Building Contest 2013:4 - Extreme Minimalistic Starter

[Decima]

Who knew my camping and caravanning holidays as a child would come in handy? 

I really loved how so many people entered this contest, it made it much more fun.  I think Saltpastillen's study shack was my favourite. Possibly, it's so hard to choose! It is SO tiny!

[Jaaaaks]

Woohoo! Congrats to our two winners and all those who participated! It was so much fun seeing what everyone came up with, especially since this challenge was 'easier' in a sense that it was very doable. I really loved seeing what people did with the space they had and the limitations in budget. It's quite amazing and beautiful how they each turned out so different!

I realize now I could've shifted the couch over and saved about four square tiles. I think I may have overestimated the amount of tiles I needed to create this house. I did cut it close to the budget. I definitely felt much more inspired after seeing the 'later' entries, but I think I mustered pretty well this time (and I followed everyone's advice from the last contest - only screenshots from live mode!)

@Twinmum; I thought your house was really cool. I do like how you had unique walls which gave the house a really unique feel and atmosphere. Though it was quite busy, it was also really charming.

@Saltpastillen; the roof and design of the house is spectacular. I have a lot of respect for those who know even remotely what to do with roofs - they are the bane of my existence. I really like how you put all of your entertainment outside - really smart (and space saving!) along with a great atmospheric house. I also love the decorations you chose to give the house a cluttered feel.

I am also open to comments/suggestions on my little house!

[ladybug53]

Congratulations Decima and Chuckles_82 . Amazing work ! Thank you samoht04 , Ausette and Lilygirl for such a fun and challenging contest .

It was so exciting to see so many entrants to this contest . I'm just amazed to see what everyone did with very few tiles of room . Everyone did such a wonderful job on their small lot .

Decima : I thought your building was just amazing . I couldn't believe it when I first saw it . How creative you are . I always look forward to seeing what you're going to build . Great job!

Chuckles_82 : I love the style of your building and the decor makes it look very spacious .

Jaaaaks : I really like the rustic feel of your building . Great job on your screenshots .

Saltspastillen : A very tiny building but it has all the essentials a sim need . Great job .

Twinmom : Very cute building . It even has a small garden . Great work .

I had a lot of fun with this contest . It's always hard to stay on budget but building this small is even more challenging. I love a good challenge !
I'm always open for comments .

[RaiaDraconis]

Congratulations to Decima and Chuckles82! Your houses were fantastic and oh-so creative. Everyone in fact did a great job, and it was fun to see how different people interpreted the challenge. This was a great mental exercise, trying to maximize functionality at the same time as keeping costs low and minimizing space. Much like trying to furnish a tiny apartment on a small budget, now that I really think about it.

Absolutely enjoyable. I learned so much from this experience!

[Vinyl]

Congratulations to Chuckles and Decima!  Your entries were fantastic!

There were so many awesome builds submitted I wish we'd had double or triple the amount of votes to use.  It was much too hard to choose!  Comments are welcome on my build, though I know there isn't much to it.  Getting a minimum liveable nine tiles means there's not a whole lot of anything in a home!  If anyone's curious, the house was initially a miniature light house that wound up looking more mausoleum than anything else.  Combine that with the medieval practice of perpetual prayers for the deceased, and the build took things to their absurd limits of being a tomb in need of a roommate.

Decima:  Brilliant combination of items and recolouring to make a caravan.  So cute and clever!

Chuckles:  Your house was so serene and had such a nice layout.  It didn't look cramped at all.

Jaaaaks:  The colours in your house were so warm and inviting.  Very nice use of patterns throughout.  I really liked the house.

Saltspastillen:  I loved your student home.  The colours and patterns felt very young, fresh, and poor student (but in a great way).  I can see putting the house into my university world - it's just so perfect for it.  Great job!

Twinmum:  The decoration of your starter is great - love the use of the mirror trick to make the space look bigger!  It feels like a more mature home, for an adult starting over or downsizing to something smaller. 

Ladybug:  The colours and patterns in your home were so cheerful.  It's so cute!

RaiaDraconis:  You didn't mention if you wanted comments, but I had to tell you that your build's exterior was one of my faves.  Love the prarie house concept and look!

[Snufflesxx]

I'm open for comments! I'm so glad that even with the number of entries, everyone managed to get at least one vote! And big congratulations to Chuckles and Decima!

[Ausette]

Congratulations to Chuckles and Decima! I'm happy we had a tie this week; there were so many great entries that it seemed like a shame to just pick one as the winner! Seriously, I don't know why the rest of you guys don't enter the contests more often. 

@Twinmum: I absolutely love the backstory and exterior for your house. It really did feel like a cute little rental home  . If I had to change anything, it would be to use more custom recolours, especially on the carpet inside the house.

