Interesting roofline. Like the fenced area in the yard. Nice entryway. Love the front entrance with the vines of the walls. Nice blue color scheme inside. Like the use of several blue tones. Nice big kitchen and dining area. Like the extra large island in the kitchen. Great music room. Like the bathroom/laundry combo. Nice space solution. Screened porch with crib is fantastic. Lovely backyard with plenty of room for baby to grow into. Colored ceilings are a nice touch. Lovely master bedroom area. Cute nursery!
Suggestions – The tile pattern, pattern on sink, and rug pattern in bathroom were a little strong. With big pattern on the walls, go with subtle ones in other areas or vice versa. Use of primary colors in nursery could have been mitigated with some neutrals.
Shape on these houses is too cute. Adore the room overhanging the carport. Hope the architect built in plenty of support! Great use of siding to differentiate between the two home. Like how you introduced and traced each inhabitant family as well. Leo’s quarters are crisply masculine. Like the color and décor choices to enhance this. The siding and landscaping difference on Lamb’s home is nice for highlighting difference in the two builds. Like the wood, pastel, and earth tones here. Very homey décor and furnishing on the Lamb side.
Suggestions – watch for over-saturation of colors in an décor area. Break up large areas of color with some neutrals or contrasting pattern.
angelnga169: The bunny out front is a great touch! Love the exterior color choice! The colors you used throughout represent Easter perfectly! I love them! Don’t take pictures with the grid on!!! Your architecture is adorable! Next time you do a roof like that add a column or two! It'll really improve the value of your beautiful architecture! Great job!
We judges are doing some major catching up. My apologies to mgolden27. Since you got rid of your Photobucket account, I can no longer evaluate your entry! I’m sorry it took so long to get to this challenge. In alphabetical order:
blewis823
Link to the posted asset:http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=3721334 Link to media:https://picasaweb.google.com/102015680925377511892/ItSABoy#5570016933567392658 Comments: You did a splendid job meeting all the requirements of the client. I love the bi-level architecture and the 60’s retro look of both the outside and inside. The combination of stone, wood and masonry on the outside is sophisticated and inviting. The layout works really well, too, and I am happy you play tested it with your Sims—a great story to showcase the house! I also loved the inclusion of a fireplace on the screened in porch and the cleverly placed windows in the basement. Two things I might have done differently are (1) more area rugs for the future kids to play on (Right now the floors seem hard and unforgiving.); (2) a friendlier fence for the yard. (The current one looks a bit severe.) I think for future challenges, you could enter in the advanced category.
Jeca011
Link to the posted asset:http://www.mediafire.com/?7zv3p6q27dgi9dg Link to media:http://s1100.photobucket.com/albums/g405/Jeca0111/Its a boy/?albumview=slideshow Comments: There are so many great features of this strikingly modern house. One notices the dramatic roofline first (although the pitch might have been tweaked a little more so that the ground to 2nd story slope aligned better). The landscaping is very effective, too. I liked how you used the terrain tool to add interest to the tree plantings, and the pergola covered with flowers is a particular favorite. The interiors demonstrate a cohesive color sense. You found some really great patterns, especially the robot wallpaper in the nursery! The music room is perfect, although it might need some major redecorating if the clients ever need to turn it into a third bedroom. The pattern combination in the master bedroom is the least successful. The color choice is beautiful, but in order to combine patterns successfully, it usually helps if the patterns are of different shapes and scales. Right now the wall and bedspread patterns are competing with each other. You were much more successful in the three bathrooms.
jessk328
Link to the posted asset:http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=3741897 Link to media:http://s900.photobucket.com/albums/ac208/jessk328/BnS Its A Boy/ Comments: The house has great curb appeal; it has an attractive retro look and good landscaping. The color scheme inside is soft, and I like how you used the client’s favorite color (green) for accents. I also love the kids play area in the living room—a great idea! The kitchen/dining area is bright and cheerful and will surely be a focal point of family living. The master bedroom is well appointed, although it could use a few more décor items. And I really love how you demonstrate the upgrade possibilities for the house—especially the music room into the 3rd bedroom. My only quibble is with the layout. Getting to the master bedroom through the office seems kind of round about. A door from the lovely screened-in porch to the bedroom might have been nice.
And first place goes to:
Blewis823
Thank you all for participating. It was a pleasure to see the results of your creativity!
Scoiattolo-Sorry about that, my fault. For some reason I thought the judging had been done for that one and deleted the album. Oh well, I must have been looking at the wrong category when going through it all. Either way it was a fun challenge and I'm glad I got to participate.
*Sorry to Freizha and kelly_jdw, since neither of you had media available I wasn't able to judge you. I did however download your home Freizha so I could at least give you some input on your build. kelly_jdw, for you it said the lot was no longer available.
Dot823
LINK TO LOT: http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=4105144#
LINK TO MEDIA: http://simblogofawesome.blogspot.com/2011/05/build-n-share.html
COMMENTS: This is a cute little starter home. I like the fact that you put it on a good sized lot for future additions. You made good use of the space and put in all the necessities, but the outside was a little plain. I like the little garden with the table area, but I would like to have seen more flowers/gardens around the home.
Freizha
LINK TO LOT: http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=4127773
COMMENTS: Even though there was no media to judge for this lot, I downloaded the home so I could at least offer a few comments on it. I loved the path leading up to your house! The little sitting area off to the side looked like the perfect place to read the morning paper or go through the mail. The inside was a lot of empty space, but only because this was a big house for a starter. You did get everything needed for someone to move in and go to work the next day though. Next time with such a low budget you might want to build without the foundation, your house would have looked just as cute without it and you could have made it a lot smaller. Both options would have left you with more money to spend on other things.
Taffy87
LINK TO LOT: http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=4113093
LINK TO MEDIA: http://www.thesims3.com/contentDetail.html?contentId=323164
COMMENTS: Adorable starter! I think you met this challenge really well. The home was very welcoming with the flowers surrounding it and the swing in the yard right off the path. The inside was nice and cozy, giving a single sim/couple what they need to start out. I liked the use of light colors to make the space seem a bit bigger than it is.
