Eaxis House of Fail Makeover Challenge

[rohina]

These are all SO much better, cooler and more interesting than anything stupid EAxis does with the exact same resources. I obviously need to arr me some stuff packs so I can download the houses.

[reggikko]

Technically, you don't need the stuff packs. The items from the packs just won't show up.

[SnootCB]

Snoot's 190 Sim Lane (fully furnished) now available for P&L
lot value: $119,394 (definitely not a starter home)
3 bedrooms/3 bathrooms
features: pond, greenhouse & orchard, swimming pool, fireplace, craft room, enclosed stairs, family room, skilling objects for all skills, 1 master bed + 2 single beds + nursery, LACKS GARAGE
[edit to add]requires all EPs and SPs

Click for slideshow.

Annan: I like what you did with the roof and the siding/stone on the outside wall.  What a super-efficient use of space!

snowbawl: The landscaping is very pretty.  The inside seems minimalistic but well-furnished.

[saraswati]

  Snoot that's a great remake.. It looks really nice and I love the absolute attention to playability (is that what awesomespec means?) It has a really logical flow between tasks, no wasted space and is cleanly laid out. Downloaded.

[Emma]

Snoot & Snowbawl, love both your houses, and downloaded Snoot, the only tiny little thing about your house is it needs more windows at the front But I have a window fetish I think-it's all I can do to stop myself from putting them on every other piece of wall!

[cwieberdink]

I just love how different these all are!  I really like snoot's for larger families.  Nice use of the space.  Annan, I really like what you did with the windows and the stone on the exterior.  And I'm keeping zaza's for AL for sure

[Ambular]

Snoot that's a great remake.. It looks really nice and I love the absolute attention to playability (is that what awesomespec means?) It has a really logical flow between tasks, no wasted space and is cleanly laid out. Downloaded.

Awesomespec is Pes's set of recommendations for building an efficient, highly playable lot.  You can find it here: http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/smf/index.php/topic,7263.0.html

[gethane]

Great idea! I've downloaded several! Working diligently on my own entry.

[saraswati]

Awesomespec is Pes's set of recommendations for building an efficient, highly playable lot.  You can find it here: http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/smf/index.php/topic,7263.0.html

Amber I've been building for the Sims for years and I totally agree with most of the things he says there. I didn't know about the "one desk" thing so this was very helpful. Thank you.

[BastDawn]

Here's my entry.  I'm running all expansions up through FreeTime and Family Fun Stuff, although I don't think I used any shit pack items this time.  If you download, I recommend installing Pescado's "eye in the sky" baby controller to make the play table in the nursery workable.  (It's crammed into a corner, and a toddler will have difficulty getting to it on her own.)  I've tested the lot with a family (2 adults, 1 teen, 1 child, 1 toddler) with one cat.  It sells for §61,384 -- I used the Magic Wand.  It's not AwesomeSpec because the stairs aren't lockable.





Download here

[Cimaronna]

Nicely done! I have so many 190 Sim Lanes, I'm having to rename them, but hey! I need another one! 

[Emma]

Ooh, I like yours Bastdawn!

Okay, since it doesn't state in the rules that you can only enter once-I've made another one!

Requires all EPs up to FT and all SPs up to K&BI. Costs §189k furnished. You can always wave the magic wand to depreciate stuff though, I didn't.

3 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, nursery, living room, bathroom, kitchen and separate dining room on first floor, along with the 'one desk', reading area, painting, pottery and chess. 2nd floor has 1 master bedroom, 2 kid's rooms and 3 (yes, 3!) bath and/or shower rooms. In the hallway there is an exercise bike and a ballet barre and the bedrooms and workout area can be closed off from visitors if you want to grant them access to the recreation area on the 3rd floor by placing walling and locked doors from the stairs to the bathroom wall. Visitors can use the 2 small bathrooms on the 2nd floor then if you so wish. 3rd floor includes a bathroom, crafting area and rec area with pool table and dartboard. (Also, on the 3rd floor, there is a little 1x4 space where the chimney was that is ideal for placing your macro controllers out of view) Garden includes greenhouse, pond and 'orchard' and there is a small swimming pool. Garden is accessible from kitchen where there is a patio area with grill and covered dining area. Phew. I think that is it, but I am sure I've forgotten something.

Front of lot



1st floor layout



2nd floor layout



3rd floor layout



Back of lot



More pictures. Download lot.

[Cimaronna]

Beautiful! --And another one lands in my downloads folder!

[saraswati]

  awh.. Emma that's gorgeous. Downloaded.

[cwieberdink]

Wah!  4shared haetz me.  All I get even with popup blockers off is the 4shared logo and a blank white page.  No download!  ETA:  NM it works in Furryfox, just not IE   

Bastdawn, beautiful job! 

[gethane]

I attempted to follow AwesomeSpecs by enclosing the kitchen, putting a door to the stairs, and using a front perimeter fence. But I'm sure its not perfectly Awesome.

--All expansions + K&B
--§115,000
--fully furnished
--2BR +1 nursery
--2BA
--driveway

*forgot a burglar alarm and light in stairway

More pictures and download here





More pictures and download here

[saraswati]

Snoot, I have a question.. the house I'm working on at the moment keeps the exterior walls but I did obliterate the fireplace chimney on the third floor.. I detest that look on any building. Can we get a ruling whether just the chimney on the third floor is ok to obliterate?

I'm happy to just keep doing the house for fun -as in, not a challenge entry-and show you guys the pictures when I get it finished. Gethane and Emma-these are both gorgeous.

[leaths]

OH HAI. Can anybody play this game? I need a little more P&L in my life.

