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Great Outdoors Created By: RealPollyMogs Country: United States of America Language: US English Rating:      Required Games:

Created: 06.26.2006 Last Updated: 07.05.2006 Number of Entries: 100 Description: A beginner's guide to outdoor cheats and landscaping. Family Name: Lot Name: Categories: Designer Diaries,How To/Tutorial

Created: 07.05.2006 Updated: 07.05.2006 A beginner's guide to outdoor cheats and landscaping

Created: 07.05.2006 Updated: 07.05.2006 That's some view, isn't it? I could sit here all day while my poor sims are slaving away in the city. But we're here on Blue Soup's Mountainside Village island terrain from MTS2 to build some vacation homes for the poor, hard-working things. The gardeners have off this summer, too. I'm using Two Jeffs' No Gardeners hack. I also found lots of plants at 4ESF and MTS2. Go look - I'm in no hurry. Back already? OK - let's get to work. First, though, prepare yourself. I'm about to show you something really scary...

Created: 07.05.2006 Updated: 07.05.2006 Frightening, isn't it? Ever since Nightlife, with its ability to clone any lot put into the Lots & Houses Bin, I've been using bases to save building time. This one is a 9x14 house base on a 2x3 lot. It's got a basement, four walls, a driveway, and nothing else. We're going to turn it into a little beach house. I've disabled shadows in order to show clearer pictures. It's under Game Options.

Created: 07.05.2006 Updated: 07.05.2006 Once you've got your base built, you should clone it because we're going to use it for another project. Construct your roof. A gable shed roof creates a 5x9 (usable) area on the 2nd floor. The three tiles under the lowest point of the roof aren't good for anything.

Created: 07.05.2006 Updated: 07.05.2006 I found this weathered siding on TazziannaLuck's simpage. It looks beachy enough for me. Find something you like and splash it on.

Created: 07.05.2006 Updated: 07.05.2006 Big 2-story windows on each side will light up both floors.

Created: 07.05.2006 Updated: 07.05.2006 Some Tornado Steel fencing and weathered board decking creates another 5x9 area overlooking the water.

Created: 07.05.2006 Updated: 07.05.2006 I want a pool on this lot, which will go in back. The entrance should be centered between the living area, pool, and driveway. We'll also need some sort of path between the entrance and the mailbox. We do not want to block the view between the street and the water so I'll use a bridge foundation for the porch. To keep the informal look, I'm going to use terrain paints instead of flooring wherever I can, along with an invisible driveway from MTS2. Ready?

Created: 07.05.2006 Updated: 07.05.2006 The 4x4 porch is finished using the same decking and rail as the upper deck, with steps in front and back. I covered the entire lot in sand terrain paint, then used Simply Styling's pretty rock paint as driveway and path surfacing. The path curves from the steps to the driver's door. It also traces an S-shape to the mailbox & trashcan and around them. The island between the driveway and path is filled with a yucca and some cacti. Palms in 3 heights follow the roofline down to the sidewalk, thereby emphasizing an architectural feature. The mailbox post is redesigned in a weathered grey wood.

Created: 07.05.2006 Updated: 07.05.2006 The looping path created a blank face under the window, which I filled with lavender bougainvillea. More of the shrub fences off the backyard. I used a dried grass paint from Tribecca Sims beneath the plants. Shadows are still off.

Created: 07.05.2006 Updated: 07.05.2006 Peeking through Numenor's glass walls, you'll see spiral stairs from MTS2 that connect the two floors. Although expensive ($3000), they're a great space-saver. This main room - living and kitchen area - overlooks the pool, which is surrounded by more of Simply Styling's rock paint. I painted the pool walls to match the inside floor. The invisible diving board and ladder are also from MTS2.

Created: 07.05.2006 Updated: 07.05.2006 To paint pool walls: Open the cheat window by holding CTRL and SHIFT, then typing C Enter the cheat boolprop constrainfloorelevation false Using your shovel tool, raise the edge of the pool by 2 clicks or so.

Created: 07.05.2006 Updated: 07.05.2006 Select your paint and fish around for the spot on the wall where it will stick. I have the best luck near the top edge. When you find it, hold down the SHIFT key and click to cover all the walls.

Created: 07.05.2006 Updated: 07.05.2006 Using your shovel again, level the edge you raised. Open the cheat window and type boolprop constrainfloorelevation true

Created: 07.05.2006 Updated: 07.05.2006 Muted pastels and the glass wall let that fabulous view act as the focal point for your main room. Who needs art?

Created: 07.05.2006 Updated: 07.05.2006 To enhance the appearance of your little house, you can contour the terrain to create a dune effect. If it's too dark inside, you can add some small windows under the roof edge like I did here. Then just pop your finished house into the Lots & Houses Bin to clone it so you can line a whole street with these little beauties.

Created: 07.05.2006 Updated: 07.05.2006 Here's how it looks in Neighborhood view. $22,407 - 1BR, 1 bath unfurnished beach house with full basement, pool, driveway, deck overlooking bay. SOLD! Let's build a slightly trickier one.

Created: 07.05.2006 Updated: 07.05.2006 This one will be a little lakefront cabin. We'll use the same 9x14 house base on 2x3 lot as we used for the beach house. You cloned your base, right? If not, you should build another one and pop it in and out of the Lots & Houses Bin so you can keep a copy. Shadows are still disabled here in Mountainside Village.

Created: 07.05.2006 Updated: 07.05.2006 Cover your base with a long-gabled roof.

Created: 07.05.2006 Updated: 07.05.2006 You can use lattice or bridge foundation for the deck, but I chose the solid one because I want to paint it. This deck extends four tiles in back and two on the side of the house. I left five tiles free in the front to give it a staggered look. That sun is bright, isn't it? Let's cover our deck.

Created: 07.05.2006 Updated: 07.05.2006 I built walls around the circumference...

Created: 07.05.2006 Updated: 07.05.2006 ...then popped on another long-gabled roof.

Created: 07.05.2006 Updated: 07.05.2006 I then removed the walls.

Created: 07.05.2006 Updated: 07.05.2006 We don't need this little bit of the first roof and it will interfere with a loft room, so I demolished it. That gives us a 5x9 loft area that wouldn't have been here if the sun wasn't so bright.

Created: 07.05.2006 Updated: 07.05.2006 See the stagger? It doesn't block the view much more than the base house did, but effectively doubles our space. Add your front steps...

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