what's this? a challenge? why, yes! I hereby present to you . . .
Candlelightisland’s Make A House A Home Challenge!
Let's get straight into it, shall we? Details, rules, suggestions and general chatter under the cut. If you end up playing with this challenge, please feel free to tag me or use the #makeahouseahomechallenge, I would love to see your gameplay! <333
Hello there!
Congratulations! Or perhaps, sorry about that! You’ve inherited your late great-aunt Elspeth’s farmhouse - a creaky, dusty, overgrown old place that kind of smells weird. Once a vibrant homestead, this place is now barely habitable: broken plumbing, cracked paint, spiders in the cupboards and rotting fruitcake is all you find there.
With §0 to your name and no job to rely on, you must work the land, master your skills, and slowly restore the house - room by room - as you rebuild the family legacy and bring life to the empty rooms. I hope you brought a mop - you’re going to need it.
Rules:
Move into an abandoned, completely unfurnished farmhouse. This farmhouse can be any style, size and price, so long as it has at least one space each for a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, living room and attic/study, as well as outdoor space for an animal shed/chicken coop and crop garden. Apart from that, you have free reign here.
After moving in, set household funds to §0 (use console commands or UI Cheats mod for this).
No careers. You may not join full-time or part-time jobs. Income must come from: Odd jobs (Island Living)/Selling crafted/grown items/Market stalls/Foraging, fishing, dumpster diving, etc
Start out in the garden. Before setting funds to §0, purchase a tent, cooler, fire pit/cheap barbeque, and a bush (or off-the-grid toilet). Alternatively, use the Natural Living system from Enchanted by Nature to live completely wild.
Renovate parts of the house only when the relevant level is completed.
You must live on the same lot for the whole challenge. Great-Aunt Elspeth worked hard for this dusty piece of garbage, you better stay there.
Aging optional (I always play with aging off, but it’s up to you!)
Marriage/children optional. If you do choose to marry, that Sim cannot bring any funds with them when they join the household and cannot have a conventional job either. You can work together to complete the goals!
Suggested Traits:
For Your Sim:
Loves Outdoors
Loner (because who are you going to be speaking to, exactly?)
Creative or Maker
Green Fiend (Eco Lifestyle)
Animal Enthusiast (Cottage Living)
Frugal (trust me bro)
For the Lot:
Simple Living (Cottage Living – required after Level 2)
Off the Grid (for the early levels)
Great Soil (City Living)
Homey
Grody (City Living, optional for a bit of added early difficulty)
Suggested Aspirations:
Country Caretaker (Cottage Living)
Freelance Botanist
Master Maker (Eco Lifestyle)
Curator
Outdoor Enthusiast (Outdoor Retreat, for rags-to-riches/forest survival vibes)
Note: these aspirations can be completed alongside the challenge goals, or ignored completely! That’s up to you.
Suggested Mods:
Mods are not required for this challenge at all, however, there are a couple that I recommend to make your experience a little smoother/more engaging!
Lumpinou’s Personal Lists
Lumpinou’s Talents and Weaknesses
Midnitetech’s Odd Jobs Megapack
Kuttoe’s Home Regions and Townie Demographics
Level 1: Rootbound Beginnings
You arrive at the crumbling farmhouse with a will in your pocket, a backpack on your shoulder, and the creak of rotting floorboards behind every gust of wind. The garden is wild, there’s no furniture, and you haven’t got so much as a simoleon to your name. It’s not a home, but it will be! Until then, you must live in the yard, survive off the land, and find your first source of income.
Goals:
Earn §1,000 via any allowed methods
Reach Gardening Level 3
Reach Natural Living level 3 (Enchanted by Nature)
Complete 3 Odd Jobs (Island Living)
Plant and grow at least 3 garden plants
Forage or fish successfully at least 5 times
Unlock:
The Bedroom! Go you, now you don’t have to sleep on the floor! So proud of you. You can now furnish and sleep inside one room of the house - you can do whatever your simoleons allow in this room. Walls, floors, furniture, clutter - it’s all fair-game.
Level 2: Fruits of Your Labour
Well done! You’ve carved a small space inside the ruins. Now it’s time to nourish yourself properly. The garden begins to respond to your care. You dream of hot soup, baking pies, and finally using an actual stove!
Goals:
Reach Gardening Level 5
Reach Level 3 in any crafting skill (and sell the crafts)!
Have at least §3,000 in your household funds
Complete 5 more Odd Jobs
Participate in 1 Finchwick Fair (Cottage Living)
Purchase and maintain 1 animal shed or chicken coop (Cottage Living)
Unlock:
The Kitchen! You may now fully renovate and furnish the kitchen, including a fridge, stove, counters, and dining space.
