Bekkamero - I just posted this to your original post from September somehow. Here it is a again for the new thread:
The dome is a really unique idea! I would say that one of the major issues is that you can't really tell how much time and detail you invested in the lot just from the default screenshot. You could have made a custom screeshot for your lot that gave a perspective from below the dome a bit to create a better perspective of the lot. (I'll try to post an ex. of what I'm talking about tomorrow) If you are able to figure out how to do a custom shot, I guarantee that your downloads will increase.
Also, I would work on landscaping some. You have an awesome bridge and pond out front, but no real landscaping around the front of the pond. At the least, use the "mud" terrain paint to soften the edges of your pond. Strategic placement of cattails/agapanthus/small - medium rocks can help with realism as well. The use of large rocks around the lot is awesome! Keep that up
Love the use of hydrangeas with the roof color choice, but you might have included more use of other greenery (boxwood, etc) to break this up a little more. And if you're going for a more modern/techy look, sparse vegetation with ferns, bananna leafs, pampas grass, coleus, etc is a good start.
You are on a great path! You're thinking about how to use moveobjects and constrainfloorelevation to create unique looks. Keep it up - creativity is 1/2 the battle and you definitely have that going for you. Let me know if you have any questions about my comments.
Well my friends,i have spent the weekend building a request home.So here i am shamelessly promoting it..LOL...Well here is my latest built Montereaux.I hope you all like it.
Well Darkside, I'm going to give you the same advice I've given others. Ready? You have done a story to promote your build, however, as I've said in previous posts I always find the story more interesting if the pictures are taken in "Cameraman Mode" and from the Sims eye view. They give a better feel for the house and you are able to get better close-ups of the great features in your build.
I've already rec'd the story and the lot.
That said I'm now going to download and take a closer look.
I'm going to suggest that anyone interested in improving your landscaping skills download any of Darkside's lots. Darkside is very good at landscaping.
MerryWiddow
Edit: Darkside, I attempted to download this lot but it would not download. I got 'There was and error downloading content Montereaux #2' in my launcher. I hope you can clear up this problem as I would love to take a look. MW
Well, Thank you very much for the visit and for sharing your creations with us.
U know I Like your style, etc on your builds an I've dl'd and rec'd both.
I saw that MW already touched on the one thng I just wanted to say.
Thank you for sharing and do pay us a visit from time to time to share your work and feel free to give some comments to the Lots on the thread and the WIP.
Wow what a great and very helpful thread you 2 have going here and Minread you are oh so right with your sound advice for constructive criticism, right on target girl! 8) The saying does go "if you can't take the heat, then stay out the kitchen" lol I think even the most experienced builders learn from different views and opinions and in turn challenge themselves to improve on each consecutive build...I know I sure do. IDK what I would have done in sims 2 if I hadn't watched and listen to others while learning to perfect my skills. 8) And now with sims 3 it's kind of like starting from scratch in many areas, so the best advice to anyone is to watch carefully with a very keen eye,listen to what others are trying to say without getting your britches in a wad and learn by all your trials and errors. It can only get better as you go along And always remember this is a game people which is meant to have fun, and we are all here to share, support, and make friends with the same interests as ourselves. This is a great community so lets keep it thriving
I will be sure to pop in from time to time for now, but once I get to Norway and my new pc, I will do my best to help out in here as well as learn myself...I am such a perfectionist which can be a curse at times but I value others opinions which inspire me to do better.BTW keep up the great work you have going here M&M.
Hugs, Terry
Welcome Terry and thank you for dropping in.
Yes, please drop in and give us your opinion on the lots out on the thread as well. The more comments a person get, the more choices on has to to what to change, maybe and to whomever's Idea or comments suires ones own style.
I've Dl'd your house and played it for a while. Functional.
Your layout is very good and I love the Little indoor Pond.
I found the colors in certain rooms, mostly the bedrooms a bit overwhelming, but if u had a loose rug in the room with a a different color (no Pattern) it would've just broken the Pink, for example just a little bit. I quickly just added some white rugs and found it to help.
Remember you can play around with roof heights.
Changing u'r cover Picture would've helped a great deal on the exchange. I would like you to go to Page 1 and Post no 2. There is a section called 'Changing the cover picture' there that will help you get the right cover shot for your upload.
IRO uploading your Lot:
Move it to another Lot with the same size in town, that should cut it down by 1 Mb. The other suggestion I have for the upload, I need you to get in contact with me via e mail to explain that as I don't think TS3 will like the idea of what I'm going to suggest to you. So just go to my Homepage and get my e mail address and mail me.
I hope we can get your lot uploaded here.
I will download it in the meantime and play with it for a bit and come back with my opinion later.
I've dl'd your house and played it.
Here are my observations:
1st Impression a nice build and look to the lot, you might have decided to build this house on a smaller lot.
Some plants at the pond would've given it a more natural look. U could've added some plants on the pathway to the Entrance.
I actually got grown into the roof and in the end really liked it.
The garden, I don't know if you went for just a green look? If not I would say you needed to put some floral in. Other than that a very nice layout to the garden.
Pool area, maybe a BBQ or some chairs would've been great.
My Sim would've liked a lit pathway to the rear. He showed it was dark.
Interior:
I don't know if u used a lot of CC but if not, the walls were a bit bare and the floors could use some loose rugs.
I liked the open plan Kitchen, nook and Lounge.
The Blinds above the round windows looks a bit out of place.
The upstairs br's and verandah looked a bit bare.
