EAxis House of Fail: July

[Liz]

Aw, dangit, I was gonna fountain up that pool in my house! Phooey. Probably still will. 
Gorgeous house, Hec! I love the open floor plan of the downstairs. Sure, the open kitchen's not awesomespec, but I agree it's aesthetically better this way. And I like the "pass-through" window from the kitchen to the dining area.

Yoink!

[reggikko]

That's really nice, Hecubus. Which EP has the fountain? I am lacking BV and FT, and now I am experiencing EP envy.

SalixTree, I love what you've done. Very whimsical.

[Goggalor]

Hey everyone. Recent delurker here.

Nice entries all!
I thought I should give this a go. So, here is my attempt. Some elements from awesomespecs are here such as lockable kitchen and staircase, the one desk and a perimeter fence.
It's 3 bedrooms + nursery and 3 bathrooms.
The ground floor is made into a semi-basement with the help of a deck.

Front


Side


Back


Main area


Pool area with workout equipment


Bedroom


Slideshow with more pics

It only uses seasons EP.

Furnished §142,552
Unfurnished §59,828

It's the first time I've shared a lot, but hopefully all goes well.

[Hecubus]

That's really nice, Hecubus. Which EP has the fountain? I am lacking BV and FT, and now I am experiencing EP envy.

Hmm. I thought it was Seasons - look in Decorative/Sculptures. If not, then it's BV. It's just a long thang that sits in your pool or pond.

Goggalor, great entry! I never would have thought of the decking.

[Liz]

Zomg, that is fricking *palatial*. I love it! Favourite features include the faux-basement look of the ground floor (thanks to the decking) and the arched entrances. The roundish windows on top really pull the whole thing together nicely too. So many totally different looks this time around. Definitely heading for an Harmonious Haven Hood!

[reggikko]

That's really nice, Hecubus. Which EP has the fountain? I am lacking BV and FT, and now I am experiencing EP envy.

Hmm. I thought it was Seasons - look in Decorative/Sculptures. If not, then it's BV. It's just a long thang that sits in your pool or pond.

Dur. Now I feel like an idgit. I had never seen that. Thanks.

[Cimaronna]

*Claps*

Beautiful, Hecubus & Goggalor! I'm loving the variety everyone's showing here! And to think we have another three weeks to go. Whew!

[Kchan]

Well, here's my entry. Not Awesomespec, but adheres to one of it's main principles - keep those bloody visitors where you can see them.



View of the outside.



Closer view of the entrance. Path from driveway/drop-off to front door is quite short.



Ground floor. Upon stepping through the front door, we have the entrance/lounge with One True Desk, as well as a small bathroom. Locakable stairs lead up to the second floor. In the other building, which is separated by the pond, is the pool, kitchen and dining, as well as another staircase. Outside is greenhouse, barbecue and swings. Visitors can walk around to back yard, but both the pool-door and the door to the kitchen are lockable, so you can control where they have access.



Upstairs from the entrance is the skill-building room and a hallway that connects the two buildings. Also nursery (whole thing fits in that huge bathroom), main bedroom, two smaller bedrooms, two bathrooms, and balcony for throwing eggs at unwanted visitors.

Download here (hopefully): http://rapidshare.com/files/128035863/KC_s_Harmonious_Haven.rar

ETA: I knew I was gonna forget this. I have all EPs and the FFS SP.

[SalixTree]

Some cool ideas!

I like the way the river runs right through the middle of Witch's house. Also, the white outside paint brightens it up. The original house was so dark and somber. Nice kitchen area, you can watch the fishies while having your breakfast.

Reggikko's house, I like all those windows, and the use of the dark flooring around the pool.

I love the use of the plants and fountain in Hecubus' pool. And the open space works quite well. Love the clean and sparse look of the outside.

And the outside of Kchan's house looks old European. hehe.. throwing eggs, funny.

Most of you have made the inside pool larger!

[Emma]

Everyone's entries look great! Goggalor, I love the exterior of yours, reminds me of the Addams Family house for some reason

[photo]

Is there somewhere I can get a list of what is Awesomespec? Purdy please?

[Emma]

Yeah-in the War Room somewhere

[witch]

... Also, it looks like it would convert to a dorm or hotel pretty nicely too. That's one hell of a get-away/summer house!

Thanks, I thought afterwards of making it into a hotel too. (I still want to write 'an' hotel). You could get a couple more bedrooms upstairs and still have a bit of an overlook.

Damn. Without my Roman CC I won't try, because I can't outdo witch's efforts without it.

Oh bollocks! Everyone has a different approach, that's why I'm enjoying these building challenges, I love seeing things I never thought of before.

Oh, I'm still going to make an entry, I just don't think it will even approach being as good as Witch's.

Geez guys!

I am having trouble trying to figure out something unique and useful to do with this lot.

One thing I thought of was having internal walkways over the river with transparent tiles underfoot. Stupid EAxis builder never put it on a foundation though and I couldn't figure out how to pull Amber's trick with the fake walls next to the water.*
There's lots of room forward of the house, even if you went to one side and not the other. I also thought of making the water an internal courtyard in some way.

Reggikko, I love the attention you pay to the gardens, they always look natural and not overdone. I like the black tiling round the pool, I tried to go darker with mine but the rest of the house was in much more neutral tints. I like the colours you choose.

