Tempting though it would be when faced with a choice like this to name some fantastic house designed by a brilliant architect, their houses aren't at the Grand Canyon, and for me, that's a dealbreaker. So, my favorite house has got to be Kolb Studio (there are other buildings along the rim that I like more, but they were never houses- Kolb Studio was). It may not be the most spectacular house, but I challenge anyone to find a house that would have a better view than this! (also, Ranger hat on for a moment- you can indeed tour this building, but only if you visit Grand Canyon in the winter! There are Ranger programs that lead through it!)

WOW! That is stunning! The house is gorgeous and so is the scenery!

Right? Sadly, I don't know how many times I've tried to build it in TS2, but it's just not gonna happen... look close enough at those pictures, and you'll notice that literally every floor of the building is a ground floor... a fun characteristic of a building that was made over decades instead of all at once, but not exactly something you can do in the game! I guess I'll just have to stick to walking past it when I want to see it!

Now I see it! Looks like it was built into the hillside!

I'm not sure whether it really beats the house or that absolutely spectacular view, but I've been to a nice colonial Victorian house in Sitlakhet, India which is a very different proposition, but I'd say it's almost on par as far as views are concerned:



It has some nice views of the Himalayas on one side:



And some nice views down into the valleys on the other side:

Well then, you are never going to believe which house I stumbled on, currently for sale down in Cornwall... A charming Queen Anne house called Great Treverran

Meryl Streep just sold her nice house. Hard to believe it was built in 1954.

Edit: OK, here are some pics from before the renovation, which look more 1950s'ish.
I wish I could find a floorplan.

It's actually possible to build like that in ts3, but you need some skills It's possible to open into the below terrain if you like by confusing the build tools.

tsyokawe: It scares me a bit with greens all over the house. That must be high maintenance, eating away on the stone like that.

Where is that house?

I have no idea. I was googling the word 'verdant'
and there it was,


...like magic.




Volvenom, the grown-up in me knows that's true, but the widdel kid in me just wants to live there!

I know the feeling...
Have you ever seen the house covered in Virginia Creeper in Wales?
If not, you're missing out:





From a building conservation point of view, opinions are beginning to change towards plants on historic houses, especially those that don't cling to them with suckers like ivy does. Plants can actually be a very good way of protecting historic brickwork by keeping it dry and acting as a barrier against pollutants. They also have the added bonus of adding an additional layer of insulation in some cases, depending on the plant and the thickness of it coverage.

Another famous historic plant-covered home is the wisteria covered cottages of the Cotswold village of Broadway:

I know, I find it very hard to shake adulthood off when it comes to green plants on a traditional roof like that. Really annoying

In SimCty 3000, there was a tool that allowed you to design your own buildings (and the game would populate your city with your designs). It had a wide range of textures to apply to buildings.

The first building I made in that program was a castle tower, but because I wanted to make it wacky, I applied a "green lawn" texture to the whole thing. It sure looked lush and green and fluffy!

Sometimes the plant itself is a nice architectural feature on its own:
The Laburnum Arch, Bodnant

[QUOTE=simperatrix]Sometimes the plant itself is a nice architectural feature on its own:
The Laburnum Arch, Bodnant

Wow That is beautiful! Stunning actually!

My ideal home.