Building Contest 4, 2011 - A Rundown Starter - Open for Comments

[Gogowars329]

Okay I'm back for more feedback. This talk about having the worst looking starter is confusing me!

@LynleyThe Handyman Special was a bit too 'good' from the outside for my liking. It didn't look bad enough. The inside though screamed out rundown from the first view.

@SassyI can definitely see you are improving your building skills each time you enter! Great work! As soon as I saw the outside of your house I thought 'Yuck!' in a good way. I really loved the inside and it fit the theme perfectly.

[Lilygirl]

I laughed myself silly reading each submission presentation! This contest was so much fun.

I'm open for feedback as well, and shall comment a little later.

[ratchie]

Schipperk:I loved the randomness of the furniture it felt as if you had found it all on a rubbish heap.

SassySimmer:I really liked the outside of your build. I liked that it looked decrepid but cosy.
Joria:I loved the plantlife growing inside.The outside looked rundown but was still quite pretty in a way.


Rachel

[Joria]

Just a note to say go ahead and critique my entries always.  Sorry so short on time for commenting on all of yours.

[Schipperke]

Schipperk:I loved the randomness of the furniture it felt as if you had found it all on a rubbish heap.
Rachel

Thank you, Rachel!  I modelled the living room after early episodes of my favourite television program (Only Fools and Horses).  Maybe I should have called my entry "Trotter Cottage."   

[ratchie]

Trotter towers would be an awesome name for a run down apartment building.

Rachel

[Katluvr]

Congratulations on a well-deserved win, Agneza!  Your rundown starter was truly horrifying in the best possible way!

I think everyone did a fabulous job with intepreting what rundown meant to them.  For some it was dilapidated almost to the point where I'd rather live under a bridge than step foot in the house.  For others it was more of a refined home that just needed some TLC.

@Sassy:  Your house was one of my favorites - it was also horrifyingly good!  As for not being a good enough builder to offer feedback, please don't sell yourself short.  We are all working to improve our building skills and everyone's feedback is valid and valuable. 

@Ratchie:  I particularly loved the interior of your house.  The rusty appliances and mismatched furniture were excellent.  The outside was very well done but a bit plain for my taste.  I would have loved to see more landscaping and atmosphere pieces (rubble, junk car, etc.). 

@Schipperke:  You did an awesome job with your squalid shack.  The outside and much of the interior was really brilliant - I wanted to get in there with a mop and a bucket of paint.  The thing that put me off a bit was how bright some of the furniture was.  It looked too new for such a dingy setting in my opinion.

@Joria:  Your house was wonderful inside and out.  I loved the brambles growing up through the floor - I don't know whether to vacuum the carpet or mow it.    Everything looked dingy and worn.  Definitely a house I would NOT want to live in.

@Lily:  Your house was another one of my favorites because it was so interesting on the outside.  I loved the landscaping and the idea of the detached bedroom and outhouse.  I also loved your use of terrain paints.  My only critique is that the some of the furniture was a little bright and new looking.

@Lynley:  In my opinion you are one of the best builders on the forum and I think that worked against you in this contest.  Your house is absolutely wonderful and is definitely a fixer-upper, but the problem for me is I could see myself living in it (after a good clean up).  Some of the other houses just horrified me more than yours did.

If anyone has any feedback on my entry I would very much appreciate it.  As I was writing my comments to you all I realized how much of it I could apply to my own entry. 

[Ausette]

I was thrilled to see so many entries for this contest (although that meant more competition for meee  ). Grungy little houses are some of my favourite buildings. I tried making mine look a bit more suburban, but by the time I finished it you guys had all submitted veritable monstrosities that might have overwhelmed it a bit. Good job.   

@Schipperke: Very trashy and haphazard, in the best way possible! I liked the blocky exterior with the awning over the door.

@ratchie: That couch is a stroke of genius. I like how some things are grubby and some aren't. My only suggestion: Perhaps play around with the roofs more next time? You could join up some of the hipped roofs and lower them a little.

