InThe Sims 2, there are a lot of ways to customize your neighborhood. From the landscape to the lots that bring your little town to life, building unique places from the ground up is key. There are plenty of premade houses to choose from, but there’s nothing like having your very own creation.

We’ll break down the basics of the build and buy menus so you can build a complete house from the bottom to the top. Custom walls, floor plans, and levels are at your disposal with the click of a button. And, of course, you’ll want to add a pool.

How To Build A House

The build menu containsall the necessary parts to builda house. From thefoundation to landscaping, you can design your dream home with ease.

Building The Foundation

At first, the menus can be overwhelming, but with a bit of practice, you can master it in no time. To start, decide if you want your new house tohave a deck or split-leveldesign.

The foundation tool can be used to craft either in three styles:a traditional deck, a brick layer, or a wooden stage.

Additionally, you can add stairs by using the premade staircases or the individual stair and railing tool. Just make sure there is enough space at the top and bottom of the stairs for Sims to move around.

Walls And Floors

You can alsodraw lines to construct wallsand create all different shapes. The wall and floor customization tools allow you to selectdifferent wallpapers and flooring materials, from tile to poured concrete.

Shift+clicking inside a confined area willfill the wall or floorwith the selected wallpaper or flooring.

Thesledgehammer tool can be used to break these apartif you misclick or need to redesign the house.

Doors And Windows

What’s a house without a door or window? These can beused to allow natural lightinto the home, as well aslet your Sims insidethe house. Tochange the colorof these feature,click on them when selected in the menuto view the various alternatives.

You can alsouse the color swatch toolafter the door or window is already placed to change the look.

Landscaping And Gardening

you may also recolor the terrain on the lot, including avariety of gravel, soil, and concrete. Trees, shrubs, and flowers can be placed to decorate the lot, and thewater tool can create pondsby creating a dip in the terrain.

Only beach lots can swim in the open water, but not ponds without the use of cheats or mods.

By altering the terrain, you canalso create basements, though they can bedifficult to format with the walls, stairs, and objects. Theangle of your lot will affect the viewas well.

Roof Structures

No home is complete without a roof, and The Sims 2 hasan auto-roof featurethat will automaticallybuild a roofin one of several ways based on your choices. Of course, you’re always welcome tomanually click and drag the roofing selectionsto build a custom structure.

How To Furnish A House

Furnishing a house is easier than building one, if only because it’sa lot less technicaland intensive. Rather than use the build menu, you’ll open up the buy menu. Look for the icon featuring several pieces of furniture!

You can select furniture based oncategory, room type, or theme. Every house should have the following items to ensure a Sim can survive:

After these necessities are placed, you candecorate with recreational objects, like a piano, bookshelf, gym set, or any otherskill-building equipment. You can alsodecorate using paintings, curtains, and artisan objects.

If your household has children, you’ll want toinclude a crib and a diaper changing station. These can be foundunder the teddy bear iconin the miscellaneous section when searching by object. Children will alsobenefit from toys and age-appropriate skill-building equipment.

verify to add lighting, as it will get dark at night!

Electronics can liven up a household, especially withitems like a home phone, TV, and computer. It’s also worthinvesting in a smoke detector and burglary alarmin case the worst happens.

How To Build A Pool

Lastly, what Sim worth their saltdoesn’t have a poolin their yard? It’s a dream to have, and building one is simple. In the build menu, select the three miscellaneous dots, then the pool icon.

you’re able to build byclicking and dragging, like you would a wall. Choose from astandard rectangle, a diagonal rectangle, or rounded cornerpieces to build your desired pool shape.

Once that’s complete, verify toadd lighting and a ladderso your Sims can get in and out. You can alsoadd a diving board and slide if your yard is big enoughfor such amenities.

You can always delete the ladder if you get bored with your Sims and watch them drown in the pool. Up to you.

Another fun thing you can do with pools ischange the wallpaper and flooring, allowing for some interesting combinations. Want a pool that’s pitch black or blood red? No problem! Want your pool to resemble a natural spring? Stone tiling is the perfect material.