The dustbin in the house ? I personally don't like a stinky big dustbin in my house.
Overall Impression: Very nice floorplan and placing of furniture, Love the colors u used though I'm not a green person.
A Rec from me and I see a lot of potential in you to become a good if not great builder.
Hi there MerryWiddow!
Here is one of my recent builds! I am interested to hear what you have to say about it! Here is the link to the thread where the lot was originally posted:
Hi Yanti. Welcome. You have a very good promotional thread going there. The only suggestion I would have about the pictures, is to try and get more of them at sim's eye level with one overall top down view of each floor for the floorplans. The pictures show the house from every angle and show you're strengths. I'm looking forward to play testing it. I will respond again when I've had a chance to take a closer look around.
MerryWiddow
Hi Yanti.
First thing I want to say is a suggestion to all. When you share your lot and put in your lovely new name and description; all of that disappears when your lot is downloaded. If you wish it to stay so the downloader knows it is from you and maybe return for more of your work, you need to change the name and put in the description in the info and save it before you share.
Now on to 'Swan House'. Well Magician and I moved in and the first thing we did was move the garbage can into the corner of the front garden by that little Ornamental Pear tree out of site. The second thing Magician did was go fishing, while I explored the house.
The landscaping is very well done. The mixture of terrain paint and rocks blended well together looking seemless. The only thing I would have changed is the terrain paint in the pond itself. I might not have used grass so close to and into the water. I enjoyed your use of both the natural beauty of the pond and the cultured formal garden around the rest of the house.
The archetecture of the house is interesting. The roof line looks good from all angles. The layout of the rooms is well planned. With the shared living spaces in the centre. The only thing I question is having the bathroom so far away form the main floor bedroom. I am a bit of a stickler when it comes to ceilings. I like the authenticity of looking up while taking the promotional pictures and seeing a ceiling.
The interior design flows nicely. The placement of the furniture is aesthetically pleasing and functional. I noticed in the main floor bedroom that you used two different patterns on the beds. I'd like to know your reasoning for this move. I would have made them both the same. They do seem to clash a little.
The dining room is another area I noticed you have used different wood grains for the table and the chairs. The chairs also are very contemporary, whereas, the table is more traditional. They might work better together if the table was also more contemporary to fit in with the rest of the house.
In the kitchen, I love the darker wood on the top cabinets. It adds interest. I like the layout and the upper cabinets by the table. Did you try putting a bookshelf under the these cabinets using moveObjects? The large contemporary one would fit perfectly there and might add more interest to that wall.
The living room is perfect in the black and white with the blue accent colour. I wish we had cushions for the sofa. Blue cushions would look lovely there. I wouldn't change a thing in this room.
For the bedroom, the only change I would make, is to make the frames on the pictures the same colour as the furniture. Otherwise, it is a beautiful room. Both bathrooms are very nicely decorated and functional.
In every room, I got the 'Nicely Decorated' moodlet.
I found the house to be very playable. Great job.
MerryWiddow
Hi there MerryWiddow,
Thanks a lot for downloading my lot and taking a tour! That is a very good suggestion about putting my name in the info and name of the lot! I will definitely remember that next that I upload a lot! Yeah I never know what to do with the garbage can and the mailbox! I am always struggling to find a suitable place for it! I do not want the maid of the house or the mailman to complain that they cannot reach them! I am happy that you liked the landscaping of the lot! I enjoy creating a garden - that is my favourite part of building! I agree when you say that the bathroom is too far away from the teenagers room downstairs! Have to do something about that! You are right about the teenagers room! I shouldn't have chosen two seperate patterns for bedcover! In my mind I visioned the two teenagers having two very different personalities and that is why I thought that I should use two different bedspreads for the two beds! I didn't think it in the esthetic sense! Should have realised that so many different patterns in one room is too much! Will also keep in mind your comments about the dining room and the kitchen! Yes, I wish that we had cushions for sofas too! That would have given the living room a very "lived-in look"! If you know what I mean! I am glad you liked the bedroom. About the choice of colour for furnitures I wanted to create a contrast of red, black and white!
Thanks for your kind words of praise and your comments! :-)
IRO uploading your Lot:
Move it to another Lot with the same size in town, that should cut it down by 1 Mb. The other suggestion I have for the upload, I need you to get in contact with me via e mail to explain that as I don't think TS3 will like the idea of what I'm going to suggest to you. So just go to my Homepage and get my e mail address and mail me.
I hope we can get your lot uploaded here.
I will download it in the meantime and play with it for a bit and come back with my opinion later.
Thank you
I dl'd and played your house.
Here are my Impression:
1st impression; Really a lovely looking house and garden. Loved the Entrance from the the street.
Very good landscaping, though the sand is running underneath the little fence into the grass.
The Ponds could use a little Terrain paint instead of the grass running into them.
Love the outdoor pool, maybe just needed a little extra moving space around it as it is a big house for lots of people and they r going to bump and stand in line waiting to get from one place to the other, there.
The house inside needs some loose rugs.
I like the fence(brick) in the ba's = (bathrooms) but I know a lot of people won't. Pity cause u made it look good.
I noticed some sinks instead of basins in the ba's.
The house lacks some wall decorations and plants.
U can put some books, eg. a cook book or any book on the coffee tables or plants to just finish it off.
Gym: I love the idea with the rugs in front of the TV.
In door Pool; just needed a couple of chairs or Loveseats in that area.
Bar: Very nice and roomy for this Big family that's going to live here, just neeeded some plants and portraits.
