Room Ideas?

[DeKilte]

I've been lurking for a while and absolutely love this site. I haven't ever needed to ask a question because most of them have been answered already  Such a wealth of Sims 3 knowledge.

I am building a mansion in game on a 60x60 lot. I built the shell already and did some of the landscaping. However, once I went inside, I realized that I was in a bit of a pickle on what to do with this massive space. I plan for it to be what my dynasty house looks like eventually (Wonderful challenge btw, I've practiced a few times and want to complete one before I post a story). Some of the ideas I've come up with for rooms are:
Family Room
Eat in Kitchen
Dining Room
Breakfast Nook
Art Studio
Museum (of course)
Home Office
Gym/ Martial Arts Studio w/ pool
Nectar Cellar
Library/ Writer's Room
Ballroom
Parlor
Home Theater
Nursery
8 Bedroom suites
Fruit and Veggie Garden
Patio
Mausoleum

Even with all this, I STILL have room left over. So I would welcome ideas on what to do with all this space. Are there any rooms I don't have listed that you can't live without? I have ambitions and world adventures. Thank you kindly

[LivvieLove]

Welcome to the forum!
Hmm, well you know how Sims can have particular skills? Why not a Skill Room? Maybe it could be like a Recreational room.
Oh, there are play rooms for children.
You could have a bunch of secret passage ways to a hidden room (with stuff from Supernatural or World Adventures, depending on the stuff packs you have).

There are modern lounges, or a coffee room. A mudd room (not sure if I spelled that right - it's like a nice side-entrance where you can put hats, coats, shoes).
Laundry room if you have ambitions (or any other expansion that offers laundry). Walk-In Closets.

My creative juices have only begun to flow!

[Chuckles_82]

A secret laboratory! I built one in my skill house for Cypress Lakes (link in signature if you want ideas). You can put all the sciency stuff in there.

[folcon]

Don't forget a game room.  Combined, all the expansions bring a nice selection, including pool, pingpong, darts, arcade games, whackamole, and a clawgame.  And I say it just because its not on the list, but don't forget the bathrooms.  If you plan on doing parties and such, you want extra bathrooms so guests aren't going through bedrooms to get to them.

If you have pets, a room to put all your animal cages and stuff.  And don't forget a stable if you want horses.

And don't forget the outdoor stuff.  Grills, treehouse, horseshoes, etc.  Seasons came with a bunch of outdoors stuff.

If you have space, maybe a hedgemaze.

And perhaps a study.

[Niana]

I love these ideas! I might have to sit down and do a build sometime...

Just saying this because you mentioned using a rebuilt version for your dynasty house - be careful of overloading your file too early. My furthest attempt so far crashed because of a massive file size at only gen. 3 because I got overenthusiastic about building my dynasty house. The rooms really add up quickly (huge living room, kitchen, etc., probably a skill room per immortal to keep them separate, maybe a separate art room, and a bedroom for a full household would probably equal a 3-story house already) Add that to the museum, and just the empty shell of a house is massive.

That said, I'd love to see this house when you have it done, it sounds absolutely amazing!

[DeKilte]

Niana Here are a few shots of the shell:

House and grounds from street

Front of House:


Back of the House from Garden:

Overhead Shots:

[Saltypaws]

What a gorgeous house.  I agree with Niana, start small and only put in the house what you need.  I did the same mistake and had a huge house and had all of my sims art work and statues displayed.  Then I had to redo and tear down the whole house and start over.  I still had some things displayed, but sold a lot.  Also, try to use as few sprinklers or fountains as possible, they eat up memory.  Only build when you have to.  I finally had to put my immortals in bunk beds and downsize  so I could finish my dynasty.  But your house is awesome and you did a wonderful job of building it.  I will say, if you have quite a bit of memory, you might not have the problem that most people have.  Good luck.

[DeKilte]

Thankfully, my computer is pretty new and has a very good amount of memory, plus I have an external hard drive for any overflow. I'm already to Generation 4 (I want to successfully complete a challenge before I post a story, just to know I can) and haven't had any problems with lag. I started building this because they outgrew their old house and I want something that will last the next 4 generations as well without much need to go into build mode.

Any suggestions for improvement (I spotted a couple things I made notes about while taking the screen shots) would be welcome. I'm thinking of posting it to the Exchange or SwapShop when I'm done. I've really enjoyed building it, it was originally based on a picture for an apartment complex that I found online.

[folcon]

It certainly looks impressive.  What, if anything, do you plan to put in the corner structures?

[DeKilte]

One is going to be the mausoleum for the family's dearly departed (back right) and the back left I'm thinking of fashioning as a garden shed. No idea what to do with the front two, maybe garages? Any other ideas would be welcomed.

[Axiom]

How about this:
A room for each different skill that you intend for your sims to learn [Greenhouse/yard for the green thumb of the family]?

Also, can you upload the shell to the empty shell thread?

[grimsoul]

Great looking house. I agree with Axiom, this would be a nice addition to the Building Shells thread.

[LivvieLove]

Beautiful house! That's amazing! I wish you all the best of luck but I agree with a lot of people here. I've found that when I take time and plan room-for-room before having Sims live there I find a lot of dysfunctional areas I would have planned for if I had worked up and added as I went. Just something to keep in mind as you're building.

[DeKilte]

Okay, I am pretty sure it's uploaded. If anyone plays with it would they please post a few screenshots (or PM me them) to let me see?

The reason I'm planning "room for room" is to make sure I don't forget to leave room for anything important (The last house got to the point that adding on was driving me nuts because I *always* forgot something and was back into build mode just about every game day).