This was a tough choice between the two, but due to the curb appeal and more country/garden feel of it…First place goes to:
Taffy87!!!! Congrats!
Wow, thanks! I never do starters, but I found I enjoyed it this time. All of the other entries were awesome. I always love seeing the variety of interpretations in everyone's challenge entries.
I do a weekly check of this thread to see what the results are in the contest "It's a Boy". I am in total shock, first you think I should be in the advance entries, and second that I got first place.
Thanks so much for the honor. I have been playing the lot and enjoying it. LOL, my sims have more area rugs down and with Generations, more toys and quite a bit of fun. Thanks for the critique.
Nothing to see. I don't even care about the forums.
Great entrance. Love the catty-cornered door and flagstone path. Nice floorplan – like the interesting angles and bay window. Nice use of terrain paint for the paths. Cute gazebo. Great mosaic tiles in the bathroom. Nice neurtral color-scheme throughout. Like the décor details like lamps and throw pillows. Cute dining table in bay window. Great fireplace.
Suggestions: Breaking up kitchen as you did is unusual – find a way to keep it more central using ½ walls perhaps.
Nice floorplan with porches across the font of house. Like the use of terrain paint to created front drive and path to gardens in the back. Good job on roof work. Side view is adorable with wood/stone siding and paths leading to back yard. Like that you included tress for shade as well as flowers. All the essential furnishings inside. Nice use of single doors to create a more impressive entry.
Suggestions: Use Create-a-Style to create a cohesive color scheme and design style. Avoid using all stone for wallcoverings. Be sure to save $$ for décor/ clutter objects.
Cute country cabin layout. Like the cottage garden flower beds out front and around the side. Great idea to include pond – nice low-cost landscaping choice. Cute rear gardens with wood pile. Interesting idea to define bedroom area with curtains – possibly a $$ saver over solid walls. Rustic cabin interiors throughout.
Suggestions: Even in a budget build, be sure to use CAS and save $$ for décor objects
Great cottage look from the front. Love the dormer window and chimney. Great front fence and door choices. Cute flower beds. Like the terrain paint to create drive-way to the right of the house. Nice use of CAS inside to make coordinating patterns on rugs, curtains, and furniture. Small, functional kitchen. Blue bathroom is my favorite room. Like the two-story layout.
Suggestions: Some clutter objects, plants, or wall art would have pushed this lot to the next level.
Cute little blue house! Like the porch railing on the front and hydrangeas lining the sides. Lovely back yard with water feature. Love the magnolia tree – as a southern girl the hydrangeas and magnolia make me feel right at home! Nice floorplan – like the angles to the house. Great kitchen layout for the small space. Nice use of different flooring to delineate the living spaces.
Suggestions: House could have been shrunk by one tile horizontally on the front and one tile vertically on the left (smaller bedroom and bath). This would free up some more $$ for “clutter” objects. Use MOO to make sure flowers don’t intrude into house.
Great looking cottage! Love the brick base and tudor accents. Lovely flower beds out front. Nice layout inside. Large (for a starter) sitting aread, nice kitchen, and a small dining table. Like the cohesive color scheme. Cute bedroom – love the country quilt pattern. Great veg garden and tree retreat out back.
Suggestions: Exterior is very rich, save enough $$ to make the interior match (simple furnishings can be dressed up with clutter items)
Like the flowerbox windows. Cute, small front porch. Nice eat-in kitchen with small dining table. Like the small sitting area with radio and bookshelf. Nice size bedroom with end tables and dresser. The red and yellow bedroom is my favorite in the house. Great small bathroom layout. Exuberant flower beds out back. Nice use of the inexpensive groundcovers and terrain paints here. Like the small pond. Trees anchoring corners of lot are a nice touch.
Suggestions: Explore some color schemes on Colourlovers.com. This is a great place to find suggestions for smashing décor combos, and you can input the hex codes directly into CAS.
The first picture draws you in – love the front entrance and pergola (gazebo?) structure to the side. Stained glass doors are a great choice. Good use of bookcase and sofa to define the living areas instead of walls. Nice, small kitchen area. Cute bedroom. The trellis area outside is divine. Love the lounge chairs among the flowerbeds. Pond is a nice touch.
Suggestions: Gosh, hate to say it on the official Sims3 site, but consider using a site like Photobucket for the slideshow. I haven’t had too many Create-a-Story entries lately, and the photo quality has definitely gone down since then. The photos now look very pixel-y, and details are hard to make out. If I could have dl’d the lot to get a closer look, I would have done so.
Great use of the foundations cheat to create the pillars for the front part of the carport. Nice terrain paint. Love the pond out back with hydrangeas all around. Love the large back porch with room for lounging. Plenty of visual interest inside – like that you saved $$ for décor objects on walls and elsewhere. All the necessary buy objects are included for your Sims.
Suggestions: Use CAS more to create a cohesive design and color scheme inside. Cute tile pattern in bathroom, but it would have been highlighted better with a neutral wallpaper instead of the wavy stripe.
Great use of CAS inside. Love that you’ve saved $$ for curtains and a nice light fixture. Bookshelf is a great use of entertainment $ for a starter – the sim can level up skills while being entertained. Cute kitchen. Small but functional. Like the use of the ½ wall. Nice outdoor garden areas. Like the inclusion of the vegetable garden for Ginny to relax in. Like the way house is situated diagonally on the lot. Nice terrain paint for paths. Cute use of siding on exterior.
Suggestions: Not certain, but it looks like the front horizontal section of the roof may have issues. Make sure all the roof sections fit together naturally (ie so that water would run off and not pool)
** I was unable to access your screenshots at the time of judging, so I had to install your lot and judge from that. Please understand that store and expansion items might have been substituted with base game items.
Nice use of terrain paint for front walk and driveway. Like the cantilevered effect over the carport. Functional kitchen with small dining table. Good-sized living area. Like that you included a bookcase. Good idea to have bathroom downstairs so that guests can access it, too. Like that your included matching curtains in the bedroom.