Everyone's houses were so gorgeous and so much better than the original that it made me want to try. There are 3 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, a nursery, a skilling room/study area, a greenhouse (empty), and I added a garage. It's pretty much furnished, but I only added a few decorative objects here and there. It complies with as many awesomespec rules as I could remember off the top of my head--perimeter fence, one desk, lockable kitchen and stairs. Yours for only $120,216.

Oh, I'm using all EPs up to FreeTime (except for Pets) and the GL and TS stuff packs. I don't think I used anything from GL, but I might have used the TSS.

Front


Back


First Floor


Second Floor


Living Room


Kitchen


Downloadable here if you want it.

[snowbawl]

If we do this challenge again next month, I will be sure to actually furnish and decorate.  Everyone has done such a great job on the insides.  I feel stupid for having just furnished and decorated enough as to provide markers of where I would put things.  Forgot a burglar alarm, you say?  I did not even put in a trashcan, or a dishwasher.  Not even a single picture.  I barely included lights.  SIGH.

Anyhoo, I've decided to limit myself to only two downloads.  And I am waiting until the end of the challenge and all entries are in.  Are we judging these?  That would be such a hard job, they all look great.

@tlhs, I, personally, think that your window choice and placement is rather arbitrary...but from what I've seen, that would be my only complaint.

Great job everyone.

[SnootCB]

BastDawn: I like your layout and I especially like the decoration of the outside of the house.  Good for a medium- to large-sized family.

It sells for §61,384 -- I used the Magic Wand.

OK, I found the magic wand and I thought I installed it correctly (putting the collections file in the collection folder rather than downloads) BUT I can't find it in game.  Thought it would be under collections in Buy/Build mode, but no luck.  Am I supposed to put BOTH files in collections?  And anyway, how exactly do you "wave it around"?

Emma: I think I like this one even more than your first entry.  Nice layout, and, again, I like the plants placed over the front porch- creative!  I also like the little path to the pond.

gethane: I like that your house keeps the original "look" of the original, except bigger and more symmetrical.  I'll change a bit of the interior decorating to fit my own tastes but overall I like what you've done with it.

Snoot, I have a question.. the house I'm working on at the moment keeps the exterior walls but I did obliterate the fireplace chimney on the third floor.. I detest that look on any building. Can we get a ruling whether just the chimney on the third floor is ok to obliterate?

Meh, I think it is *technically* against the rules, but I don't care.  I'm still curious to see what you did with it.

tlhs: Great interpretation of Awesomepec, I think.  I'd move the trashcan inside the fence to keep kickers away, but that's about it.  I think the stone/stucco walls look really nice.

Are we judging these?  That would be such a hard job, they all look great.

Nope, no official judging, just sharing and mutual P&L/high fives.  I'll definitely put up another challenge house next month- I went back and looked at some of the white box houses that had been suggested the other day and I had a very bad DO NOT WANT reaction.

[Annan]

I know it has been said before, but I think it's really interesting to see how many variations on the same house there are! When I build, there's only one way things can fit, and I don't think I could re-arrange stuff in a satisfactory manner. But it can obviously be done.

Also, I think it's good to see some of the lurkers come out and post buildings. Yay new builders!

[Zazazu]

OK, I found the magic wand and I thought I installed it correctly (putting the collections file in the collection folder rather than downloads) BUT I can't find it in game.  Thought it would be under collections in Buy/Build mode, but no luck.  Am I supposed to put BOTH files in collections?  And anyway, how exactly do you "wave it around"?

I put both in /Downloads/Hacks. You do have to go into collections in-game to find it.

Nope, no official judging, just sharing and mutual P&L/high fives.  I'll definitely put up another challenge house next month- I went back and looked at some of the white box houses that had been suggested the other day and I had a very bad DO NOT WANT reaction.

What about that itty-bitty cabin in the woods that came with basegame? It had green siding and pines on the lot. That was the first house I played in the game (and my game was 1 sim minute/30 seconds RL on my laptop without any cc at that point because I was running it at max everything and it couldn't handle it). The Tests had a hell of a time making that thing livable.

[BastDawn]

It sells for §61,384 -- I used the Magic Wand.

OK, I found the magic wand and I thought I installed it correctly (putting the collections file in the collection folder rather than downloads) BUT I can't find it in game.  Thought it would be under collections in Buy/Build mode, but no luck.  Am I supposed to put BOTH files in collections?  And anyway, how exactly do you "wave it around"?

As Zazuzu said, both in Downloads works fine, but it should be working the way you have it, with the collections file in Collections and the Magic Wand in Downloads.  What is your setup?  If you don't have FreeTime, the collection file might not work.  You can force it to show up by editing it in SimPE.  To wave it around, click on it, move it onto the lot as if to place it, and then cancel it.  Done!

[saraswati]

Meh, I think it is *technically* against the rules, but I don't care.  I'm still curious to see what you did with it.

Thank you for the answer Snoot.. I'll post some pics on here, but I may also do another version if I get the time. This is the single most relaxing thing I've gotten to do all month.

[Hecubus]

I forgot about the chimney thing - so if you're judging, I am disqualified. But Emma and Saraswati made me post it, so here it is. (I can haz peer preshur?)



Structural Changes: removed fireplace/chimney; squared off bay window; changed stairwell, doors, and windows; reconfigured both floors. Note the fenced-in lot, lockable kitchen doors, and groovy new roofline.

It's lightly furnished, to show where the infant sleeping pod, bathrooms, and kitchen would be. If I were to really furnish it, I'd use the preponderance of Asian-inspired stuff from Simcastic and SimsDeisgnAvenue. Lot requires EPs through BV for the garden goodies to show up. There's room for a driveway, but I didn't put it in because, well, I didn't put it in. 



First Floor:


Second Floor:


More pics

Download

Edited to add floor plan pics to the post.