Build-n-Share #190 **A Bar in the Woods** Due 31st March 2025

Welcome to BNS 189: Icy Connections

You are sitting in the park on a bench, sipping a soda, and watching the children play on the swings and the merry-go-round. Every once in a while, you take a look around, wondering where your new client is. She is very late, nearly a whole hour. But since it is a lovely Friday, you are just mildly concerned and not at all angry about the wasted time. Just as you are thinking of leaving, a young lady plops down on the bench beside you.

"Wow! I am truly sorry," she begins. "Work kept me late. My fast food job. One of three jobs, and I also am taking college courses online as well. Please forgive me." She tries to smile, but you can see she is exhausted.

"You must be Whitney Krauss," you say, smiling back. "I remember your email mentioned a duplex..."

Whitney lets out a big sigh. "Yes. My wonderful uncle on my mom's side passed away last August, and the will was finally just settled. He left me all his money because he didn't have kids of his own. Honestly, it doesn't make me rich or anything. But if it wasn't for two cousins on my dad's side, I could have dropped a job and taken on more classes. But when the Krauss brothers, from Germany no less, heard I inherited money, they decided to move in with me. Me! I have never even met them!" She shakes her head dismally. "When I asked my dad what they were like, he could only say that they followed soccer religiously and drank beer." She turns to look at you. "I had a decent apartment, but it was only a studio, and I certainly don't want to share it with boys. I know it sounds kinda selfish, but I did grow up as an only child. Anyway, my parents recommended I use the inheritance and buy a duplex. That way, I have one side; the cousins have the other side and can pay me rent. I don't mean to take my frustrations out on you, but I do need help badly!"

"Have you already purchased a duplex?" you ask, secretly guessing Whitney hasn't had the time to find one.

"I have looked at a few, but they were very old and had rotting floors and things," Whitney confides to you. "I just could not bring myself to purchase something that looked more like it needed to be torn down than lived in. Maybe you could suggest a property?"

You nod and give her an encouraging smile. "I recently purchased a modest lot for a couple who were going to build their dream home. Unfortunately, they got orders to move to a different area of the country before they could even build- there was some mix-up in the military records office. He had put in for retirement, but somehow it turned out to be re-enlistment paperwork. I have no idea what happened there. The point is, I do have a lot I can sell you for the price I purchased it for, and then I can build a duplex there for you! That way it is brand new and something you will really like!"

Whitney suddenly perks up. "That would be absolutely awesome! I have been dreading repair bills already, but new things will take longer before they need repairs. This is great!"

You get down to business. "How many bedrooms for each side of the duplex? Any ideas about colors? Any must haves on your side? And how much money do we have in the budget?"

"Well, the budget is easy: $275,000 is the amount I inherited, but I already bought a more reliable car and new laptop with some of it. I think I have about $263,000 left. Will that be enough?" Whitney is obviously over her head, and she is starting to look anxious again.

"I think I'll give you a little advice then," you interject. "You don't have to take it. But I would suggest you hold back some of the money as an emergency fund, in case the car needs to be fixed or you lose a job or something. It is good to be prepared for emergencies. I think we can build you a very nice duplex for, say, $240,000. How does that sound?"

"Terrific!" Whitney's face lights up again. "That is very good advice, and I had not thought about those things before. That does make sense. Okay, so each side would be two beds and one bath, and a kitchen and living room... That is mainly what you do get in an apartment. Mom had said to me that two bedrooms rent better than a one bedroom duplex. And colors, hmmm...neutral on their side because I don't know what they like. I want my bedroom as far away from their side, because I am a very light sleeper. My favorite colors are pink and yellow and purple. So any of those or any combination will suit me just fine." She pauses. "They will actually be here at the beginning of next month. How long does it take to build a duplex?"

You assure her that you can have it done by the end of the month. She shares her happiness at picking you as the architect to come to, etc, until she happens to glance at her watch. "Oh my! I am sorry but i have to dash! My next job starts in twenty minutes, and I still have to grab my clothes and shoes for it. Thanks again!"

