EAxis House of Fail: November

[Bugger]

@ Annan: This is very cool... reminds me of all the zombie movies I used to watch.  Survivor colonies FTW!

@ Photo:  I look at the home as being craftsman style as well.  I am fawning over the external siding you used - shame eaxis didn't add this style with the game.  A no brainer to me.

For the sake of clarification (as well as redundancy)... back decking/stairs and back balcony are to remain.  Front stairs are optional?  I realise that stairs will be necessary at the front of the house for entry due to foundation, but are we allowed to move them, and can we omit the first set of steps in the front that are only used for the two levels of terrain? 

As last time, I will be rebuilding this lot from scratch elsewhere in game, so that I have 100% flat edges and I don't want to build the whole house only to find that I will have to go and do it again because I left out the stairs.  Fooey.

[Emma]

Anything goes with the front porch and stairs. You can even move the entrance if you like. But remember, all exterior walls must remain.

[Bugger]

Well that just figures.  Being impatient to get the building underway, I began building before the posted response.  I left the front entrance as it was, but em-biggened the front porch a little bit.  The location of both sets of front stairs remains unchanged.  As per challenge rules, none of the exterior walls were removed or changed.  Also, the back deck on second floor is still there, though extended and part of it enclosed.  No CC for this house, and furnished with a little more than the basics... but not much more.  I created an attached garage and I *tried* to keep the home size normal/practical instead of gigantic.  This was not easy for me, since I like my sims to have MOAR space.  3Bedrooms, 2 full baths, 1 quarter bath, 1 half bath.  Front entry arch can be changed to door for visitor control.  I completed the house and then realised I didn't put in the fireplace.  I couldn't remember which fireplace was in the original home, so I slapped one in the study.  House is not technically awesome spec, but not available to download yet anyway.  As you will see in the pictures, I decided cabin style would work since Photo already nailed the craftsman style... damn you, Photo.

[jolrei]

Annan's house is very cool.  Great look and the wood panelled porch/stairwell/whatever thingy is a nice touch.
I am also fond of chazzhay's house - nicely industrial looking and the rooftop patio is a great idea.

* jolrei wonders if he can tear himself away from play long enough to do a build this month.

[Emma]

Go on Jolrei, you know you want to

[floopyboo]

Does the fireplace have to remain the same or can I use a differnt fireplace?

[photo]

floopyboo: I used a different fireplace... I assume it just has to be "a" fireplace.

Bliss: Lol I tried. I love that siding, it comes in three different colors with lots of combinations if you follow the link. It's lovely. I love your house by the way, I can never get the garage to look right when I try to join them.

[HomeschooledByTards]

I love your house by the way, I can never get the garage to look right when I try to join them.

Well, you're ahead of me at least. I can't even figure out how to join the garage with a foundation.

[Emma]

Does the fireplace have to remain the same or can I use a differnt fireplace?

You can use a different one.

[Annan]

I love your house by the way, I can never get the garage to look right when I try to join them.

Well, you're ahead of me at least. I can't even figure out how to join the garage with a foundation.

Neither can I! Anyone care to explain?

[Emma]

There is a really good story tutorial on the Sims 2 official website by SimSherry, I'll see if I can find it.

[edit] Here.

I just went to search for it and it was featured on the front page! Lucky me, not having to trawl through the exchange

[kazebird]

I love your house by the way, I can never get the garage to look right when I try to join them.

Well, you're ahead of me at least. I can't even figure out how to join the garage with a foundation.

It's easy.

1. Make the garage first. Note: make it two story.

2. Turn on boolprop constrainfloorelevation false.

3. Extend the garage wall towards your foundation a couple tiles (for modular stairs.)

4. Connect the wall to your foundation by putting a strip of foundation between them.

5. Use the leveling tool to level the floor grid on your garage with the foundation, except the tiles immediately surrounding your garage door, notice the walls magically become foundation level. You will also notice the wall around your garage door is warped, but it will be fixed.

6. Build the first story of your house on the foundation, and then level the second story of your garage with the first story you just built.

7. Deactivate the cheat and finish building. Note: The walls around the garage will make a warp in whatever walling you put on it, you can hide this with vertical paneling, or my personal favorite, a hedge. Or just not hide it at all like bliss.


If I had the time, I would enter this contest. It looks interesting, and I have picked up quite a few building, and furnishing techniques in the past. Maybe one day when I'm not up to my knees in work. I like all the posts so far.

