Large French chateau

I had been getting ready for some additions to my English Villages series, but a sketch of one made me think of a French house with a coach house out front to be used as a home business. So I've been working on it (these large multi-level buildings take me 2 days, and then another 3-4 days to test them properly with a large Sims family.) :lol:

It's called Chateau Dubois. Like my French manor, it makes use of my new ideas about raised and pediment roof gables. I'll just get some phots ready and publish it next week.

Three Football Stadia - eeek!

It has taken so long to check and test the football grounds that I've decided to submit three versions!

The first is the unfurnished Community version - called Honeyfield Stadium.

Then I've been playing a residential version, with garage, pool etc and room for 4 bedrooms. This will come UNfurnished, and is called King's Park Stadium.

At the end of the SIMply For Guys week I'll post a furnished Community version, slightly different from Honeyfield and ready for everyone who prefers to have Community Lots ready for use. This is called Riverside Stadium.

All three are big and detailed lots - so please don't beat me up if they run slow on a lo-end computer!!!!! ;)

New Soccer Stadium

I've been busy working out a large soccer/football stadium in time for the World Cup and the Men week! :lol: I'm British, but I think 'football' still gets misunderstood in the US? ;)

It's taking a long time, and I have to spend only a little time at the computer - under instructions - while my back continues to heal.

The stadium will be available in several forms, including a residential version ..... what could be better during the World Cup than living in your own football stadium!!!!!

Grubby is good!

Tho' I've spent bits of time in the US, Canada and Africa, most of the buildingsI know are European and definitely GRUBBY!!!! (especially Scotland!) The kind of sunny, spotlessly clean walls and floors provided default in the Sims2 game aren't real to me! ;)

I make different walls and floors for most of my new buildings, and I hope you enjoy how grubby they get near the ground!!! :)

Gables, gables, and gables!

Here are 3 new buildings, each featuring new methods for creating traditional roof gables.

The French manor house (a real one in Brittany) and the schoolhouse feature raised gables that sit up above the roof lines, giving support and protection.

The little church was made with TSR's Thomas in mind, as a thankyou, but our youngest son is called Thomas so he came first! It features pediments - the sculpted, embossed triangular decorations on gable ends.

Nose to the Grindstone!

Well after an extra-long vacation, and a lot of therapy and healing, I've got back to my desk and keyboard. Thank you so much again to everyone who has wished me a speedy recovery!

On holiday we visited a number of medieval castles 'in depth', and by a lovely serendipity I've had a couple of requests to start castle-building, so I will.

But I felt it was time to try to create some architectural features in Simsworld, so I've been working on some raised gable-ends (with stone coping) and some gable pediments. A couple of buildings will be ready for publishing in a day or two (I'm a keen tester, so it takes days to test a new building and I always try to max the environment scores for each room!!!)

Healing holiday

I'll be away on holiday for a week from today. A friend has given us use of a seaside cottage which has no stairs or steps, which will be great for my sore old back!!!

By the way, a friend here has discovered that my thatched roofs look correct with Shadows turned OFF (which is how I play) so if you download Neston Rise, turn your Shadows OFF for this house!

See you soon.

Glass and more glass

I know, "people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones"! But to get something in for next week's gardening show, I've made a glass-roofed planthouse called Potter's Planthouse. It was fun to sort it out - most of the plants are growing INSIDE the house, in pots, even sinks and basins! It's for a florists' home business, and the shop has a cool glass roof too .....

Back injury

Hi everyone! This is my first day back at my desk. I damaged my back in a fall on 24 March.

No spinal damage. The torn muscles have healed OK, and I had more concussion than we realised - as dippy as ever!! :lol:

I'll be getting back on stream in stages from now on.

Japanese Roofs tutorial

Well, the first part of my tutorial(s) on how to make Japanese curved roofs is ready for preview too! You can have a look by clicking here: Simple Japanese Roofs tutorial

I thought it would be fun to publish the house that you'd actually get if you followed the tutorial through!! So it's called Yoshiro (which means 'good son') - it'll be published on Monday 13 March, unfurnished but with kind of 'illustrations' of how you could develop your own building. :D