Suggestions: For a budget build, make sure you economize on space. Cozy rooms are easier to fill and decorate. There was wasted space in the bedroom, bathroom, and main rooms downstairs that could have been eliminated.
Adorable exterior. Love the stone and stucco. Great fireplace and roof work. Love the fence and gardens. Nicely landscaped pond. Like the exterior benches. Nice patterns and colors on interior walls. Good use of décor and other “buy” items to fill interior space.
Suggestions: Use CAS more to give rooms a cohesive design look.
Exterior shape of the house is lovely. Nice interior layout with all a sim needs. Like the use of CAS to create a cohesive color palette on color and pattern. Great back yard with gardens. Love the grill and back yard seating. Good job on roof.
Suggestions: I know it’s a budget build but it could have used a little more décor on the interior.
Ahh… this is terribly cute from the outside! I love the use of the ivy columns. Great cottage garden look. I like that there are some vegetables for Ginny to cultivate as well. Cute kitchen with small dining table. Love the country tile pattern on the cabinets. Nice sitting area. Great idea to leave the bedroom more open and save on wall $$ - she is single, after all! Small bathroom, but it has room for all the necessities. Great floor plan- love that it has some interesting angles.
Suggestions: tad bit of wasted space between kitchen and living areas, but not much else to improve on... you might consider entering in the advanced category in the future if you feel comfortable with it.
Cute clumps of hydrangeas in the front yard. Like the inclusion of the easel under the tree. Love the apple orchard and bench out back. Love the bar in the kitchen area. Small, functional kitchen and living area was a great choice – you’ve filled up the space nicely. Lovely bedroom – like the extra attention here. Great tile pattern in the bathroom.
Suggestions: the front of the house needed something more… maybe a centered door with 2 windows on each side?
Full view of the lot gives a nice impression. Love the yellow color and siding choice. Plant colors blend nicely with the exterior. Love the little veg garden out back. Great country kitchen. Love the blue tile on the counters and above the cabinets. Cute dining table and sitting area. You’ve really nailed the American country look. Love the bedroom. No pics of the bath? (make sure to get each room from all angles in your media)
Suggestions: Play with rooflines – you could have added visual interest to the front with a different roof over the bay window.
This category was huge with 16 entries, so there are quite a few awards..
And the winners are:
Honorable Mentions -
mgolden27! Wish I could have gotten an even closer look
lLunaaquilo ! Equal attention to the interior would have taken this lot from great to amazing
4th Place - Golden_glow! The dormer stole my heart
3rd Place - Wineland88P! Very Cute lot
2nd Place - TIE: Simshine & Alicatt! Great builds - congrats
And....1st Place goes to :
Styxlady! Congrats on a lovely cottage inside and out
Great cottage look from the front. Love the dormer window and chimney. Great front fence and door choices. Cute flower beds. Like the terrain paint to create drive-way to the right of the house. Nice use of CAS inside to make coordinating patterns on rugs, curtains, and furniture. Small, functional kitchen. Blue bathroom is my favorite room. Like the two-story layout.
Suggestions: Some clutter objects, plants, or wall art would have pushed this lot to the next level.
This category was huge with 16 entries, so there are quite a few awards..
And the winners are:
Honorable Mentions -
mgolden27! Wish I could have gotten an even closer look
lLunaaquilo ! Equal attention to the interior would have taken this lot from great to amazing
4th Place - Golden_glow! The dormer stole my heart
3rd Place - Wineland88P! Very Cute lot
2nd Place - TIE: Simshine & Alicatt! Great builds - congrats
And....1st Place goes to :
Styxlady! Congrats on a lovely cottage inside and out
Congratulations to everyone, there were so many good builds here, it must have been very difficult for KittKat to choose. Thanks KittKat for 4th place and the feedback, I love clutter! but I'm not very good at building with a budget :oops: lol
Great cottage look from the front. Love the dormer window and chimney. Great front fence and door choices. Cute flower beds. Like the terrain paint to create drive-way to the right of the house. Nice use of CAS inside to make coordinating patterns on rugs, curtains, and furniture. Small, functional kitchen. Blue bathroom is my favorite room. Like the two-story layout.
Suggestions: Some clutter objects, plants, or wall art would have pushed this lot to the next level.
This category was huge with 16 entries, so there are quite a few awards..
And the winners are:
Honorable Mentions -
mgolden27! Wish I could have gotten an even closer look
lLunaaquilo ! Equal attention to the interior would have taken this lot from great to amazing
4th Place - Golden_glow! The dormer stole my heart
3rd Place - Wineland88P! Very Cute lot
2nd Place - TIE: Simshine & Alicatt! Great builds - congrats
And....1st Place goes to :
Styxlady! Congrats on a lovely cottage inside and out
Congratulations to everyone, there were so many good builds here, it must have been very difficult for KittKat to choose. Thanks KittKat for 4th place and the feedback, I love clutter! but I'm not very good at building with a budget :oops: lol
So much inspired creativity is truly humbling! At this level, all five are winners, but in alphabetical order:
Anjubee Link to lot:http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=4130215 Link to media:http://simulatinganju.wordpress.com/2011/05/25/cottage-starter-16-5k-no-cc/ Comments: This 20 x 20 starter home has excellent curb appeal. Your mix of brick and stucco with quoined edges has loads of country charm. Your choice of windows adds lots of natural light to the interior, and my favorite feature (and I’m sure Ginny would love it too!) is the big porch. The cottage garden is small but quaint. I love the vegetable garden and the stepping stones. The seafoam green and gray color scheme inside gives the house a sense of tranquility. Your mix of patterns is superlative, and the loft bedroom works beautifully. (I also love your take on Ginny herself!) I had a hard time coming up with any suggestions to make it better. This is perhaps peculiar to me, but I like the stove to be away from the refrigerator. You might have switched it with the last counter on the other wall. And I would have liked to see a detail of the bathroom—I almost thought you had forgotten it! Overall, though, a wonderful job!
