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#BnS207 - Back to their Roots
The deadline for this challenge is 31st October 2018
You already have an idea in your mind what the young, professional couple across from you might be looking for. One a respected doctor, the other a junior partner at a law firm, their life ahead seemed to play out in your mind like a tv serial. You imagine a modern, minimalist townhouse, or a high-end apartment; maybe even a joint office building and clinic. You have your pencil at the ready to take notes.
“So, Dr. Chen, Mr. Chen, how can I help you?”
“My husband and I, we have talked a great deal about where we want to go with our lives,” Dr. Chen says. “Being a doctor and lawyer can be rewarding, but we do not feel that where we are is the best place for us.”
“We need a change of focus,” Mr. Chen agrees. “Less stress, less… city life.”
“Oh?” Less city?
“We have decided to take our savings and buy a small farm, somewhere we can get back to nature.”
“A-a farm?” This is so not what you expected!
“Yes,” Mr. Chen nods. “Where I can grow tomatoes, and maybe help the local people with their legal matters.”
“And I can have a small clinic, and really help change people’s lives,” Dr. Chen adds. “My grandmother used to make remedies for all the people in her town back in China, and the more I live here, the more I think that is what I want to do with my life, too.”
“We feel this city is too big, too busy for us to connect to our clients and patients the way we want.”
You nod, pushing aside your assumptions and fully embracing their commitment to a new way of life.
“A farm will need a house; tell me about your needs.”
“Two bedrooms, at least,” Mr. Chen says. “One for us, and one spare room that can be made into a nursery if we need it to be.”
You smile at the thought. “Anything else?”
“A good kitchen. Health is so important to both of us.” The couple looks at each other. “Everything else is just the usual. Nothing fancy. A simple house in the country where we can raise some crops and help people.”
“Leave everything to me,” you assure them.
THE BRIEF
65k budget
Design a house for the Chen’s. Lot size 30x40/40x30 max.
At least two bedrooms, and a good kitchen. Other standard areas.
A good sized garden.
Style and design should reflect a desire for a simpler life.
Sim Challenge:
Create Dr. and Mr. Chen and show them enjoying their new life on the farm!
Entry List
Intermediate
NAME: Kgaff
LINK TO LOT:
LINK TO MEDIA: https://www.flickr.com/photos/154029363@N06/albums/72157674736248988
OPTIONAL CHALLENGE: Song and Li Chen are included in the media
LEVEL: intermediate
LOT SIZE, ADDRESS & FINAL COST: 40x30 1936 Beach Blvd, Appaloosa Plains, $64,969
LOT DESCRIPTION & DETAILS:
When I read the story line I immediately thought of the Chen's reaching back to their Chinese roots.
I gave them a classic Chinese farm house with a twist.
The first floor is dedicated to family life so I make a huge kitchen with a canning station for all the fruits and veggies. The twist is a small office for Mr. Chen to practice law for the community. There is seating and a shoe rack at the entrance to the house. There is also a small bath with a clothes washer tucked behind the stairs.
Because most of the Chen's time will be spent working the farm or in Song's case, in her remedy shop or Li's case in his law office, I gave them only a small living room on the second floor. There they can read or watch tv together.
There is a master bedroom, a guest room and a large bath on the second floor as well.
Dr. Song Chen has a private herbal remedy shop where she can work on potions made from her special herbs. She can also make special teas and treat patients/customers with medicinal teas and tonics.
There are two gardens, one a large veggie and fruit garden and one is a dedicated herb and mushroom garden. They also have bee hives, chickens and a small barn.
There is a good sized pond with a deck/bridge for relaxation. I tried and tried to make an arched bridge but CFE and I do not get along well.
CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM: "yes"
CREDIT TO SIMMERS FOR CUSTOM CONTENT USED: N/A
Advanced
NAME: iampes23
LINK TO LOT: https://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=9259153
just a shell of the house and garage: https://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=9259152#
LINK TO MEDIA: https://imgur.com/gallery/L9T1OCJ
OPTIONAL CHALLENGE: na
LEVEL: advanced
LOT SIZE, ADDRESS & FINAL COST: 2400 Pinochle Point, 40x30, $64,828
LOT DESCRIPTION & DETAILS: Since the Chens wanted a simpler life, no major electronics were used in this build, aside from a washing machine. I modified an antique floor plan for a real farmhouse, which I found on the internet (included in the slideshow).
CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM: yes, please
CREDIT TO SIMMERS FOR CUSTOM CONTENT USED: my own patterns
NAME: suzses
LINK TO LOT: https://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=9261745 (This is an upgraded and slightly modified version of my submitted lot - nothing very substantial is changed.)
LINK TO MEDIA: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmrPHSdn
OPTIONAL CHALLENGE: I named the Chens Jian and Zhi. Jian, because I'm acquainted with a nice man by that name, and I like how it sounds. The name means "healthy," which also seemed appropriate. When looking for a woman's name, I came across something saying that the ancient Chinese often "likened beauties to herbal plants." Perfect. Zhi is the plant Angelica. The rest is in the pictures (there are some comments under the pictures again, although they're not terribly important to understanding what anything is).
Link to media: https://flic.kr/s/aHskGvLZcK
Link to household:
The Chens on their farm: https://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=9261748
The couple unplayed straight from CAS: https://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=9261746
LEVEL: Advanced.
LOT SIZE, ADDRESS & FINAL COST: 30x40 custom lot in Riverview (location stolen from Mr. Cottoneye, whose 60x60 lot at 2 Cotton Branch Dr. was bulldozed to make room for this lot). Cost: 64,990.
LOT DESCRIPTION & DETAILS: I haven't played in Riverview in a long time, except to place another Build-N-Share build there a couple years ago, so I thought this was a great time to go take a look around again. The farm-y scenery at the end of Cotton Branch Dr. was the perfect backdrop for the Chen's small farm, I thought, but there was a 60x60 lot already there with an inhabitant. Mr. Cottoneye was convinced to move into town, poor guy, and we took a 30x40 parcel of his land to build the Chen's farm. (Had I realized ahead of time, however, that the hill across the street was high and the sidewalk tends to break up a lot, making it hard to take pictures, I might not have thought it was so perfect!)
It sounded to me as though the Chens would be 1st generation Chinese Americans, because I think of Sims 3 city life as being US based (maybe only because I am). My experiences living in a college town with many internationals is that Asians in general quickly take on Western ways and styles and easily fit in. So, I thought of the Chens as being a lot like any neighbor down the street in terms of personal and household appearances, but with a few ideas and possessions from home that they hold dear.
I had in my mind's eye a farmhouse I had seen pictures of not long ago - white sided, with black metal roof and navy blue trim. Conveniently, the Chens seemed to like that, too. We found a house plan that would work, although it was somewhat bigger than they initially envisioned, and set to work. It seemed natural to use some richer, brighter colors borrowed from the landscape against the white siding and light interior walls, and so we did. Keeping things fairly simple, we used the Chens' existing furnishings from their apartment, as well as their cherished family heirlooms. At the front of the house we included an office where Mr. Chen can meet a client and hand out some produce. Beside it is a room where Dr. Chen can make her traditional herbal medicines (I used the alchemy station for her, which seemed to be about as close as I could get to something appropriate.).
The house has three bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths. The downstairs half bath is easily large enough to be a full bath or a laundry and half bath. It has two garden areas, side by side. One is Jian's vegetable garden and the other Zhi's herb garden. The combined garden area was more than enough to keep both of them busy ALL DAY the first couple days I had them in the house, but their gardening skill went up quickly and it wasn't so bad within a few days. They also have a chicken coop near the gardens.
CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM: Yes.
