Building Contest 2013: 14 - A Craftsman Renovation

[intl_incident]

Wow, what a surprise! I can't believe I won this one.  There have been other contests where I have thought I had a chance, but for this one I was sure a couple of the other entries would beat mine for sure!  Spectacular job by everyone.  I do love the Craftsman style, so it was a lot of fun to build and decorate for this one, trying to make it look authentic, but still meet the needs of such a large group of moms and kids.  Thanks to the moderators for another fun contest.

I am open for comments on my entry -- especially negative ones! I know that may sound weird, but I find it's constructive criticism that's the most helpful in trying to build a better moustrap -- er, Sims house.  In that spirit of trying to be helpful, my comments below contain a couple of critiques, but they are ultimately minor matters of taste.  As noted, I thought everyone's houses were really, really well done, and it was hard to come up with any real criticism at all.

Bubbles  -- Like Vinyl, I am amazed you were able to renovate the old house.  I gave up, bulldozed and started over.   I also liked the exterior color scheme, and the overall floorplan you came up with.  (The windows didn't look very Craftsman, but you've already noted you forgot to change them out.)  I agree with the others, that the gridlines didn't show your house off at its best -- it's hard to see all of the details in the overhead shots.  The quickest way to get rid of them for screenshots, without the whole rigamarole of getting out of build mode, putting in a family, etc, is to just click on the terrain paint tool.  That removes all of the grid lines for however long you leave it on.  (Which chandelier did you use in the bedrooms, btw?  I can't tell from the pictures, but I don't think recognize it and it looks pretty awesome.  I'll bet it's from Island Paradise. I know I haven't found all of the cool stuff in that pack yet.)

Ladybug  -- I loved your floor plan the best out of all the entries.  It looks like a real house, and has such nicely separated areas without looking cramped or awkward.  I really don't like "open floor plans" in real life, but build a lot of them in the Sims, because I can seldom come up with a more traditional "walled" floor plan I like.  So I am amazed when people manage a perfect traditional floor plan like yours. The decor in all of the rooms is really pretty as well.  I especially like the dining room.  Lovely colors and design.  If I could have changed anything, it would have been the backyard, which looked a little sparse and boxy, and could have used a few more windows, or a couple more angles, or even just extending the front roof gable back over the porch to liven it up a bit.

Vinyl -- I really really REALLY like the shape and style of the exterior of the house, and I think you captured the Craftsman style extremely well with both your exterior design and your inside decor. The carport looks great, and very authentic.  Love the bookshelves between the posts on the ground floor -- another perfect, authentic Craftsman touch.  I also really liked your ground floor play area.  It looked very realistic and like a place that kids would love to be in.  I thought some of the upstairs decor like the nursery got a little bit busy for my taste, but that's really just a minor matter of opinion (and I see Ladybug has already said she really liked the nursery, so that just goes to show you can't please all of the people all of the time... ) Anyway, I thought your house was fabulous.

[Vinyl]

Vinyl -- I really really REALLY like the shape and style of the exterior of the house, and I think you captured the Craftsman style extremely well with both your exterior design and your inside decor. The carport looks great, and very authentic.  Love the bookshelves between the posts on the ground floor -- another perfect, authentic Craftsman touch.  I also really liked your ground floor play area.  It looked very realistic and like a place that kids would love to be in.  I thought some of the upstairs decor like the nursery got a little bit busy for my taste, but that's really just a minor matter of opinion (and I see Ladybug has already said she really liked the nursery, so that just goes to show you can't please all of the people all of the time... ) Anyway, I thought your house was fabulous.

Thanks for the comments (and the critique - I love receiving it as well!).  The upstairs was busy for my tastes too - normally my house colours are muted and patterns toned down because I know how vibrant and wild they can get at full strength - but it was part of my mental story behind the house.  After rebuilding it, then figuring it wouldn't be new, it got the 'people with various tastes lived here' treatment upstairs rather than the 'all out traditional Craftsman' styling.  That nursery in particular took on a life of its own once I put a fishbowl in it and then considered Claire Ursine's general style (she, out of any of them, seems the type to most go nuts with a theme).   

Your house is incredible in its accuracy, decor, and colours.  At this point I'm convinced you're an architect in real life!  I loved the exterior colours, and the palette of the interior as well.  Each time I look at one of your builds I realize how unfamiliar I am with so many of the wall cover shapes, because you take them, colour or pattern them, and turn them into just the right accent for a window or door.  Also your use of the circle floor cover as a play mat and the way you coloured it is inspiring (literally, I'll be cribbing that idea off you for future homes for my sims).    I'd love to offer great critiques, but there's not much I don't like.  The upper roofline is perhaps higher than usual for a Craftsman.  I'm sure it's because of the third floor bedroom/bathroom, and I can see how that shape would be difficult to integrate into a lower overall roof.  Also, since I haven't had a chance yet to explore the house in game, I'm not sure why the fridge is so bright and differently hued from the rest of the very well matched main floor.  Beautiful build and congrats again on a very well earned win!

[bubbles]

(Which chandelier did you use in the bedrooms, btw?  I can't tell from the pictures, but I don't think recognize it and it looks pretty awesome.  I'll bet it's from Island Paradise. I know I haven't found all of the cool stuff in that pack yet.)

Yes, it's from Island Paradise. I love that light and another one that came with that expansion. I think I used that one a lot as well.

ladybug- I'm amazed at the size of your house, it's huge! The rooms are so beautifully decorated, I don't think I could decorate like that in my dreams! Personally, I think the back could have done with more windows. I think a bit of outside recolouring would also have been nice so the colours matched better. Other than that, I really like your build!

