Hello - this is my first attempt at an upload and would love some feedback before I submit it. I have a custom neighborhood I am playing and building from scratch. The first residential area I am building is a generic tract home style suburb with affordable, beginner Sim housing. It's a clean copy, however, I am play testing a duplicate in my hood and I think I have worked out most of the bugs. I believe I have listed all of the CC I used but if I have missed something, let me know so I can add it. I do want to give credit where it is due. Also, which is recommended for linking the CC, linking directly to the item or to the author's download page on MTS? I've seen both. Thank you in advance.

Avocado Abode
30x20
16,748 simoleans

CC:
Holy Simoly Victorian Porch Corner Column Add On by mustluvcatz
Clapboard Siding in Army by iCad
Base Game Appliances - White by Michelle
Linneas White Bath Set by perdita_x_dream

Very cute front shot.

My suggestions would be to change the shape a little bit more. If you look to the kitchen you could easily shave a couple of tiles off the side making your floor plan more interesting. This will also help your roof look more interesting.

When taking photos for upload we need at a minimum 800 by 600 but they can be up to 2560x1440 and 800kb.

You will want to remove the grid squares. That can be done by clicking the colour changing tool or the 3 dots.

Links going to the actual download make it easier for people downloading your lot but going to their MTS page is acceptable.

Right - well you just said exactly the right thing in your opening "It's a clean copy, however, I am play testing a duplicate in my hood" which is good news.

My opinion - rooms might be a tad large - maybe take them in a tile (or even two). Large rooms, unless there's a reason, tend to impact on the playability criteria. Also, it's a little box-like at the moment which can be a bit dull to look at. Not necessarily a problem though if the decor is nice. Lots of bright paving ... hmmm ... can we have some trees?

The calm white/pale interior is good for unfurnished.

My personal preference for links is to link as far as possible to the download page for the item - easy to do on MTS as a matter of fact - and no-one on the moderation team will complain about that. But the rules say you can just link to the profile page if you prefer. Direct linking is more helpful to your downloaders. Are you going to include CC in the lot file? Make sure you have a look at it with Clean Installer and get rid of anything that shouldn't be there.

Also - what Jo said - BIG PICTURES. You'll need a floorplan shot (oh sorry - scratch that, I see it now).

Thank you both for such quick replies. The bedrooms are a good playable size, but I agree that the living room and kitchen could both be shrunk a bit. I'll play around with it. It is supposed to be pretty generic, like something you would buy new from the subdivision builder with just counters and plumbing and scant landscaping, but I agree there should probably be a tree or two.

Also, question about the CC. One of them is the Corner Column by mustluvcatz and when I used Clean Installer it showed that and all of the recolors. Do I leave the recolors or only include the one I'm using?

Again, thank you for the feedback.

You must either take out all the unused recolours (can be tricky if an item comes with 20 recolours) or if it's difficult to see simply remove the mesh and all recolours to MLC's item and link to it. Say required but not included *link* Lots have a tendency to want to pack all recolours.

Also check through Clean Installer that your lot hasn't got other hitch hikers, trash bin recolours, stair and mail box colours. Or any form of hack, those should show up in red.

Just an opinion - I have noted that many players believe that rooms should be small. Why? Certainly, some houses in real life have larger rooms than others. Isn't that a question of personal taste?

I like large rooms. I will put a large dining table in the kitchen with enough chairs to invite guests over to dinner. As for the living room - your musical sim may like space for his piano besides his sofa, bookcase and computer table? What is wrong with a room with space for two single beds and toys as well? Or a bedroom with space for a double bed, side tables, a dresser, a crib and a changing table? Or a hobby item for a teen in that room? Or a nursery that can hold twins?