You wave as she dashes off, and check your notes to make sure you got everything down. You also muse at how very lucky you are not have to hold down three jobs to make ends meet!

The Brief:

The budget is $240,000 (including the price of the lot you choose). Each side of the duplex must have 2 bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen and living room.
One side should be neutral colors; the other side can have pinks, yellows, and/or purples.
Don't forget to landscape!
Note: For Rent is not  required for this challenge, but if you have it, you can  make the duplex a residential  rental. 

The Room Challenge:
$30,000 budget.
Create Whitney's bedroom using some of her favorite colors.

The Sims Challenge:
Create Whitney Krauss and her two male Krauss cousins from Germany.
share their traits, likes, dislikes, and their clothing choices
show the three living in their duplex.

Remember to include the hashtag #bns189 with your build so it can be found. Entries are due by Friday, February 28, 2025, 23:5:59 New York Time/EST

BUILD OFFICIAL ENTRY FORM
CHALLENGE #188: Winter Designer Showdown
FORUM ID: AlJay2000
ORIGIN ID: AlJay2000
NEW LOT LINK: Contemporary Duplex
LOT COST: $4000
GALLERY COST: $200,016.00
TOTAL COST: $204,016.00
LINK TO ENTRY SLIDESHOW: BnS #189 - Icy Connections
ENTRY DETAILS: I designed a contemporary modern duplex for Whitney and her cousins in Evergreen Harbor. I chose to decorate her unit in muted pinks, purples, with a touch of yellow. Because the budget allowed I made each unit have the potential to have 3 bedrooms instead of two. Whitney uses her extra rooms for a spare bedroom and a craft room. The boys unit is decorated with more neutral tones on the floors, walls and permanent fixtures but she gave them creative freedom with their furniture, so the unit has a masculine feel with plenty of blacks and dark browns. The boys use their extra bedroom as a music room and they turned the main floor office space into a home gym. The duplex does not have much for a yard, but with Whitney's busy lifestyle I figured that she wouldn't have time for yard maintenance anyway.
CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM: Sure!
CREDIT FOR CC/RECOLORS: All NOCC artwork was made by myself
SPACE FOR PICTURES:

ROOM ENTRY FORM
CHALLENGE #187 - A Chalet Retreat
FORUM ID: LaunchSneezes
ORIGIN ID: LaunchSneezes
LEVEL: Starting Out
ROOM: https://www.ea.com/games/the-sims/the-sims-4/pc/gallery/B5865CA7CAFB4CFCAA00E2CDDF805CE8
GALLERY COST: 21,655
LINK TO ENTRY SLIDESHOW: https://ibb.co/album/hLm5pZ
ENTRY DETAILS: I recently got the Lovestruck pack so I used a lot of those items, as I am still infatuated with them, and there is a lot of pink! I created a little reading nook with a grimophone, which is my favorite part of the room. I thought having a romantic little room would be fun considering the month that it is.
CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM: Sure
CREDIT FOR CC/RECOLORS: None
SPACE FOR PICTURES: 

BUILD OFFICIAL ENTRY FORM
CHALLENGE #189: Icy Connections
FORUM ID: LaunchSneezes
ORIGIN ID: LaunchSneezes
Just for Fun!
NEW LOT LINK: https://www.ea.com/games/the-sims/the-sims-4/pc/gallery/391C74BA626143E4A2180CCFCCBC7582
LOT COST:
GALLERY COST: I changed it and the price went up to 251,469 without me realizing it, so I can't compete. But I still would like to post it.
TOTAL COST: more than  240k :(
LINK TO ENTRY SLIDESHOW: https://ibb.co/album/MxdCrF?sort=date_asc
ENTRY DETAILS: I started out with just the bedroom but decided to make the whole duplex. 
CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM: Ok
CREDIT FOR CC/RECOLORS: none
SPACE FOR PICTURES:(No more than 2 please)

Facebook: (optional, makes it easier to tag you.)
Twitter: (Optional, makes it easier to tag you.)