ciaracaff Link to lot:http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=4108004 Link to media:http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/0/374929.page#5311734 Comments: A friendly green house welcomes Ginny (as she arrives home on her bike—love the bike!) or a visitor. The shingled section gives the exterior interest. The front bench is perfect for watching neighbors pass by, and the lush side garden shows that a real gardener lives here! I also like that you used rocks in the landscaping and to pave the front courtyard. The interior layout is efficient, and I love the corner fireplace (inglenook) with bookshelves and how you used half walls to divide up the space. The light neutral colors with red and green accents (sofa, café curtains, bed spread) and the use of natural woods make the overall space seem larger. The use of plants throughout the house brings the outdoors inside. Some things to consider: First, like I mentioned in the previous comments, I would prefer the stove and refrigerator not be next to each other. Also, the color of the front door (blue) doesn’t seem to relate to anything inside or out. I might have gone with natural wood like the windows. The rocky ground cover in the back seems a bit severe, too. I might have mixed some flowers (terrain paint) with grass to give it a softer feeling. And finally, just a practical point—although I love the café curtains in the kitchen, I might have put a curtain instead by the bed for privacy. Overall, a lovely house!
EuphorialQueen Link to lot: *Not uploaded yet Link to media:http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/45/188428.page#5326936 Comments: The simple, symmetrical blue 2-story house belies a rather complicated building process. You used the foundation walls brilliantly to create a lot of house for a little amount of simoleons. The lush cottage garden with whimsical statuary is everything that Ginny could want; I love the outdoor “room” you created for Ginny to paint or just sit and enjoy her garden Also, great use of terrain paints! The interior spaces are nicely decorated with buydebug items, and the overall color scheme (lavender/light woods) is harmonious throughout. The sofa and chair add just the right purple accent. You’ve created a lovely, livable house. To my eye, the swirly wallpaper is too strong; I might have softened it by lightening the lavender to almost the same value as the gray swirls. The fretwork pattern in the bedroom, because it’s a smaller pattern, work better. Also, I would have put in two more windows somewhere in the house. I realize it is a tradeoff between money for walls and windows and, perhaps, landscaping or other items. I’m glad, though, that you included a window in the bedroom!
Tfbob Link to lot:http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=4129557 Link to media:http://www.flickr.com/photos/37803355@N07/sets/72157626682526875/show/ Comments: What an utterly charming blue and white gingerbread Victorian! The exterior picks up on the blue and white hydrangeas, which shelter vegetables and yellow and orange flowers among them. The pond and gardening table are also great features. You color choices for the interior (light blue-gray, lavender and light wood) lend a sense of tranquility to the spaces. I love how you used a subtle pattern on the framing for the wood wall paneling—the paneling puts one in mind of a converted barn. And you used your colors and patterns beautifully. You chose a larger lot to build on and created a larger house than most, and that has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that you have a larger yard and house for living space. The disadvantage is that, at least, the house seems on the bare side because you have so much space to fill with a very limited budget. Perhaps a few free buydebug décor items would have added interest. I like that you included curtains in the bedroom. A few other curtains in the house might have been nice too.
ZYIsSims Link to lot:http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=4105454 Link to media:http://s220.photobucket.com/albums/dd126/silviaBroome/BnS99/?albumview=slideshow Comments: There are so many charming details in this converted barn starter home. To name just a few, I love the bright red wood exterior, the greenhouse window in the kitchen, the clever use of Outdoor Stuff planters as window boxes, the flowers and plants used throughout the inside of the house, and the large porches front and back. The garden is everything it should be with lot of flowers and a vegetable garden that is just begging to be puttered in! (I also love the tree, and we have you and EuphorialQueen to thank for showing us the free purple flower planters that come with Late Night.) The interior spaces are colorful, cheerful and cozy. My only suggestion would be to play around with the color of the roof and the exterior stone. I realize there are not a lot of roof color choices, but perhaps a slate gray would have looked better with the weathered gray wood doors and windows. I think the exterior stone might have looked better in shades of gray, too, although it was perfect in the kitchen with the delightful black stove in front of it.
I knew this was going to be a hard decision to pick a winner. Any or all five houses would be a great addition to the neighborhood, because all have so much to recommend them. So by a micron, the winner is:
Congrats to all the new winners, everyone did an amazing job ! Thanks KittKat7147 for giving me third place, it was a fun challenge, and I didn't expect at all that I would even place! Anyways everyone did a good job, everyone had their own unique take on a cottage!
Congratulations to all the winners! I enjoyed participating in this competition. Thanks, Scoiattolo, for the helpful comments. And thanks to all the judges for their hard work.
COMMENTS:You were the only entry, thus the winner here. Even with other entries however, I think your build would have been at the top. You managed to meet all the requirements for the challenge and did a good job with the budget. The home looked nice and spacious. It had a good layout and I liked the open floor plan. The outside was nice and had the two separate gardens. It was nice and colorful.
SUGGESTIONS: You may want to experiment with the landscaping. Give the yard a mowed look or add a bit of the grass/flower spray under the plants to add a bit of texture outside. Work with the brick looking sprays for pathways. That would add a lot to your outside, at no additional cost. It’s a great way to add to your home. Otherwise my only suggestion is taking the pictures. At the beginning of each challenge are some great tips for taking pictures. You had a lot of overviews, where I’d love to see more from within the rooms. Good job and I hope to see more from you!
Comments
Anartistica
Entry
Pictures
Interesting roofline. Like the fenced area in the yard. Nice entryway. Love the front entrance with the vines of the walls. Nice blue color scheme inside. Like the use of several blue tones. Nice big kitchen and dining area. Like the extra large island in the kitchen. Great music room. Like the bathroom/laundry combo. Nice space solution. Screened porch with crib is fantastic. Lovely backyard with plenty of room for baby to grow into. Colored ceilings are a nice touch. Lovely master bedroom area. Cute nursery!
Suggestions – The tile pattern, pattern on sink, and rug pattern in bathroom were a little strong. With big pattern on the walls, go with subtle ones in other areas or vice versa. Use of primary colors in nursery could have been mitigated with some neutrals.
And the winner is ....