You have great ability and just need to maybe pay a bit more attention to the small detail. As i mentioned, loose rugs, paintings and plants. (Oops I'm repeating myself)
My overall Impression: I love the House! Great overall layout and design. A definite Rec from me.
Hi bekkamero. I'm impressed with your build. The dome does tend to overwhelm the house, although it's a unique idea and seems to work with the theme of the house. The floor plan of the house works and is very playable. I was impressed with the garden and the pond, both indoors and out.
Okay! I'm a perfectionist, and houses have ceilings! I admit I'm a bit kooky about this point.
The furniture placement is well done and the colours work well together as you travel from room to room. Good luck.
MerryWiddow
Edit: I agree with Magician about the rug placement and the need for a cover picture.
WIP: I'm building a house on Recurve Strand for my Simself in my and my Simself's fav. colors and style. This Picture is just to give you and idea of what the lounge is going to look like. The palmtrees come thru an opening in the floor and the top of each tree will be in the house itself.
Here is a basic view from the seaside to the house.
Just remember it's WIP, No landscaping nothing has been done. Just look at the idea.
All welcome to comment.
Okay, so I have already uploaded this morning. I used the rule- 2 solid colors (Navy Blue & White), 1 geometric & 1 floral pattern in various complimentary colors. Put a ceiling on, made an unusual roof, included some flowers for color.
Posted with a cover picture, and followed up with a "blatant attempt to get your attention" picture post on the forum; which disappeared in 3 minutes from the recent topics page.
I set out to make 2 nice starter homes for my GriffCorp. International Game. "Southern Comfort" was for the country, and is doing quite well in DLs & Recs. This one is for the beach. We will see how well it fares, time will tell.
At the end of the day, it really doesn't matter to me how the community responds to these 2 starter homes. I made them as tools for use in my game, but the spirit of the Sims community is one of helping & sharing with each other. I try my best to adhere to that spirit. A favorable response from the community would be like cherry on top of my sundae.
Be gentle now. This is for giving my sims a comfortable entry point into the game. They will start off with only 29 simoleons left in their pockets when they move in, but they won't be house-poor very long if they take advantage of what I have provided for them....
"Blue Moon Beach" Starter Home under 16,000 by XOX1-
My latest creation-
XOX1- MSV- GriffCorp. International Game. Replaces Sunnyside Strand in Sunset Valley. Must change from Community to Residential lot before placing. A nice cozy Starter Home for under 16,000 Simoleons. All Needs Provided. Very Active Pond with Deathfish. 4 Deathflowers. 5 Money Trees, Life Fruit and Omni Plants, 2 each Perfect- Apple, Grape, Lettuce, and Tomato.
(May have to bulldoze existing lot in Edit Town Mode to place)
Ah Magician, Think that will become a cool build. You know from my Town for Tessa builds how much I dig that glassed column look.
That half wall in the lounge is a great idea and look too. However, I think the transition from the full wall either needs to be a hard break so there isn't the angled down wall section connecting them, or there needs to be an angled wall section up on the other side to balance it out. Personally I think an empty section there on the right between the full wall and the half wall would look better. And maybe use that space for some kind of walking bridge through the palm tree section in the house? Or maybe just a decorative space to stash some indoor plants. The first idea you would need to move the couch and flooring over to accommodate the walking room unless there is space between the couch and the wall that I don't see from the angle of the pic.
Loving all the glass and the idea of the palm trees being inside the house. Looking forward to this thing being up when you are finished. And great colors for your lounge too. Another Tessa build?
Anyway, take my suggestions with a grain of salt. You are definitely "on to something" with this build already.
XOX...please forgive me if I am misinterpreting things, but I am getting a slightly "combative" feel from your most recent post...comments such as " I used the rule...' which seems to reference my previous input on your other home and "it doesnt matter to me how the community responds" are specifically making me feel this way.
I am wondering what exactly you are looking for.....peoples honest opinions and reactions to your work? Or something else? I almost get the feeling you are daring us to say anything about your work.
As I said, I apologize if I am misinterpreting things...it is hard to get a persons tone and intention sometimes from mere words. I think Widow and Magician have a great idea here and the very best of intentions and I would like to see the thread remain a place where fellow simmers can learn and grow and nurture each other. But we have to let our guards down a bit for that to happen.
I've dl'd your house and played it.
Here are my observations:
1st Impression a nice build and look to the lot, you might have decided to build this house on a smaller lot.
Some plants at the pond would've given it a more natural look. U could've added some plants on the pathway to the Entrance.
I actually got grown into the roof and in the end really liked it.
The garden, I don't know if you went for just a green look? If not I would say you needed to put some floral in. Other than that a very nice layout to the garden.
Pool area, maybe a BBQ or some chairs would've been great.
My Sim would've liked a lit pathway to the rear. He showed it was dark.
Interior:
I don't know if u used a lot of CC but if not, the walls were a bit bare and the floors could use some loose rugs.
I liked the open plan Kitchen, nook and Lounge.
The Blinds above the round windows looks a bit out of place.
The upstairs br's and verandah looked a bit bare.
The dustbin in the house ? I personally don't like a stinky big dustbin in my house.
Overall Impression: Very nice floorplan and placing of furniture, Love the colors u used though I'm not a green person.
A Rec from me and I see a lot of potential in you to become a good if not great builder.