Additionally:
Must use Simple Living lot trait going forward
Only cook with ingredients you’ve grown, caught, or foraged
Level 3: Running Water, Rising Hope
Okay then! You’re living inside now, but showers are still a luxury and the smell of compost lingers. You dream of soap. Warm water. Privacy. Let’s make that dream real, shall we?
Goals:
Reach Handiness Level 3
Bathe in a lake or hot spring 5 times
Complete 7 more Odd Jobs
Have at least §5,000 in your household funds
Unlock:
The Bathroom! One full bathroom can now be renovated - bath, shower, sink, toilet, whatever! You may also upgrade it as your skills allow.
Level 4: The Homemaker’s Handiwork
You finally feel stable enough to decorate, to stitch, to craft. This is your space now - not just a shelter, but a reflection of your hard work and dedication. Time to make it beautiful.
Goals:
Reach Level 5 in any two of the following skills: Painting, Knitting, Flower Arranging, Fabrication, Cross-Stitch, or any other crafting skill that I’ve forgotten about
Have at least §7,000 in your household funds
Unlock:
The Living Room/Sitting Area! Make it cozy. Add comfort, beauty, and clutter! Also unlocks the Homey Lot Trait!
Optional Add-ons:
Set up a stall at the Eco Lifestyle Marketplace or San Myshuno Flea Market
Win a Crafting Contest at Finchwick Fair
Level 5: The Working Farm
The fields are green again. The animals trust you. You’ve restored life to the land, and it rewards you in eggs, wool, and the steady rhythm of rural days.
Goals:
Reach Gardening Level 7
Own at least 4 farm animals
Participate in 2 more Finchwick Fairs
Enter and win 1 ribbon at a Fair
Have at least §10,000 in your household funds
Unlock:
The Garden + Exterior Upgrades - fences, landscaping, porches, animal shelters, planters, bee boxes, etc.
Optional Add-ons:
Grow and harvest a Perfect quality crop
Try out growing some oversized crops! (Cottage Living)
Level 6: Fix-Her-Up
Your great-aunt’s tools are rusting in the shed - but not for long. The time has come to restore functionality, not just aesthetics. This house should work as hard as you do.
Install and use eco-upgrades (Eco Lifestyle: water collector, solar panel, dew collector)
Have at least §15,000 in your household funds
Unlock:
Utility upgrades! You may now modernise your home: add laundry, solar panels, appliances, storage sheds, greenhouses, etc.
Optional Add-ons:
Switch from Off-the-Grid to Eco-Friendly Tech
Participate in a Neighborhood Action Plan or Eco Inspector Visit
Level 7: The Attic & The Archive
The attic groans with secrets. You uncover trunks, journals, family portraits - forgotten bits of Elspeth’s life. Her story is tangled with yours. It's time to preserve the legacy.
Goals:
Reach Logic OR Research & Debate Level 5
Write a biography
Create a shrine/memory area (photos, urns, heirlooms)
Unlock:
The Attic, Office, or Study! Reflect your Sim’s family journey. Make space for the past.
Optional Add-ons:
Host a Holiday Gathering or Dinner Party
Begin a legacy scrapbook or photo collection
Level 8: Legacy Restored
Well, you’ve done it! The farmhouse is no longer just a shell - it’s a home. And now it’s time to perfect it, hone it and share it with those you love.
Goals:
Have at least §20,000 in household funds
Host 3 home events (dinner party, wedding, fair, et cetera)
Reach Level 10 in any two skills
Unlock:
Full House Access! You may now renovate any remaining spaces, build a greenhouse, add a second floor, convert a barn, etc. You have free reign of the whole property. You are now the steward of a fully restored family homestead, and have completed the Make A House A Home Challenge!
Rating ways in which Cairo is currently earning money and was able to furnish his kitchen 👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾
Gardening - Daily income that ensures he has food to eat AND the rest can be sold for profit. Unfortunately growing realistic plants he needs with limited space so we don't have op plants like dragon fruit :/ (8/10)
Chickens- Currently only has one (Kevil) cause they are so hard to maintain. 1-2 eggs per day but cleaning the coop gives fertiliser that he can use on his crops and when he's super happy he lays golden eggs (7/10)
Gnome crafting - Currently at level 6 handiness so crafting Gnomes and selling them for a 100% markup at the Henford community Market (10/10)
Prairie grass - Found a random £2000 nectar bottle once and sold it on Plopsy for a profit but apart from that gives us poo and horse feed but we have no horse…. (5/10)
Errands - These people are robbing me blind. Wdym I give you TWELVE eggs that takes me weeks to collect cause I have one measly chicken and you give me barely £200…. In this economy???? (4/10)
Apothecary- Can’t speak for the career as haven’t joined it yet but you’re telling me the actual cures are only worth max £9…. I’m here creating LIFE SAVING ELIXIRS and can’t even sell them for a decent price… ig bro (0/10)
vaporwave
yousharknotpass