Anartistica!!! Congrats
Shape on these houses is too cute. Adore the room overhanging the carport. Hope the architect built in plenty of support! Great use of siding to differentiate between the two home. Like how you introduced and traced each inhabitant family as well. Leo’s quarters are crisply masculine. Like the color and décor choices to enhance this. The siding and landscaping difference on Lamb’s home is nice for highlighting difference in the two builds. Like the wood, pastel, and earth tones here. Very homey décor and furnishing on the Lamb side.
Suggestions – watch for over-saturation of colors in an décor area. Break up large areas of color with some neutrals or contrasting pattern.
Scoiattolo
Lyons Den
The Lamb’s Ear
Pictures
And the winner is ....
Scoiattolo!!! Congrats
Keep up the creative work
BNS #94-95: Eggstravaganza
angelnga169: The bunny out front is a great touch! Love the exterior color choice! The colors you used throughout represent Easter perfectly! I love them! Don’t take pictures with the grid on!!! Your architecture is adorable! Next time you do a roof like that add a column or two! It'll really improve the value of your beautiful architecture! Great job!
And the winner is... angelnga169!
We judges are doing some major catching up. My apologies to mgolden27. Since you got rid of your Photobucket account, I can no longer evaluate your entry! I’m sorry it took so long to get to this challenge. In alphabetical order:
blewis823
Link to the posted asset: http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=3721334
Link to media: https://picasaweb.google.com/102015680925377511892/ItSABoy#5570016933567392658
Comments: You did a splendid job meeting all the requirements of the client. I love the bi-level architecture and the 60’s retro look of both the outside and inside. The combination of stone, wood and masonry on the outside is sophisticated and inviting. The layout works really well, too, and I am happy you play tested it with your Sims—a great story to showcase the house! I also loved the inclusion of a fireplace on the screened in porch and the cleverly placed windows in the basement. Two things I might have done differently are (1) more area rugs for the future kids to play on (Right now the floors seem hard and unforgiving.); (2) a friendlier fence for the yard. (The current one looks a bit severe.) I think for future challenges, you could enter in the advanced category.
Ciane
Link to the posted asset: http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=3716431
Link to media: http://s45.photobucket.com/albums/f65/ciane/For Baby/?action=view&current=b65c12ab.pbw
Comments: Your small lot packs a lot of punch! I like the formal, symmetrical look of the house, and the 2nd-story balcony is a great feature. The interior is warm and friendly, and I love the exposed brick. You really paid attention to the client’s wishes. And talk about kid friendly! There are fun toys everywhere, and the nursery is perfect for a boy who loves robots. Great job!
Jeca011
Link to the posted asset: http://www.mediafire.com/?7zv3p6q27dgi9dg
Link to media: http://s1100.photobucket.com/albums/g405/Jeca0111/Its a boy/?albumview=slideshow
Comments: There are so many great features of this strikingly modern house. One notices the dramatic roofline first (although the pitch might have been tweaked a little more so that the ground to 2nd story slope aligned better). The landscaping is very effective, too. I liked how you used the terrain tool to add interest to the tree plantings, and the pergola covered with flowers is a particular favorite. The interiors demonstrate a cohesive color sense. You found some really great patterns, especially the robot wallpaper in the nursery! The music room is perfect, although it might need some major redecorating if the clients ever need to turn it into a third bedroom. The pattern combination in the master bedroom is the least successful. The color choice is beautiful, but in order to combine patterns successfully, it usually helps if the patterns are of different shapes and scales. Right now the wall and bedspread patterns are competing with each other. You were much more successful in the three bathrooms.
jessk328
Link to the posted asset: http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=3741897
Link to media: http://s900.photobucket.com/albums/ac208/jessk328/BnS Its A Boy/
Comments: The house has great curb appeal; it has an attractive retro look and good landscaping. The color scheme inside is soft, and I like how you used the client’s favorite color (green) for accents. I also love the kids play area in the living room—a great idea! The kitchen/dining area is bright and cheerful and will surely be a focal point of family living. The master bedroom is well appointed, although it could use a few more décor items. And I really love how you demonstrate the upgrade possibilities for the house—especially the music room into the 3rd bedroom. My only quibble is with the layout. Getting to the master bedroom through the office seems kind of round about. A door from the lovely screened-in porch to the bedroom might have been nice.
And first place goes to:
Blewis823
Thank you all for participating. It was a pleasure to see the results of your creativity!
Scoiattolo-Sorry about that, my fault. For some reason I thought the judging had been done for that one and deleted the album. Oh well, I must have been looking at the wrong category when going through it all.
CHALLENGE 98/99 FOXGLOVE STARTER
*Sorry to Freizha and kelly_jdw, since neither of you had media available I wasn't able to judge you. I did however download your home Freizha so I could at least give you some input on your build. kelly_jdw, for you it said the lot was no longer available.
Dot823
LINK TO LOT: http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=4105144#
LINK TO MEDIA: http://simblogofawesome.blogspot.com/2011/05/build-n-share.html
COMMENTS: This is a cute little starter home. I like the fact that you put it on a good sized lot for future additions. You made good use of the space and put in all the necessities, but the outside was a little plain. I like the little garden with the table area, but I would like to have seen more flowers/gardens around the home.
Freizha
LINK TO LOT: http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=4127773
COMMENTS: Even though there was no media to judge for this lot, I downloaded the home so I could at least offer a few comments on it. I loved the path leading up to your house! The little sitting area off to the side looked like the perfect place to read the morning paper or go through the mail. The inside was a lot of empty space, but only because this was a big house for a starter. You did get everything needed for someone to move in and go to work the next day though. Next time with such a low budget you might want to build without the foundation, your house would have looked just as cute without it and you could have made it a lot smaller. Both options would have left you with more money to spend on other things.
kelly_jdw
LINK TO LOT: http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=4104587
COMMENTS: Link said this was no longer available. Since you had no media and I couldn’t download it, I didn’t get a chance to see it.
Taffy87
LINK TO LOT: http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=4113093
LINK TO MEDIA: http://www.thesims3.com/contentDetail.html?contentId=323164
COMMENTS: Adorable starter! I think you met this challenge really well. The home was very welcoming with the flowers surrounding it and the swing in the yard right off the path. The inside was nice and cozy, giving a single sim/couple what they need to start out. I liked the use of light colors to make the space seem a bit bigger than it is.