Thanks for the critique, I do agree with most of what you are saying. For example, lighting on the pathway - around the garden etc. I did try to make the garden 'evergreen'. I didn't want to add any flora as I thought the colours used (green, brown, beige) complemented each other nicely. But I do think I could of added a bit more. The reason I didn't was just down to being lazy & also, I didn't realise that I had ALL that space to the left of the house until after I uploaded. Rookie mistake!
Interior:
I didn't use a lot of CC. Allthough I included a few paintings (gustav klimt/picasso) that wouldn't of show up. And the blue'ish curtins in the living room where the same colour as a section of the picasso painting I had in there, so it tied in nicely. Also, there was a rug in the dining room that wouldn't of shown up either :? oh wells.
Dustbin: My sims are lazy and can't be bothered stepping out the house to empty the rubbish. Its just there for convenience I guess.
Anyhoo, thank you very much for your compliments I'll be sure to upload my next creation for you to nit pick!
I am very sorry if my tone was interpreted that way! The things you have just mentioned were not even on my mind when I posted.
I am sorry if you, or anyone else gets that impression from my writing style. I have a habit of employing fiery rhetoric when I am expressing myself.
In the future, just take it as the ramblings of someone who was raised in Texas. It took me years for my drawl to fade away, and when I visit back home, it only takes five minutes for it to come back.
I have a reputation amongst my congregation at church for this also, but after the 8 years I have been there, my language is appreciated for what it is, Goodness Incarnate.
Language is babble, from the story of Babel. I sometimes wish that I had a better mastery of it, but I have to use the talents that I have managed to gain.
I had feelings of only good intentions when I wrote that post. I will again state that I am sorry if anyone interprets it differently.
Ah Magician, Think that will become a cool build. You know from my Town for Tessa builds how much I dig that glassed column look.
That half wall in the lounge is a great idea and look too. However, I think the transition from the full wall either needs to be a hard break so there isn't the angled down wall section connecting them, or there needs to be an angled wall section up on the other side to balance it out. Personally I think an empty section there on the right between the full wall and the half wall would look better. And maybe use that space for some kind of walking bridge through the palm tree section in the house? Or maybe just a decorative space to stash some indoor plants. The first idea you would need to move the couch and flooring over to accommodate the walking room unless there is space between the couch and the wall that I don't see from the angle of the pic.
Loving all the glass and the idea of the palm trees being inside the house. Looking forward to this thing being up when you are finished. And great colors for your lounge too. Another Tessa build?
Anyway, take my suggestions with a grain of salt. You are definitely "on to something" with this build already.
ty for u'r comments and the salt tasted good. I did remove that drop piece of wall and made it a solid break with a tile to the Lounge.
I've dl'd your house and played it.
Here are my observations:
1st Impression a nice build and look to the lot, you might have decided to build this house on a smaller lot.
Some plants at the pond would've given it a more natural look. U could've added some plants on the pathway to the Entrance.
I actually got grown into the roof and in the end really liked it.
The garden, I don't know if you went for just a green look? If not I would say you needed to put some floral in. Other than that a very nice layout to the garden.
Pool area, maybe a BBQ or some chairs would've been great.
My Sim would've liked a lit pathway to the rear. He showed it was dark.
Interior:
I don't know if u used a lot of CC but if not, the walls were a bit bare and the floors could use some loose rugs.
I liked the open plan Kitchen, nook and Lounge.
The Blinds above the round windows looks a bit out of place.
The upstairs br's and verandah looked a bit bare.
The dustbin in the house ? I personally don't like a stinky big dustbin in my house.
Overall Impression: Very nice floorplan and placing of furniture, Love the colors u used though I'm not a green person.
A Rec from me and I see a lot of potential in you to become a good if not great builder.
Thanks for the critique, I do agree with most of what you are saying. For example, lighting on the pathway - around the garden etc. I did try to make the garden 'evergreen'. I didn't want to add any flora as I thought the colours used (green, brown, beige) complemented each other nicely. But I do think I could of added a bit more. The reason I didn't was just down to being lazy & also, I didn't realise that I had ALL that space to the left of the house until after I uploaded. Rookie mistake!
Interior:
I didn't use a lot of CC. Allthough I included a few paintings (gustav klimt/picasso) that wouldn't of show up. And the blue'ish curtins in the living room where the same colour as a section of the picasso painting I had in there, so it tied in nicely. Also, there was a rug in the dining room that wouldn't of shown up either :? oh wells.
Dustbin: My sims are lazy and can't be bothered stepping out the house to empty the rubbish. Its just there for convenience I guess.
Anyhoo, thank you very much for your compliments I'll be sure to upload my next creation for you to nit pick!
I'm glad you shared your build with us and am really looking forward to your future work!
I reviewed your story; I would like you to try and take your pictures from the sim's eye view using 'Cameraman Mode'. This will give your tour of the house a more welcoming feel. I also think that a few more pictures of the rooms would enhance your sales pitch.
Now onto the house...
The landscaping is very well done. I have to admit when I think of zen gardens this is what comes to mind, however, you have done a wonderful job.
I love the drama of your front entrance. The layout or floor plan of the house is very workable. The foyer and 'great room' opening to all three floors is beautiful. The colours you have chosen throughout the house work very well. Each room melds together and you get the zen like feeling inside the house as well. Overall, the only thing I felt was missing was artwork on the walls and plant decor in the house. There was some but there was also a lot of bare walls.
I noticed, in some cases you CAS'd the lighting, but in most you didn't. Was this an oversight? I hope you will be able to upload this lot, but this gives you a chance to get in there a CAS those lights. I've rec'd your story. I also agree with Magician's comments on this lot. Good luck.
