Roofing 101: Are you hip, or a jerkin head? Part 1 by socalkdl

I have laid out some basic ground rules for myself when I start a new Sims house. These are because I want to minimize rework and frustration. Once I have determined the style home I wish to build I decide if it is going to have a basement. Most of my homes have a raised foundation, so it is best to place the basement stairs before I build the foundation. Next I build my foundation around the basement stairs. If there is an attached garage I factor that in as well.
Another thing I have found to be helpful when building is to not start furnishing the house before the walls and roof shape is determined. I have found out the hard way that if I try to do something “tricky” with the roofing tools after furnishing, invariably the doors, stairs, paintings and furniture will get in my way and prevent me from placing a roof. I will test a room to see if temporary furnishings fit, but once satisfied; remove them to do my roofing.
Finally, I do a “water test” on my roof. I imagine it’s raining. Will the water or leaves collect and cause problems or does the roof look like it will do what it was designed for: protect the interior of the house. This may seem silly since weather in TS3 is always sunny, but it can greatly add to the credibility of your house.
Kirk

The next section of this thread I would like to devote to building roofs in TS3 and variations of styles that I have come across (like the jerkin head). I would be remising if I did not point you towards jisgr8’s blog: http://whyplumbobsaregreen.blogspot.com/ , though, where you can follow his construction of the amazing “Waddesdon Manor”. He discusses at length the use of “CFE” techniques, roof stacking and custom fencing techniques. A thorough understanding of “constrainFloorElevation false” is absolutely essential to building a custom home.
Kirk

Buildings usually have a main roof that covers the largest portion of the building. Common mistakes I see are homes that are covered by many small roofs of roughly equal size. A large central roof with smaller adjacent roofs is much more pleasing and realistic. This is why I never use the auto-roof feature. It does not produce good results on complex house shapes.
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Kirk

Let’s talk about the basic roof tools in the game and how to get jazzier” results. Here is a gable roof. It is the third simplest roof design, following flat and shed roofs.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5262/5735223165_d4c6c74f74_z.jpg
Kirk

There are a number of things one can do to spice it up. By adding a hipped eave you have a Dutch Gable or Gablet roof, very common on farmhouses and other Victorian era homes:
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5024/5756554005_f58c90c45a_z.jpg
Or, when the gable is clipped at the roof ridge, it is a Jerkin Head or Half-Hip Roof:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3626/5738457041_1948aaf491_z.jpg
Or one can add a small hip roof at the bottom of the gable eaves to form an “eave return.”
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5148/5735772396_d885c6e946_z.jpg
Kirk

Fairly common on Victorian homes were elaborate barge boards or verge boards. Basically a barge board covers the structural ends of the roof support beams. Unfortunately TS3 does not have them. On gable roofs they became a distinctive decoration on Carpenter Gothic and Queen Anne homes. One style can be somewhat represented in game though. The hooded gable that shows up on Shingle and Queen Anne homes can be approximated as follows:
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Kirk

You will need to use “moveobjects on” cheat to locate windows that close to archways.
As you can see by the above, a small alcove is created by this technique. It would be easy to create a balcony under the extended gable eave if one desired:
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Kirk

I almost forgot to mention another way to add drama to a gable roof is by creating a “salt box” roof. Basically it is an asymmetrical gable with one side of the roof extended much further than the other.
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In Colonial American times the longer roof was to the back of the house, covering the back lean-to or porch area. But in my example I have reversed it to add character to the front of the cottage. It adds more “substance” to a small house like mine.
Kirk

Here's a house I created some time back but lost due to changes in the first Sims expansion. In it you can see jerkin head, gables, hipped, recessed dormers and eave returns:
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5185/5738040455_09d0b95c7e_z.jpg
Kirk

Attics and dormer windows:
Growing up in Southern California I am fascinated by attics with little dormer windows. Except for the turn of the century bungalows found in older areas of LA and Burbank we simply don’t have them. This is why most of my houses have working attics. The easiest way to build a working attic is to use the half-hipped tool or the half-gable tool. I usually move my attic walls one or two squares inward from the edge of the exterior walls.
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Kirk