This was a tough choice between the two, but due to the curb appeal and more country/garden feel of it…First place goes to:
Taffy87!!!!
Thanks so much for the honor. I have been playing the lot and enjoying it. LOL, my sims have more area rugs down and with Generations, more toys and quite a bit of fun. Thanks for the critique.
Alicat84
LINK TO LOT: http://gb.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=4108119
LINK TO MEDIA: http://s1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff455/Alicatsi...0Foxglove/?albumview=slideshow
Great entrance. Love the catty-cornered door and flagstone path. Nice floorplan – like the interesting angles and bay window. Nice use of terrain paint for the paths. Cute gazebo. Great mosaic tiles in the bathroom. Nice neurtral color-scheme throughout. Like the décor details like lamps and throw pillows. Cute dining table in bay window. Great fireplace.
Suggestions: Breaking up kitchen as you did is unusual – find a way to keep it more central using ½ walls perhaps.
anonymousMist
LINK TO LOT: http://www.mediafire.com/?briy85b9amyopad
LINK TO MEDIA: Album: http://s1224.photobucket.com/albums/ee369/Anonymou...d-N-Share/Foxgllove Starter/
Page: http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/0/373878.page#52919
37
Nice floorplan with porches across the font of house. Like the use of terrain paint to created front drive and path to gardens in the back. Good job on roof work. Side view is adorable with wood/stone siding and paths leading to back yard. Like that you included tress for shade as well as flowers. All the essential furnishings inside. Nice use of single doors to create a more impressive entry.
Suggestions: Use Create-a-Style to create a cohesive color scheme and design style. Avoid using all stone for wallcoverings. Be sure to save $$ for décor/ clutter objects.
Brennachan
LINK TO LOT: http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=4123011
LINK TO MEDIA: http://www.thesims3.com/contentDetail.html?contentId=323787
Cute country cabin layout. Like the cottage garden flower beds out front and around the side. Great idea to include pond – nice low-cost landscaping choice. Cute rear gardens with wood pile. Interesting idea to define bedroom area with curtains – possibly a $$ saver over solid walls. Rustic cabin interiors throughout.
Suggestions: Even in a budget build, be sure to use CAS and save $$ for décor objects
golden_glow
LINK TO LOT: http://gb.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=4123017
LINK TO MEDIA: http://s781.photobucket.com/albums/yy99/Golden_Glo...90/Ginnys Country Cottage/
Great cottage look from the front. Love the dormer window and chimney. Great front fence and door choices. Cute flower beds. Like the terrain paint to create drive-way to the right of the house. Nice use of CAS inside to make coordinating patterns on rugs, curtains, and furniture. Small, functional kitchen. Blue bathroom is my favorite room. Like the two-story layout.
Suggestions: Some clutter objects, plants, or wall art would have pushed this lot to the next level.
Lilbabygurl0507
LINK TO LOT: Not uploaded yet.
LINK TO MEDIA: http://s1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa326/kimberly...e house/?albumview=slideshow
Cute little blue house! Like the porch railing on the front and hydrangeas lining the sides. Lovely back yard with water feature. Love the magnolia tree – as a southern girl the hydrangeas and magnolia make me feel right at home! Nice floorplan – like the angles to the house. Great kitchen layout for the small space. Nice use of different flooring to delineate the living spaces.
Suggestions: House could have been shrunk by one tile horizontally on the front and one tile vertically on the left (smaller bedroom and bath). This would free up some more $$ for “clutter” objects. Use MOO to make sure flowers don’t intrude into house.
lLunaaquilo
LINK TO MEDIA: (They go in order)
http://thesimbuilder.blogspot.com/2011/05/wild-rose-cottage-bui
ld-n-share.html
http://thesimbuilder.blogspot.com/2011/05/i-walked...through-cottage-on-my-way.html
http://thesimbuilder.blogspot.com/2011/05/wild-rose-cottage-fol
low-up.html
Great looking cottage! Love the brick base and tudor accents. Lovely flower beds out front. Nice layout inside. Large (for a starter) sitting aread, nice kitchen, and a small dining table. Like the cohesive color scheme. Cute bedroom – love the country quilt pattern. Great veg garden and tree retreat out back.
Suggestions: Exterior is very rich, save enough $$ to make the interior match (simple furnishings can be dressed up with clutter items)
mens0067
LINK TO LOT: http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=4128872
LINK TO MEDIA: http://s911.photobucket.com/albums/ac316/mens0067/...e 98_99/?albumview=slideshow
Like the flowerbox windows. Cute, small front porch. Nice eat-in kitchen with small dining table. Like the small sitting area with radio and bookshelf. Nice size bedroom with end tables and dresser. The red and yellow bedroom is my favorite in the house. Great small bathroom layout. Exuberant flower beds out back. Nice use of the inexpensive groundcovers and terrain paints here. Like the small pond. Trees anchoring corners of lot are a nice touch.
Suggestions: Explore some color schemes on Colourlovers.com. This is a great place to find suggestions for smashing décor combos, and you can input the hex codes directly into CAS.
mgolden27
LINK TO LOT: None yet. It says it uploaded, but I can't find it in my studio. Will upload to media fire if I don't see it by tomorrow.
LINK TO MEDIA: http://www.thesims3.com/contentDetail.html?contentId=323192
The first picture draws you in – love the front entrance and pergola (gazebo?) structure to the side. Stained glass doors are a great choice. Good use of bookcase and sofa to define the living areas instead of walls. Nice, small kitchen area. Cute bedroom. The trellis area outside is divine. Love the lounge chairs among the flowerbeds. Pond is a nice touch.