Hi, I'm back and have a couple of thing I need help with. First, I need serious help with basement building since it will be a while before I can afford the WA expansion which from what I understand will completely solve my basement trials!
I have followed some tutorials and can get the basements built but my walls are never useable? even after going through the tutorial countless times! My pathetic solution to the problem is to build another room within the basement foundation walls. I will post my pics to explain in a bit, but if anyone can give me help, I would appreciate it!
This a pic of what I end up having to do in order to get useable walls in my basements-
My other question- I have a home ready for your feedback! I know there are quite a few problems with it so I am up to your comments! I waited until today because it has been entered in our competetion which ends tonight. I just want feedback for future builds!
Here are the links
download for house http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=1451290
I've dl'd your house and played it.
Here are my observations:
1st Impression a nice build and look to the lot, you might have decided to build this house on a smaller lot.
Some plants at the pond would've given it a more natural look. U could've added some plants on the pathway to the Entrance.
I actually got grown into the roof and in the end really liked it.
The garden, I don't know if you went for just a green look? If not I would say you needed to put some floral in. Other than that a very nice layout to the garden.
Pool area, maybe a BBQ or some chairs would've been great.
My Sim would've liked a lit pathway to the rear. He showed it was dark.
Interior:
I don't know if u used a lot of CC but if not, the walls were a bit bare and the floors could use some loose rugs.
I liked the open plan Kitchen, nook and Lounge.
The Blinds above the round windows looks a bit out of place.
The upstairs br's and verandah looked a bit bare.
The dustbin in the house ? I personally don't like a stinky big dustbin in my house.
Overall Impression: Very nice floorplan and placing of furniture, Love the colors u used though I'm not a green person.
A Rec from me and I see a lot of potential in you to become a good if not great builder.
Thanks for the critique, I do agree with most of what you are saying. For example, lighting on the pathway - around the garden etc. I did try to make the garden 'evergreen'. I didn't want to add any flora as I thought the colours used (green, brown, beige) complemented each other nicely. But I do think I could of added a bit more. The reason I didn't was just down to being lazy & also, I didn't realise that I had ALL that space to the left of the house until after I uploaded. Rookie mistake!
Interior:
I didn't use a lot of CC. Allthough I included a few paintings (gustav klimt/picasso) that wouldn't of show up. And the blue'ish curtins in the living room where the same colour as a section of the picasso painting I had in there, so it tied in nicely. Also, there was a rug in the dining room that wouldn't of shown up either :? oh wells.
Dustbin: My sims are lazy and can't be bothered stepping out the house to empty the rubbish. Its just there for convenience I guess.
Anyhoo, thank you very much for your compliments I'll be sure to upload my next creation for you to nit pick!
Hi lozmc,
First thing I'm going to suggest is a little shameless self-promotion. Doing a story will help present your lot to the story tellers and viewers out there who also download lots. Next a promotional thread started for your lot. In this thread you can then list the cc that is included in the house. This give potential downloaders a heads up that there is cc and where they can find it. Putting a link in your story will help guide your viewers.
I had a chance to check out your lot. The architecture is nicely defined. I like the mixture of peaked and flat roof. They work well together. The detail of the overhang and fencing on the flat roof adds character. There is one spot where you missed the wall covering on one of the exterior peaks. The half gable roof that you used wouldn't work in real life. That would be a spot for water to collect and enter the house and cause major damage. It would be better to bring the gabled roof right to the front.
The landscaping around the house is well laid out. As I see in a later post, you said you were going for the evergreen look; you have achieved it. The big bit on the left that you missed, oops, maybe in a future build you could try using Terrain Tools and raise the terrain into a little hill. Or maybe you could add a gazebo. You already have nicely fit a pool and a pond on the lot.
For the interior I just have one or two notes to add to what Magician said. The bathtub on the second floor is unusable. It is too close the the shower. This also makes the shower unusable. And if you want to put the garbage can in the house, may I suggest the garage. That's where my sister keeps hers. Works out nicely. LOL. I liked the colour you used throughout the house. The curtains in the living room I see from above went with a painting. Maybe for those who don't have the cc or are unwilling to download it, you could have CAS'd one of the chairs in a strip or geometric to include that colour.
In the bedrooms, there would have been room for a dresser and side tables in both. Did you realize that you didn't CAS the chair? I think we've broached this subject before, but glass doors in bedrooms. I don't think I would like that. I have privacy issues!
Well that's it. I really feel you have a great start on becoming a great builder. I've rec'd your story.
Hi Judy! Havent had a chance to download and really poke around your lot as of yet, but I did have some initial impressions I wanted to share. First off...I think you have anot of really excellent touches in this house...good details like the master bathroom and that little pantry in the kitchen...they really give your floorplan something extra. Nice landscaping, too...good use of terrain paint and well laid out and useful.
I did notice some of the spaces seem very large and kinda empty...if you notice that when you are building, sometimes shaving off a few squares in each direction will give you the same proportions but a smaller and oftentimes cozier floorplan. Building too big is such an easy thing to do...I do it all the time and then I have to shrink away until I get to the right size and shape.
Also with larger rooms that are feeling "empty" even though they have furnishings, sometimes an area rug will help anchor the space...and dont forget all of those little things like curtains, wall hangings and potten plants here and there to help.
Like I said..havent really gone "into" your house yet...so take everything I am sayign with a grain of salt...except the good parts. And there are ALOT of good parts.