I think the house looks very promising right now. As for changing the shape a bit more, perhaps a little entrance at the side door. I do find something too large: that white cement driveway. If it is a driveway, it has to be that size, but it draws the eye away from everything else and downwards, and is the first thing I saw when I looked at the pics. That needs to be softened by some plants and perhaps by using another color tile with it, or a contrasting edge. (My opinion - not right or wrong )

That driveway problem is kind of the nature of the beast. It's one of the reasons modern tract home developments are so ugly - the driveway and garage entrance dominate the facade, with the person-centered elements retreating behind them to make room for the all-important car. And then the sides are vast tracts of siding interrupted by graceless and poorly-proportioned windows placed apparently at random, with no sense of balance or overall design.

This house does not quite have those problems - the facade is attractive, with informal symmetry, and the driveway does not dominate it in the curb view. The sides and rear lose both balance and variety, but since this is common in modern subdivisions it may be a deliberate choice and if that's the case I have nothing to say against it. If the concept is to reproduce one of those houseplans that is only interested in aesthetics on the side facing the curb, you could increase the effect by having a different, higher-quality cladding on the front - it is common, in such houses, for the facade to have a brick or stone facing, while the sides are something cheaper.

One thing to consider is that there is practically no private outdoor area. If the inhabitants want a hot tub, or an outdoor grill, or a play tower for the kids, it'll have to go in the front of the house in full view of passersby. Either expanding the lot backwards or moving the house footprint forward a few tiles and having an enclosed backyard would make it more congenial, IMHO. But I come from a country and a state where, even in big cities, there's still more land than people.

I know bland is best when selling a house, but all that white hurts my eyes. Who wants a white floor that has to be cleaned every time someone walks on it? Some beige or gray carpet and/or kitchen and bathroom tile would break up the space visually and save the realtor some work cleaning up after every house viewing.

Why? No-one said the rooms had to be small. The only thing Jo and I mentioned was that some of the rooms might be a little bit too big - I agree it would be the kitchen and living room I'd look at btw OP. Your bedrooms and bathroom are fine. Making the lounge area and kitchen slightly smaller might help give a more interesting and varied appearance too. I would agree also that the driveway could be repaved with a less in-your-eye paving too.

Yes, Maxon, I concede Yet it does seem to me to be one of the first things in feedback often - the rooms should be smal(ler). A person should be free to decide on the size of rooms when they build. The rooms can be made to look more interesting by moving one outer wall a tile or two to the outside as well, making it bigger rather than smaller. Some players (well, me) do not want to move Sims out after every set of twins is born, but have a little more space from the beginning.

Is the house floatin ..

The dirt? I'm guessin it's dirt, that is around the house, sidewalk, and driveway give it a floatin appearance. Dirt for the plants is good though. The garden area in front of the porch with the 3 plants, I think I'd widen that one on each side. Maybe even angle the pathway around to give it a sorta sounded look.

Overall I like it :D. It's very basic which is how I build as it's what I like .. lol.

The way I see it large rooms are fine if there is an obvious reason for them to be large. You can't show that if you are uploading an empty house.

To give an example, in a house I did as a request it had a huge bathroom, but in there I had a bath up on a stage, a 2 tile made shower (walls, uni shower, glass doors) plus three counters with 2 basins. Very much a glamour bathroom.
Once filled it did not look large, but if I had left it empty or if I just tossed down a tub, sink and loo it would have looked huge for no reason.

Some see the rooms as large and empty, I see space for stuff. I know the rule, and I am questioning that very rule. While rooms should not be as big as city halls, I still think that the creator should have the last say and the downloader should decide if the rooms are too large for his/her game or not - and I do download lots quite often, because my hoods tend to be on the larger side.

Your empty bathroom would probably made me go: Ooh, space for a His and Hers! And potties for the todds! Yet I am fine with smaller bathrooms.