@saltpastillen: I love the beachy theme you used inside the house. I would have liked to see more of it on the exterior (tropical garden, thatched roof) but the look you picked worked really well and I love how it turned out. Great job! 

@Jaaaaks (Is that the right number of 'a's?): I love the rustic theme and slightly larger rooms you used in your home. It's probably one of the bigger entries, but it works; it feels cozy instead of cramped.

@ladybug53: Very cute use of colours, and the exterior is adorable! I would have liked to see some more landscaping, but the house bizarrely seems to work without it.

@Vinyl: Yours was such an odd little build, and that just made it all the more interesting (I did guess mausoleum in the end). I like how far you took the minimalism concept in squeezing everything into nine little squares of space, and the colour and pattern scheme works wonderfully.

@Snufflesxx: You definitely get bonus points in my mind for including more than one bed space! I also love the backstory, and the flamingos make my smile  . Again, the only tip I'd give would be to use more custom recolours instead of using the default options on the walls and furniture, but the ones you picked work well with  the cobbled-together caravan park feel.

I'm open to comments on my build, as always.

[MissPlumbBob]

I enjoyed this contest, especially because I ONLY build small houses! I'm open to comments, as well. I forgot to post more screenshots of my house; there wasn't much for you all to look at. I will add some pics later tonight so I can get better feedback.

[RaiaDraconis]

Yeah, sure--I'm open to comments.

Decima - Your idea was absolutely clever! Using the decor items the way that you did to give the impression of a trailer was amazingly creative.

Chuckles82 - I love the clean, simplistic lines and the neutral color scheme, but what really did it for me was what you did with the roof. Those windows up top were a fantastic addition.

Ausette - Speaking of rooftops, that had to be my favorite part of your place too. Really, the whole thing from inside to landscaping was well-put together. I'm only slightly biased that you used my favorite townie as a model.

Twinmum - A dresser! As soon as I saw that your home had one I totally facepalmed--how could I forget that? Your house blew me away as far as how few tiles you used. The floorplan is unorthodox but amazing!

Jaaaaks - I really loved the color scheme of your interior. It just looks so homey and inviting--very livable!

Ladybug53 - I much agree with Ausette--your color scheme was downright fun. That big picture window really added to the ambiance as well.

Vinyl - Yours was a lot of fun. The flame idea was very cute, and I'm very impressed how you managed to fit everything into nine squares. Reminds me of a few of the job trailers I've worked in, actually...

MissPlumbBob - Another one where I just adore the color scheme. Your use of the invisible lights from buydebug was clever for reducing costs, too.

Saltpastillen - Beautiful both on the inside and the outside. Having that covered outdoor area was a great idea, plus the rest of the landscaping was quite lovely!

[Gheez]

Many congratulations to Chuckles and Decima.  Both of you had really lovely roofs. Chuckles with those cute little windows, and Decima, with the little skylights.

Loved all the entries. Loved how you all got such style & individuality into such tiny spaces.

Thanks very much samoht04, Lilygirl and Ausette. That was fun.

[saltpastillen]

@Jaaaaks - I loved the color scheme and lived in feel of your house. While not extremely minimalistic it works great as a starter home. You even have room for the people you invite over!

@ladybug 53 - It was great to see a large window open up the tiny room. You are so bold with colors, I admire that.

@Ausette - Rooftop ready for use, how inspired. It was also great that you included a parking space - something I often forget when building a starter. And I never thought of putting a shelf with a lamp on before. Thanks for that idea!

@MissPlumbBob - I think it was a great idea to create a starter for a single mom. Even better, once the kid ages up you only have to switch to a proper bunk bed and still have room for both sims. I also liked how the kitchen and bathroom worked together.

@RaiaDraconis- Your house is very cute. Great that you managed to squeeze in both a tv+chair and seating for 2 at the dining table.

@Snufflesxx- I loved your idea of an outhouse! The decor was fun and it was great to see 2 beds.

[Gogowars329]

Congrats to Decima and Chuckles and thanks to samoht, Lilygirl and Ausette for these great contests. I had a good time building my entry. I am open for comments.

[ladybug53]

Gogowars329 : I think your building is a very cool shape . I didn't know we could place friezes on an angle . Something else I need to learn . I thought placing your counter and stool under the bed was a very smart idea . Great building ! 

[Pupdude]

I'm so glad that even with the number of entries, everyone managed to get at least one vote!

I'm guessing the person who gave me my vote did it out of pity.  I mean, my house WAS pretty rushed.

Then again, I went for low price + base game, so I'm playing in an entirely different ballpark.  In France.

[Pam]

I'm guessing the person who gave me my vote did it out of pity.  I mean, my house WAS pretty rushed.

Please don't say things like this. It's probably not true, sets a negative tone, and is unfair to the person who voted for your house. Maybe try thanking that person instead.