Sim House Limbo


Microhouse: $11,540 on a 2x3 Lot, but it doesn't comply with all the rules.

Let's limbo! How low can you go?

Here's the challenge: Build the smallest, least expensive house that you can. The house must be fully outfitted for at least two sims.


Microhouse: Almost everything two sims need to be happy while starting out
adult life

We need some rules, so here's what the house must have:

1. No unfinished walls or floors visible to the sims. Tile or wood floors in kitchen and bath.
2. Bedding for at least 2 sims in a private bedroom.
3. Private bathroom with toilet and sink
4. Tub or shower
5. Seating for at least 2 sims
6. Table for dining
7. Television
8. Stereo
9. Bookshelf
10. Chest of drawers
11. Full-size refrigerator
12. Counter for preparing food
13. Some place to wash dishes besides bathroom sink
14. Trash can or trash compactor
15. Kitchen range
16. Burglar alarm
17. Fire alarm
18. At least one light in every room
19. At least one window in every room
20. Telephone
21. All items priced via the standard game catalog. No cheap user hacks.
22. All items placed so sims can get to them and use them.

I think that pretty much defines the minimum necessary for a place where sims can live and not be miserable. What did I forget?

Microhouse is my shot at it. Since it would take less of your time to build it than to download and clean it, and since it doesn't qualify under the rules, I won't offer it as a download. The footprint is 4x11.

I built Microhouse on a 2x3 lot, but I could have reduced the price even more if I'd taken the time to prepare a 2x2 lot for it. I used a roof instead of flooring it over for a flat roof because floors cost money and roofs don't, so it doesn't look like the trailer I had in mind when I built it. Nevertheless, it does remind me of an inexpensive factory-built modular home.

I think the 4x4 bedroom is the smallest you can fit a double bed into. You could fit two single beds into a 3x3 bedroom, at the cost of affecting game play because you'll have to keep the sims from trying to get out of or into bed at the same time.

That 2x2 bathroom, complete with sink and shower, is the tiniest loo I can imagine. I've play-tested that design and it works great. I used a SimLogical bathroom door to control traffic.

In this house, the sims would need help moving one of the dining chairs around if they want to sit and watch television or get to the stereo, so I don't think it quite complies with the rules. When I built it, I was thinking that real people can reach over a folding chair and move it around quite easily, so this would not be too uncomfortable in real life; but on the other hand, a real-life house would have at least one closet, and I forgot to include a dresser!

I also neglected to include the burglar and fire alarms. Oops.

You might be wondering why I didn't include accommodations for babies in the rules. In actual game play, all you really need is a place to put the baby down so that it doesn't block traffic. Babies and toddlers do not have a comfort motive, so you can leave them on the floor and they'll go to sleep. Toddlers will fuss for a while when they get sleepy, but they will sleep on the floor quite comfortably. (And, for what it's worth, in real life you don't really need a crib or changing table. You can bed down a baby safely and comfortably in a drawer or a cardboard box.)


So, the gauntlet is thrown! Who can build the least expensive livable house?

Edit: Added bookshelf.
Edit: Added floors to rule 1.
Edit: Added private bedroom to rule 2.
Edit: Added tile to rule 1.

Limbo 2

Of course I had to try again!


Limbo 2 - $9,770 on a 2x2 lot

Here's my second try, and this one does meet all the rules!

This little gem is yours for only $9,770 and comes complete with all your basic needs including a fully stocked refrigerator!



No worries about the Joneses resenting you here!

Your children will enjoy having plenty of room to play in the nice, open yard and there's plenty of room to store the baby next to the super-high-tech compact stereo! The refrigerator comes with a vast expanse of flat steel, ready for the application of those magnets you got from your bank and insurance agent, at absolutely no additional charge!

Appliances come with no warranty. Occupancy by more than two persons over the age of two is more than a little cozy. Gotta do something about that horrid green paint, too.

Tooo tempting, you know I HAD to try!!!

Presenting The Cat in the Hat House lmao!!!




Following the rules, with everything that was listed (I disagree with the tv btw, my Sims never have one).

Grand Total Including the 2 x 2 Lot $9, 522.00 ($248.00 less than Greg :shades1: )

Neat! It has lots of corners, too!

Do corners add to the room score in The Sims 2? The only thing I've found that dramatically affects their environment score is lights, even cheap lights.

(I often leave out televisions, too, but it seemed unsimmish not to require one in a minimal sim house.)

I'm going to give this a whirl and see what happens. =)

Greg wrote:

(I often leave out televisions, too, but it seemed unsimmish not to require one in a minimal sim house.)

I don't give my sims tv's anymore if they are still poor. When they get some bucks rolling in, I give them the expensive tv. Until then, they are happy with kicking flamingos.

Okay, here's my "stab" at this . . . =)

First off . . . Greg, I love that little 2x2 lot! =D

Now, my attempt . . . which I call 1212 Bavone Street (a.k.a. - A Minimalist's Dream)



[align=center:1be7fa7079]Here we are on the outside . . . this is what your sim will see when he/she walks up to their new pad.
Not thrilling, but with a roof change, this little number can be adorable! =)

[/align:1be7fa7079]


[align=center:1be7fa7079]Here's what we'll see when "cutaway walls" are turned on.
Wow! This place is ready to sustain life for at least two Sims!
This pad is a lonely bachelor's dream! (hehe)

[/align:1be7fa7079]

[align=center:1be7fa7079]View from above . . .

