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Could use advice on building a house :)

ashcrash19ashcrash19 Posts: 4,404 Member
Hello,

So, for many years I've relied on others' amazing builds as my houses. I would dabble in building here and there, but nothing that I was truly content with.

I'd like to build my own house, but I'm a bit lost on where to start. Do most of you look up real-life blue prints/pictures and go from there? In terms of decorating and color matching, I'm fine. It's the actual building of the homes and especially making a garden/lawn area that I'm terrible at.

Thanks! :)
"Not All Who Wander Are Lost"-Tolkien
Origin ID: simaddict1990

Comments

  • rosemowrosemow Posts: 163,519 Member
    Hello :)
    This is a link to a helpful builders guide by Ruthless KK.
    http://simsvip.com/2014/10/30/now-available-sims-4-building-guide/

    These links may help.
    Sims 4 Building Basics :
    build mode guide for beautiful homes
    http://www.carls-sims-4-guide.com/tutorials/building/
    Stairs and basements
    http://www.carls-sims-4-guide.com/tutorials/building/stairs-basements.php
    Using building cheats
    http://www.carls-sims-4-guide.com/tutorials/building/cheats.php
    Roofs
    http://www.carls-sims-4-guide.com/tutorials/building/roofs.php
    Decorating (indoors)
    http://www.carls-sims-4-guide.com/tutorials/building/decorating-inside.php
    Decorating (landscaping )
    http://www.carls-sims-4-guide.com/tutorials/building/decorating-landscaping.php
    Split levels and lofts
    http://www.carls-sims-4-guide.com/tutorials/building/split-levels-lofts.php
    Cabinets and Islands
    http://www.carls-sims-4-guide.com/tutorials/building/counters-islands.php

    SIMSVIP : OUT OF THE BOX : BUILDING FOR BEGINNERS IN THE SIMS 4
    Out of the Box: Building for Beginners in The Sims 4 (Shape and Proportion)
    http://simsvip.com/2015/08/03/out-of-the-box-building-for-beginners-in-the-sims-4-shape-and-proportion/

    Out of the Box: Building for Beginners in The Sims 4 (Exterior Color and Texture )
    http://simsvip.com/2015/08/09/out-of-the-box-building-for-beginners-in-the-sims-4-exterior-colors/#more-55640

    Out of the Box: Building for Beginners in The Sims 4 (Wall Details)
    http://simsvip.com/2015/08/26/out-of-the-box-building-for-beginners-in-the-sims-4-exterior-wall-details/

    Out of the Box: Building for Beginners in The Sims 4 (Decks,Floors,Decor)
    http://simsvip.com/2015/08/31/out-of-the-box-building-for-beginners-in-the-sims-4-decks-floors-and-decor/

    Out of the Box: Building for Beginners in The Sims 4 ( Landscaping)
    http://simsvip.com/2015/09/08/out-of-the-box-building-for-beginners-in-the-sims-4-landscaping/

    Out of the Box: Building for Beginners in The Sims 4 (Trying Different Styles)
    http://simsvip.com/2015/09/14/out-of-the-box-bu
  • ashcrash19ashcrash19 Posts: 4,404 Member
    @rosemow Thanks! I'll look :)
    "Not All Who Wander Are Lost"-Tolkien
    Origin ID: simaddict1990
  • SimmerbugSimmerbug Posts: 7 New Member
    I really like making Sim houses based off of real house blue prints personally. When I am building I like to recreate the plans on graph paper so I can kind of tailor the house so that it will work in the Sims.
    As for the garden, I am just starting to really experiment with them myself. I find that the gardens tend to look nicer if you use the move objects cheat so you can place flowers closer to each other or on top of each other. If you want I would be happy to share some of my more recent builds with you :)
  • ashcrash19ashcrash19 Posts: 4,404 Member
    Simmerbug wrote: »
    I really like making Sim houses based off of real house blue prints personally. When I am building I like to recreate the plans on graph paper so I can kind of tailor the house so that it will work in the Sims.
    As for the garden, I am just starting to really experiment with them myself. I find that the gardens tend to look nicer if you use the move objects cheat so you can place flowers closer to each other or on top of each other. If you want I would be happy to share some of my more recent builds with you :)

