ISBI-houses. New vs Old.
Aug. 16th, 2014 12:58 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
I know some people like seeing overviews of legacy houses, so in the occasion of the MacAvoys' new home I've taken some snapshots.

This is the ground floor of the old house. As you can see, the layout is a disaster. Rooms are in random locations, half of them have no windows, and there is no central hall that connects them. The large room with beige carped was a mostly failed attempt at split-level.
The blue bedroom behind the kitchen was Jen and Curtis', and before that Elliott and Fronie's.
There were no windows in either the kitchen or the living room, making them feel very shut-in. All pictures taken there during daylight hours got a grey tint, even with the lights on.
The single staircase was a serious bottle-neck at times.

The second floor was a lot better, since it did have a hallway, but as you can see, it's all bedrooms and a bath. The family didn't spend much time together up there. There was a sauna, but I don't think it was used more than 3 times in all.
The room with purple carpet was the nursery. Having it upstairs was not ideal, and probably part of the reason the babies mostly lay around on the kitchen floor. There were two extra beds in the nursery, leftover from the point in time there were 12 Sims living there. These were popular to claim, despite not having the highest comfort.
The room with the pink bed was first Leonora's, then Heather's - though she preferred the dark blue "boy" bedroom downstairs, Nikkie's for a while, and finally Donna's. The room with blue carpet and a blue bed was Helena's, and given to Nikkie after Helena moved out. These rooms were locked so only the owner and the Torch Holder could access them.
None of the boys had their own room, and were left to fight over the remaining beds with girls who didn't always sleep in their own. At one point there wasn't enough beds, hence the tents outside.

Over to the new house, built after a real floor plan. The foyer open up into a still mostly empty "family room", and there are open doorways leading into the TV-den, study and kitchen/dining area. This time I was smart enough to make the staircase double width, and use modular stairs.
The pink room is the new nursery. Having it close to the kitchen and a bath is really handy.

Upstairs. The dark purple bedroom is Nikkie and Donna's. It's got a private toilet only the two of them (and Lora) can access.
The lavender room with two beds is the girls' room. It was built for future sisters. The two smaller bedrooms in the back are for boys. The carpet only looks pink in the one on the right, it's actually bluish. Jennifer has been using the green one for now, since she's about to move out.
The last bedroom, with the dark bed, belongs to Lora and her husband.
As you can tell, the new house is far more compact and functional. It's also a lot more light and open, thanks to the rooms being large enough to put in really big windows. The pool actually sees a lot of use, since it's close to the house. The Magpies' pool is in a corner of the garden, and is barely used, although they will head over there to use the hot-tubs.
So all in all, success!

This is the ground floor of the old house. As you can see, the layout is a disaster. Rooms are in random locations, half of them have no windows, and there is no central hall that connects them. The large room with beige carped was a mostly failed attempt at split-level.
The blue bedroom behind the kitchen was Jen and Curtis', and before that Elliott and Fronie's.
There were no windows in either the kitchen or the living room, making them feel very shut-in. All pictures taken there during daylight hours got a grey tint, even with the lights on.
The single staircase was a serious bottle-neck at times.

The second floor was a lot better, since it did have a hallway, but as you can see, it's all bedrooms and a bath. The family didn't spend much time together up there. There was a sauna, but I don't think it was used more than 3 times in all.
The room with purple carpet was the nursery. Having it upstairs was not ideal, and probably part of the reason the babies mostly lay around on the kitchen floor. There were two extra beds in the nursery, leftover from the point in time there were 12 Sims living there. These were popular to claim, despite not having the highest comfort.
The room with the pink bed was first Leonora's, then Heather's - though she preferred the dark blue "boy" bedroom downstairs, Nikkie's for a while, and finally Donna's. The room with blue carpet and a blue bed was Helena's, and given to Nikkie after Helena moved out. These rooms were locked so only the owner and the Torch Holder could access them.
None of the boys had their own room, and were left to fight over the remaining beds with girls who didn't always sleep in their own. At one point there wasn't enough beds, hence the tents outside.

Over to the new house, built after a real floor plan. The foyer open up into a still mostly empty "family room", and there are open doorways leading into the TV-den, study and kitchen/dining area. This time I was smart enough to make the staircase double width, and use modular stairs.
The pink room is the new nursery. Having it close to the kitchen and a bath is really handy.

Upstairs. The dark purple bedroom is Nikkie and Donna's. It's got a private toilet only the two of them (and Lora) can access.
The lavender room with two beds is the girls' room. It was built for future sisters. The two smaller bedrooms in the back are for boys. The carpet only looks pink in the one on the right, it's actually bluish. Jennifer has been using the green one for now, since she's about to move out.
The last bedroom, with the dark bed, belongs to Lora and her husband.
As you can tell, the new house is far more compact and functional. It's also a lot more light and open, thanks to the rooms being large enough to put in really big windows. The pool actually sees a lot of use, since it's close to the house. The Magpies' pool is in a corner of the garden, and is barely used, although they will head over there to use the hot-tubs.
So all in all, success!
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Date: 2014-08-16 12:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-08-16 07:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-08-16 12:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-08-16 05:05 pm (UTC)I recently built the Ducklings a new house because they finally outgrew the one you've seen them living in since generation three. The entry hall is huge because I wanted to put in two double-wide staircases on either side, and that has eliminated the can't-move-so-and-so-is-in-my-way problem by about ninety percent. I also made the kitchen/dining room gigantic for birthday parties, and the little neat freaks get to have two dishwashers. :) I also rebuilt the Dimwit's house (twice, actually) to eliminate that long hallway and improve a little awkwardness, though it won't look much different. You're right about location: if you hit onto the right combo, then they'll actually use the stuff you give them. The Dimwits' bathroom is now next to the family room, so they're no longer ignoring said family room.
On a related note, BO's No Sim Loaded is a really good mod if you don't already have it. I think that might be what helps my ghosts stay in place. It gets rid of all kinds of stuff that will bog down your lots. I got it because my game got hit with the Super Duper Hug bug, but I think it also gets rid of those annoying grave markers that get left wherever you happen to put a grave for a few seconds. Maybe if there are no other markers anywhere on the lot, a ghost has to stay wherever its urn is confined--as long as that place is on a foundation with no stairs, of course. Anyway, just a thought.
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Date: 2014-08-16 08:44 pm (UTC)Update will be around Tuesday-ish. I want to play the Starblooms a bit first, because right now I need to get Tallie and Brianna up to where they can take part in the zany plot. They've got an important part in it.
I can reveal that you have seen Lora's hubby on a couple of occasions. He made her some really pretty children, too. :) And Lora was so definitely the right choice for heir, but more about that later. I'm just so happy with her! She's been everything Jen wasn't.
Can we haz Ducks or Dims this weekend?
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Date: 2014-08-18 04:16 pm (UTC)As always, I'm eagerly awaiting ur updatez. their gud. :D
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Date: 2014-08-18 11:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-08-20 06:41 pm (UTC)