Why is it that the thing I have the most inspiration for to build and most interest in making at the moment is ALWAYS THE LAST ROUND!?!

So, by 'food lot', does that include grocery stores, or does it have to be a restaurant where your sim can eat?

I understand always best for last!

It can be anything FOOD plus THEME related. Combine as you like

Dine on the Pond (Tropical/Restaurant)

Dine on the Pond

Jonny Palm is branching out in the restaurant business with a new restaurant: Dine on the Pond. Where others saw a beautiful pond and garden, Jonny saw the opportunity to give tourists to Sim Tropez a unique dining experience. Jonny contacted the best contractor he knew (well, the only contractor he knew) in order to build his restaurant over the pond. He brought in the island's best landscaper. He called in the best chef straight from Bali. No expense was spared in allowing customers to "dine on the pond." The bar is fully stocked and guests can listen to music while they eat and drink. After dinner, guests can walk out onto the overlook to enjoy the beauty of the garden, or have a nice dance with their loved one as the sun sets over Sim Tropez. Jonny (and his builder) sincerely hopes that his customers, and the Wanderlust committee, appreciate the beauty of Dine on the Pond.

spectacular work @kerri191, it looks totally different from your first attempt. I suggest you play-test a clone so you can spot problems and fix them early.

meanwhile, I'm testing my lot for any routing problems or general glitchiness. While it's a good idea to provide doors for your employees, (I intend to use this lot as a business in the future) it's kinda annoying when played as a regular community lot.
I should probably delete those doors.

This lot is quick and dirty (and cheap) as I will be going away on holiday shortly. This restaurant doesn't pretend to be fancy and plants don't grow well, hence the cheapness.

@kanzen That is a very good tip. The lot went toward my redo of Twikkii Island. I don't think I'll be trying to upload this. At least, not anytime soon.

All of my lots are built in blank mirror hoods and placed in their proper spots in hoods that I use for play. So, it has been play-tested. Especially the routing as I didn't want a fishable pond. And I've used never columns in the interior of a structure. Turned out better than I thought it would honestly.

Cheslin Gieke wished to open a restaurant that was a bit different. His wife, Emily, suggested minimalism, minimal but grand! The Green Bamboo with its Zen interior is a great place for a business lunch, a family dinner or a first date. The emphasis is on dining, although a wall speaker allows for some dancing. You can sit at a table or at the bar and enjoy the nature inside or just admire the pretty lights while catching up with old and making new friends.

Welcome to The Green Bamboo!

Wow... great stuff there guys

I am amazed at how fast ya'll are! I'm still futzing with the foundation - trying to get decks and stairs to flow together with the slope of the land I chose. Why can't I build from the ground DOWN to a deck level *grrrrr* EA!@#Maxis

Can anyone explain to me how HL's Simple Passage Stairs work? (If you're going to DL it and try it out, get the one from post #6) And, if ya'll don't know/don't wanna discuss it here (It IS a contest thread after all) then I'll go post elsewhere (maybe) - I'm just curious if it might solve my above problem if I knew how to use it. In my game, it just looks like regular stairs 'course I'm not in 'live' mode, maybe it changes?

Lemme see if my game will load today...

Those are designed for inverted levels using grid adjuster. I think regular modular stairs would work for what you want, but a picture would help us help you.

These are probably most up-to-date: https://sims2artists.com/index.php?topic=4558.0

Ooooh! Thank you - especially for the pet-enabled ones! I think I've worked my way around them for now on this build - but, I really want to learn how to use them. I'll keep fiddling. Like I said, I have yet to go "live" with them - that will probably clear up all my confusion

Well, I finished up my place - got it all decked out - tree'd the bejeebers out of it; then remembered to check the price. $112k. Oops! Those Douglas Firs are darned expensive! ...so are the planter boxes. *sigh* I'll go back in and weed it out later.

Now I'm gonna go visit Petro (make sure she's got the place nicely restocked and all)

I have a pretty good idea what is going into my Asian-inspired restaurant. That's the good news. I have a good idea what I want on the main floor, and what I'd want on a second floor, if I add one. I have a rough layout pictured in my mind.

I have NO idea what exterior to use .... that's the bad news. I have some real-life restaurant interiors to work with, but these restaurants are mostly in strip malls, and really, I'd like to do something that shows I actually know how to do a roof! My three uploads here all have flat roofs. I know how to roof a little ... really!. And I am still trying to keep CC below 12 items, though at the rate I'm going, it might be 12 MESHES or basic items. It's just way, way too easy to accrue a long list!

Truly, I am drawing a blank here. And with my surgery scheduled for the 14th (it's now official) and the need to prepare for that (For instance, I'll need to shop for clothes I can wear after surgery ... loose and button-fronted), and my mother going into surgery on Friday, I'm kind of scatterbrained right now!

