I don't know if I am liking my house. I just redesigned it for the 4th time and I find it lacking some in creativity. Maybe I am stuck in a square mode..

Anyways..

the First Floor is kinda a sanctuary, with one entrance off to the right that goes to the Guild area, in the back is a little oasis garden area. Off to the left is another entrence that goes to my personal Area. (Which is the second floor)

You can only reach the rooftop via my personal area.

I don't think I like this, but before I tear it all down and start again I'd like some thoughts.

Well it's kinda hard to explain but I also don't like it very much, the first floor seems it's about to collapse, very few walls and then all the other floors seem to have lot's of weight on it.Sounds silly but it just doesn't look too good.

Your problem is you have been assimilated by the borg. Its a box and Box houses are no fun at all.

make some balconys and make sure everything looks real. I know you can put 4 wood posts in each corner and load it with four floors but does that seem real? I know the game is fantsay but real looking homes look the best.

Detail, detail, detail. Try to do as much detail with the walls and floors. No offense but your floors look horrible with the Sandstone.

The next step is customize room by room. I started doing this and many of my houses dont change as much as they use to. I would do Half a floor or a room comit. Decorate it then picture....

"Does this look good if just a hallway goes to it?"

Say you made a throne room and you have four other areas that can connect to it. use your imagination. The round table in the other room. A small guard post to get into the throne room. Kings Quarters etc etc.

Make sure each room flows together I dont really see a Blacksmith room next to the bedroom do you? Id be sooo mad at that smith cuz id never have ANY quiet in my bedroom. So let them flow and make sense. Blacksmith maybe next to the kitchen down away from the rooms.

And etc etc

and remember BIGGER is not always better. You dont have to use every square inch. I am good at decorating small areas Large areas I run into trouble with. Dont forget you can make 6x6 space room for something. Its not like your storage space is going to go down if you dont use the entire floor. Try adding smaller things and more detail your house just seems so big.

Oh and you are on the right track 20 more customizes and you will be set :-)

What?!?!?

While a box house may not look particularly inspired from the outside, they can be the most fun to decorate on the inside, and the most functional & easiest to navigate, especially in Fel where push-through issues with just your own pack animal can drive you nearly insane inside a house.

Box house that was created for a public auction series on Siege (had to be a fortress) that I decorated.










This is my own "box" house on Siege - one of them at least. A public house that was built as a community center, and when I was actively playing UO, used to host my large array of highly organized, free plant seed vendors. (My best friend in the game has a slight "blaze" problem...the east side of the first floor was dedicated to him. ) That odd thing on the west side of the porch is a pet weighing station. I used to RP being the Zento Dog Catcher, offering free checkups for player pets at my animal clinic in the community center, while my friend made himself the Mayor.









-Skylark

OK...now that I have made my protest about the box house thing...I'll address the original post.

I also agree with your assessment that something isn't right about your design. I think, as has already been mentioned, it has no cohesive feel to it. Too many disparate elements that seem to be just tossed in there. And while different structural materials can create great effects and visual interest...often a little goes a long way, and if we are not careful, our designs start to look busy instead of interesting as we want them to be.

It sounds like you already clearly know some of what you want for your house, but it isn't meeting your "vision". I think you should focus in particular on the oasis and sanctuary themes you mentioned for the areas. Consider breaking the area up to reflect that - i.e. your sanctuary is a separate area with its own roof/walls perhaps, from the "main" building. Perhaps surrounded by water tiles and accessible only by a narrow private bridge (you can secure access with half height doors to make a "gate" for the bridge example without making your area look like a fortress or bulked up with artificial design elements to keep people out).

Just to give you an idea what I mean in concept, here is a design by Ashyn that she posted on Stratics Homes & Castles a while back.



-Skylark

Always the Siege players I have run ins with :-P

While Seige yes you need all that. These are normal shards im assuming she doesnt need double fortified walls.

Boxes are Boxes they are just that a big box. They said they kept customizing because they didnt like it so thats why I said you have been assimilated by the Borg box. maybe if she did some different things on the outside they would like it better.

Your second picture is not a box. It has balcony and on the sides open space.

Boxes are ugly Plain and Period. Dun care how much ya deco them. :-P

D-d-d-dat some sweet werks der, Skylark!

I'm going to need the coordinates to the Ashlyn house. Look at those pectorals!

Not sure if it's still up, or if she made it for someone else - but she quit a couple weeks ago and sold her account..

U can' t honestly look at that auction house and say its ugly! those tables are the best stables I' ve ever seen in UO (including city' s, staff made things etc)!

of the auction part I like the 1st floor, white doesnt seem to fit with sandstone.

and honestly top floor s nothing for me since it has elven furniture ...