How do you go about building a house

[Rocker9x]

So, I've been trying to build a house that I can really enjoy being in. All my houses are ok, but none of them are all that amazing or original.

I've looked at youtube videos like DeluxDesigns videos and such and I still just can't seem to make standout homes.

So, what do you guys think about and look at when you start a house? What do you use for inspiration?

[Simmer9761]

Well, a great thing to do is to use a real floorplan, and adapt it to the sims using Graph Paper.

[moryrie]

I have similar problems. I'm good at decorating, but my homes are always a bit... square. I just finished one I'm happy with though, based loosely on a building in my city that I always thought looked cool.

[FuzzehPeach]

Well, a great thing to do is to use a real floorplan, and adapt it to the sims using Graph Paper.
i do that too, but i'm soo bad when it comes to making it all to scale. :L i'm working on it though haha

[MrNobody19]

Well I look for what I want, like If I want a garage connected to the house, I simply start making the garage :)
It's simple to me, but that's just me haha.

[LifesLover]

Well, honestly, think about what you want the house to be about before you start. Think about the family you might eventually move into it. Do you want the house to be a tiny starter for a simoleon strapped young adult or a luxurious mansion for a family of five who've spent their lives earning money and now want to show just how much of a big cheese they are with the best house in the city. This will help you pick a lot and start to think about what kind of a building you want to do.

It's also a great idea to go looking around the internet and do research on different types of houses, to find out what really floats your boat, so to speak. Do you like contemporary, modern designs or do you want to go for an old world charm and do a Victorian style house. Look around your neighborhood for ideas. Look out for where they place the windows, symmetrical lines, and just how many corners the house has.

More often than not, many beginning builders will just build a big box. I know that I have that problem even now, though I know not do it. It's just so easy to draw a box, slap some windows and a roof on it and call it a house. Diagonal walls are your friend, don't ever forget. They can make some pretty interesting angles. It might be a good idea to join in on a building social group or a contest (hint: signature) in order to see what others do or to even get help from other builders who have all been where you are.

[InnocentEX]

I usually start by creating the entrance, then build the house around it

[sandymdh]

I took part in the last Foundations contest which really improved my building skills. I learnt so much from the other contestants and learnt that Google is my friend. It really pays to research the house style you want or it's sometimes good to start with a style you are familiar with. Some of my houses have been based on my previous homes or homes of friends and family.

[Axe Gaijin]

Watching house-makeover shows or similar programs on TV always gives me great ideas for building. There's a house I once saw on "Escape to the country" that I've built in all 3 Sims games so far because it had an interesting lay-out.

[ani_]

LifesLover gave some good advice. The "know who you are building for" is what works for me. Actually my first step is to download houses, because I don't enjoy building very much, almost not at all. Sometimes I find a house I'll kind of like, then I try to modify it, or just copy it and re-build if I find it impossible to modify.

[tizerist]

Fitting the surrounding flooring to fit the house also helps alot. I've had quite a few lots which I thought were crap until I made the pavement around it look prettier.

[Ive]

It's best to build for a specific sim as then it's easier to get the theme right.

I usually take inspiration from houses around me in real life. Like most of my interior decorating is direct inspiration from decorating that I have done at clients house when working. It's the interior that's the fun part for me so even if houses do seem a bit boxy and square in the beginning I usually end up with a uniqe-ish looking room because of the adjustments that I need to do to re-create parts I know IRL like small rooms and corners that makes a floorplan unique. And then sculpt the outside to the inside afterwards.

[iamjhez]

I just build what's on my mind. and what I want in reality

[Rocker9x]

So more outside real life research? Sounds good :D

I keep making houses, then looking at sims 3 houses online and going "Damn I want that"

It's a serious problem haha

[fraavio]

having studied(and as a matter of fact keep studying) architecture in college helps me a lot. I know not everyone is an architecture student or whatever, but I think you should start looking for basis in rl. one other thing, the further you go from the present, more complicated whatever you'll build is going to be. however, one thing I've learnt over the past few years at school is that you can make a reference to a certain style without using it's aesthetics. It's hard to do that on the sims since you don't have a whole lot of options. but if you can get your hands on something that helps achieving your goal, it's just perfect. I didn't have that luck on my last endeavour however, it came out pretty nice.
I had this idea of making a community lot that was kind of a church inspired on gothic architecture and on tadao ando's(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tadao_Ando) work. for me, when I think of gothic architecture, the first thing that pops into my mind is the idea of verticality, all rising high in order to reach heaven. so I took that idea and combined with ando's neatness. I don't want to brag but I think it came out pretty nice. if you guys want I can post some screenshots.

[Sparklycookie]

Like Axe Gaijin, I also watch house makeover/design programs to give me ideas for houses. My favourites are Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and Escape To The Country. I also get some good ideas for rooms too.

[Bchbch Walk]

I just make random walls and decide where I want things to be. I change the plan though. As others said, you need to choose what you want the house to be for. You don't build a one bedroom house for a family of 5. Then you want to decide what style the house is and then how many floors you want to do. If you're doing a ranch style, you only want one floor. If you're doing a cape or Victorian style, you want two floors. If I'm building a house just because I feel like it, I usually do whatever pops into my head. Squares are big No-No's, so I never ever start with them. Then, you need to decide on window and door placements that look good. I can't stand windows on one wall that aren't the same length from the corners. If you need to, try and find pre-made foundations like the ones in the contest that was recently held. Download and install it, and create off that. It helps you decided what you want to do with it.

[Ive]

Grand Design = Great programme to watch. So many beautiful modern houses there that are very easy to make in game :)

[maz89]

The layout I can do easily, it's the STYLE which always gets me. Can never decide what colors I want or what design I should use for this and that, there are so many options!

[crocobaura]

I love square houses because it's easier to make rooms that are easily accessible and viewable, so I usually just start off with a big square, that I later on divide to make the different rooms, then I adjust the size of the rooms. At this stage the house is no longer a perfect square, but even if it still is, you can diguise the squareness with some arhitectural elements, like a balcony, flowers under the windows, some fancy entrance, interesting outside paintjob. Roof and style of windows is also important. Flat roof goes more with mediterranean style and modern houses, high pitched roof goes well with cabins and traditional homes from places with snowy winters.

[Dragonball161]

I have made two houses recently that I really do love, one that I created out of no-where as a one-level home for a couple and their friend, and expanded it into a two-story modern beach house with a unique take on the master suite. The second was build off of plans I ran across at work, it was meant to be a row of apartment/town-homes, but I adapted it to be a single dwelling. Building from the plans, I get a little confused/flustered by closets - sims don't use them! I turned the master-suite closet into the laundry room after I had to move it from its current location due to limitations of sims routing intelligence.

One thing that I've done since Sims 1 is look at the world through the sims grid. When you are over at a friends, see how big the bathroom is. I know my bathroom is 2x3 (bathtub = 2x1, toilet = 1x1, sink = 1x1, space to walk = 2x1). My friend's bathroom is a little more roomy, with more space on the wall with the tub, toilet, and sink, so his is 2x4, although he has a weird bump-in from a utility room (which do not exist in sim's homes). I then use this knowledge when adapting plans, look at the bathroom, and use that as a scale.

[veezeeUnltd]

I find it difficult sometimes due to the differences in the structure of American and British homes, especially with scale. In every house I've ever been in, the walls have been made from brick, making them much, much thicker than the walls in the Sims - most walls I've seen being a good 30cm thick at least. So, I make homes that look very British outside then struggle with the interior.

I've found recently that looking for houses that really appeal to me and then using their aesthetic and not necessarily their scale is producing some better results.