@Sassy: Quirky and cluttered, cool! I think the interior doors could use some more recolouring (I'm sure they would have matched the walls once upon a time) but apart from that it's awesome.

@Joria: Very spacious for a starter! You certainly used your money well. I'm not sure about the tiny living area vs. the huge bedroom, but otherwise you've divided up the space quite nicely.

@Katluvr: I don't know why yours got so few votes, it was one of my favourite builds! The exterior, the layout, it all looked wonderful to me.  How did you afford all that furniture?

@Agneza: Congrats on the win! I loved the little details like the "chimney".

@Lilygirl: A very creative idea, I especially liked the deck between the bedroom and main living area. May I suggest lowering the roofs a little?

@lynley: Wow, so much space! I could see this evolving into something really pretty once its Sims have the money for the renovation. I really liked the colours of the main bedroom and living area.

I'm always open to feedback. 

[Lilygirl]

Thanks for the comments, guys! I'm glad my outhouse idea was unique.

@ Schipperke: We know you're the master of squalor (Riches Galore anyone?) so it came as no surprise to see your lot posted, complete with what looks like half a house (interesting roof), rusty old car that died before the owner could put on the brand-new set of tires s/he bought, and the thrift store/ garage sale composite of furniture. For me, the house had too much interior space, I would have liked to see things more cramped.

@ Rachel: The exterior shingle siding was a nice touch as is the unfinished front porch (Sim toddlers can't fall off the edge so no real need to build a railing, right?), but my favorite part is the front gate - it's all about curb appeal and inviting the buyer in. The peeling painted and repainted furniture and appliances are nice along with the spliced together couch, the bathroom looks like it needs to be burned down a rebuilt, and I see the see saw comes with a splinter guarantee. I would have liked to see more landscaping and the interior doors recoloured.

@ SassySimmer: Love, love, love the yard and it's mash up of piles of stuff being over grown by brambles! I like that the eclectic collection of stuff continues inside to the living room. I would have liked to see the interior doors in the living room picture recoloured. I would also remove the vines on the house, they're just too young and fresh looking.

@ Joria: I like the tall surrounding fence doing it's best to keep the neighbourhood out, interesting touch allowing the brambles to grow up through the floor int he kitchen. I think the matching rugs are too nice and don't fit the theme of the house. Landscaping is an interesting mix of "opportunistic" looking plants that have grown in a died over the years.

@ Katluvr: Your house is an adorable little starter home that may fit in a cottage contest better than this rundown starter one. I think it needs some roughing up on the exterior - siding, front porch, front steps. The blue colour scheme on the inside is beautiful but for me it was just too coordinated with the colour, bedspreads, dining set. The appliances are very appropriately dirty and grungy looking.

@ Ausette: I liked the brambles and security fence for the back yard. Like Katluvr, the house just seems too new and well put together - the exterior is flawless, the interior lacks any peeling paint, the furniture all matches, and the floors are pristine. A delightful little starter home but not so much rundown starter.

@ Lynley: Another beautiful starter home. The stuff cluttering up the yard is a nice touch, the over-grown pond in the back might be just the place for a Simkid to find slugs to show his mom. The interior has a nice level of grungy-ness with the peeling walls, mismatched furniture, and a bathroom that I wouldn't want to touch with a 10foot pole. The exterior is too nice for a rundown starter in my opinion.

[Schipperke]

@ Schipperke: We know you're the master of squalor

Yes!  I love my new title, thank you, Lilygirl!  And I shall wear it with pride, feeling that I truly deserve it. 

I tend to refrain from offering comments on other peoples' builds because I just don't feel qualified to do so.  But I really thought there were a lot of splendidly squalid shacks built for this contest.  My only concern about some of them was that they were too pretty or well-coordinated.  I liked the ones that looked as if the furniture had been scrounged from back alleys or junk yards and therefore didn't match.  And a lot of entries really captured the dirty, dingy look perfectly.