



The heinous red substance splattered across the toilet is sure to provide hours of guessing game fun!  And besides, lock-jaw builds character!



The path to your ultimate destiny standard on all models!  

So what are you waiting for?  Put your standards out to pasture, and make DDS your home!


Hahaha, this is actually a lil' tomb I put together, that I thought you might enjoy.  There's no narrative to it at present, though, although it's based around two family members, an inventor and his robot who were ostracized by the town and are now homeless, discovering their destiny in this tomb.

The last screenshot is your hint on how to get into the tomb, it's up to you from there!  Hope you have fun, it's pretty easy, once you figure out the key mechanic.

http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=2842435

PS: Honor code not to enter build/buy mode, and scope the layout of the tomb!

[samoht04]

Lol, now that is a cool house!  I really liked your other house as well dane. 

Cool House TommyT, I don't do well with huge houses and furniture, I am mainly a builder not a designer I guess. 

[danefaith]

And surprisingly liveable!  depending on how loose your definition of living is.

Although totally just noticed something.  Those dining chairs... are... are so... coordinated.  Ugh.  Talk about a hobo faux pas!  I'll need to go back and mismatch them at some point.

[Solstice]

I'm totally a fan of the "rundown shack" look danefaith. I really like your lot and you did very well in conveying that whilst being minimalistic

Creepy old houses, junk & clutter, rundown distressed decaying look and country kitsch are totally my cup of tea when it comes to building. Having said that though, TommyT's modern home for Pam is really inspiring (I love your lot TommyT) and I'd like to try my hand at building a modern house, which I've never ever really tried before (even when playing TS2) so will post pics of that when it transpires.

In the meantime, I wanted to share a few screenies of a lot I've started to build for one of my sims. It's just the outside at the moment, which isn't that finished yet either. I've still got the backyard and the front side passageway to do, plus the rooms inside the house. I'll post more screenies eventually as I go along.

As I'm relatively new to TS3 and as yet not comfortable with implementing custom content within my game, especially that the game in general is still temperamental with bugs and such, I build without the use of cc and make the most of the meshes and the textures that the basegame, with it's EPs & SPs, have to offer. So I apologise in advance if my screenies and future ones that will be posted might have items in it that may look repetitive.

General structure of the house


Unicorn statue and front door


An established rose garden at the front with an old fountain


Butterflies (royal purples I believe) and moss covered statue


Chess area underneath the cherry blossom tree