:shock: Thank you so much, Ruthless!Those comments mean a lot coming from you!
Ahhh, yeah, that amount of space was one that I'm not used to dealing with! I usuallly build and use much smaller homes but this is the one we got dealt and were not allowed to change any structural deatails on it! I know too after the fact, that I should have chosen a smaller lot to put it on because once I got it on the huge lot, I became overwhelmed with the entire project!
Comments
Bekkamero - I just posted this to your original post from September somehow. Here it is a again for the new thread:
The dome is a really unique idea! I would say that one of the major issues is that you can't really tell how much time and detail you invested in the lot just from the default screenshot. You could have made a custom screeshot for your lot that gave a perspective from below the dome a bit to create a better perspective of the lot. (I'll try to post an ex. of what I'm talking about tomorrow) If you are able to figure out how to do a custom shot, I guarantee that your downloads will increase.
Also, I would work on landscaping some. You have an awesome bridge and pond out front, but no real landscaping around the front of the pond. At the least, use the "mud" terrain paint to soften the edges of your pond. Strategic placement of cattails/agapanthus/small - medium rocks can help with realism as well. The use of large rocks around the lot is awesome! Keep that up
Love the use of hydrangeas with the roof color choice, but you might have included more use of other greenery (boxwood, etc) to break this up a little more. And if you're going for a more modern/techy look, sparse vegetation with ferns, bananna leafs, pampas grass, coleus, etc is a good start.
You are on a great path! You're thinking about how to use moveobjects and constrainfloorelevation to create unique looks. Keep it up - creativity is 1/2 the battle and you definitely have that going for you. Let me know if you have any questions about my comments.
Happy Building!
Modern Zen Mansion: http://www.box.net/shared/jd3vncrqym (My uploader wont let me upload my larger lots onto the exchange
You can check out all the pics here… http://www.thesims3.com/contentDetail.html?contentId=122220 Please rec if you like my house, seeing as you can’t rec my download
Thanks!!
-LKadas
Link to house: http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=1483994
Exterior:
Living:
Master Bedroom/Bathroom:
Upper Level:
Well, Thank you very much for the visit and for sharing your creations with us.
U know I Like your style, etc on your builds an I've dl'd and rec'd both.
I saw that MW already touched on the one thng I just wanted to say.
Thank you for sharing and do pay us a visit from time to time to share your work and feel free to give some comments to the Lots on the thread and the WIP.
Thank You
Welcome Terry and thank you for dropping in.
Yes, please drop in and give us your opinion on the lots out on the thread as well. The more comments a person get, the more choices on has to to what to change, maybe and to whomever's Idea or comments suires ones own style.
Thank You
I've Dl'd your house and played it for a while. Functional.
Your layout is very good and I love the Little indoor Pond.
I found the colors in certain rooms, mostly the bedrooms a bit overwhelming, but if u had a loose rug in the room with a a different color (no Pattern) it would've just broken the Pink, for example just a little bit. I quickly just added some white rugs and found it to help.
Remember you can play around with roof heights.
Changing u'r cover Picture would've helped a great deal on the exchange. I would like you to go to Page 1 and Post no 2. There is a section called 'Changing the cover picture' there that will help you get the right cover shot for your upload.
Overall a good build and a Rec from me.
Move it to another Lot with the same size in town, that should cut it down by 1 Mb. The other suggestion I have for the upload, I need you to get in contact with me via e mail to explain that as I don't think TS3 will like the idea of what I'm going to suggest to you. So just go to my Homepage and get my e mail address and mail me.
I hope we can get your lot uploaded here.
I will download it in the meantime and play with it for a bit and come back with my opinion later.
Thank you
I've dl'd your house and played it.
Here are my observations:
1st Impression a nice build and look to the lot, you might have decided to build this house on a smaller lot.
Some plants at the pond would've given it a more natural look. U could've added some plants on the pathway to the Entrance.
I actually got grown into the roof and in the end really liked it.
The garden, I don't know if you went for just a green look? If not I would say you needed to put some floral in. Other than that a very nice layout to the garden.
Pool area, maybe a BBQ or some chairs would've been great.
My Sim would've liked a lit pathway to the rear. He showed it was dark.
Interior:
I don't know if u used a lot of CC but if not, the walls were a bit bare and the floors could use some loose rugs.
I liked the open plan Kitchen, nook and Lounge.
The Blinds above the round windows looks a bit out of place.
The upstairs br's and verandah looked a bit bare.
The dustbin in the house ? I personally don't like a stinky big dustbin in my house.
Overall Impression: Very nice floorplan and placing of furniture, Love the colors u used though I'm not a green person.
A Rec from me and I see a lot of potential in you to become a good if not great builder.
Hi there MerryWiddow,
Thanks a lot for downloading my lot and taking a tour! That is a very good suggestion about putting my name in the info and name of the lot! I will definitely remember that next that I upload a lot! Yeah I never know what to do with the garbage can and the mailbox! I am always struggling to find a suitable place for it! I do not want the maid of the house or the mailman to complain that they cannot reach them! I am happy that you liked the landscaping of the lot! I enjoy creating a garden - that is my favourite part of building! I agree when you say that the bathroom is too far away from the teenagers room downstairs! Have to do something about that! You are right about the teenagers room! I shouldn't have chosen two seperate patterns for bedcover! In my mind I visioned the two teenagers having two very different personalities and that is why I thought that I should use two different bedspreads for the two beds! I didn't think it in the esthetic sense! Should have realised that so many different patterns in one room is too much! Will also keep in mind your comments about the dining room and the kitchen! Yes, I wish that we had cushions for sofas too! That would have given the living room a very "lived-in look"! If you know what I mean! I am glad you liked the bedroom. About the choice of colour for furnitures I wanted to create a contrast of red, black and white!
