Spa's Atlantic Retreat

[Sciurus]

What you do is very beautiful!

Guillaume

[Jack_wilds]

Hey SPA, Jack wilds here...

Turns out that the Lord God came through with a miracle-blessing  allowing me to remain where I am for a while longer -so I wouldn't have to move near future  yay!  The miracle came via family member if you know 'em you'd know how much a miracle it was... even after knowing a person all of ones life they still can surprise.  The job search thing is still a drag, but there is reason for hope soon...

Love how the 3-window set looks and I hope you'll lot similar to the teaser pics earlier, they appeared CP-esk... particularly like the 'reddish one' -3rd from right, a good grillin' & chillin' deck... so I'll take that unit invite ya over for beer-n-brats with real WI cheese  and watch the packers win (just don't bring up last weeks game with TB -sad, way sad) would there be space and room on a lot of that unit with a decent pick-up truck to boot?  the front view unit from the right with the alien green door, on purpose? or is just a poor shade choice on the tenants part... 

Look forward to photos from this 'last bastion of wilderness'  the northwoods is full of wilderness if you care to look at more...

Jack

[Earth quake]

This houses are just splendid.
Excellent work SPA.

[wes.janson]

Hope you had a good time in Labrador. The maritimes are one of the few areas of Canada that I've yet so see and yet they are where I always talk about going. You can't be the people on the east coast. They are the only reason people still consider Canadians to be a nice polite people.

[SimNation]

This set you have been working on is gonna be quite massive. I plan to make it for my chicago tileset and cannot wait to get them. Hope you make some more keep it up

[spa]

Magee: I haven't been following it closely, but I have clicked on it now and then. One of the people I know from planning school is always posting links on her facebook page.
Sciurus: Thanks
Jack: Lucky you, moving sucks! It's funny, when I made the house with the lime green door I didn't think much of it because I was following the real life photo, but it's been the one that has drawn all the comments. It would seem that many people know of that one house in their own neighbourhoods that made a really poor colour choice
Earth quake: Thanks
Wes: Indeed. One of the best things about the Maritimes is the people. In general, they're a pretty friendly down to earth, unpretentious bunch. My wife is from Alberta and that's where we met. She notes that out in Calgary people flaunt their money whereas the rich in the Maritimes are almost embarrassed by their success! The pace of life down here is also just slower and more human. If it snows really bad here, we stay home rather than risk our necks
SimNation: Yes, yes it will. 28 different houses will make for a massive collection and should be plenty of variation! I was planning on setting them to the Chicago tileset so you shouldn't have much modding to do for your own use.


Nothing new to report on the Halifax Boxes in this update. I have been up in the country house sitting for my parents for the last week and a half. That always means more time to bat because other distractions aren't around up there (slow internet and no civ4). The Boxes were on my own computer though so I started something new. I have a model for another old residential building almost done, Victoria Hall in Halifax. Below is a picture I took of the real thing.

Victoria Hall is a retirement residence for women. It is located on Gottingen Street in the North End and is run by a non-profit foundation whose mandate is to provide affordable rents. The building was designed by Henry Frederick Busch, a well-known Halifax architecture from the late 19th century. The building was finished in 1885 and it has been well maintained over the years. It still has that timeless style that is characteristic of a lot of Victorian architecture. It's kind of tough to see in my photo because of the sun's glare, but it has beautiful red wooden siding.

Anyway, here's my version.


Obviously I haven't done the foundation level and steps. I also still have to add a few chimnies on the roof and there is a small entrance that extends out from the addition on the back that I still need to make. Other than that though, the modelling is basically done. The one thing I'm wondering about is whether I might have made the windows a touch too big. As you can see from the real life photo, the real thing has really big windows, but I'm wondering if I might have taken it just a little too far. I'm not really worried about the front view because the front entrance is so grand it looks fine, but on the back the windows seem kind of big compared to the doors.

[tamorr]

   You have some lovely work here.

About the back side windows you mentioned, the only ones that really look a little off are the two to the left of the center door. To me it looks a bit odd that there are big window right there next to the door, wouldn't it make more sense if those were in between the smaller two also on the left... If that size is to be kept. Otherwise... It does look kind of like they don't belong in that size.

   Keep up the excellent work.

[girlfromverona]

Belated congratulations on your marriage! Looks like you had a wonderful day (and a great holiday, too!). I'm sorry I somehow missed that post earlier.

Your latest buildings look stunning, as always. Can't wait to get them in my game!

