Sidhe Mound Estate

[Shewolf13]

Name: Sidhe Mound Estate
Lot Size: 64 X 64

Address: Originally built at 32 Lugh Lane in Dragon Valley

This is a build based upon the Lords of the Fae, the Sidhe.  It is a vast underground complex with anything a creature of Faerie could need or want.  Above ground, it looks like a peaceful patch of forest that connects to a horse pasture.  The entrance is hidden among the trees.

Bedrooms: 6 + Master Suite (Sleeps 20 or so)
Bathrooms: 7 + Master Suite



Features/Rooms:

Entryway, Bath House (with Pool), Training Area/Gym, Library

Descend the spiral staircase and head down a small corridor to emerge into the entryway, which represents the four elements: earth, wind, fire, and water.  Before you get to this entrance, however, is a secret door that leads into the administrative office/library of the compound.  After the entrance way, there is another corridor; two other corridors- one on either side- split off here.  One leads to the training area.  The other leads to the luxurious bath house.  Both of these rooms have a simple attached bath as well.


Great Hall, Wine Room, Kitchen, Servants' Quarters

The corridor ends in the Great Hall, a huge room specifically for entertaining and showing off wealth.  Beyond the stone doors behind the high table is a well-stocked Wine Room, and off to the side is the separate kitchen as well as the servants' quarters.


Guest Suites including Shrine and Nursery

Off the Great Hall is the Guest Suites, six bedrooms that all have a double bed as well as two bathrooms.  There is a Shrine for them to pay their respects as well as a nursery for any little ones that may visit.


The Master Suite

The Lord and Lady of the Manor have a beautiful retreat from the rest of the compound.  It is accessed from the Great Hall, though it has other features as well.  It has a master bath, a sitting room, a separate bedroom, a nursery for the heir and any siblings, a private Shrine for the family, as well as a secret exit that leads to a couple different areas.  One goes right outside.  The other...


The Dungeon

No castle is complete without a dungeon, a place to hold those who have done wrong.  The escape tunnel also leads to this area via a secret door.


Cost Furnished: $320,092
Cost Unfurnished: $184,663
Cost in Library: $311,900

Expansions/Stuff Packs/Store Items:

I apologize, but this is a build heavy with Store Content.  Sets include:

Dragon Valley
Barnacle Bay
Sunlit Tides
Lullabies and Nursery Rhymes
Complete Castle
Full Interior Castle Set
The Duke of Bows Renaissance Faire

The rest was done using things from Generations, World Adventures, Island Paradise, Supernatural, Pets, University Life, Late Night, Seasons, Town Life Stuff Pack, Master Suite Stuff Pack, Outdoor Living Stuff Pack.  Again, I apologize, but I really wanted to use a lot of the stuff I had gotten, so in a lot of ways, it was the inspiration for this build.

That being said, this is my first build I am sharing, so if you find there are any issues, please don't hesitate to let me know so I can fix them.  I love to build in the Sims but I am lacking a bit, in that department, so if anyone has any comments, critiques, or even compliments, please let me know.  Thanks so much!

[Joria]

Very cleverly done and well thought out.  I particularly like the idea of "ooops!  What is this here?  Where does THIS go?" with the hidden entrance.  Love that.

My concept of the sidhe, light elves or fairies if you would, is lighter in color and tone.  More earth/forest and less rock/dark.  Yours isn't dark enough to belong to the drow, (dark elves), but my own personal taste generally leads to lighter colors.  Again, this is just my personal taste and who is to say a realm that is mostly underground and well hidden would be all sunny bright and flowery? 

Personally, I would change the arches to ones that are more rounded at the top.  Structurally speaking they would be stronger to bear the weight of the earth above and aesthetically would give a softer line.  The chairs in the great hall are all nicely curved and I think rounder edges on doorways/arches would enhance the look. 

Great halls are for showing off so I'd suggest carpets or carpet runners here.  Marble floors are well done, but you also want the "look at me I'm rich enough to afford luxury", and carpets, if only on the raised dais, would give that effect.  Maybe more of those lovely wall hangings as well and perhaps fewer of the statues, or some different ones?  Nothing wrong with hanging some weapons and banners as well.

I like the shrine idea but it feels empty.  If it were me I'd take out two of the fountains and make one more ornate one in the center.  Perhaps add a long shelf with a few candles on it and....?  A place where offerings of remembrance could be laid?  Maybe a bench or two along the walls?

