When it comes to The Sims games, the most often asked question I get is, “How do I take my house builds to the next level?”. Most peoples Sims houses just look like a box with a roof with a couple of windows. In order to get from the box to some beautiful piece of modern art it takes a bit of practice. You are going to have to log a few hours learning different advanced building techniques. YouTube is your best friend for this.
To begin your personal journey of making better houses, you have to actually study how modern houses are built. Go outside and take a walk around your neighborhood and look at how all the different houses are constructed. Look at the shapes of them and where porches and patios are located. Look at how the roofs on the different sections of the house come together. The way I learned how to power build in The Sims was to try and recreate my own childhood home.
From there, I stepped it up and went online and looked at some of the modern mansions in Google images. I found an impressive one and then tried to recreate it in game. Then I started looking at celebrity mansions, and tried to build a few of those. Once you have built a few houses that are based in reality, you’ll be ready to start creating something from your own imagination. The reason I think this is important is because a real house has a natural flow to it that is difficult to create on your own without some study. Kitchens need to be in proximity to dining rooms. Bedrooms need to be along a hallway with an attached restroom. Figuring out this flow will allow your Sims house builds to be much more realistic.
There are some amazing creations within the Sims community, and many of them also have companion YouTube build videos. Watch the hell out of these build videos and download the houses from the gallery. Combining the things you already know with what others are doing will expand your horizons even further. There are new techniques being discovered every day by the community so checking the gallery every now and then to see the new top downloads will keep you clued into these.
Lastly, the small details are what will make the difference. Things like lighting and landscaping are what really add that wow factor. Again, you’ll need to see a ton of real life examples to know what works and what doesn’t. Don’t be shy to experiment with different shrubs and trees to find that perfect layout for your house. This is what will set your house apart from all the others.
With a little bit of practice before you know it you be kicking out your own amazing creations. Now that you can build businesses in Sims 4, there is even more real life architecture to study and learn as a store has a much different flow than a house. To me, this is what The Sims is all about… Building.
Questions?
Got questions or other remarks? Feel free to post in the comments below!
Be sure to check out all of my Sims coverage here.
