I would like to know what features readers like to see in houses.
As a builder whose heart lies with new players, I am extremely conscious of prim usage and try to keep the number of prims to a minimum without sacrificing too much style or detail. As a general matter, I don’t include things like kitchens or bathrooms because they take up prims that most players on small lots cannot afford. But people with larger lots obviously have more leeway for more detail.
So what would you like to see in your prefab house? All comments welcome.
Posted in Second Life, prefabs
With the coming retirement of the Quaint series, new players will need something affordable and attractive to take its place. Welcome Jessie, a new starter home for 512s. Jessie is much more spacious and easier on the eyes than Quaint. The tapered roof with spanish tile and the front bay window soften the look to make it less boxy.
It’s got a few more prims, but it’s worth it, especially if you roleplay with families or have a roommate. Jessie has a multi-room floorplan in its layout – two enclosed rooms and a front foyer/sitting room with a large bay window. Perfect for family roleplay on a small lot.
Jessie has a 13×26m footprint, leaving a little space for landscaping. It clocks in at 22 prims, 23 if you include the optional front step. Like all recent House of Cristalle builds, Jessie has a deep foundation that will handle hilly grounds, so you don’t have to make your parcel completely flat (and ugly). It also comes in two color schemes, in warm earthy tones and cool blues.
Like all House of Cristalle prefabs, Jessie has locking doors and a privacy tint. Check it out!
Posted in Second Life, prefabs
House of Cristalle is retiring a few old designs. For the month of March, these designs will be marked down and then they’ll be gone. Asian, Domestic, Quaint (in all colors), Cozy and the Entry Level Studios will be history as of April 1. All the houses are marked down to 50L and available in single versions only. Entry Level Studios is only 1000L now, copy only. Get them before they’re gone!
Posted in Second Life, prefabs
The Corwyn skybox is a fresh, modern design for the skies for 512 lots. With a small yard platform for enjoying the open air, Corwyn is a spacious beauty with a large rounded window on the second floor. The footprint is 16×32, so it takes up the entire lot. Just center it on your land and raise it to where you want it. 30 prims in total, 32 with teleporter. That still leaves 85 for decorating.
Like all House of Cristalle prefabs, it comes with a privacy tint and door lock. Touch tint for easy control. Check it out!
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Cristalle/121/83/23
Posted in Second Life, prefabs
Janney is the first actual new design since Moderna last year. It’s been busy irl, and I just hadn’t had the time or energy to make anything. Since consolidating the rentals, a lot of my Second Life time has freed up and my creative mojo started to flow again. The first result is Janney.
Janney fits 2048s and higher. Clocking in at 106 prims, Janney is a bit larger and has a little more detail to it than the other houses. Janney has two stories, 3 bedrooms plus a great room, foyer and a florida room with a hot tub. There are two interior fireplaces, one in the master bedroom. Terrace leads out from the master bedroom. There are some corner shelves in the smaller bedrooms. Interior colors vary, with a lovely royal red for the master, neutral colors for the common areas, and earthier tones in the smaller bedrooms. Footprint: 26×39.
Touch tint for the windows, locking doors.
Janney is too large to be linked as one item, so it’s packed with a rezzer. Just move the rezzer to adjust placement of the house. Copiable version only.
Posted in Second Life, prefabs
I’ve modified my design for Cristalle Heights into a release that landlords can use. Mariposa is just large enough to be linked all in one piece. A fourth level wouldn’t link for whatever reason, and so I cut it off. It’s pretty spacious, and every floor has a balcony. 54 prims in total.
Copiable only, 20×20 footprint, locking doors, one-way tint. 3750L.
Posted in Second Life, prefabs
I switched out a few houses and added some skyboxes. This has had the nice effect of clearing up some of the space on the ground on the north coast, which was a little cluttered before.
I added a lot of games and dances to the beach, as well as a really fun little water slide that had been collecting a lot of dust in my inventory. I don’t even remember purchasing it. The games used to be in Antares, before I closed it. I figured it would be nice for someone to use them, instead of them sitting in inventory.
I’ve started some decoration of the sea floor under Cristalle Channel. I have some old fish emitters that weren’t being used, and it is better that they make the island a little more interesting to travel around. I have some more stuff that I recently bought, to spruce up the sea floor.
House of Cristalle got a facelift of sorts. It’s still a work in progress, but now almost all the buildings can be rezzed on the holo platform. That will make it easier to see the size and dimensions of the houses. I have plans to add some inventory, but the design process sometimes is quirky and needs a flash of inspiration and motivation to start shaping prims. It’s coming.
There are still more basic tasks that need to be accomplished first, to make things more efficient. No need to write about those here, but it’s what will be taking up my time, unless I get an obsessive streak about creation.
Posted in Second Life, development, properties
Cristalle Properties is downsizing and consolidating our rentals onto Cristalle Island. Any developments will be estate-based, as we will no longer have any mainland holdings.
Why?
Partly because my real life doesn’t allow me the luxury right now of managing 168 rentals. It’s just too much churn, too much worry with too much vacancy to make me feel comfortable at this time. The amount of energy needed to maintain it is just not sustainable at this time. Maybe later.
Another part is frustration with the mainland. It seems that the only way to keep sailable water is to own it, as your neighbors cannot be trusted to keep open pathways. Hopefully in the future, Linden Lab will ensure that all the waterways have a protected path cut into them and that no objects (e.g., bridges) will be allowed to encroach upon them.
So with the downsizing comes a bit of redevelopment on the island – a few new skyboxes, a new rental center, new houses, and new apartments! Welcome Cristalle Shore and Cristalle Retreat to the family of affordable apartments.
So we have downsized to 40 units in total, which should allow me to give each tenant the kind of time and energy they deserve when they need help. With Penn’s retirement from management, it’s just me for now and we will see about getting some other help. Even so, this should be far more manageable than the previous situation, in light of my real life circumstances.
Some views of the island:
Welcome home!
Posted in Second Life, properties
Moderna Loft, fits 512s
So I took a little break to create the first of the new houses coming out for the Relay For Life Home and Gardens Expo.
Enter Moderna: a spacious, low prim loft designed to fit 512s. Moderna clocks in at 18 prims, without teleporters, leaving plenty of prims for decorating. A teleporter is included. Moderna is designed in light, cool blue colors with modern glass doors and windows and Aspen blocked wood flooring. Touch tint and locking doors are standard. The footprint is 13×26, plus an extra 2m for the steps. Moderna is modifiable and comes in both copiable and single versions.
Moderna will debut at the RFL Expo on May 2.
Posted in Second Life, prefabs
The primary thing eating my attention span is the update to HippoRent and its plugins for the doors, security and windows. I’m about 30% complete. I will take a break in order to make the new houses for the RFL expo, but it will be done in the next week.
Posted in Second Life, admin
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