[threestooges]

I don't think the windows are too big at all. They fit well witht he front of the building and seem consistent all the way around. It's a large building too, so I think it balances out. Can't wait to see this thing textured.
-Matt

[SimNation]

Your such a tease spa....I cannot wait til this set is done.It will be one of the biggest sets since Masczars NYC sets. Looking great so far keep up these low-rises coming.

[simdad1957]

I really like how Victoria Hall is starting out. It's a very interesting old building.

I suggest you consider modding it as an old school building. It reminds me in some ways of the "Lunenburg Academy" in NS or the old elementary school building here in Riverside-Albert NB (not too far from Moncton).

Keep up the good work and Merry Christmas. Any chance of having your Halifax "boxes' all boxed up and ready to go by Boxing Day?  (This is the day after Christmas for all you Yanks) 

[seraf]

Oh I love this style of buildings. I can't wait to see it finished 

[spa]

Tamorr: Thanks.The ones you mentioned are the ones I was worried about.
GirlfromVerona: Thanks. It was a great day. We're planning on going back there in May for our first anniversary.
Matt: Given the reaction on all the forums I post, it seems my concern about the windows was just me. Thanks for the feedback.
SimNation: And getting bigger all the time I have 7 more Halifax Boxes done that you can check out below.
Simdad: Thanks. It is a really neat old building. One of the gems left on Gottingen. I hadn't thought about modding it as an old school. When it comes time to render I'll give that some thought. It could work. I know Lunenburg Academy well. It's in the back of my mind as something I might make one day. Next time I'm down the South Shore I have plans to stop by with the camera. It's too bad that they're closing it. As for the Halifax Boxes they're nearing completion. If everything goes well they'll be ready early in the New Year (January or February). I have some more ready to go that you can check out below. Hope your holidays have been good.
Seraf: Thanks. They'll be finished soon (next month or so).


Well I hope everyone has had a good holiday break (those of us that got one anyway). My time off is sadly ticking down now. I have to go back to work on Tuesday which seems all too soon from a Saturday perspective! I didn't do as much batting as I thought I would over the holidays, mainly because I ended up at my folks place for longer than expected, but I did make some significant progress on the Halifax Boxes. The two window versions are now half done making me 2/3rds of the way through my planned set. You can check out the newest 7 below.

Not a whole lot to say about them. They're basically the same as the others with the usual variation of colours, entranceways and backs. I'm glad to be finishing them up as I'm starting to get tired of patios Hopefully, at this rate, I'll be into rendering them towards the end of January. I'll update again soon as these near the finish.

[thingfishs]

these are looking really nice spa, love all the variations!
I like the one with the protruding room, occasional touches like that make a lot of difference to giving areas character when scanning through your suburbs. I sure wouldn't have painted it those colours though!
(just to be clear I'm not suggesting changing the texture, people do have baby blue & pink colour schemes )

[Jack_wilds]

Hey Spa dude, Jack wilds here...

Cold here in the northwoods... so, apparently the deep freeze hasn't hit Halifax to keep you from batting around...  funny lame I know anyway ....

love the 2-window box set particularly from the rear -notably the arbor porch and the the one with the 'Breakfast nook'... looking at these,  you know they'd make for good beach boxes as well -thoughts?

Happy New Year

Jack

[spa]

Not only dust but cobwebs collecting in here too. Time slipped by on me. I guess some very overdue replies first.

Thingfishs: haha the thing about this set is that with 28 different houses, there is bound to be at least one colour that you're not going to like
Jack_Wilds: I don't know about that, we did have a deep freeze for a week or so there. We get a little snap like that every winter here, but it doesn't last. We had a blast of snow (40cms) on Wednesday this week, but it's going to be above zero very day for the next 7 so it won't stick around for long. I had never thought of them as beach houses. I guess the ones with the large patios could easily front on water. The inspiration came from the city blocks in Halifax. We don't really do beach houses the way you Californians do!


So I have been absent for a while here. Haven't had much time to bat lately. I have actually been playing Sim City for a change and I have been into a new fitness regime since the New Year began. Hitting the gym after work and then coming home and making dinner leaves only a few hours free in any given day. Anyway, I have made slow, but steady progress and I'm pleased to report that the huge Halifax Boxes set is done... at least the modelling and texturing part! Below is how the two window versions turned out:

Still a few things that I'll be tweaking with a few of the models. Nothing major though. There are 14 two window versions and 14 three window versions. I'm not the best at math, but by my calculations that means there are a possible 378 unique combinations since I will set them up so that every box can be paired with any of 27 others. This ended up being a much more ambitious project than I thought it would be when I started out! Anyway, now I'm going to have to get with rendering 28 different little houses.

