I get inspired to build a house when I see one I really like, whether on TV/movie, a pic I see online, in ad, on book or puzzle, etc, or a place I visited. I especially enjoy making real life haunted and/or historical houses, researching them online and taking virtual tours to see how the interior layout is. Once I have an idea of what I want to build I start with the outer walls then placing interior walls. My first house I built was one I lived in and knew well, so it made it easier for me to build. I like the building in Sims 4 as they made it easy to change the size of rooms or just pick up an item or area and be able to move it to a different area to get the look of the house you want. I usually start with the front of the house and take it from there.
When building from scratch, I try to start with the the layout first, including the stairs, which can sometimes be tricky to add in at a later stage. I might plop down a few large items like fireplaces or dining tables just to make sure the rooms are the sizes I want. Before I get carried away with the interior, I also check and make sure the shell I came up with isn't a nightmare to roof!
As much as I like a lived-in look, I try to minimize decor and prioritize functional items. Most of my builds are for my sims that I play, so I don't want to deal with bugs that can sometimes result from build cheats or too much clutter. Same goes with platforms and terrain elevations. As much as I want to use these features, platforms get buggy sometimes and terrain elevations is just something I haven't had the patience yet to figure out.
I will sometimes try to replicate a house I've seen in real life, or on a show, etc. In this case I'll start with the exterior first then try to figure out the interior after. I do enjoy the different styles and trying to build them in-game. The most builds I've ever done were with Snowy Escape and Cottage Living. I appreciate their unique styles and I've had lots of fun building in these worlds.
I start with the Main Structure, the centerpiece of the house, I've really took to castle building, and I evolve Castles generationally each heir(s) adds on to the castle.
I usually start by looking at the neighborhood and figuring out which type of house I want, then hitting different building and house sale sites for blueprints to be inspired by. Usually I use one blueprint as my main inspiration and then change what needs to be changed for it to work in game.
Moreover, I advise that the cart button must be destroyed!
When I'm building from scratch, I always start with the exterior shell and footprint of the house, first and foremost. I completely ignore the interior floor plan and just figure out the shell first. The size and shape of the place will depend on the lot size, what neighbourhood it's in, and what look/theme/architectural style I'm going for. I find that if I try to configure room layouts first, the exterior ends up looking awful... so I always work from the outside in, rather than the other way around.
Once I've got the shell exterior footprint all figured out, then I work on the interior layout using the shell shape to guide the interior floor plan configuration, and of course, taking into consideration which household/family it's going to be for or what type of venue it's going to be.
Step three is figuring out the roofing and all the various roof lines, which isn't always easy to achieve in the Sims. I'm very fussy about how the roof line ends up... it needs to be as realistic as possible with all the correct angles, peaks, and valleys that would exist in real life. Sometimes the only way to get it looking structurally correct is to use several roof types on top of each other. But I don't mind fussing with the roofs to get them just right, it's like working out a complex puzzle... Maybe because I also enjoy working on puzzles and brain twisters in real life?
Then after that, the rest all just falls into place - Exterior styling (windows, doors, columns, etc), then the landscaping, and then lastly, the interior details and final touches.
As you can tell, I really enjoy the building process in the Sims 4 and love revamping each world to my own liking. For me, the looks of my sims' surroundings (homes, venues, community lots) is just as important as the live mode gameplay itself. Without the right look, I can't get fully immersed into my gameplay storylines. So I always build first, play second.
Large and ornate:
Medium and mid-priced:
Small and quaint:
Tiny and cheap:
My Gallery ID: AncientMuse2
"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect." ~ Mark Twain
I start with the main door and entrance and always always create the kitchen first right after I'm done. I still don't know why but my Sims just seem to like that as their main hang out so it's the one I work on the most and make the largest. Then I move onto the living room and bathroom, add the backyard then finish with the upstairs bedroom and second bathroom, then top it off with the roof.
Nice builds, particularly the first 3. You strike me as a Victorian fan.
Thanks. Yes, I'm a history buff and a big fan of historical architecture (not necessarily just the Victorian era). If I won the lottery, I'd spend the next 10 years of my life just travelling around the world looking at historical/ancient buildings and ruins. I'm fascinated by the sheer skill and artistry of handcarved stone masonry in particular.
My Gallery ID: AncientMuse2
"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect." ~ Mark Twain
If the place ever gets off the poo list, try Russia for the stonework. They are past masters with masonry. The various palaces in St. Petersburg come to mind, as does the Moscow subway. The UK also has some great examples, and is much more friendly.
Comments
As much as I like a lived-in look, I try to minimize decor and prioritize functional items. Most of my builds are for my sims that I play, so I don't want to deal with bugs that can sometimes result from build cheats or too much clutter. Same goes with platforms and terrain elevations. As much as I want to use these features, platforms get buggy sometimes and terrain elevations is just something I haven't had the patience yet to figure out.
I will sometimes try to replicate a house I've seen in real life, or on a show, etc. In this case I'll start with the exterior first then try to figure out the interior after. I do enjoy the different styles and trying to build them in-game. The most builds I've ever done were with Snowy Escape and Cottage Living. I appreciate their unique styles and I've had lots of fun building in these worlds.
My Mood:
Once I've got the shell exterior footprint all figured out, then I work on the interior layout using the shell shape to guide the interior floor plan configuration, and of course, taking into consideration which household/family it's going to be for or what type of venue it's going to be.
Step three is figuring out the roofing and all the various roof lines, which isn't always easy to achieve in the Sims. I'm very fussy about how the roof line ends up... it needs to be as realistic as possible with all the correct angles, peaks, and valleys that would exist in real life. Sometimes the only way to get it looking structurally correct is to use several roof types on top of each other. But I don't mind fussing with the roofs to get them just right, it's like working out a complex puzzle... Maybe because I also enjoy working on puzzles and brain twisters in real life?
Then after that, the rest all just falls into place - Exterior styling (windows, doors, columns, etc), then the landscaping, and then lastly, the interior details and final touches.
As you can tell, I really enjoy the building process in the Sims 4 and love revamping each world to my own liking. For me, the looks of my sims' surroundings (homes, venues, community lots) is just as important as the live mode gameplay itself. Without the right look, I can't get fully immersed into my gameplay storylines. So I always build first, play second.
Large and ornate:
Medium and mid-priced:
Small and quaint:
Tiny and cheap:
"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect." ~ Mark Twain
Thanks. Yes, I'm a history buff and a big fan of historical architecture (not necessarily just the Victorian era). If I won the lottery, I'd spend the next 10 years of my life just travelling around the world looking at historical/ancient buildings and ruins. I'm fascinated by the sheer skill and artistry of handcarved stone masonry in particular.
"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect." ~ Mark Twain