Vinyl- Your house is lovely to look at and the inside theming is so creative! I love how you've made normal tables into play tables, I love the underwater nursery, I love everything really! Some rooms are quite small and cramped, but I know that's quite hard to avoid on a small lot and budget.

intl_incident- I love your woody colour theme throughout, the shape and style of the house and all the attention to detail. The playground in the garden is a nice touch! I think a teensy bit more landscaping at the back and some more windows to the rear would look nice, and then the house would be perfect in my opinion. I think you used the open floor plan really well.

I think any house could have won, really. I think we have some really talented builders here and I love viewing all the entries, whether I enter or not.

[intl_incident]

Ha ha, Vinyl -- you found all of the things about my house that I didn't like either.  Good eye!

FWIW, the higest peak of the roofline is higher because the two "sideways" gables, for lack of a better term, are slightly different sizes, and the join between them looked ridiculous if the taller "frontways" gable didn't cover them adequately.  And the sideways gables, as you guessed, have to do with the attic room.  I agree it's all too high for a Craftsman house.  And...

I'm not sure why the fridge is so bright and differently hued from the rest of the very well matched main floor.

The brilliant interior design reasoning is... I forgot to recolor it, and didn't notice until I had uploaded the house and all of its pictures. That would be the default for that Supernatural fridge. Oops.

I wish I were an architect in real life, but unfortunately I am a bureaucrat.  At least it is a bureaucratic job that involves a lot of travel and frequent moves, so I get to see all kinds of houses and landscapes.

bubbles, thanks for the comments!  I'll work on better backyard landscpaing on the next build. (Or maybe the next build after that, as my castle-in-progress has no backyard.)  And thanks for letting me know where to find that chandelier, too.

[Swirl-Girl]

"Freerealestate" Is a great tool.

[Arefa]

Con'grats intl_incident! You did a fantastic job at capturing the spirit of a craftsman home in your build! 

Being new around here, I'd appreciate any comments on my build.  (I'm slightly embarrassed by this...) Before this contest, I've always used the auto-roof, I had no idea how to put custom roofs on the homes or that the pitches could even be changed!  I never had a need to do it before.  But I wanted the low-pitched roof for this craftsman home, so I had to do a bit of research and playing around. 

Question for everyone:  Where do you find the rocking chair?  Did it come with an expansion or stuff pack?  I saw a couple of you had it and I've been wanting a rocking chair every time I make a nursery.  And I have just never found it. 

[ladybug53]

@ Arefa - Your entry was one of my favorites . You did a fantastic job with your roof arrangement . I think myself , that the pitch is perfect . You're very talented . I adore your house , the style and color are a great mixture of textures . Great job !

As for your question about the rocking chair , I believe it's from the Expansion Supernatural . Sims love it ! 

[Snufflesxx]

Con'grats intl_incident! You did a fantastic job at capturing the spirit of a craftsman home in your build! 

Being new around here, I'd appreciate any comments on my build.  (I'm slightly embarrassed by this...) Before this contest, I've always used the auto-roof, I had no idea how to put custom roofs on the homes or that the pitches could even be changed!  I never had a need to do it before.  But I wanted the low-pitched roof for this craftsman home, so I had to do a bit of research and playing around. 

Question for everyone:  Where do you find the rocking chair?  Did it come with an expansion or stuff pack?  I saw a couple of you had it and I've been wanting a rocking chair every time I make a nursery.  And I have just never found it.

I really loved your house, Arefa! It was just so cosy and had so many little things dotted around and it made it look like a real house that children would live in. Great job 

The rocking chair (I believe there are 3 kinds) comes with Supernatural. If you have that expansion, you'll find it in nursery furniture or the chairs section.

[intl_incident]

Hi, Arefa -- I really liked your house.  It was one of my favorites as well.  I think the exterior shape (including the roofs!) was really well done, and I liked your floor plan.  I also think you did a great job using the Misc Deco catalog to make the house look lived in. 

For constructive criticism, I would say that for me, the mix of patterns and styles in a couple of the rooms was just not my taste, or was a little confusing. (E.g., the angled wood walls with multicolored brick, multiple fabric checks and checkerboard floor in the kitchen, or the one modern wall sconce and one traditional wall sconce in the living room.)  Don't get me wrong -- I don't think everything needs to be super matchy-matchy, and in fact in the bedrooms, the mix of patterns and colors looks very fun and realistic.  But in a couple of the ground floor rooms it was a little overwhelming for me.

As noted though, all in all I loved the house!

[Arefa]

Thanks everyone for the comments and advice. 

Intl_incident - You have really good eyes.  When you mentioned the two different wall sconces in the living room I had to go back and look because I had no idea what you were talking about.  I thought I used the same one thought out the house.  But I saw the other one there in the corner and that was unintentional.  Originally I just had it there so I could see (before I picked the other sconce for the house) and I just forgot to delete it  .  In the upcoming build, I picked one sconce from the beginning, so I wouldn't accidentally do that again.  And the fabrics and pattern choices, I can understand what you are talking about.  When I showed it to my husband when I was finished he told me it looked too busy.  But shhhhh, don't anybody tell him he was right, lol.

And the rocking chairs have been found!  When I read all of your comments that it was in the Supernatural Expansion, I went straight to the store and bought it.  It was one of the only ones I didn't have.  I have to say that it is quite a good expansion, I can't believe it took me so long to get it.