CREDIT TO SIMMERS FOR CUSTOM CONTENT USED: None
NAME: creativemetaphor
LINK TO LOT: not uploaded
LINK TO MEDIA: https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipONaL_RTIMfaE8ADWhn_TdMLmPH-2e3DKXiMluM4AhNzz5t1yCDnOvhnIzngT-Ivg?key=TGN3NlJNaWFwN2hsV2VoRThZS05KaUpGcHJZX2t3
OPTIONAL CHALLENGE: n/a
LEVEL: advanced
LOT SIZE, ADDRESS & FINAL COST: 40x30, custom placed in Riverview, final cost $64,989
LOT DESCRIPTION & DETAILS: The Chen's wanted a home evocative of their shared heritage, inspired largely by Dr. Chen's grandmother's home in which she spent many long summers learning to prepare remedies, and instrumental in her decision to become a doctor.
This home follows partially a traditional courtyard style with the house forming a U shape and an internally wrapped porch. Mental health is as important as physical, and this home offers serenity and enlightenment in a variety of forms.
The kwoon, or martial arts room, is large enough to practice on the dummy, spar with a partner, or just sit and meditate. The kitchen is designed to offer a variety of food preparation options, as well as a canning station for the fresh produce from the garden. It has a set of doors to the porch around the courtyard to easier vent the heat of cooking in summer.
The dining offers ample seating for guests and separates the spaces, while still having open archways to connect the house.
The main entry hall fronts the living room, the study, and the household shrine. The living room is slightly elevated and the railings help define the area, which is furnished based on traditional seating layouts. The study has a reproduction of a skeleton for Dr. Chen's work, and a desk for Mr. Chen, with bookshelves for both medical and legal books. The shrine is tucked into the nook on the other side of the living room. The space offers both a sense of openness but also well defined areas.
The door to the bedroom hallway offers privacy, especially between the guest bed and bath, and also has doors to the courtyard.
The guest bath is simple and functional, with the toilet tucked away behind the tub and frosted window for privacy.
The guest bed is currently set up to allow either of their parents to visit and be comfortable, children are a dream but not a reality yet.
The master bedroom has doors to a private porch overlooking the garden and a path out to the pavilion. The master bath is divided between the lav/toilet area and a full sauna with shower. (So the mirror never fogs up!)
The garden has a variety of fruit trees, vegetables, and herbs to tend almost any need. It also has an easel for the occasional artistic endeavor. Mr. Chen enjoys trying to paint the koi, but he isn't very good at it yet.
The pavilion abuts the koi pond, and offers two lounge chairs where they can relax and enjoy the 'fruits' of their hard work, out in the fresh air with nature.
The entire residence is enclosed, with entry at the main gate next to the parking area, where a small fountain welcomes guests.
The house as a whole was kept uncluttered and simple, little that is not needed is there. What decorations there are mostly reflect their heritage and heirlooms. What was not dedicated to health and serenity was intended to make guests feel welcome.
CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM: yes, please
CREDIT TO SIMMERS FOR CUSTOM CONTENT USED: n/a
NAME: Mederouin
LINK TO LOT: https://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=9263270
LINK TO MEDIA: https://imgur.com/a/pwZGAk0
OPTIONAL CHALLENGE: N/A
LEVEL: Advanced
LOT SIZE, ADDRESS & FINAL COST: 30 X 40; 45 Hidden Grove Ln, Riverview; Final cost: 60,347
LOT DESCRIPTION & DETAILS: For this project I wanted to build a landscape that the house took a backseat too. I wanted the house to be simple and charming while the landscape was almost wild. I choose to build the landscape following losely the idea of permaculture. It was about building a whole space not just a fenced area that had been planted, I wanted the whole landscape to be a garden, to have a function and a certain inate beauty. I included a small greenhouse for those temprate plants and starting seeds and I placed the herb garden closest to the house so that it would allow easy access. The pond is for water retention and fishing and the bees for polination and honey. I tried to give the house an aquired feel with some of the pieces not matching completely. I wanted it to feel like everything there either had sentimental value or was useful or incrediably beautiful to the Chens. I hope you enjoy.
CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM: Yes, please
CREDIT TO SIMMERS FOR CUSTOM CONTENT USED: N/A
Results
Beginners -:
Comments: N/A
1st Place: N/A
Optional Challenge: N/A
Intermediates -:
Comments
1st Place: @Kgaff
Optional Challenge: N/A
Advanced -:
Comments
1st Place: @creativemetaphor
Optional Challenge: @iampes23
The deadline for this challenge is 31st October 2018
You already have an idea in your mind what the young, professional couple across from you might be looking for. One a respected doctor, the other a junior partner at a law firm, their life ahead seemed to play out in your mind like a tv serial. You imagine a modern, minimalist townhouse, or a high-end apartment; maybe even a joint office building and clinic. You have your pencil at the ready to take notes.
“So, Dr. Chen, Mr. Chen, how can I help you?”
“My husband and I, we have talked a great deal about where we want to go with our lives,” Dr. Chen says. “Being a doctor and lawyer can be rewarding, but we do not feel that where we are is the best place for us.”
“We need a change of focus,” Mr. Chen agrees. “Less stress, less… city life.”
“Oh?” Less city?
“We have decided to take our savings and buy a small farm, somewhere we can get back to nature.”
“A-a farm?” This is so not what you expected!
“Yes,” Mr. Chen nods. “Where I can grow tomatoes, and maybe help the local people with their legal matters.”
“And I can have a small clinic, and really help change people’s lives,” Dr. Chen adds. “My grandmother used to make remedies for all the people in her town back in China, and the more I live here, the more I think that is what I want to do with my life, too.”
“We feel this city is too big, too busy for us to connect to our clients and patients the way we want.”
You nod, pushing aside your assumptions and fully embracing their commitment to a new way of life.
“A farm will need a house; tell me about your needs.”
“Two bedrooms, at least,” Mr. Chen says. “One for us, and one spare room that can be made into a nursery if we need it to be.”
You smile at the thought. “Anything else?”
“A good kitchen. Health is so important to both of us.” The couple looks at each other. “Everything else is just the usual. Nothing fancy. A simple house in the country where we can raise some crops and help people.”
“Leave everything to me,” you assure them.
THE BRIEF
65k budget
Design a house for the Chen’s. Lot size 30x40/40x30 max.
At least two bedrooms, and a good kitchen. Other standard areas.
A good sized garden.
Style and design should reflect a desire for a simpler life.
Sim Challenge:
Create Dr. and Mr. Chen and show them enjoying their new life on the farm!
Entry List
Intermediate
NAME: Kgaff
LINK TO LOT:
LINK TO MEDIA: https://www.flickr.com/photos/154029363@N06/albums/72157674736248988
OPTIONAL CHALLENGE: Song and Li Chen are included in the media
LEVEL: intermediate
LOT SIZE, ADDRESS & FINAL COST: 40x30 1936 Beach Blvd, Appaloosa Plains, $64,969
LOT DESCRIPTION & DETAILS:
When I read the story line I immediately thought of the Chen's reaching back to their Chinese roots.
I gave them a classic Chinese farm house with a twist.
The first floor is dedicated to family life so I make a huge kitchen with a canning station for all the fruits and veggies. The twist is a small office for Mr. Chen to practice law for the community. There is seating and a shoe rack at the entrance to the house. There is also a small bath with a clothes washer tucked behind the stairs.
Because most of the Chen's time will be spent working the farm or in Song's case, in her remedy shop or Li's case in his law office, I gave them only a small living room on the second floor. There they can read or watch tv together.
There is a master bedroom, a guest room and a large bath on the second floor as well.
Dr. Song Chen has a private herbal remedy shop where she can work on potions made from her special herbs. She can also make special teas and treat patients/customers with medicinal teas and tonics.
There are two gardens, one a large veggie and fruit garden and one is a dedicated herb and mushroom garden. They also have bee hives, chickens and a small barn.
There is a good sized pond with a deck/bridge for relaxation. I tried and tried to make an arched bridge but CFE and I do not get along well.
CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM: "yes"
CREDIT TO SIMMERS FOR CUSTOM CONTENT USED: N/A
Advanced
NAME: iampes23
LINK TO LOT: https://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=9259153
just a shell of the house and garage: https://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=9259152#
LINK TO MEDIA: https://imgur.com/gallery/L9T1OCJ
OPTIONAL CHALLENGE: na
LEVEL: advanced
LOT SIZE, ADDRESS & FINAL COST: 2400 Pinochle Point, 40x30, $64,828
LOT DESCRIPTION & DETAILS: Since the Chens wanted a simpler life, no major electronics were used in this build, aside from a washing machine. I modified an antique floor plan for a real farmhouse, which I found on the internet (included in the slideshow).
CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM: yes, please
CREDIT TO SIMMERS FOR CUSTOM CONTENT USED: my own patterns
NAME: suzses
LINK TO LOT: https://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=9261745 (This is an upgraded and slightly modified version of my submitted lot - nothing very substantial is changed.)
LINK TO MEDIA: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmrPHSdn
OPTIONAL CHALLENGE: I named the Chens Jian and Zhi. Jian, because I'm acquainted with a nice man by that name, and I like how it sounds. The name means "healthy," which also seemed appropriate. When looking for a woman's name, I came across something saying that the ancient Chinese often "likened beauties to herbal plants." Perfect. Zhi is the plant Angelica. The rest is in the pictures (there are some comments under the pictures again, although they're not terribly important to understanding what anything is).
Link to media: https://flic.kr/s/aHskGvLZcK
Link to household:
The Chens on their farm: https://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=9261748
The couple unplayed straight from CAS: https://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=9261746
LEVEL: Advanced.
LOT SIZE, ADDRESS & FINAL COST: 30x40 custom lot in Riverview (location stolen from Mr. Cottoneye, whose 60x60 lot at 2 Cotton Branch Dr. was bulldozed to make room for this lot). Cost: 64,990.
LOT DESCRIPTION & DETAILS: I haven't played in Riverview in a long time, except to place another Build-N-Share build there a couple years ago, so I thought this was a great time to go take a look around again. The farm-y scenery at the end of Cotton Branch Dr. was the perfect backdrop for the Chen's small farm, I thought, but there was a 60x60 lot already there with an inhabitant. Mr. Cottoneye was convinced to move into town, poor guy, and we took a 30x40 parcel of his land to build the Chen's farm. (Had I realized ahead of time, however, that the hill across the street was high and the sidewalk tends to break up a lot, making it hard to take pictures, I might not have thought it was so perfect!)
It sounded to me as though the Chens would be 1st generation Chinese Americans, because I think of Sims 3 city life as being US based (maybe only because I am). My experiences living in a college town with many internationals is that Asians in general quickly take on Western ways and styles and easily fit in. So, I thought of the Chens as being a lot like any neighbor down the street in terms of personal and household appearances, but with a few ideas and possessions from home that they hold dear.
I had in my mind's eye a farmhouse I had seen pictures of not long ago - white sided, with black metal roof and navy blue trim. Conveniently, the Chens seemed to like that, too. We found a house plan that would work, although it was somewhat bigger than they initially envisioned, and set to work. It seemed natural to use some richer, brighter colors borrowed from the landscape against the white siding and light interior walls, and so we did. Keeping things fairly simple, we used the Chens' existing furnishings from their apartment, as well as their cherished family heirlooms. At the front of the house we included an office where Mr. Chen can meet a client and hand out some produce. Beside it is a room where Dr. Chen can make her traditional herbal medicines (I used the alchemy station for her, which seemed to be about as close as I could get to something appropriate.).
The house has three bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths. The downstairs half bath is easily large enough to be a full bath or a laundry and half bath. It has two garden areas, side by side. One is Jian's vegetable garden and the other Zhi's herb garden. The combined garden area was more than enough to keep both of them busy ALL DAY the first couple days I had them in the house, but their gardening skill went up quickly and it wasn't so bad within a few days. They also have a chicken coop near the gardens.
CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM: Yes.
CREDIT TO SIMMERS FOR CUSTOM CONTENT USED: None
NAME: creativemetaphor
LINK TO LOT: not uploaded
LINK TO MEDIA: https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipONaL_RTIMfaE8ADWhn_TdMLmPH-2e3DKXiMluM4AhNzz5t1yCDnOvhnIzngT-Ivg?key=TGN3NlJNaWFwN2hsV2VoRThZS05KaUpGcHJZX2t3
OPTIONAL CHALLENGE: n/a
LEVEL: advanced
LOT SIZE, ADDRESS & FINAL COST: 40x30, custom placed in Riverview, final cost $64,989
LOT DESCRIPTION & DETAILS: The Chen's wanted a home evocative of their shared heritage, inspired largely by Dr. Chen's grandmother's home in which she spent many long summers learning to prepare remedies, and instrumental in her decision to become a doctor.
