Give it some time The lot in guestion is not very easy to renovate

I have a question: Can you exceed the footprint of the house on upper floors?

You can do whatever you like on the upper floors. Also, great to see you here @Aysarth

When is round 1 due?

@Lylesnake there is a countdown timer link near the bottom of the first post . It says 12 days and 5 hours.

*sweating* That house...yikes. I attempted a reno years ago and there was nothing I could do to breathe some life into it. Very creative concept for a contest, but I'm definitely going to sit this one out. Excited to see what people come up with, though!

I looked at that house last night and actually think anything one does may breath some life into that

@joansarah77 :
link: http://modthesims.info/download.php?t=596927
if you need it
Added pics of 3 other builds.

Oops - double post - sorry!

If I find the time this weekend to make over that lot I think I'll join. I was actually starting my own makeover of Strangetown, so this contest comes just in time

Everyone is under the same handicap, that house; so anything you do to it makeover wise is going to be a huge improvement. Also this is Strangetown so something strange and off the wall can work too.

My computer is about to go and get my new Nvidea card. So fingers crossed my game gets fixed. I will do up the table once it comes back which probably won't be for about 6 hours or so.

@Justpetro Thank you for your judging entry, I will swap you and Ellu around later.

I am working on an entry. It will either be up today, or close to the deadline, because I am off on holiday tomorrow.

I am glad you said strange is allowed!

Question: can we recolour/change the gate and/or fence in the front yard?

You can do anything you like. Rules 5 and 6 outline everything you can or can't change. The only thing you can't do is remove the outer shell walls or foundation.

@Aysarth Go wild, there are very few restrictions. :D

@Justpetro I have added you to the judges table.

Thank you, Jo, I will do my best

I'm back Guess what? My game is saving! there are a few other things that need fixing both with the game and in general on my computer, but that major thing of it not saving fixed. *does happy dance*

What will make me even happier are entries and I am sorry if that house is daunting, I picked it because it is small. Think of it this way, contests often start easy and get harder, with this one the hard one is out of the way first. :D

Welcome home, Ajay!



Ajay Loner is, well, a loner. What is known about him is that he wants to strike it rich. Other than that, not much. The other residents of Strangetown thus learnt a bit more about Ajay after his makeover of 73 Road To Nowhere, known around the place as the Hell House.
First of all, Ajay got rid of the hideous roof. Instead, he added an extra floor with flat roofs. As for the walls, he decided to stay with the original brick and wood scheme, but with a cleaner and more modern look. The inside walls featured some exposed brick and a neutral paint colour, while the flooring was swapped to a sleek wood floor. His choice of colour for his clothes, black, was also reflected on the decoration of the house: black bathroom fixtures, black kitchen and black living room furniture. Overall, his decoration embraced an industrial style.
One of the mandatory points of this renovation was a way for Ajay to make money - after all, what is a Fortune Sim without the cash? So, Ajay built himself a small office in the basement where he can work. He also included a spinning bicycle to keep fit.
Lastly, he did a slight rework of the outside, creating a pathway to the back porch and adding somewhat of a backyard. The grass isn't actually that green, but hey, it's a desert after all. Ajay doesn't even like grass that much. An anonymous report says that Mr. Loner has been spotted numerous times counting grains of sand.
The house meets Strangetown's safety standards, with a burglar alarm and a smoke alarm (invisible).

Here are the photos the town council took during their inspection of the lot.


I don't think I've broken any rules. If I have, please do let me know and I will go back and perform the required changes before the deadline. As for the family requirements, I fulfilled the "way to make money" requirement by adding a tablet (technically a computer) where Ajay can offer financial advice (even for a non-FT player, Ajay could still earn money by writing a novel). The "masculine home" requirement was a fair bit more subjective, but I think I've checked it as well by going with an industrial look. I also tried to add in a bit of black where I could to make the house fit Ajay's (lacking) personality. He isn't very keen on much of the weirdness in Strangetown, so the house is pretty normal.

Hope you like my makeover of 73 Road To Nowhere. I might upload it after the contest ends. Until then, I hope more people join this interesting contest!
(@Justpetro is the juice bar open yet?)

Opening the fermented fruit juice bar

Great to see the first entry!

@Yvelotic2001 Looks great, very stylish You are first on the contestants table.

Yay! New contest! I was a play-along in the Community Spirit contest (because I didn't get my act together quick enough), but I hope to enter this one for real.

@joandsarah77 , I have a question - moving Olive's graves with her will raise the lot value too high (I'm only just under budget at the moment), but I can spawn tombstones of life and death for free. In that case, would it be acceptable to have the graves be Olive's real ones, taking the photo of the lot price before move in? Or is this breaking the rules?

ETA: I've just tried it and it doesn't seem to raise the lot value, so never mind...

The town council has worked tirelessly to produce this renovation under-budget. Whilst some fixtures and fittings may not be top of the range to accomodate this, they have nevertheless come up with a modest, private home for the mysterious Ms Specter and her teenage niece. Originally, the brickwork was going to plastered over and painted inside, but Ms Specter liked it so much she begged the builders to leave it bare in many places.

The builders also know when to keep their mouths shut, hence you won't hear anything about a "hidden basement" from them...

Good work, both of the first 2 entries

Question: You ask for a pic showing the lot price--is there a limit to what the lot can cost? I've looked over the rules several times, but if it's stated, I don't see it

It's in the spoiler under the application round lot picture.

@quycksylver Just what justJones said. The budget for each round will always be with the given house for that round.

@NatteryakToad welcome to the contest! :D

Well, hell...there it is. Somehow managed to miss that in the bazillion times I looked at the rules. Thanks y'all. I should have my entry up sometime later today, after I edit , 'cause I went a BIT over budget, lol. I'm glad I asked first.