Do you have Showtime or Katy Perry stuff pack?  I think it's Showtime that has the grieving fairy statue and these really nice gothic sort of props that look like stained glass windows.  They could be used to great effect in the shrine.

Please don't feel you have to apologize for using store items.  This is YOUR build, and while it's really nice to share it, and I thank you for that, please don't feel you have to limit your creations for anyone else.  While not having certain store items could mean a download might not look exactly as you made it, the game does substitute items and it's pretty easy to change out something. 

I think you did a really good job and very thorough as well.  Even a dungeon!  This is a first effort?  Wow!  Keep on building and sharing.   You've got some great ideas.

[Shewolf13]

Very cleverly done and well thought out.  I particularly like the idea of "ooops!  What is this here?  Where does THIS go?" with the hidden entrance.  Love that.

My concept of the sidhe, light elves or fairies if you would, is lighter in color and tone.  More earth/forest and less rock/dark.  Yours isn't dark enough to belong to the drow, (dark elves), but my own personal taste generally leads to lighter colors.  Again, this is just my personal taste and who is to say a realm that is mostly underground and well hidden would be all sunny bright and flowery? 

Personally, I would change the arches to ones that are more rounded at the top.  Structurally speaking they would be stronger to bear the weight of the earth above and aesthetically would give a softer line.  The chairs in the great hall are all nicely curved and I think rounder edges on doorways/arches would enhance the look. 

Great halls are for showing off so I'd suggest carpets or carpet runners here.  Marble floors are well done, but you also want the "look at me I'm rich enough to afford luxury", and carpets, if only on the raised dais, would give that effect.  Maybe more of those lovely wall hangings as well and perhaps fewer of the statues, or some different ones?  Nothing wrong with hanging some weapons and banners as well.

I like the shrine idea but it feels empty.  If it were me I'd take out two of the fountains and make one more ornate one in the center.  Perhaps add a long shelf with a few candles on it and....?  A place where offerings of remembrance could be laid?  Maybe a bench or two along the walls?

Do you have Showtime or Katy Perry stuff pack?  I think it's Showtime that has the grieving fairy statue and these really nice gothic sort of props that look like stained glass windows.  They could be used to great effect in the shrine.

Please don't feel you have to apologize for using store items.  This is YOUR build, and while it's really nice to share it, and I thank you for that, please don't feel you have to limit your creations for anyone else.  While not having certain store items could mean a download might not look exactly as you made it, the game does substitute items and it's pretty easy to change out something. 

I think you did a really good job and very thorough as well.  Even a dungeon!  This is a first effort?  Wow!  Keep on building and sharing.   You've got some great ideas.

Oh wow, thanks!  Hehehehe, yeah I really wanted to play with the hidden entrances.  Seems like it would just go with any kind of castle or this case, to a species that is not known for being... nice heh.  And yeah, in most cases I'd agree with you, about the lighter colors, but I'm taking a slightly... darker approach with the Fae in this instance.  In fact, this was built with a certain Sim/character in mind.  It will appear in a story later.  I also had the thought that it would be more earth-tone, but also... other?  Or more other-worldly I guess would be a good term for it.

I do agree with the arches, though.  And you are so right about the great hall.  The statues have a backstory to them, that's the only reason why I put that many of them in there and again, it has to do with the specific character that will be using this residence.

I had thought to add something that could hold offerings, but I seem to run into issues where I'm not always sure what will fit on shelves/display spaces or not.  As far as the fountains go, I was trying to go more elaborate... but I am having a terrible time with the fountain tool.  Tried making it ovular, but couldn't get the tool to work.  I'm afraid that elaborate or ornate fountains are beyond me, at least at this juncture.

I do have Showtime.  And I think I had the weeping Fairy at one point... though it might have been in my first attempt heh XD  This is the second attempt because the first one, I made the mistake of doing the upper portion first, so the ceiling height was all messed up and stairs wouldn't work heh.

This is my first effort sharing, yes.  I've done builds before, but I'm mostly not that happy with them.  I tend to have all sorts of ideas... but then when it comes to execution, it doesn't quite work out the way I want it.  And I want to let you know that I consider it an honor to get a compliment from you.  I'm seen many of your builds in Union Cove and elsewhere, and they are gorgeous!  I hope to have that talent someday.