How To: Functional Exposed Basement

The kind of basement we've always wanted. One that you can put windows on, one that doesn't need a wall to hide a slope, one that is still a foundation and allows the house to be raised.


I didn't add instructions to the video as I have absolutely no software to do such a thing, so try to pause it as you follow along. I will probably make a video tomorrow with, mayyyyybe, a voice over and real-time building, instead of "redo" like I did here. As of right now I'm just excited about it and wanted to show off ASAP. I'm gonna feel like an idiot if this is already known information. :P

It really isn't that hard. What you are doing is placing floating floor tiles over a basement poking out of the ground.

The video starts at step 6, the first 5 are very simple. Just build a basement on raised land until you get one that is exposed enough for whatever window you are using. I have a bit of an issue with outside stairs, as you will see, this is because my foundation is a bit awkward and so the stairs couldn't reach the ground properly.

(The Video name and description may not be updated yet, sorry)



What you will be doing: Building a basement on raised land, flattening the land around it so that it looks like a foundation, and adding floor tiles so that you can build a house on top.

1. Raise the land a few clicks.
2. Put a basement
3. Using Constrainfloorelevation False, flatten the land.
4. Go to the basement and, using moveobjects on, place privacy windows
5. Check. Are they visible from the outside? You're good. No? Try again. delete the basement, raise the land some more.
6. Once it's good, build your basement and flatten the land again.
7. Put a foundation next to the exposed wall of your basement.
8. The foundation must be shorter than the basement wall. If it is, place a small bump of land to raise the foundation to match the basement wall.
9. Once the foundation is at the right height, matched perfectly with the basement wall, build it around the perimeter of the basement.
10. Use the tiles around the edge of the foundation to place floor OVER your basement
11. There will be gaps in the center that can't be tiled. Place a foundation piece in those, and add more floor. Delete the foundation, and add floor where it was(since there's floor around where it was, you can now place floor there)
12. Repeat until the entire thing has floor.
13. Build walls on the floor
14. Remove floor for stairs
15. Place stairs

Edit: You can NOT make one at the exact height as a foundation. This sucks, but it's unavoidable. If it is foundation height, the stairs refuse to go through to the basement, and instead will just stop at the ground. If it's more than foundation height, they are FORCED to be longer than "one tile", and will go straight through to the basement. :\ This is why the foundation has to be raised up before placing tiles, and why the basement wall has to stick out one click higher than a foundation. If anybody finds a workaround for that, it'd be great.
 Ask for help if you need to. :D