Again, good thing I'm a playalong. I can see my scores now ....

Don't make yourself crazy on the exterior walls! Remember simple is good. There's nothing wrong with a plain solid-color exterior, in any culture.

I would go with simple and plain. Plants can be used for eye pop outside and you have more options inside.

You guys are so fast, entries already! Looks good. I can see you won't be making it easy on us. :D

@CatherineTCJD I can feel that you're going to make another super fun lot! I'm excited to see it xD
I still remember your church build and to be honest it looks really fun to explore and run around in with so many passages and different levels.
You have your own strengths than I can never have so belieeeeeveeee <3

Actually, I found three plans in mind. Both are far from traditional Asian houses (not all Asian houses are traditional!), and all three intrigue me.

One is making me wonder if I could do such a design at all, and you people are probably going to question my design taste and/or taste in general. Remember ... this is the person who likes shipping container dorms. This one has flat roofs, but would require a little skill to pull it off. Just a little. Detail-wise. I'm not a Red Sonja or kanzen-level! (And no ... I don't have to worry about buttering up a judge.) Just ... colors! Pretty! IF it's even possible to do a variation in the game. That remains to be seen. Either I'm thoroughly not up to the job, or it really can't be done. I'd give the ratio a 30/70. It requires a sunken foundation (1-click), and not one, not two, not three, but four or more fake roofs on top of each other. Sinking it was easy-peasy. The first fake roof is easy, and I have the tiles on top of the wall lined up precisely for the second roof before I turn on the cheat ... I've been tabbing and squinting away to make sure! But the game keeps wanting to mess up the first fake roof, no matter what I try. And I KNOW the wall and tiles are lined up right for that second fake roof. While I did manage to get a second fake roof once, it wound up being too high and elevating the fake floor below a couple of tiles. Not the desired result!

So it's onto one of the next two:

The other is a KISS design. Use Tiggy windows and I could pull some of the elements off. I couldn't do it exactly, but it could work, and I have floor plans.

One is basic. I can fall back on it in a pinch. But surprisingly ... it's another flat-roof Well ... kind of. I have the floor plans to that, so it wouldn't be hard.

Or I find something else. I was really elated about that first building, though. Bummer.

I'm doing research now to help me out. I almost always research buildings before building them. I envy those of you who can freehand it!

I started on a structure based on a picture on Google Images I liked, but I can't get the roof right!! I hate roofing in TS2.

Grumbling as well. Darn, that building would have been interesting if I could have managed the roofing and fake floors!

I know my brain is scrambled, though, when I Googled for Asian house PLANTS instead of plans. Not exactly the desired result! But they're really nice-looking plants.

I keep telling myself if I get what I consider the hardest build out of the way first, I can have fun with the others!

Cocktails, everyone Fermented Fruit Juice Bar is now fully stocked - please drop in during the round!

@gazania if you need any more floorplans, I use this site for my Asian houses. I linked you to a house since navigating from the home page is confusing. You can google translate the whole site to english tho.

Granted, they are renovated houses but some of them are more restored traditional houses and only had kitchen and bathroom updates. Hope this can help u v u

Dear Katrina,
Hope this postcard reaches you before you finally decide to visit. Markets aren't the usual subjects for postcards but I'm particularly fond of this one. You can go to the pier and the lighthouse from it. Isn't that cool? And since it's connected, there's always fresh fish and traded produce in the stalls. It's always good to eat fresh, I'd say! There's a good fishing spot too, but my arm isn't the casting type. (Yours is, so get over here!) Anyways, my employer was so pleased that we finished construction early that we all got a bonus. I would visit you but it will will take time to develop the island and well...I really need this job.

So come visit me, okay? You can bring your boyfriend! I miss you that much!

The best sister in the world,
Zinnia
P.S. The signal's no good here so snail mail me back, ok?

Oh I love this, please tell me you will upload it someplace. This would suit Coral Bay perfectly. :D

At least they fit into the style I'm looking for and may give me an idea! My restaurant won't be upscale, but I certainly don't want a strip mall box! Most of the places I'm Googling are either hoity-toity (for a Maxis food stand? ) or streetside cheapie places (much more suitable, but I'd rather put a least a LITTLE bit of building style in it!), or those strip malls.

Thank you! Perhaps some inspiration will come!

Well, that's gorgeous @kanzen I love. I don't download lots ever, but I'd be asking myself to make excuses for this if it were available. Great job!

thank you for the interest jo and kerri <3 I'll let you know if I ever upload it

I agree, @kanzen - it is a very pretty lot and I adore the colours.