Large one story homes

"Sandraelle;c-16772571" wrote:
@Rhiannon58 , so sorry I'm a bit late in chiming in here, but I missed seeing the notifications that I was mentioned in this thread, oops. My friend @soocoolsim alerted me, so hi everyone! I'm so happy that you found one of my houses to re-create. That was so long ago that I built this one and haven't looked at these pics in a while, lol. (It was actually one of my first creations as a DNA team member.)

I'm honored to be in the presence of TS3 design royalty! *bow*

"Sandraelle;c-16772571" wrote:
I don't blame you for skipping the attached garage; for a long time I steered away from CFE because I messed it up when I'd go to try it so just avoided it, lol. And I also didn't like making basements under foundations as you have to plan ahead to make it work right. But with all the tutorials out there, it just takes some practice.

I read some of the tutorials and quickly determined that I didn't want to leave my family in suspended animation (non-animation?) for many RL years. Thus, detached garage. The basement is another story. I could NOT get the stairs to work seeing as I had already built the entire first floor with a foundation. I even tried spiral stairs that SEEMED to have worked but my Sims couldn't go down them. I finally gave up and made an outside entrance. In my mind, it's like a cellar (yes, I'm old enough to have been in a few).

"Sandraelle;c-16772571" wrote:
I always put hampers in every bedroom and/or bathroom and they're usually in a closet, as I try to stay realistic when I build, but since Sims don't need closets, it's just a matter of preference. (Speaking of closets, you should check out the 2-story closet I made for my most recent DNA request....my requester posted inspiration pictures so they wanted a huge closet. It's in this build if you want to take a look.)

I wondered what was in those little closets that I couldn't see. I have put hampers in every bathroom and bedroom and there are a few places my Sims still drop their clothes. They keep my butler constantly busy picking it up. Another amazing home you built there. WOW.

"Sandraelle;c-16772571" wrote:
I had to chuckle when you said you hadn't been in CASt much and that you spent 30 mins trying to get one color right, haha. That is so me!! LOL I'm addicted to that color wheel and would not be happy building without it. I almost always change the color or patterns on most every object I place, as most of the pre-colored/pre-patterned game items I don't like, lol. You will not regret learning how to use it. I always copy and paste the hex code for a color when I'm recoloring things with the same color scheme so I get the match right.

One thing that has always driven me crazy is that I couldn't get all the furniture I wanted to match with decor and visa versa. We're talking a lifetime of playing Sims. I recolored a bed to match wall paper the other day and it was awesome. I suspect I will be a recoloring fool now. Great tip on copying the hex code. I've spent a good amount of time trying to match a certain color to another object.

"Sandraelle;c-16772571" wrote:
Oh and if you're planning on making the pergola over the upper deck, you'll discover that you have to place walls or columns first in order for the monorail fencing to stretch across the area.

I did figure that out by looking very closely at your design and was able to recreate it. Looks awesome!

"Sandraelle;c-16772571" wrote:
I'm glad you are making progress on your build and would love to see pictures when you're done. If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to bring it up, I'd be happy to help. Happy building! :)

I had gotten it about 85% done and stopped designing so my Sims could get back to work making simolias. I also wanted to try out the space and make sure everything worked (that's how I found out the basement stairs didn't work). I've been delighted with the ease at which my family is functioning in such a large house. I was hesitant to do a large multi-story home like this but it's working very well. Now that my family has recouped about half the money they spent on the house, I'm thinking about continuing the design. I painted (read that: recolored) the 3rd floor rooms, used one of the empty rooms to create an exercise room during my last play time. So the house is very close to being done. Now I need to work on the outside. I have a two-story greenhouse that I've done a little decorating in. I need to design a garden around the outside so it doesn't look out of place.

One question that came to mind: how did you get those small rocks along the walkways to fit close together? The small rocks I'm using take up a square and I can't seem to overlap them.

I've never posted pictures of my game - at all. But I'll have to make an exception and give you major kudos for your design, posting the floor plan and helping those of us who want amazing houses but lack the skill to do it on our own. It will be a while though. There is a ton of work to be done.