[/align:1be7fa7079]

I'm not sure if the "locker" was an "allowed item" as a sub for the "chest of drawers, but there was no way on earth I was going to get the §250 chest of drawers into this place. So rather than drive myself even further into lunacy, I chose the "locker". =D (the rules didn't stipulate whether or not this was allowed, I hope it's alright).

Also, I'm wondering if the sink is too close to the shower in the loo. I haven't put a Sim in this place to test whether or not they can acess all items, but from just observing things, I'd say they could with the exception of the bathroom sink, I'm not sure about that. It might take a bit of shifting the bathroom around to make it right.

Your Sims can have this little number for the low, low, very low price of just §9,747! If you're interested in downloading this pad (and you're a SimsHost subscriber and have Sims 2 University (for the sake of a few items in this home that require it) just click HERE (file size: 752 KB)

I just couldn't get the price down lower . . . DANG! lol

Regards,

~*~ Carrot ~*~

Neat!

Yes, I think the locker is fair game. It has all the functions that a sim needs from a clothing chest to get started in the game.

Yup, the shower will work right in front of the sink. In fact, you can build a full bath with a shower in just a 2x2 space.

I'm wondering if the sims can get past that diagonal wall by the bed. If necessary, it would be easy to change by squaring off that corner, but I think the diagonal wall adds quite a bit of interest.

I'm so glad the locker is "fair game" . . . I just couldn't get an actual dresser in there! lol

Well, I did finally test this last night after posting. =)

I made a new Sim in CAS and plopped him in there . . . it works just fine. The poor fellow, then went through a rigorous skill training session (which took about 1 "real life" hour) and I maxed him in all skills (yes, I had the help of boolprop and the mailbox . . . hehe). By the time he was finished, it had taken up about half of his Adult phase so now I have to work for aspiration points to buy some "Elixir of Life" to get him back down to "new Adult", then he'll be ready to actually play. =)

The "welcome wagon" delayed the training session a bit. Meadow Thayer was part of the greeting neighbors and she had a cold >=(. I swear he didn't even get near her, but ended up with a cold. She sneezed shortly after arriving so I had him say "goodbye" then BOOM! He was sick! >=( lol

After he was "trained" I did modify the house a bit, and he has one of the coolest looking bedrooms I've ever seen. I can't imagine the things he's going to end up getting into. Not sure which way I'm going to play him since he's a Romance Sim and the only other Romance Sim in I ever had in my neighborhood is Don Lothorio (the others met their fate at some point or other for various reasons). But now that Don has changed his ways (he's been a Popularity Sim for some time now and is now at the top of the Athletic Career track) - I guess this "new guy" is the ONLY Romance minded male Sim in my neighborhood. I never really know how to play these Romance Minded Sims . . . mindlessly "woohooing" isn't really interesting. I guess it can make for some interesting "love triangles" but that grows old quickly. But I digress . . . lol

Regards,

~*~ Carrot ~*~

Wow! I've never been able to max out a sim's skills that fast!

Which boolprop did you use? (There are a bazillion boolean properties in the game, so just saying "boolprop" doesn't yield much more information than saying that you used a cheat code.)

Fully Fuctional 2x2 Loo


Everything a sim needs in a tiny space

Here's an example of a very compact fully functional bathroom.

The bathroom door is from Inge Jones's SimLogical site. I made the wallpaper. All else is stock stuff from the game.

ooooo even the floor is in the game? It's pretty. I suspect you have a way better computer than I do, stuff looks way better in your screenshots than it does in my game. I really like that floor.

Greg wrote:

Wow! I've never been able to max out a sim's skills that fast! Which boolprop did you use? (There are a bazillion boolean properties in the game, so just saying "boolprop" doesn't yield much more information than saying that you used a cheat code.)

I just put the game on fast speed and used the "Make All Happy" boolprop cheat . . . often, never letting him get into the "red" at any time. =)

Of course, it's good to hire a maid/gardener because your sim will be too busy studying to mind such affairs. Also, don't bother getting them a job until they're done studying. All work will do is interrupt the process and make it take longer to complete. =)

Regards,

~*~ Carrot ~*~

Greg wrote:

Fully Fuctional 2x2 Loo Everything a sim needs in a tiny space Here's an example of a very compact fully functional bathroom. I even threw in JM Pescado's "Bathroom Uses You" potty paper, guaranteed to be made from recycled treaties with the Soviet Union. The bathroom door is from Inge Jones's SimLogical site. I made the wallpaper. All else is stock stuff from the game.

Nice Loo Greg! Now if you make the toilet and the counter face each other, remove the shower (and an entire row of tiles making the loo 2 x 1 (2 length - 1 width)) and you've got my little bathroom off of our kitchen! I've always joked and said I have the only bathroom in town where I can "use" and wash my hands at the same time! (not that I do mind you, but in the event that I'd have to (for whatever reason) I could! lol

Lol! My downstairs bathroom is the standard 1x3 with the potty at one end, the sink at the other, and the door in the middle...