Eco-Modern: A Single Story Home On 3 Terraced Levels (Hillside/Sloped Lots ONLY)

Let me just say... I LOVE this house!

I am not modern; not in the least! Everywhere I look in my own home I see family heirlooms - mostly Victorian era antiques, heavy oak furniture, lace curtains, florals, chintz, china... But, I really, really love this house! I can't believe it - I'm in shock. I need a therapist...

This house grew from an old house plan I found in a magazine from the early 70's. I modified it quite a bit to fit the lot - and, of course, my sims' personal needs. The lot has been play-tested and my ecologically-conscious simmies are really quite pleased with themselves for finding this little hidden gem nestled in the hillside. When the listing agent first told them about this house they couldn't believe that they'd driven right past it a zillion times and not even noticed it! The house sits quietly on the top bank of a deep ravine, along the main road into Pleasantville. It boasts two large bedrooms, both with private full baths, an energy efficient kitchen featuring BuggyBooz highest quality cabinetry and state-of-the-art appliances, a breakfast nook overlooking the beautiful natural landscape, plus an accommodating dining area, spacious living area, powder room, full-sized garage, and an expansive covered porch - designed with entertaining guests in mind. And, on top of all that (literally, ...on the roof!) is plenty of outside living space.



This house is NOT built on a level lot - it is meant to go on a sloped lot - one that dips down on the right (as your facing the house, from the street view.) It was built on and for the lot shown in the Neighborhood View picture below (N001/Pleasantville.) This house has been extensively play-tested - through all seasons, all disasters, etc... I have plunked this house down in several different sloped lots around Pleasantville (on both sides of the water) and also in my favorite CC neighborhood - It always loads and plays just fine. But, please back up your neighborhood before installing anything. I also have ALL EPs/SPs (except H&M) so, if you don't have everything, use at your own risk. I used a LOT of Maxis EP/SP stuff in here. And, the Sims2Pack download file has been thoroughly cleaned with the Clean Installer.

MAIN FEATURES:

• Lot size: 40X50 (4X5) - HILLSIDE/sloped lots ONLY.

• Around 2,300 sq ft covered living space - 2 bedroom, 2.5 bath, great room, porch, kitchen, single car garage, with a private pond.

• Around $61,207 simoleons - I say "around" because I have extensively re-organized my build/buy catalogues and, in doing so, re-priced most everything. I don't know if this will effect the cost in your game or not. If it does, maybe your Sims qualify for a huge tax break? Inheritance? Or, it's their turn to win the lottery?

• The Master suite, which is interior bound (windowless), utilizes a skylight to provide bright natural light in both the bedroom and the bathroom.

• Unfurnished - Kitchen appliances, bathroom fixtures, solar panel, carpet, tile, wallpaper, and ceiling fans included. On second thought, I went ahead and packaged the lot with some Maxis bedroom furniture - just to give you some placement ideas.

• Wired for cable/TV

• Alarm systems included (for both fire and burglar)

• Energy efficient Solar power and Natural gas

• A neutral color scheme with textured ceilings

• Ceiling fans in both bedrooms

• Artisan stained glass entryway door with side window (designed by K8 of Parsimmonious)

• Earth-friendly tile and stained concrete (by iCad and Kalynn)

• Eco-minded reclaimed wood flooring in the kitchen (made by K8 of Parsimmonious

• An advanced retaining wall system (by tbudgett)

• Rough-hewn Natural Stone Stairs (by Marvine)

• Quality Maxis doors and windows

• Glass Panelled Outdoor Canopy

• Curvy Landscaping Boarders (by Numenor and MaryLou)

• Mature Trees: including bay, magnolia, plumeria, birch, and weeping willow

• And your own private pond with a dock for swimming and fishing

Did I mention there are trees planted on the roof? Well, there are. The roof basis is a 2-inch concrete slab overwhich lies layers of insulation, plywood, waterproofing, gravel, and a nutrient-rich layer of earth. It is minimally landscaped and waits patiently for a gardener to develop it to fruition. Further insulation of the house includes a 12-inch reinforced masonry wall (barrier) between the garage and the rest of the house. NOTE: You may not want to plant things that need watering and tending - the sod is not that thick. In spite of all that roof-reinforcement, the inside steps and garage do get a light dusting of snow in the winter (see picture below.) The snow/rain did not "fall" inside and no puddles were formed - but the steps turned white. It didn't seem to bother my Sim - she continued to run around in her skimpy bathing-suit all winter and never caught a sniffle!


A note about remodeling: I used these 3 building cheats A LOT: moveobjects, snapobjectstogrid, and constrainFloorElevation. I also used Numenor's UnleveledWall. You don't need to know anything about these things to play this lot; but, if you want to remodel, things might go a bit wonky if you're not familiar with them. Just remember to back up first - and the "Undo" button is your friend. ;-) - the voice of experience talking...