Suggestions: Gosh, hate to say it on the official Sims3 site, but consider using a site like Photobucket for the slideshow. I haven’t had too many Create-a-Story entries lately, and the photo quality has definitely gone down since then. The photos now look very pixel-y, and details are hard to make out. If I could have dl’d the lot to get a closer look, I would have done so.
ravenghostwolves
LINK TO LOT: http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=4127196
LINK TO MEDIA: http://www.thesims3.com/contentDetail.html?contentId=323982
Great use of the foundations cheat to create the pillars for the front part of the carport. Nice terrain paint. Love the pond out back with hydrangeas all around. Love the large back porch with room for lounging. Plenty of visual interest inside – like that you saved $$ for décor objects on walls and elsewhere. All the necessary buy objects are included for your Sims.
Suggestions: Use CAS more to create a cohesive design and color scheme inside. Cute tile pattern in bathroom, but it would have been highlighted better with a neutral wallpaper instead of the wavy stripe.
Redmae
LINK TO LOT: http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=4110769
LINK TO MEDIA: http://s1126.photobucket.com/albums/l613/Redmae3/S...20Starter/?albumview=slideshow
Great use of CAS inside. Love that you’ve saved $$ for curtains and a nice light fixture. Bookshelf is a great use of entertainment $ for a starter – the sim can level up skills while being entertained. Cute kitchen. Small but functional. Like the use of the ½ wall. Nice outdoor garden areas. Like the inclusion of the vegetable garden for Ginny to relax in. Like the way house is situated diagonally on the lot. Nice terrain paint for paths. Cute use of siding on exterior.
Suggestions: Not certain, but it looks like the front horizontal section of the roof may have issues. Make sure all the roof sections fit together naturally (ie so that water would run off and not pool)
Sherio88
LINK TO LOT: http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=4104599
LINK TO MEDIA: no album provided
** I was unable to access your screenshots at the time of judging, so I had to install your lot and judge from that. Please understand that store and expansion items might have been substituted with base game items.
Nice use of terrain paint for front walk and driveway. Like the cantilevered effect over the carport. Functional kitchen with small dining table. Good-sized living area. Like that you included a bookcase. Good idea to have bathroom downstairs so that guests can access it, too. Like that your included matching curtains in the bedroom.
Suggestions: For a budget build, make sure you economize on space. Cozy rooms are easier to fill and decorate. There was wasted space in the bedroom, bathroom, and main rooms downstairs that could have been eliminated.
Sims2corpse
Link to Lot: http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=4110925
Link to media: http://community.webshots.com/slideshow/580227192MjdONG
Adorable exterior. Love the stone and stucco. Great fireplace and roof work. Love the fence and gardens. Nicely landscaped pond. Like the exterior benches. Nice patterns and colors on interior walls. Good use of décor and other “buy” items to fill interior space.
Suggestions: Use CAS more to give rooms a cohesive design look.
SimShine
LINK TO LOT: http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=4128587
LINK TO MEDIA: http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/377097.page
Exterior shape of the house is lovely. Nice interior layout with all a sim needs. Like the use of CAS to create a cohesive color palette on color and pattern. Great back yard with gardens. Love the grill and back yard seating. Good job on roof.
Suggestions: I know it’s a budget build but it could have used a little more décor on the interior.
StyxLady
LINK TO LOT: http://www.mediafire.com/?wjox4b708xmy87w
LINK TO MEDIA: http://wp.me/P1aF34-NA
Ahh… this is terribly cute from the outside! I love the use of the ivy columns. Great cottage garden look. I like that there are some vegetables for Ginny to cultivate as well. Cute kitchen with small dining table. Love the country tile pattern on the cabinets. Nice sitting area. Great idea to leave the bedroom more open and save on wall $$ - she is single, after all! Small bathroom, but it has room for all the necessities. Great floor plan- love that it has some interesting angles.
Suggestions: tad bit of wasted space between kitchen and living areas, but not much else to improve on... you might consider entering in the advanced category in the future if you feel comfortable with it.
Tamlyn
Link to Media: http://tamlynsims.livejournal.com/10790.html
Cute clumps of hydrangeas in the front yard. Like the inclusion of the easel under the tree. Love the apple orchard and bench out back. Love the bar in the kitchen area. Small, functional kitchen and living area was a great choice – you’ve filled up the space nicely. Lovely bedroom – like the extra attention here. Great tile pattern in the bathroom.
Suggestions: the front of the house needed something more… maybe a centered door with 2 windows on each side?
Wineland88P
LINK TO LOT: http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=4117510
LINK TO MEDIA: http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/0/375906.page#53301
02
Full view of the lot gives a nice impression. Love the yellow color and siding choice. Plant colors blend nicely with the exterior. Love the little veg garden out back. Great country kitchen. Love the blue tile on the counters and above the cabinets. Cute dining table and sitting area. You’ve really nailed the American country look. Love the bedroom. No pics of the bath? (make sure to get each room from all angles in your media)
Suggestions: Play with rooflines – you could have added visual interest to the front with a different roof over the bay window.
This category was huge with 16 entries, so there are quite a few awards..
And the winners are:
Honorable Mentions -
mgolden27! Wish I could have gotten an even closer look
lLunaaquilo ! Equal attention to the interior would have taken this lot from great to amazing
4th Place - Golden_glow! The dormer stole my heart
3rd Place - Wineland88P! Very Cute lot
2nd Place - TIE: Simshine & Alicatt! Great builds - congrats
And....1st Place goes to :
Styxlady! Congrats on a lovely cottage inside and out
Congratulations to everyone, there were so many good builds here, it must have been very difficult for KittKat to choose. Thanks KittKat for 4th place and the feedback, I love clutter! but I'm not very good at building with a budget :oops: lol
Congratulations to everyone, there were so many good builds here, it must have been very difficult for KittKat to choose. Thanks KittKat for 4th place and the feedback, I love clutter! but I'm not very good at building with a budget :oops: lol
(btw, is it just me or are the photobucket links not working? :?: )
The photobucket links didn't work for me, either, Alicat.