Thanks for your kind words of praise and your comments! :-)
I dl'd and played your house.
Here are my Impression:
1st impression; Really a lovely looking house and garden. Loved the Entrance from the the street.
Very good landscaping, though the sand is running underneath the little fence into the grass.
The Ponds could use a little Terrain paint instead of the grass running into them.
Love the outdoor pool, maybe just needed a little extra moving space around it as it is a big house for lots of people and they r going to bump and stand in line waiting to get from one place to the other, there.
The house inside needs some loose rugs.
I like the fence(brick) in the ba's = (bathrooms) but I know a lot of people won't. Pity cause u made it look good.
I noticed some sinks instead of basins in the ba's.
The house lacks some wall decorations and plants.
U can put some books, eg. a cook book or any book on the coffee tables or plants to just finish it off.
Gym: I love the idea with the rugs in front of the TV.
In door Pool; just needed a couple of chairs or Loveseats in that area.
Bar: Very nice and roomy for this Big family that's going to live here, just neeeded some plants and portraits.
You have great ability and just need to maybe pay a bit more attention to the small detail. As i mentioned, loose rugs, paintings and plants. (Oops I'm repeating myself)
My overall Impression: I love the House! Great overall layout and design. A definite Rec from me.
Thank You
Hi bekkamero. I'm impressed with your build. The dome does tend to overwhelm the house, although it's a unique idea and seems to work with the theme of the house. The floor plan of the house works and is very playable. I was impressed with the garden and the pond, both indoors and out.
Okay! I'm a perfectionist, and houses have ceilings! I admit I'm a bit kooky about this point.
The furniture placement is well done and the colours work well together as you travel from room to room. Good luck.
MerryWiddow
Edit: I agree with Magician about the rug placement and the need for a cover picture.
WIP: I'm building a house on Recurve Strand for my Simself in my and my Simself's fav. colors and style. This Picture is just to give you and idea of what the lounge is going to look like. The palmtrees come thru an opening in the floor and the top of each tree will be in the house itself.
Here is a basic view from the seaside to the house.
Just remember it's WIP, No landscaping nothing has been done. Just look at the idea.
All welcome to comment.
Posted with a cover picture, and followed up with a "blatant attempt to get your attention" picture post on the forum; which disappeared in 3 minutes from the recent topics page.
I set out to make 2 nice starter homes for my GriffCorp. International Game. "Southern Comfort" was for the country, and is doing quite well in DLs & Recs. This one is for the beach. We will see how well it fares, time will tell.
At the end of the day, it really doesn't matter to me how the community responds to these 2 starter homes. I made them as tools for use in my game, but the spirit of the Sims community is one of helping & sharing with each other. I try my best to adhere to that spirit. A favorable response from the community would be like cherry on top of my sundae.
Be gentle now. This is for giving my sims a comfortable entry point into the game. They will start off with only 29 simoleons left in their pockets when they move in, but they won't be house-poor very long if they take advantage of what I have provided for them....
"Blue Moon Beach" Starter Home under 16,000 by XOX1-
My latest creation-
XOX1- MSV- GriffCorp. International Game. Replaces Sunnyside Strand in Sunset Valley. Must change from Community to Residential lot before placing. A nice cozy Starter Home for under 16,000 Simoleons. All Needs Provided. Very Active Pond with Deathfish. 4 Deathflowers. 5 Money Trees, Life Fruit and Omni Plants, 2 each Perfect- Apple, Grape, Lettuce, and Tomato.
(May have to bulldoze existing lot in Edit Town Mode to place)
http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=1485532
That half wall in the lounge is a great idea and look too. However, I think the transition from the full wall either needs to be a hard break so there isn't the angled down wall section connecting them, or there needs to be an angled wall section up on the other side to balance it out. Personally I think an empty section there on the right between the full wall and the half wall would look better. And maybe use that space for some kind of walking bridge through the palm tree section in the house? Or maybe just a decorative space to stash some indoor plants. The first idea you would need to move the couch and flooring over to accommodate the walking room unless there is space between the couch and the wall that I don't see from the angle of the pic.
Loving all the glass and the idea of the palm trees being inside the house. Looking forward to this thing being up when you are finished. And great colors for your lounge too. Another Tessa build?
Anyway, take my suggestions with a grain of salt. You are definitely "on to something" with this build already.
I am wondering what exactly you are looking for.....peoples honest opinions and reactions to your work? Or something else? I almost get the feeling you are daring us to say anything about your work.
As I said, I apologize if I am misinterpreting things...it is hard to get a persons tone and intention sometimes from mere words. I think Widow and Magician have a great idea here and the very best of intentions and I would like to see the thread remain a place where fellow simmers can learn and grow and nurture each other. But we have to let our guards down a bit for that to happen.
Thanks for the critique, I do agree with most of what you are saying. For example, lighting on the pathway - around the garden etc. I did try to make the garden 'evergreen'. I didn't want to add any flora as I thought the colours used (green, brown, beige) complemented each other nicely. But I do think I could of added a bit more. The reason I didn't was just down to being lazy
Interior:
I didn't use a lot of CC. Allthough I included a few paintings (gustav klimt/picasso) that wouldn't of show up. And the blue'ish curtins in the living room where the same colour as a section of the picasso painting I had in there, so it tied in nicely. Also, there was a rug in the dining room that wouldn't of shown up either :? oh wells.