If anyone wants to contact me about build and buy mode techniques send me a PM. I know:

- Basements

- Advanced landscaping

- Advanced roofing

- The use of individualroofslopeangle # (Despite common belief, it was fixed in the pets patch, and now properly saves.)

- Kitchen setup

- The use of greenhouse tools on regular houses.

- Lighting

- Much more than this post can hold.

[HomeschooledByTards]

@photo: Thanks. What about in houses like this one, where I want to add an attached garage but do not want to rebuild the whole house from scratch?

Why not create [a|a series] of tutorial threads for us then? Preferably with pictures, but detailed text descriptions would probably suffice.

[Bugger]

You don't need to rebuild the whole house to add an attached garage.  Parrot's description is pretty acurate and you can do this for any house you want an attached garage on.  I never read the tutorials to do all this (I tried but it was phail)... I just started screwing around with cheats and whatever thoughts came into my head for building a home.  I stumbled into a few methods and it was a lot easier for me to do it that way rather than read a wordy tutorial.  There are still a few tricks I need to learn for building an attached garage with windows on the lower level, I just never bothered to poke about with that yet.

[PirateFaafy]

Wow, Annan, your house SUCKS. In the good way. The post-apocalyptic way. Which is awesome. I am also liking Bliss's.

[ElfPuddle]

Why not create [a|a series] of tutorial threads for us then? Preferably with pictures, but detailed text descriptions would probably suffice.

The tutorial Emma linked to is the one I learned from. It's what you're asking for. Really.

[starlady]

Well... here it goes. I'm submitting my house. I will ask that any of you who actually download my house scan it *again* with CleanInstaller. I followed their steps exactly and it appears that I have packaged no CC/hacks with my house. But to be safe, please, please, please scan it again, even though I scanned it twice. I have all EPs/SPs.

I completely gutted the interiors and kept it the same size. It has two bedrooms and two baths, a rec room, a large living area, small kitchen and attached dining room. No lockable pantry, but it does have a lockable stairwell and full perimeter fencing. I did enlarge the back deck and give it a little pier and pond for fishing. There is also a garden with orchard trees, for those of your simmies who, uh, are addicted to gardening.

There's a driveway, of course, but I didn't really feel like messing with an attached garage. I have a tendency to do too many attached garages when I build.

Front of the house


Back of the house


View of the grilling porch/pier


View of the living room



View of the kitchen


View of the dining room


The Rec room


The Master Bedroom


The Master Bathroom



Aerial view, 1st Floor


Aerial view, 2nd Floor


ETA this one, and to possibly fix small, crappy pictures:

Neighborhood view:


And, here's the link for download. Sorry there's so many pictures... and that they're kinda crappy. I would appreciate feedback on the house, though...

http://www.mediafire.com/file/z0mynty1noe/130 Sim Lane.sims2pack

[photo]

Did you take your pictures with the ingame camera starlady? Cause it looks like you've uploaded your thumbnails instead of the full sized photos. If you look in the file name when your in your storytelling folder, there'll be two types of pictures. Chose the ones that aren't thumbnails and you'll get bigger pictures to post .

[starlady]

Thanks, photo! I couldn't figure out why there were TWO of every picture, since I only took one. You must be right -- I have somehow uploaded the thumbnails instead of the actual pictures as I did use the in game camera. Would taking them in windowed mode do that to them as well? Forgive the stupid question.

[Erry]

Here's my Entry

I didn't come up to see XD













Floor Plans:



CC:


Download:
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?z0ozznn3mzh

[witch]

@Starlady, to me, your house looks lovely for an older couple, perhaps with a grandchild or two. It's lovely and cosy and just a touch old-fashioned. I really like it.

[starlady]

Thank you, witch 

[Emma]

@Starlady, to me, your house looks lovely for an older couple, perhaps with a grandchild or two. It's lovely and cosy and just a touch old-fashioned. I really like it.

I agree, it is perfect for retired sims. Very nice! I especially like the back deck and the living area.

Erry, your house looks great, I like the faux coloumns. Those 2 trees at the front of the lot would be immediately deleted in my game, however

[floopyboo]

Annan, that house is awesome.

[Emma]

Here's mine, built on Mootilda's flat lot. All EPs/SPs > AL & Ikea. No CC used. Costs §160k fully furnished. 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms and seperate nursery on 1st floor. Swimming pool at back of lot, small orchard at side of lot and a kitchen garden at the front. No garage or driveway, no room for one really as I extended to the front and left hand side of the property.

Click pic for slideshow:



Download 130 Sim Lane.