I changed my build a bit and it now exceeds the cost. I know I cant compete but I worked really hard on it so I still wanted to share it. The new lot link and new slideshow are in my original post, I just edited the post to include the new stuff.

You could enter as Just for Fun if you want to. :) 

Thanks!! I didn't think about that! I'll do that 💙

BUILD OFFICIAL ENTRY FORM
CHALLENGE #189: Icy Connections
FORUM ID: mandacaju
ORIGIN ID: mandacaju
NEW LOT LINK: Link
LOT COST: $2,500
GALLERY COST: $237,479
TOTAL COST: $239,979

LINK TO ENTRY SLIDESHOW:  https://imgur.com/a/3KJuExO

ENTRY DETAILS: I was inspired by similar twin houses in San Francisco for the exterior. For the interior, our heiress gets a girlie pink/yellow/purple house with activities to enjoy while listening to I'm Just a Girl by No Doubt, but also a great office area to study for her university degree. 

Ze cousins get a very posh house (so rent is increased, especially if we can get them to leave). I did place them a football and a World Cup trophy. I know they are very proud of that.

CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM: Sure, but isn't it just for fun now? 

*BNS189 Icy Connections is now closed!
Note: mandacaju's post is actually timestamped March 1 for me, but since she got in before I officially closed the challenge, it still counts.

You can't believe your eyes! Country singing legend Hank Blois has just walked into your office! You realize your mouth is gaping and hastily close it into a wide smile. You introduce yourself and shake his hand warmly, offering him bottled water and a chair. He sits down after you do.

"What can I do for you today, Mr. Blois?" you ask, still a bit giddy.

He smiles and stretches his legs out. "I have a debt to repay. You see, when I first started out, my good friend Shuck Frazer used to allow me to sing at his bar every night when he did not have booked entertainment, or if the booked entertainment didn't show. By doing that, he really let me build up a group of die-hard fans of my music. About four years ago now, his bar was demolished by a tornado. Since it was during the pandemic, he had no money to rebuild the bar. I only found out a few weeks ago when I finally had time to visit him. The poor man has taken to fishing and playing checkers all day, not really knowing what to do with himself without the bar he had for forty years. He has planted fir trees to sell as Christmas trees in a few years, so the lot is not available for building. I bought the lot beside it for the new bar. I know we can't give him an exact replica of his bar. Maybe a new bar would be better for a fresh start anyway."

You agree with him and ask what the budget is and if Shuck has any hobbies or collections that might inspire the decor.

Hank pulls a wad of bills out of his breast pocket and tosses it on the desk. "I have $300,000 for the bar. Hmm, well, I know he used to be into cars and motorcycles in his younger years, and he had some photos of that in the last bar. So let's stay away from that kind of thing. I am thinking, a country bar maybe, with country-type decor. Nothing too flashy, but everything comfortable and homey. He needs an office, public restrooms, and a kitchen for cooking food. A cellar to store all the bottles and kegs of drinks would be a good idea, but with the entrance behind the bar of course. Hmmm...a stage for me to play music for his granding opening, of course, and a dance floor. A place outside for BBQs and events would be great. And whatever else you think a bar/business will need these days. Do you think we can do all that for the budget?"
"I am sure we can, and we can do it by the end of the month!" you let him know proudly.

"You just made my day!" he grinned back at you.

The brief:
Lot size: Any
Budget: $300,000
Build a country-style bar with country decor.
It should have:
A  bar area
An office
A few tables and chairs both inside and outside.
Bathrooms, a kitchen and a BBQ area
Various bar activities
A cellar to store kegs.
Landscaping

The Sim Challenge
Create Shuck Frazer and some staff to help him run his new bar. You can pick all details -  traits, aspirations, likes and dislikes, etc. Remember to show their outfits and include some s screenshots of them running the bar.

The Room Challenge:

Create Shuck Frazer’s office. Budget: $15,000

Remember to include the hashtag #bns190 with your build so it can be found. Entries are due by Monday, March 31, 2025, 23:5:59 New York Time/EST