Supposedly, these houses were all built by the brilliant and somewhat eccentric architect Michael Angelo, an originally rather drab figure who came with the game. In fact, they were experiments of what kind of architectural abuse I could get away with. These houses can be inhabited by Sims, and can also be redecorated (but expect floor tile problems with any house on posts) and I'd say to anyone who downloads these: toss out anything in them you don't like and customize them to your heart's content, the only reason I restricted myself to LL content and Maxis downloads was to spare people the annoyance of either seeing bare walls or having to collect fan objects from sites that might not even be up any more. I did use custom stuff in four houses: the famous transparent tile in the Tree House, many plants from Persimmon Grove for the Backwater lot, and some old wallpapers I reconstituted for the Backwater, PrecariHouse and Lazy House, which can be found at the bottom of the Custom objects page. I've pointed to the sites in the Sims links list where these can be downloaded, but the houses won't crash if they're missing.
These lots have all been increased to maximum size with the map_edit cheat before being built on, and then decreased to a size that would make the graphic blend into the Neighbourhood screen. Therefore, some items may not be visible on the screen; some were intentionally hidden.
All lots requite Living Large or Deluxe. They were made in LL instead of Deluxe, so there are no "missing objects" messages unless something really is missing.
Lot 1: the Tree House
Never let it be said that Michael Angelo ignores the wishes of his
customers. Such as the nature-loving couple who asked him to design
their dream retreat, with a garden full of activity that would form
an organic whole with the house. "We want a tree house, and lots of
places to swim; we want to wake up to the sound of birds singing;
we want to bring the outdoors indoors. Can you do that?" Having
completed the project, a disgruntled Michael found himself having
to add a more conventional second floor to avoid a lawsuit. He left
its furnishing and decoration to the new inhabitants. "I don't want
to risk being sued again."
(This deliberately unfinished house needs the transparent floor tile from Caro's Sim Kagen. Without it, the top floor will look much the same, but Sims won't be able to walk on the see-through bits. I'd advise keeping the green floor tiles, as they camouflage the tree tops sticking up through the floor. The one square of fence in the ground floor wall is a trick to make the game think that the house's interior is "outside", thereby allowing the (re)placement of Build Mode plant material; to retile the upstairs floor, temporarily replace it with a wall.)
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Lot 2: the Bridge House
This house, also known simply as "the H", is ideal for people
who want to share an address without having to share each other's
company. Reversing concepts of outside and inside, it boldly uses
stone and wood for the inner walls.The strict symmetry of the house
and front garden dissolves into meandering paths and formal gardening
experiments at the sides. Under the bridge runs a common driveway
that emerges, seemingly, out of nowhere.
(This house's car portal has been moved so that cars drive "through" the house. There are two mailboxes, although generally only one will have mail delivered to it. The house's front gardens make good vegetable gardens, if the house is used in Unleashed.)
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Lot 3: the Greater and Lesser Octagon
To cater to the commune lifestyle of the Infinitists, who
believe that the key to immortality lies in hygiene and
exercise, Michael created a large hall with communal living
room, evenly divided bedrooms and a separate bath-house. On
one side of the building is a kiddie corner to keep the tiny
tots amused while their parents are meditating. In the far
back, hidden from public view is a quiet corner to soak in the
tub and do some serious drinking. The eight-sidedness of the
design is a play on the sect's symbol, an 8 lying on its side.
(The corner with the hot tubs and the drinks bar doesn't show on the neighbourhood screen because the squares were made editable for building, and then returned to an ineditable state.)
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Lot 4: the PorpHouse
For people who like playful roof shapes and an attic where
they can indulge their love of the aquatic. Around the L-sized
swimming pool, dancing dolphins modelled in green invite the
visitor to take a dive.
(Owners of later expansion packs could replace the row of small aquariums with a single big one.)
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Lot 5: the Lazy House
Fed up with the way Sims always love the size and furnishings
of his houses, but never the layout, Michael set out to create a
lazy Sim's paradise, in which the TV-watching inhabitant can open
the fridge for a snack with a flip of the foot and greet visitors
by extending a hand. So much inertia had to have its consequences,
of course. The centre of the house became a well of gravity, warping
the fabric of reality around it, so that visitors going for the
front door sometimes find themselves at the back of the garden.
This house needs the wallpaper "Mauves" from the
Custom Objects page.
(Extra pedestrian portals have been put on the ground floor and roof terrace; a small area in the house's centre has been made ineditable with the map_edit cheat, it shows as a rectangle in the house interior shots.)
