Chez Mereille

Ok The scripting projects I've been working on are done, delivered and paid for. I have some time to myself again.

But now is the big question...why should I even bother writing this blog? Is it just to pat myself on the back and say..hey look at me? Is it to keep a diary that I can look back on to remember? Most good blogs have a purpose. I don't know what mine is yet.

But I promised a report on my house shopping! So here goes...

I knew that I couldn't build my own house. When it comes to building I can't even make two prims to rub together!

So the best place to start seemed to be the freebies out there. A quick trip to Yadni's Junkyard resulted in literally hundreds of buildings to wade through. I did find several designs that I liked. But, many of the freebies are unfinished. They lack doors, or other things that would need added. I wanted a turnkey home.
How to find good homes? My first step was to take a gander around the neighborhood. If I saw something I liked, I could see the creator. As luck would have it, I saw this right next door!

Bill Stirling DesignsBill Stirling Designs is a nice place. He has worked on many high-profile builds in SL. He built the USS Galaxy cruiseliner! His main vendor has a variety of designs from a Japanese Teahouse all the way to a Castle.

I fell in love with this home...the Lady Stirling (850L$)! The main drawback is a lack of model homes to walk through. (Or at least I couldn't find them)
After this, to have some models to compare to, I hit the Classified search...term: House :D

AE IndustriesAE Industries is a nicely laid out place. At the arrival spot is a large board listing the styles available. Clicking on the picture will take you to the model home. Each home has a sign with the important information (footprint, prims, features)
Most offerings are for larger plots. Some are very nice.

GP HomesNext stop, GP Homes. Again some nice, clean designs. I did find navigating more difficult as there is no guide. You have to wander the land looking at the demo home. This home stood out to me. 20x25 footprint, it has a built in hot tub on the terrace. But at 140 prims, I just couldn't justify it.

Hydro HomesHydro Homes has to offer some of the most unique homes I have seen. Very high-tech, with sleek curved lines. Again, I found a design that I loved here. But these home are also fairly high on the prim count. The 1024 sized homes would be much better suited to a larger lot.

IO HomesIO Homes has a selection of small footprint homes with very low prim count. The designs are all open concept, with clean lines and textures. This 30x30 villa is only 67 prims, and comes furnished! (all for only 699$L!)

Blue PearlBlue Pearl's designs tend toward the island feel. The layout is mixed. Several model homes are layed out around the land. There is also an auto-rez vendor with additional designs. While most designs are for larger plots, there were a few worth looking at in my size range.

Ta-Da!Ultimately, the choice was very difficult. There are many, many fine house builders out there. I am sorry that I couldn't cover them all in this blog. I couldn't believe how difficult this decision was. Finally, I picked a design from Blue Pearl. The working chimney I think was the final selling point.
Here it is! Home Sweet Home! Now to furnish it. (Aargh!)