So much inspired creativity is truly humbling! At this level, all five are winners, but in alphabetical order:
Anjubee
Link to lot: http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=4130215
Link to media: http://simulatinganju.wordpress.com/2011/05/25/cottage-starter-16-5k-no-cc/
Comments: This 20 x 20 starter home has excellent curb appeal. Your mix of brick and stucco with quoined edges has loads of country charm. Your choice of windows adds lots of natural light to the interior, and my favorite feature (and I’m sure Ginny would love it too!) is the big porch. The cottage garden is small but quaint. I love the vegetable garden and the stepping stones. The seafoam green and gray color scheme inside gives the house a sense of tranquility. Your mix of patterns is superlative, and the loft bedroom works beautifully. (I also love your take on Ginny herself!) I had a hard time coming up with any suggestions to make it better. This is perhaps peculiar to me, but I like the stove to be away from the refrigerator. You might have switched it with the last counter on the other wall. And I would have liked to see a detail of the bathroom—I almost thought you had forgotten it! Overall, though, a wonderful job!
ciaracaff
Link to lot: http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=4108004
Link to media: http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/0/374929.page#5311734
Comments: A friendly green house welcomes Ginny (as she arrives home on her bike—love the bike!) or a visitor. The shingled section gives the exterior interest. The front bench is perfect for watching neighbors pass by, and the lush side garden shows that a real gardener lives here! I also like that you used rocks in the landscaping and to pave the front courtyard. The interior layout is efficient, and I love the corner fireplace (inglenook) with bookshelves and how you used half walls to divide up the space. The light neutral colors with red and green accents (sofa, café curtains, bed spread) and the use of natural woods make the overall space seem larger. The use of plants throughout the house brings the outdoors inside. Some things to consider: First, like I mentioned in the previous comments, I would prefer the stove and refrigerator not be next to each other. Also, the color of the front door (blue) doesn’t seem to relate to anything inside or out. I might have gone with natural wood like the windows. The rocky ground cover in the back seems a bit severe, too. I might have mixed some flowers (terrain paint) with grass to give it a softer feeling. And finally, just a practical point—although I love the café curtains in the kitchen, I might have put a curtain instead by the bed for privacy. Overall, a lovely house!
EuphorialQueen
Link to lot: *Not uploaded yet
Link to media: http://forum.thesims3.com/jforum/posts/list/45/188428.page#5326936
Comments: The simple, symmetrical blue 2-story house belies a rather complicated building process. You used the foundation walls brilliantly to create a lot of house for a little amount of simoleons. The lush cottage garden with whimsical statuary is everything that Ginny could want; I love the outdoor “room” you created for Ginny to paint or just sit and enjoy her garden Also, great use of terrain paints! The interior spaces are nicely decorated with buydebug items, and the overall color scheme (lavender/light woods) is harmonious throughout. The sofa and chair add just the right purple accent. You’ve created a lovely, livable house. To my eye, the swirly wallpaper is too strong; I might have softened it by lightening the lavender to almost the same value as the gray swirls. The fretwork pattern in the bedroom, because it’s a smaller pattern, work better. Also, I would have put in two more windows somewhere in the house. I realize it is a tradeoff between money for walls and windows and, perhaps, landscaping or other items. I’m glad, though, that you included a window in the bedroom!
Tfbob
Link to lot: http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=4129557
Link to media: http://www.flickr.com/photos/37803355@N07/sets/72157626682526875/show/
Comments: What an utterly charming blue and white gingerbread Victorian! The exterior picks up on the blue and white hydrangeas, which shelter vegetables and yellow and orange flowers among them. The pond and gardening table are also great features. You color choices for the interior (light blue-gray, lavender and light wood) lend a sense of tranquility to the spaces. I love how you used a subtle pattern on the framing for the wood wall paneling—the paneling puts one in mind of a converted barn. And you used your colors and patterns beautifully. You chose a larger lot to build on and created a larger house than most, and that has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that you have a larger yard and house for living space. The disadvantage is that, at least, the house seems on the bare side because you have so much space to fill with a very limited budget. Perhaps a few free buydebug décor items would have added interest. I like that you included curtains in the bedroom. A few other curtains in the house might have been nice too.
ZYIsSims
Link to lot: http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=4105454
Link to media: http://s220.photobucket.com/albums/dd126/silviaBroome/BnS99/?albumview=slideshow
Comments: There are so many charming details in this converted barn starter home. To name just a few, I love the bright red wood exterior, the greenhouse window in the kitchen, the clever use of Outdoor Stuff planters as window boxes, the flowers and plants used throughout the inside of the house, and the large porches front and back. The garden is everything it should be with lot of flowers and a vegetable garden that is just begging to be puttered in! (I also love the tree, and we have you and EuphorialQueen to thank for showing us the free purple flower planters that come with Late Night.) The interior spaces are colorful, cheerful and cozy. My only suggestion would be to play around with the color of the roof and the exterior stone. I realize there are not a lot of roof color choices, but perhaps a slate gray would have looked better with the weathered gray wood doors and windows. I think the exterior stone might have looked better in shades of gray, too, although it was perfect in the kitchen with the delightful black stove in front of it.
I knew this was going to be a hard decision to pick a winner. Any or all five houses would be a great addition to the neighborhood, because all have so much to recommend them. So by a micron, the winner is:
ZYIsSims
Glad to see things picking up again.
http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/910413/post-apocalyptic-murkland-the-starter-challenge/p1
lilkajira82
LINK TO LOT: http://www.thesims3.com/assetDetail.html?assetId=4083222
LINK TO MEDIA: http://www.thesims3.com/contentDetail.html?contentId=321417
COMMENTS:You were the only entry, thus the winner here. Even with other entries however, I think your build would have been at the top. You managed to meet all the requirements for the challenge and did a good job with the budget. The home looked nice and spacious. It had a good layout and I liked the open floor plan. The outside was nice and had the two separate gardens. It was nice and colorful.
SUGGESTIONS: You may want to experiment with the landscaping. Give the yard a mowed look or add a bit of the grass/flower spray under the plants to add a bit of texture outside. Work with the brick looking sprays for pathways. That would add a lot to your outside, at no additional cost. It’s a great way to add to your home. Otherwise my only suggestion is taking the pictures. At the beginning of each challenge are some great tips for taking pictures. You had a lot of overviews, where I’d love to see more from within the rooms. Good job and I hope to see more from you!