Dustbin: My sims are lazy and can't be bothered stepping out the house to empty the rubbish. Its just there for convenience I guess.
Anyhoo, thank you very much for your compliments
I am very sorry if my tone was interpreted that way! The things you have just mentioned were not even on my mind when I posted.
I am sorry if you, or anyone else gets that impression from my writing style. I have a habit of employing fiery rhetoric when I am expressing myself.
In the future, just take it as the ramblings of someone who was raised in Texas. It took me years for my drawl to fade away, and when I visit back home, it only takes five minutes for it to come back.
I have a reputation amongst my congregation at church for this also, but after the 8 years I have been there, my language is appreciated for what it is, Goodness Incarnate.
Language is babble, from the story of Babel. I sometimes wish that I had a better mastery of it, but I have to use the talents that I have managed to gain.
I had feelings of only good intentions when I wrote that post. I will again state that I am sorry if anyone interprets it differently.
ty for u'r comments and the salt tasted good. I did remove that drop piece of wall and made it a solid break with a tile to the Lounge.
TY again.
Yes it is fot Tessa.
I'm glad you shared your build with us and am really looking forward to your future work!
Good Luck and thank you
Hi LKadas,
I reviewed your story; I would like you to try and take your pictures from the sim's eye view using 'Cameraman Mode'. This will give your tour of the house a more welcoming feel. I also think that a few more pictures of the rooms would enhance your sales pitch.
Now onto the house...
The landscaping is very well done. I have to admit when I think of zen gardens this is what comes to mind, however, you have done a wonderful job.
I love the drama of your front entrance. The layout or floor plan of the house is very workable. The foyer and 'great room' opening to all three floors is beautiful. The colours you have chosen throughout the house work very well. Each room melds together and you get the zen like feeling inside the house as well. Overall, the only thing I felt was missing was artwork on the walls and plant decor in the house. There was some but there was also a lot of bare walls.
I noticed, in some cases you CAS'd the lighting, but in most you didn't. Was this an oversight? I hope you will be able to upload this lot, but this gives you a chance to get in there a CAS those lights. I've rec'd your story. I also agree with Magician's comments on this lot. Good luck.
MerryWiddow
I have followed some tutorials and can get the basements built but my walls are never useable?
This a pic of what I end up having to do in order to get useable walls in my basements-
My other question- I have a home ready for your feedback! I know there are quite a few problems with it so I am up to your comments!
Here are the links
download for house http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=1451290
story walk through- http://www.thesims3.com/contentDetail.html?contentId=119347
Hi lozmc,
First thing I'm going to suggest is a little shameless self-promotion. Doing a story will help present your lot to the story tellers and viewers out there who also download lots. Next a promotional thread started for your lot. In this thread you can then list the cc that is included in the house. This give potential downloaders a heads up that there is cc and where they can find it. Putting a link in your story will help guide your viewers.
I had a chance to check out your lot. The architecture is nicely defined. I like the mixture of peaked and flat roof. They work well together. The detail of the overhang and fencing on the flat roof adds character. There is one spot where you missed the wall covering on one of the exterior peaks. The half gable roof that you used wouldn't work in real life. That would be a spot for water to collect and enter the house and cause major damage. It would be better to bring the gabled roof right to the front.
The landscaping around the house is well laid out. As I see in a later post, you said you were going for the evergreen look; you have achieved it. The big bit on the left that you missed, oops, maybe in a future build you could try using Terrain Tools and raise the terrain into a little hill. Or maybe you could add a gazebo. You already have nicely fit a pool and a pond on the lot.
For the interior I just have one or two notes to add to what Magician said. The bathtub on the second floor is unusable. It is too close the the shower. This also makes the shower unusable. And if you want to put the garbage can in the house, may I suggest the garage. That's where my sister keeps hers. Works out nicely. LOL. I liked the colour you used throughout the house. The curtains in the living room I see from above went with a painting. Maybe for those who don't have the cc or are unwilling to download it, you could have CAS'd one of the chairs in a strip or geometric to include that colour.
In the bedrooms, there would have been room for a dresser and side tables in both. Did you realize that you didn't CAS the chair? I think we've broached this subject before, but glass doors in bedrooms. I don't think I would like that. I have privacy issues!
Well that's it. I really feel you have a great start on becoming a great builder. I've rec'd your story.
MerryWiddow
I did notice some of the spaces seem very large and kinda empty...if you notice that when you are building, sometimes shaving off a few squares in each direction will give you the same proportions but a smaller and oftentimes cozier floorplan. Building too big is such an easy thing to do...I do it all the time and then I have to shrink away until I get to the right size and shape.
Also with larger rooms that are feeling "empty" even though they have furnishings, sometimes an area rug will help anchor the space...and dont forget all of those little things like curtains, wall hangings and potten plants here and there to help.
Like I said..havent really gone "into" your house yet...so take everything I am sayign with a grain of salt...except the good parts. And there are ALOT of good parts.
Ahhh, yeah, that amount of space was one that I'm not used to dealing with! I usuallly build and use much smaller homes but this is the one we got dealt and were not allowed to change any structural deatails on it! I know too after the fact, that I should have chosen a smaller lot to put it on because once I got it on the huge lot, I became overwhelmed with the entire project!
http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=1487477