SalixTree, your house is so whimsical, you're right; it's a real fun house. I love it.

That looks amazing! I really must steal borrow the curved bridge idea.

Ditto!

That fountain setting is a stunner Hecubus! Kchan's upstairs bridge is also something I considered, looks good. For some reason that lot makes me think of Holland. Goggalor's deck is a good pinchable idea too, well executed.


ETA: * I wonder if using those internal platforms would allow tiles to meet across the water? Hmmm....

[Goggalor]

Aw, thanks everyone, glad you liked it. It's nice to get out of my normal building routine with the constricts of the challenge.

Forgot to mention a few things: there's paved room for a driveway, but no actual driveway since I went the season only route. Visistors ring on the ground floor arch. Oh, and I forgot to put lights in the bathroom of the pool area I think  .

I really like the houses extending over the pond as in Witch's and Kchan's, and I love the airiness of Hecubus' house.
Will be fun to watch the other entries coming in.

[floopyboo]

Kitsch Heaven:

Price:$111,184
Bedrooms: 3-4 + nursery
EPs & SPs: Uni, NL OFB, FFS, GLS, Pets, Seasons, BV, FT.
Favourite EP/SP: You'll figure it out.

This lot hasn't been playtested, since I just finished it. The kitchen is lockable, and since the only access upstairs is from the nursery which adjoins the kitchen, nobody's going anywhere you don't want them to. This includes the three toilets. Expect bitching from guests.










ETA: Zomg floorplans!

[Hecubus]

That's really nice, Hecubus. Which EP has the fountain? I am lacking BV and FT, and now I am experiencing EP envy.

Hmm. I thought it was Seasons - look in Decorative/Sculptures. If not, then it's BV. It's just a long thang that sits in your pool or pond.

Dur. Now I feel like an idgit. I had never seen that. Thanks.

Don't. I get so in a rut with certain content, I forget - or don't even realize - there's something I want in there. These challenges force me to look at Maxis content, and I always find something I didn't realize was available. (It's usually decorative, as some of the items are harder to see in the thumbnails.)

Floppy, I LOVE the reflecting pool! In a million years that never would have crossed my mind (but now I will shamelessly steal borrow, with credit, that idea for an upcoming lot).

[floopyboo]

Thanks.

[jolrei]

There you go.  Nicely done, floopyboo!  I love the pool area.  Floorplans?

[Alex]

Well here's my effort. I haven't changed the structure much, I've just mainly given it a themed makeover...

I present to you Bonsai Bungalow! Download here. Needs Bon Voyage and FreeTime. Also a very few selection of items come from some of the other eps, but only about 1 or 2 per ep and they are very minor items.



Ground floor.


Second floor.


I decided to turn the pool room into something a bit more fanciful, with columns and plants and everything. There's also a lockable kitchen at the back and a lounge/dining room divided by the stairs (sadly there isn't anything in the way of asian sofas so I had to use the morrocan one). Upstairs, there are three potential bedrooms (two of which I have filled with other stuff) and a rather sizable bathroom. The upstairs landing area could also be used as a second living room, if you so desire. There's a tea table outside on the deck near a shrine, a zen garden out the front, and small, secluded bamboo garden out the back that I suppose the koi pond could fit in. It's fit for a ninja! I'm quite pleased with the result, and will be promptly moving my family of Ninja's into this house. I'm sure it would look great in an Asian neighborhood.

I've also made some changes since these pictures were taken, so it's a bit better than you can see here. I've also only lightly furnished it, so there's room for all sorts of crap if need be.

[floopyboo]

There you go.  Nicely done, floopyboo!  I love the pool area.  Floorplans?

Eventually. The ones I took were craptacular even by my standards, and after 9 hours of making that thing, I wanted a break. lol. I swear it's more drama to gut & remodel than it is to start anew.

ETA: Kitsch Heaven now with bonus floorplans. And yes, the closet in the nursery is designed for bat boxes.

[Sknsarp]

Nice re-dos... I wanted to try, but spent about 3 hours fighting with it and it still was junk.

[Diala]

Well here's my effort. I haven't changed the structure much, I've just mainly given it a themed makeover...

I present to you Bonsai Bungalow!

*snip*

Oooo, that looks good. However, I don't see a download link anywhere.

[Alex]

Download here. I haven't had the chance to playtest it yet myself, so I'll be interested to know if there's any problems with it...

[Night Racer]

hheeyy..i like that asian lot
here we go. thers no landscaping only cuz i didnt care lol
CC: left right and center industrial stars by holy simoly
industrail fence by H.S
the dining tabel by..um....somwhere...i forgot..





download:   http://www.4shared.com/file/54396306/a89ffc6d/Harmonious_Haven_-_2BR_1BA.html
i think the only problem MIGHT BE  thnat the stairs over the pool might not work...lol...somone test it for me and report back?

[Alex]

Nice lot Cockroach. Really modern. I like it a lot. I love the patio area and how you've incorporated a driveway area. It's just so modern!

Oh, I forgot to comment on some of the other ones! Gogglor, I love how you've made the ground floor look like a basement. All that wood gives a nice mountanous effect. Kchan, I love how you've let the river split the house into two parts. And floppyboo, I just love the colour scheme of your house. It's really fresh.

I love seeing all the different takes on the same house!