    Thanks! I'm working on a house since last night. I couldn't find the exact blueprint so I've been sort of hodgepodging two different ones. It has a wrap around porch with gazebo and then a larger deck for parties so far. Trying to figure out if I can make a split level kitchen when already on a foundation....not a lower split level but higher with stairs.
    "Not All Who Wander Are Lost"-Tolkien
    Origin ID: simaddict1990
  • PetalsimPetalsim Posts: 43 Member
    I'm also lost when it comes to building. I have to say that watching youtube tutorials did help me quite a bit. Have you ever tried?
  • ParadoxSimsParadoxSims Posts: 90 Member
    When it comes to building I tend to think of what style home I want to exactly build. For example, modern, contemporary, victorian, etc. From there I go off reference pics and kind of get some inspiration, think of my color scheme, layout, and such. After that I really recommend when you do the bases of the house to do the floorplan and THEN decorate the outside of the home. Add the roof and make it perfectly how you want it, decide the colors and paint the house, design the porch, place windows, landscape, etc. After the outside of the home is done I then work on the inside. Placing the windows beforehand help me decide where my rooms cut off and such. Don't make blocky rooms, make rooms with corners and dips. It really helps with the depth, especially for decorating and picture taking. After I separate the rooms and figure what each room is I then go into detail with decorating the rooms. Remember to place the door to the room before furnishing it :) That's how I like to build and I used to be super bad before this past year.
  • ysa88ysa88 Posts: 260 Member
    Blueprints can be helpful if you have something specific in mind that you want to create. Most of the time I just go with the flow, have inspiration ideas or photos and then take it from there. I like to think about what would work, even in sim reality...like you wouldn't have curtains going into your stove or rugs under a bath tub - these little details really count! :)
    simblr

    ea id: ysa_88
  • misscbongmisscbong Posts: 736 Member
    Personally, a lot of my builds are based on Floor Plans. I LOVE them. I will change them up to meet the Sims needs, but I like having a basic layout to reference visually.

    Just web search House Floor Plans, and then you can look around at the architectural styles and see any you like.
  • kilra0kilra0 Posts: 644 Member
    I think at the beginning floor plans can be very helpful. To be honest I never built on floor plans except for challenges. Sometimes I see a building or just a detail of it and think it's nice. So there 2 different options to start with: exterior when you know how it should look or a very simple way to start is with a room. You have to image how it should be and what makes it special - if it's the kitchen, it would be nice to have the dining area next to it and so on. Afterwards you just have to modify all edges together in a way that please you. This can be a bit tricky and long-winded but the result will be unique. To start with small houses is maybe not that frustrating. I hope that helps you a bit.
  • ashcrash19ashcrash19 Posts: 4,404 Member
    edited January 2018
    kilra0 wrote: »
    I think at the beginning floor plans can be very helpful. To be honest I never built on floor plans except for challenges. Sometimes I see a building or just a detail of it and think it's nice. So there 2 different options to start with: exterior when you know how it should look or a very simple way to start is with a room. You have to image how it should be and what makes it special - if it's the kitchen, it would be nice to have the dining area next to it and so on. Afterwards you just have to modify all edges together in a way that please you. This can be a bit tricky and long-winded but the result will be unique. To start with small houses is maybe not that frustrating. I hope that helps you a bit.

    @kilra0 Hello, again! Thank you. :)
    I've been working on it for the past few days now. Started out as one blue print, but the inside I sort of did my own thing. It's become quite larger than I originally anticipated. I was thinking about posting WIPs, but I might just wait until it's done and post (many) pictures. :D Everyone's tips have been so helpful! <3

    http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/933170/tranquil-outdoor-theater/p1?new=1
    This is an outdoor theater I just made. It's simple, but I wanted something cozy and colorful. I made it halfway through making my house--idea came to me on a whim. :)
    "Not All Who Wander Are Lost"-Tolkien
    Origin ID: simaddict1990
  • cmbaker16cmbaker16 Posts: 9,172 Member
    When I build I like to look at pictures of houses, if I know what style I want i'll look at photos of that style and I'll pick a house photo I like and build from the photo. I find floor plans a little hard to follow so I prefer building from a photo of a house and by doing that I can than decide on the floor plan on my own and landscaping is a little easier as I can just see where flowers/bushes/trees etc..are in the photo and place them around those spots if i'm able.

    good luck on your build :)
  • kilra0kilra0 Posts: 644 Member
    @ashcrash19 great to hear! Your theater very cute and nicely decorated :smiley: The next step would be to improve the landscaping. One or two bushes and terrain painting makes it just a bit more "realistic" There are some tutorials on that and I think they are listed in rosemows BUILDING TIPS AND TUTORIALS. RUTHLESS KK BUILD GUIDE LINK TOO If you don't want tips anymore, say it, you know it's all about fun :smiley:
  • ashcrash19ashcrash19 Posts: 4,404 Member
    kilra0 wrote: »
    @ashcrash19 great to hear! Your theater very cute and nicely decorated :smiley: The next step would be to improve the landscaping. One or two bushes and terrain painting makes it just a bit more "realistic" There are some tutorials on that and I think they are listed in rosemows BUILDING TIPS AND TUTORIALS. RUTHLESS KK BUILD GUIDE LINK TOO If you don't want tips anymore, say it, you know it's all about fun :smiley:

    Yeah, that's what I'm working on. For the theater I focused so much on the interior and parking lot space that I ended up just adding that fountain area and and side flower bed with a few trees. Wasn't sure what else to do without making it look overly decorated, haha.
    "Not All Who Wander Are Lost"-Tolkien
    Origin ID: simaddict1990
  • ChaosSimmer86ChaosSimmer86 Posts: 65 Member
    I think you did a great job on you outdoor theater @ashcrash19 !!! It will get easier and you will be quicker with every build. Believe me, the learning curve is exponential :)
    A few little tips I like to use:
    - Invent a back story / Create a Sim to inspire your build. I find it much easier to build something, if I know who or what it is for.
    - Go smaller rather than bigger. Some of the first complete houses I ever build were tiny houses. It let's you practice using MOO and it's usually easier to furnish and decorate a small space than a large one.
    - If you don't want to rely on a blueprint, just create your own by starting with a single room and then adding on. You can worry about the outside later. Which brings me to my next tip:
    - Focus on EITHER the inside OR the outside first. If you try to get everything to go together and match from the getgo, you will probably get pretty overwhelmed :)

    Hope these are maybe some helpful, more general tips. Just keep building and don't forget the most important advice: Have fun! <3
  • ashcrash19ashcrash19 Posts: 4,404 Member
    edited January 2018
    I think you did a great job on you outdoor theater @ashcrash19 !!! It will get easier and you will be quicker with every build. Believe me, the learning curve is exponential :)
    A few little tips I like to use:
    - Invent a back story / Create a Sim to inspire your build. I find it much easier to build something, if I know who or what it is for.
    - Go smaller rather than bigger. Some of the first complete houses I ever build were tiny houses. It let's you practice using MOO and it's usually easier to furnish and decorate a small space than a large one.
    - If you don't want to rely on a blueprint, just create your own by starting with a single room and then adding on. You can worry about the outside later. Which brings me to my next tip:
    - Focus on EITHER the inside OR the outside first. If you try to get everything to go together and match from the getgo, you will probably get pretty overwhelmed :)

    Hope these are maybe some helpful, more general tips. Just keep building and don't forget the most important advice: Have fun! <3

    @ChaosSimmer86 Thank you! The house I've made became rather large, which is why building the inside and decorating has taken 5 days so far. Whew!
    "Not All Who Wander Are Lost"-Tolkien
    Origin ID: simaddict1990
  • ChaosSimmer86ChaosSimmer86 Posts: 65 Member
    You're welcome @ashcrash19 :)
    What is it you're working on right now, anything for a challenge? Would love to see your build when it's finished!

    I wanted to add a comment to my tips about building small: RIght now I am working on a Tiny House Community. I am using a big 50x50 lot and built 6 little Tiny Houses on it. Each of them has a different outside and interior design style, e.g. modern loft, wooden cabin, barn style etc. Apart from the hopefully awesome end product, I am also really enjoying the process of building it: I can practice a lot of different building styles, I can get creative with different layouts, designs and colors and if I get bored working on one house, I just switch to the next one without having to load another lot :)
    Just thought I'd share this in case anyone finds it useful.
    Happy building!
  • LadyEmillyeLadyEmillye Posts: 19,238 Member
    I honestly just start putting walls down, building the shell, and seeing where it ends up. As I make the shell, I get different ideas, change things up and the idea I had in my head is now warped, but ultimately I'm pretty happy with it. Also by building the shell, I get an idea how I want to landscape and how I want to section off the rooms/what kind of rooms I want.
  • ashcrash19ashcrash19 Posts: 4,404 Member
    edited January 2018
    You're welcome @ashcrash19 :)
    What is it you're working on right now, anything for a challenge? Would love to see your build when it's finished!

    I wanted to add a comment to my tips about building small: RIght now I am working on a Tiny House Community. I am using a big 50x50 lot and built 6 little Tiny Houses on it. Each of them has a different outside and interior design style, e.g. modern loft, wooden cabin, barn style etc. Apart from the hopefully awesome end product, I am also really enjoying the process of building it: I can practice a lot of different building styles, I can get creative with different layouts, designs and colors and if I get bored working on one house, I just switch to the next one without having to load another lot :)
    Just thought I'd share this in case anyone finds it useful.
    Happy building!

    @ChaosSimmer86 That's a really cool idea! I decided I wanted to build a house that not only was aesthetically pleasing to me, but large enough to have a variety of items/decor from current packs and future installments. I finished it last night at 3AM. :D The upstairs only a few rooms were utilized, so there's building room, as well as the basement having room. I'm playtesting today, and then I'll make a post with pictures and download link! :)
    "Not All Who Wander Are Lost"-Tolkien
    Origin ID: simaddict1990
  • ashcrash19ashcrash19 Posts: 4,404 Member
    "Not All Who Wander Are Lost"-Tolkien
    Origin ID: simaddict1990
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