Hey all.
So, been playing for ages, but only very recently got into actually building. I'm trying to build a house based off the floorplan of my brothers 3 level flat. The first level is a split level (so I figured it would need to be built on a foundation with the other ground floor part of the house on the, well, ground floor), while the second is another full storey.
But my problem is split leveling the first and ground floors. Now, remember I am an uber beginner at this haha, so sorry if this is a stupid question.


I guess long story short, is it possible to have a wall on the ground level extending at right angles to the foundation level? Crud, that probably doesn't make much sense. It's just when I try to build out from the foundation, it wont let me, saying that it is blocked by floor tiles, even though I haven't laid any.
I tried using a half wall, which worked, but then any other full length wall extending from that got all weird and triangular looking.

Or more simply put I guess, how do you build a split level house in the Sims 3? This is seriously giving me a headache
Thanks!

You can use the search box, search building tutorials, & use Google to find your answer quicker than I could assemble screenshots & make a tutorial.

There are plenty of resources to help you (at any level).

Besides "building a split-level", try looking for "how to add sunken floor in Sims 3" etc.

Good luck

There are quite a few tutorials in the tutorials section in this forum as well as Tutorials:TS3_Building_Tutorials^wiki. You can also look at TS2 tutorials in the wiki as the process is the same.

If your search here and elsewhere, split level homes are few and far between. Most of those that one can find are not true split levels. In fact, I don't think I have ever seen a classic split level home posted here or elsewhere. It's rather strange since the split level home, the design of which is attributed to Frank Lloyd Wright, is the iconic American home. I suspect it's because the game is not too favorable to split level making.

If you are new to buildings, your first project probably should not be something that no one has ever been able to do before.

I grew up in a classic split-level ranch and I have tried and tried and tried to recreate it. I've used all the split-level tutorials, but with the loss of one tile surrounding the staircase that is a necessary result of the CFE cheat and split leveling, it takes up space that would have been built up in my childhood home. Leaving me with something that is very unlike the house I remember. I ran into another whole set of issues regarding whether it was best to build up from a foundation or start with the wall tool that caused me to tear my hair out and give up in despair. If anyone has ever managed a true split-level ranch I would love to know about it.

No you haven't; I have one that teaches you exactly how to skip over that Level out the entire first floor to the foundation height. If it is a ranch home, it should be one floor anyway. The only difference is the game will acknowledge it as 2.

I'll definitely check out your tutorials (again - I've seen some great ones from you in the past, so thanks).

Maybe I'm not using the right terminology, but the house I have in mind is like this one:
http://architecture.about.com/od/pe...Ranch-Style.htm

From the outside, 4 steps up to a foyer. Inside, the stairs divide, with 8 leading to the upper floor (kitchen, living area, bedrooms), and 8 leading down to the basement with a den, bathroom and garage. So it isn't all one floor like a traditional ranch. Each level inside is a full floor height, with the foyer as a semi-floor.

I believe that house is referred to as a bi level. A description of the classic split level can be found here

Ah, yes, the site you linked has the exact description of the house I was thinking of under bi-level. Split-level can be used as a specific term for the house you were thinking of, or as a general term that includes bi-levels and other home types with split stairways.

That door set between the levels will be a problem. You will need 1 tile on each side for the twisted walls.



I make lots of split levels, and I can assure you I see them all the time. It's just a matter of finding the good solutions. I never make them from RL plans. Making Falling Water would probably be possible if you're not to set on making it a real copy.

It may be a difference in definition here though

I am talking about the classic 1200 square foot split level house. Not something that someone calls a classic split level home, but which is not.



I have never seen one here or on any other site.

Being a European I hardly see the point, but I did see Armiel have something similar the other day. It was just a slight detail though. I was thinking about how she did it, but then I figured it out, and forgot about it.

Completely possible - here is an example picture.

Just keep in mind, wall height is 16 clicks. So, to get a full wall height, the blue wall is lowered.

Lets assume the terrain to the driveway is 4 clicks
The stairs up to the house = 4 clicks
So, 4+4=8, meaning there will be 2 staircases worth of difference in the split level.
8+x = 16
x=8
Meaning there would have to be 8 more clicks high for the roof to be playable.
soooo...from there
The height of the green wall over the garage (8) + the height of the blue wall (8) = 16, thus, playable.

Woo! Math and ConstrainFloorElevation!

Very nice! Now, can you color in a chart for a bi-level for me? Pretty please?

Uh, isn't that a similar house? You'd have the red, green, pink and blue bits on both sides. And the red and green in the middle just along the doorway and to the back.

I'd suggest starting off simple - not a multi-story yet - as you'll be cursing all the CFE around the stairs. Do a one level, split level house first to start off.

I've built with the CFE cheat plenty of times before, including attached garages etc so I've done the simpler building applications with the cheat. I just didn't quite see the application toward the split level as described until I saw the graphic - adding the extra space above the garage was the part I didn't quite see. In the case of the bi-level, I was really hoping there was a way to get around the one tile loss around the stairs. I've built a similar house WITH the one tile loss. Just hoping I could eliminate that.

Nope, that one tile restriction is still there, same as in Sims 2. And this one-tile boundary applies around the Lot boundary just as in Sims 2.
Unless you use the basement tool, and then you have a different issue of having dark areas underground and stuff, so depends on what you want.

As with anything, there are cheats and workarounds, but you'd encounter different issue with each cheat and workaround.
That's why we have so many tutorials showing so many different ways on doing the same things - creating basements, indoor pools, sloped driveways, split-levels, etc.