This home follows partially a traditional courtyard style with the house forming a U shape and an internally wrapped porch. Mental health is as important as physical, and this home offers serenity and enlightenment in a variety of forms.
The kwoon, or martial arts room, is large enough to practice on the dummy, spar with a partner, or just sit and meditate. The kitchen is designed to offer a variety of food preparation options, as well as a canning station for the fresh produce from the garden. It has a set of doors to the porch around the courtyard to easier vent the heat of cooking in summer.
The dining offers ample seating for guests and separates the spaces, while still having open archways to connect the house.
The main entry hall fronts the living room, the study, and the household shrine. The living room is slightly elevated and the railings help define the area, which is furnished based on traditional seating layouts. The study has a reproduction of a skeleton for Dr. Chen's work, and a desk for Mr. Chen, with bookshelves for both medical and legal books. The shrine is tucked into the nook on the other side of the living room. The space offers both a sense of openness but also well defined areas.
The door to the bedroom hallway offers privacy, especially between the guest bed and bath, and also has doors to the courtyard.
The guest bath is simple and functional, with the toilet tucked away behind the tub and frosted window for privacy.
The guest bed is currently set up to allow either of their parents to visit and be comfortable, children are a dream but not a reality yet.
The master bedroom has doors to a private porch overlooking the garden and a path out to the pavilion. The master bath is divided between the lav/toilet area and a full sauna with shower. (So the mirror never fogs up!)
The garden has a variety of fruit trees, vegetables, and herbs to tend almost any need. It also has an easel for the occasional artistic endeavor. Mr. Chen enjoys trying to paint the koi, but he isn't very good at it yet.
The pavilion abuts the koi pond, and offers two lounge chairs where they can relax and enjoy the 'fruits' of their hard work, out in the fresh air with nature.
The entire residence is enclosed, with entry at the main gate next to the parking area, where a small fountain welcomes guests.
The house as a whole was kept uncluttered and simple, little that is not needed is there. What decorations there are mostly reflect their heritage and heirlooms. What was not dedicated to health and serenity was intended to make guests feel welcome.
CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM: yes, please
CREDIT TO SIMMERS FOR CUSTOM CONTENT USED: n/a
NAME: Mederouin
LINK TO LOT: https://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=9263270
LINK TO MEDIA: https://imgur.com/a/pwZGAk0
OPTIONAL CHALLENGE: N/A
LEVEL: Advanced
LOT SIZE, ADDRESS & FINAL COST: 30 X 40; 45 Hidden Grove Ln, Riverview; Final cost: 60,347
LOT DESCRIPTION & DETAILS: For this project I wanted to build a landscape that the house took a backseat too. I wanted the house to be simple and charming while the landscape was almost wild. I choose to build the landscape following losely the idea of permaculture. It was about building a whole space not just a fenced area that had been planted, I wanted the whole landscape to be a garden, to have a function and a certain inate beauty. I included a small greenhouse for those temprate plants and starting seeds and I placed the herb garden closest to the house so that it would allow easy access. The pond is for water retention and fishing and the bees for polination and honey. I tried to give the house an aquired feel with some of the pieces not matching completely. I wanted it to feel like everything there either had sentimental value or was useful or incrediably beautiful to the Chens. I hope you enjoy.
CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM: Yes, please
CREDIT TO SIMMERS FOR CUSTOM CONTENT USED: N/A
Results
Beginners -:
Comments: N/A
1st Place: N/A
Optional Challenge: N/A
Intermediates -:
Comments
1st Place: @Kgaff
Optional Challenge: N/A
Advanced -:
Comments
1st Place: @creativemetaphor
Optional Challenge: @iampes23