[wes.janson]

Arrrrrgh! Your wonderful BATs make me want to visit out east. What kind of Vancouverite are you making me when I want to leave my pretentious Shangri-La of a city? 

[gottago]

This is a really good-looking set, very evocative of the houses and colors I remember in Nova Scotia. They also could work well in Cape Cod style beach towns easily--even Western US, too.

But there's no white one--everyone likes vanilla, after all. Looking forward to packing them up, it might be good to put them into 2 or 3 packs by color schemes--commonly used colors, variations, and San Francisco style 

[Jack_wilds]

Hey Spa, Jack wilds here...

So the light is still on here in the Atlantic retreat, good    

As for "...as you Californians do..."     I'll have ya know I'm a tru green-n-gold thru-n-thru packer dude, cheese-n-cranbrerries, northwoods hiking, deer hunting, conservation in natural resources management, engineer tech (temp outta work), Wisconsinite... Californian -indeed   

so there  don't fret too hard I'm not that offended -snowball at ya- 

Glad to see that this project is winding up and will soon be built in my sim-lands... glad that all is well and good with you and family

Jack 

[spa]

Wes: And you say that having just come off the big party! I have never been to Vancouver, but I have been to Victoria and I think BC is really pretty. Trees, ocean and mountains, makes for a pretty receipe. The photos I have seen of Vancouver, because of all the condos and the limited space, makes it look like a much bigger city than it is. Vancouver's skyline may lack the real signature buildings in the way that TO has the bank towers and CN Tower, but it seems denser and bigger as a result (Toronto's sprawl is just gross, even if the old city is really great). Hope to visit Vancouver some day.
Gottago: Thanks. I'm glad they hit the nail on the head as far as your memories go! White is such a tough "colour" to pull off in Sim City. There are several versions though that are sort of white. Off-whitish which I think will fill that niche without contrasting too much with Sim City 4's colour palette. A real pure white just looks bad in Sim City 4.
Jack: haha sorry. I knew you were from the Northern US, but I somehow thought you had moved to California. I think I'm mixing you up with JBSimio's recent wanderings since he was living in the Northern US (Michigan I believe), but moved to California. Oh and the light may flicker, but I don't think it'll ever go out. This isn't a game to me anymore, it's a hobby/past time


So the Halifax Boxes are now done! I have rendered them, put them into a prop family and dropped them on lots in game. I made several different lots, 1x2, 2x2, 2x2 corners, 3x2 and 4x2. They use my usual favourites for lotmaking, cycledogg's trees and base textures. One thing I had to sacrifice to set these up with the varied backs is I couldn't fence the yards. The fencing didn't line up since the houses stopped at various depths in the backyards leaving fences short with some and half inside the houses on others. They looked bad. So no one gets a private backyard with these I'm afraid. I'll just assume they're all located on Halifax's Lawrence Street where a streatch of neighbours got together and tore down all their fences to make one long communal backyard On the whole, I think it's a small trade off for the amount of variation. Here's how they turned out.

The 1x2 and 2x2 corners.


The dimensions of the corners worked just right to make a dense setup since I was able to squeeze an extra house on the corner side. Makes them fit pretty well.

Besides the 1x2s and 2x2 corners, I also made a few 3x2s and 4x2s. I gave the 3x2s and 4x2s a typical Halifax feel: narrow driveways. A lot of buildings in Halifax's old residential neighbourhoods were built wall-to-wall with one or two neighbouring houses. There are frequent narrow gaps between groups of properties. Some of these gaps are too narrow to be of any use, except to make firefighting easier, but the wider openings have typically been turned into ridiculously narrow driveways that I'm sure are a challenge to get in and out of in terms of visibility. My 1x2s are w2w so you'll be able to build great swathes of them right next to each other, but the 3x2s and 4x2s have narrow driveways that reflect Halifax's historic patterns.



From zoomed out, the lot of them make a very colour splash on the landscape!


And finally at night.

I like how the red one (4th from left) shows up at night with the window frames. Nothing to spectacular with the night lighting since these are, after all, just houses.

Anyway, with these done I'll be looking to finish up Victoria Hall and get a start on my new apartment building. I'll be on the road this week on business so I'll probably do a fair bit of batting (I always bat in the evenings when I'm travelling). Hopefully I'll have the batch of 7 residentials ready to upload soon. Sometime in April from the looks of things.