Numenor_DeckStairs_main - needed for Reyn's Open Underneath Stairs to work properly.
***Don't forget to get the Scriptorium files for the 2 sets of stairs! (These and Marvine's Rock stairs, included in Sims2Pack) Refer to Numenor's link above for installation procedures.***
Jonesi: Bed Blanket You may need this for the shower curtain to show up properly(?) the blanket itself is not used in this upload.
amythestfenix_jonesiBB_amelia-leaves-white - the shower curtain by Amethystfenix
Rusty Diving Board and Pool Ladder Recolor by tkdjunkie at MTS2
Manor House Garden - Hardwood Tree by phoenix_phaerie at MTS2
Manor House Washroom ll - Bathroom Sconce by phoenix_phaerie at MTS2
Maxis walls - Untrimmed - by Me (I don't know why they didn't package properly???)
All the following from the KitchenBasic Set by Buggybooz at MTS2

Cookerhood/SmokeAlarm
Counter
Cupboard
Cupboard2
Dishwasher No2
Extra-CounterOnly
FridgeF2_2
Sink-SplishySplashy
Stove2gas
Trashcompactor
WallPanel-Tall&Narrow
WallUnit1
WallUnitCorner

And, a few MUST HAVEs for every game (IMHO): - Invisible Driveway - recolor by Sophie-David
Lunatech Ceiling Light FIX by Menaceman44 at MTS2
Silent Lucidity's OMSPs Revisited and Improved

Whew! Thank you for reading all of this! I really enjoyed putting this home together - I hope you will enjoy it too!

Lot Size: 4x5
Lot Price: 61,207

Custom Content Included:
- Recol3 of Numenor's WallWindows by Mira @ MTS2
- Modular Round Flowerbeds by MaryLou & Numenor
- 4esfother5canopy by 4eversimfantasy
- CheapShowerBackless by HugeLunatic & Hokadk47 @ sims2artists
- Edge Smoother By Ailias by Ailias @ MTS2
- epurebathroom_mirror001 by Sandy @ Around the Sims 2
- ATS Epure Bathroom - Sink 2 by Sandy @ Around the Sims 2
- FickleFern by BuggyBooz @ MTS2
- MumboJumboGrass by BuggyBooz @ MTS2
- ShakerliciousKitchen_Counter by BuggyBooz @ MTS2
- lavendeldraussen by Besen @ MTS2
- KitchenBasic_Counter-rc6b by engelchen
- KitchenBasic_Wallunit-glass by engelchen
- A partially transparent frost-covered glass tile, Simified by RGiles of MTS2 by RGiles @ MTS2
- InvisibleTile by Frillen @ MTS2
- Several floors from page 5 of AvenidaSims
- Grass-HillsideGrasses by Jesiej123 @ MTS2
- Grass-Vegitation by Margierytka
- Grass-Vegitation3 by Margierytka
- buggyboozRC5 by HB @ MTS2
- buggyboozkitchenbasic by Hek @ MTS2
- Cement flooring to match Maxis's stucco walls. by Made by iCad at MTS.
- Cement flooring to match Maxis's stucco walls. by Made by iCad at MTS.
- Cement flooring to match Maxis's stucco walls. by Made by iCad at MTS.
- Concrete flooring to match Maxis's stucco walls. by Made by iCad at MTS.
- artisansquarterdoor by K8 @ Parsimmonious
- artisansquarterdoor by K8 @ Parsimmonious
- artisansquarterWindow by K8 @ Parsimmonious
- "Pirate Bay" FenceThe Sims 2 by K8 @ Parsimmonious
- Harlequin Oak flooring by K8 @ Parsimmonious
- GreenLeafyShrub by Khakidoo @ MTS2
- ModularRockStairs by Marvine @ MTS2
- ModularRockStairs by Marvine @ MTS2
- ModularRockStairs by Marvine @ MTS2
- LeMorvanBathstep by moune999
- LeMorvanBathstep by moune999
- tinyceilinglight by senesi2003 @ MTS2
- WallWindow by Numenor
- WallWindow by Numenor
- WallWindow by Numenor
- WallBoundary by Numenor
- Rocks-GravellyDark by Lethe_s @ MTS2
- Moss by Lethe_s @ MTS2
- Rocks-MossyLarge by Brighten11 @ MTS2
- Rocks-Pebbles15 by Michelle0959
- Sassi Grossi by TrendySims2
- Rocks - white by tribecca
- Rocks-WhiteAnimax158 by tribecca
- OpenTimberStairs by Reyn @ MTS2
- Mineral Dark Sand by K8 @ Parsimonious
- Lichen Covered Concrete by K8 @ Parsimonious
- Obsidian by pktechgirl
- Solid-4esfRock by 4eversimfantasy
- Solid-RockCliff 01 by nengi65
- Rocks-SolidCliff by Margierytka
- RetainingWall by tbudgett @ MTS2
- RetainingWall by tbudgett @ MTS2
- RetainingWall by tbudgett @ MTS2
- RetainingWall by tbudgett @ MTS2
- RetainingWall by tbudgett at MTS2
- RetainingWall by tbudgett at MTS2
- Walk Around & Through Blocks by SilentLucidity
- Dead Grass by Jesiej123 @ MTS2
- Dusty Eastern Stone by Phaenoh @ MTS2
- Gardentime Centerpiece by Phaenoh @ MTS2

Additional Credits:
To all the creators of the fine objects listed above!
And, to the recolorers whose work I used.
To building tool creators - especially Numenor, Frillen and tbudgett. I could not have built this without their tools.
To the many, many tutorials here on MTS2

NOTE:
I didn't make anything for this upload - I just had fun playing with the pixels ;-)