How do you guys create such awesome houses? All of mine look horrible, yet yours match and everything goes together, etc.

I got Double Deluxew, so I have everything that goes with that.

Still, I've seen some people make it work with just that!! Teach me.

You'll probably find this site to be of some use:
http://mikeinside.modthesims2.com/tutorials.html

Hey Thanks for that link...looks like it will be very handy.

http://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=191530 [/shameless plug]

thanks the three of you sooo much-- very helpfulness! thanx.

I used the links posted above too, but nothing beats the practice of building houses by yourself. Use pictures of houses from Pictures Forum, to give you ideas and try to make something similar; use real floor plans from estate sites, watch videos on YouTube showing how people build their houses for Sims, and practice, practice, practice... I personally find building very time-consuming, that's why I prefer to download what I like and in some cases to re-do the house to my liking.

one more question-- how do I make the *INTERIORS* exciting? I usually just do basic bed, chairs, table, tv, etc. I try to make it all match, but it never works!! how do I get a living room that matches (like, all the furniture looks good together) bathroom, kitchen, all of that stuff to look nice?

Actually, we've all been down this road before (I think, unless you are extremely creative).

Nobody has mentioned this before, so I'll go ahead and add that some of the houses/lots are actually based off actual buildings (ex. Eiffel Tower, Japanese pagodas, Victorian style, own or parents homes, and sometimes even restaurants).

There are custom websites that offer free furniture and mods. Here are just a few:

http://simsinparis.net/living.php
http://sims2.simcredibledesigns.com/
http://www.parsimonious.org/furniture2/

First off, if your furniture doesn't quite match, a rug or some wall hangings might tie a room together. Second, try downloading Maxis-Match furniture from here. There is, I believe, some here that helps complete Maxis sets, such as "Quaint", "Central Asian", and "Art Nouveau". Thirdly, just because it's part of a set doesn't mean it won't look good with anything else. Sometimes "Quaint" can look good next to "Designer", if done right. Also, try downloading some houses from here, (I prefer Plasticbox, but everyone has their own favorites) and looking at them for tips. Kind of like how some beginning artists will try tracing great works, sort of to teach their hands what to do. And when in doubt, try using the moveobjects on cheat. Put small decorations on items they normally can't be put to create a more striking object.

hi my custom content for cas the clothes and the skin dont work but before it worked and i dont now the reason of why it doesnt works now i was playing a day and i go to cas and i see that many of my custom content doesnt works like before and it's going bad more every time sorry for my english but i dont now speak in english i speak spanish if someone nows speak espanish i need help

Use Collections to match the furniture/accessories That's how I decorate houses when I don't want the interior to look eclectic, but to follow one chosen style. If CC creators offer collection files, I always download them. If there's no collection file, I make my own with DJS Sims Collection Creator, it's very easy to use.

Nobbus, go through a troubleshooting first - http://modthesims.info/wiki.php?tit...:Custom_Content and if you don't solve the problem, then post your question to Game Help forum and explain there what exactly does not work, how it looks like.

As others have said, using pictures of real houses and floor plans is a GREAT way to be inspired.

But as for interiors, I find using the same method works! Buy some home decor magazines, or search websites for the same subject and try to decorate in styles you find there!

I received a free years subscription of Elle Decor. I actually tried to build a house in TS2 based on the featured estates in the magazine. However, that was a NIGHTMARE... they usually have very BIG or ELABORATE houses, so unless you want aching hands all night or laggy lots, you had better drop the idea or find a really small, neat one.

Wow, thanks everyone! I'm currently working on a quaint little cottage (which is a big project for me-- I want the perfect home for the perfect family) LOL. Sooo, I use my aunt's computer, I don't know if she'd let me download BUT I took afew people's advice about the collections, I've seen dramatic results Yes, I'm very happy with the turnout of that lil precious button. Aaaaanyways, thanks everyone!!

XD That would be a task! I usually just look through pictures that offer decor ideas on a room-by-room basis and copy bits and pieces here and there.

I just checked out your LiveJournal. Wow, you do some very nice work indeed. Mind uploading for us?

Nah, just kidding, you don't have to.

I've never built a house by myself before, but after boolPropped's tutorial I'm inspired.
I usually come up with some decent stuff in terms of interior design, but I've never taken the plunge to build my own house.

I'm just so lazy with uploading because I use TONS of CC from aaaall over the place, not to mention I have all the EP's and most of the SP's and I forget what's from which pack, so if I uploaded something, I'd have no idea where it all came from or which EP's/SP's you need to get it! But there are some things I do want to get to uploading, at the very least some unfurnished houses. It's just another thing I'm procrastinating on, but I'll try and get to it soon!!

Thanks for the compliment though!