See for me it makes me go - ugh that room is out of proportion to the rest of the house (not sayin' that's true of your current lot OP which is pretty nice proportion-wize, except, IMO, the lounge and kitchen are a tad too wide). I like houses to look believeable and aesthetically pleasing. I guess it depends on how you view the game - as a game space to put stuff you can use easily or as a back drop to your stories or something like that. You do see some absolute barns submitted to the queue though. Huge square builds, pyramid roofs, rooms with acres of space and a bed shoved away in a corner - making it a positive trek just to get to the wardrobe. That does impact on playability. Takes the sim too long to walk to the bathroom - no breakfast for you even assuming you can get to the pool car for work in time. 'Sides if you want more space, you can always build a bit more.

You know, on reflection, I agree with Peni about the back garden (yard) space. Might be better to have a bit more at the back.

I can imagine that some houses in the queue are out of proportion (think I might even have been guilty of that on occasion ) - that is not the case with this one, though - and while very large houses definitely make a house less playable, too small does the same. I have downloaded lots which played perfectly well until a second Sim moved in. Then they bump into each other and are always in each other's way and I move them, because if I want to build a bit more, I will build from scratch
I am firstly a player. Once in a while, I may make a floor or a wall for my game. Even though I have started loving building more and more, playability always is the most important to me.
Another thing: houses all over the world do not look the same, and what is realistic in one part of the world may be different in another.
As for that Sim going without breakfast - he will get have to get up earlier in my game

I don't think the kitchen and living are really too big. However, they seem a bit out of proportion. I'm more used seeing (in real life as well as in the Sims) living rooms that are bigger than kitchens. That dividing wall could be moved back a space or two.

The door in the kitchen takes up some space, though, and I like that door. Somewhere, there has to be a dining table too. Or island counters, but a table is better for play in my experience.

With 2 bedrooms, there should be at least 4 dining chairs. And Sims have to be able to walk around it (because dining chairs against walls do not always work in game, something that is wrong with plenty of uploaded lots: example: just because a guest decides to start jumping rope, the Sim often cannot get out, and I do not want to use a cheat to get rid of that every play session).

So the table has to go either in the kitchen or in the living room. In this house, I will put it in the kitchen, which I prefer anyway, because it prevents sims standing, eating alone in the kitchen. (Personally, I am not sure a dividing hall is even necessary - in my town, the whole area (and often, the whole house) would likely be tiled and it would be all open area, with the sliding door at the side leading to a BBQ area, and if the kitchen is enclosed, there are arches, not doors).

My point to making the kitchen smaller was to give the house a more interesting shape. That can also be achieved by adding or changing another exterior wall. I see plenty enough squares for a table and chairs.

Yes, there are enough for a table in this house, Jo - that is not what I meant - just that it remains necessary if you change the room sizes, and with the outside door, it should be taken into account.

PP it's not meant to look like an avocado.

Wow! Thank you all so much for all of the feedback. My intent was to share a house for a generic neighborhood I am creating from scratch so they are all ~bought from the builder~ style homes. However, I do agree about the kitchen and living room being a tad large. The original floor plan from the plan I copied intended for there to be a stairway to a basement. I tried and tried, but just could not make a basement work on that small of a home without it looking wonky in neighborhood view. I'm sure someone can, but it's beyond my capabilities. So in trying to adjust the floor plan of the living room/kitchen, I got frustrated and went off to play Skyrim and kill things for a bit but I'm feeling better now so I can get back to it.

Jo and PP - it is actually intended to be a bit avocado, although I love the idea about the greenish yellow walls, mind if I steal a bit? That in fact might be the better answer to all the white and just go full on 70's. My current actual home was built in 1971 and we've yet to remodel the kitchen so I still have walnut cabinets with tangerine counter tops. In Sims2, I've currently got two more homes that I'm playtesting similar to this one, Blueberry Bungalow and Cranberry Cottage. lol My whole set of neighborhoods is food themed. Base Hood - Oyster Bay Downtown - Rib City Shopping - West Pierogi and Vacation - Barbacoa, Teriyaki and Fondue. (for now anyway). So I would so love to see your fruit houses. Kiwi Kennel should be interesting.

With that ~ thank you all, I'm gonna go build a playlist and get back at it.