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Lot 6: the Elevated House
To get the Crater House out of his system, the architectural
genius erected a structure on golden pillars, with an inner and
an outer balcony to separate the public and private aspects of
living in the clouds. Despite its apparent lack of space, the house
has several bathrooms, bedrooms and "mood" balconies for a quick
aesthetic fix. The house's surroundings breathe the same spirit
of elevation as the house itself. Puzzled as to the whereabouts
of the entry, guests may walk right into the living room.
(As only few of the original supports remain, it is virtually impossible to re-tile the floors without gaps. Wallpaper is easily replaced. With all the passages so long and narrow, Sims bumping into other Sims will take forever getting where they need to be, even with the many doors put in the dividing wall to stop them being chased into dead ends.)
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Lot 7: the Crater House
When an unfortunate experiment with the chemistry set blew up
not only the experimenter but the property that was about to pass
into new hands, the estate agent called on Michael to quickly rebuild
the rubble into something both presentable and inhabitable. The result
was a house that is almost on ground level, if you ignore the sharp dip
between the front door and the pavement. Two sides of the outer wall
were left bare because the builders couldn't reach them.
(This is one of those houses that can't be easily redecorated, because not all of the necessary support is still there. It's also tricky to redo the walls, because the crater has brought the second level down to the first level. Good luck trying to wallpaper the outside diagonals! The house is quite cramped, but optimal use has been made of the space available.)
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Lot 8: the PrecariHouse
How a house can balance itself on three supports and three staircases
is a well-kept secret. Michael Angelo advises prospective buyers: "Beware
of traffic jams at the top of the stairs, and don't stamp on the floor."
The balcony, where doors are easily confused with windows, follows the
irregular line of the river bank that it looks out onto; a perfect spot
for landscape painters. For amusement on the ground floor, a casual trail
flanked by flowerbeds has been laid through the garden; endless fun for
the kids. This house needs the wallpapers "Old Gold", "Buff to Beige",
"Coral Pinks", "Cobalt Snow" and "Shades of Lemon" from the
Custom Objects page.
(This house's floor can't be retiled without putting columns under it.)
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Lot 9: Terraced Houses
On the outside, they all look alike, with little slit windows
like narrowed eyes in hostile brick faces. On the inside, each is
a reflection of the owner's taste and individuality. Michael took
the concept of terraced houses a step further with the "terrace"
balconies overlooking the mini-race track in the children's
playground, earning this complex the nickname of "Grandstand corner".
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Lot 10:
For once, a lot that supports mainly non-Simian habitation. In fact,
the Sims may not survive the mosquitos. Tough-skinned Sims who can
appreciate ecological diversity will be delighted: this lot unites
river bank jungle with dry and temperate spots to either side, marshland
around the house and - a touch of cultivation in this wildlife reserve -
a Japanese garden in front. Keep an eye on the fish.
This house needs the wallpapers "Beige to Buff" and "Jungle Green" from the
Custom Objects page, as well as the following
objects from Persimmon Grove:
Ground cover: Finest Path Ground Cover, Bracken Ground Cover,
Forest Floor Ground Cover, Soft Forest Path Corner, Bead Plant Ground Cover,
Alyssum Ground Cover, Alyssum Ground Cover Corner, Alyssum Ground Cover Edge,
Soft Grass Edge, Soft Grassy Corner, Rich Fertile Earth.
Stones: Scattered River Stones, A Handful of River Stones, Weed-infested
River Stones, Stepping Stones, Boulder Path Edging, all three varieties of
Small Boulder, Roundish Boulder and Tall Boulder.
Small plants: Ornamental Switch Grass, Bluebells, Lady's Slippers,
Ornamental Fountain Grass, Ornamental Blue Fescue Grass, Banana, Hachiku Bamboo.
Ferns: Rasp fern, Thousand-leaved Fern, Nephrolepsis Fern, Asplenium Fern,
Water Fern Colony on a Damp Log, Azolla Fern (Duckweed).
Trees: Small Cashew Tree, Lentisk Bush, Mugo Pine Shrub, Larch Tree,
Mediterranean Cypress, Koyama Spruce, Eucalyptus Tree, Japanese Walnut,
Red Juniper, New Zealand Kauri Tree, Low Spreading Mangrove Tree, Mangrove
Tree with Aerial Roots, Persimmon Tree, Olive Tree.
Potted plants: Potted Arum, Potted Cabbage Tree.
Koi pond: Low Wooden Wall, Low Wooden Wall Corner, Pond Water, Fish Pellets,
Japanese Koi Carp.
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