Modular houses - building tips & inspirations

[TheOrcKing]

Inspired after reading siddji's topic of Best Site for MOC Modular step by step creations?, I thought it would be a good idea to have a topic listing some great resources to not only help anyone wanting to design their own modular style houses but also inspire a few ideas as well. Anyway, I came across this simple guide from Eurobricks listing the basics of how to generally get started.

How-To: Modular Buildings
by Aliencat

We regularly see each other at meetings and bring along a construction or two of our own. An ideal standard for combining buildings is the so-called Café Corner Modular Standard (or CCMS for short). Now if you don't own a Cafe Corner, Green Grocer, etcetera, how do you know what rules to follow when making your building fit in with the rest? I will describe the CCMS as applied in Lego's sets and as applied by many fans. There are basically two types of building in this standard.

1. Straight sections

Generally speaking every baseplate is 32 studs deep. The width is variable with straight buildings, always being a multiple of 8 studs. A common used width is 16 studs wide. The connection points, pavement, walls, etcetera, will then have the following sizes:

Whether your building is 8 or 64 studs wide, the sizes in depth are always the same. That way the Technic bricks with a hole will always align and allow for the buildings to be attached to one another through the use of Technic pins.

2. Corner buildings

In the case of a corner building, you are dealing with two connecting points at a 90 degree angle of each other. Therefore, your baseplate will always have to be 32 x 32 studs. Of course you can make the full building larger by attaching straight buildings forming a continuous whole at either side but the corner module must be 32 x 32:

3. Variation in depth sizes

If you look at a real-life (old) street, you will see that not all buildings align in a perfectly straight line: some jut out a bit while others fall a little further back. If you put a number of CCMS buildings in a row, this method of alignment will give you the best result. As long as you leave the Technic bricks in the right position for connecting, you're free to place your front and back wall at will. This might result in something like this:

Keep the variation in mind, because of your side wall. In some cases, part of your side wall will be visible. So if you were planning to omit your side wall, or make one out of all the colors you won't be needing for the front and back walls, make sure that at least the edge of the side wall that juts out is made of a color that fits with the rest of the building.

I myself always build an entire side wall if I know the building is going to end up in a combined layout with other builders because you don't quite know what will end up next to you. For all you know you might end up next to a construction side, leaving your side wall entirely exposed.

4. Height

The last point I wish to address is height. In terms of height, you are basically free to do whatever you want. Make it as tall or as low as you wish. One floor 6 bricks high, eight floors 12 bricks high each, everything is possible. Do keep in mind though, that if you're making a very tall building, your side walls will definitely be visible. So make it into something exciting featuring windows or something, so it's not just one boring, flat wall. Do take care that you won't have anything protruding over the edges, since you may not know how high the building next to yours might be.

Variation in height is another reason to build side walls in a matching color when your creation will end up in a combined layout: the building next to yours might be very low and you won't know ahead of time.

Resources:

• Eurobricks
• Brickhamster

[Darth Lego]

I saw this and I thought it looked pretty accurate in comparison to the real building. Do any of you like building MOCs that resemble real places like this one? Link to the article. (More pictures.)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/toorayay/sets/72157633018649078/

[TheOrcKing]

I saw this and I thought it looked pretty accurate in comparison to the real building. Do any of you like building MOCs that resemble real places like this one?

Link to the article. (More pictures.)

Even if you had not posted a picture of the real thing, that is just too cool! I would love to have that in my dream cityscape. I do like builds based on real world places and such about as much as fantasy ones. I really don't have a preference. If it's good, I love it. :)

[TheOrcKing]

Here's a modular designed by RedCoKid when he was in his 'blue' phase. Besides great usage of color (although being limited to basically blue), I love it for the fact that it is a residential home for once which is something you don't come across often much at all it seems.

 

Blue House by RedCoKid

[Rich B]

Here's a modular designed by RedCoKid when he was in his 'blue' phase. Besides great usage of color (although being limited to basically blue), I love it for the fact that it's a residential home for once! Don't come across those often if at all.

Design by: RedCoKid

Name: Blue House

That's a really cool looking home, love this!

[TheOrcKing]

Here's another modular that's pretty dang big. It's a Barnes & Noble bookstore with a Starbucks on the top floor. There's also a CUUSOO page to support.

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/48028607@N08/sets/72157632908665430/

Barnes & Noble/Starbucks Building by wooootles

[Rich B]

Here's another modular that's pretty dang big! It's a Barnes & Noble bookstore with a Starbucks on the top floor!

There's also a CUUSOO page to support!

Design by: wooootles

Name: Barnes & Noble/Starbucks Building

CUUSOO Project

Holy impressive!!! This is amazing! This should be part of the Lego modular line. This is seriously one of the best custom modular buildings I've seen yet.

[TheOrcKing]

Holy impressive!!! This is amazing! This should be part of the Lego modular line. This is seriously one of the best custom modular buildings I've seen yet.

FOR REAL! This would look amazing right beside the Grand Emporium.

[Rich B]

Holy impressive!!! This is amazing! This should be part of the Lego modular line. This is seriously one of the best custom modular buildings I've seen yet.

FOR REAL! This would look amazing right beside the Grand Emporium.

Absolutely dude! This set definitely needs to be made! I'd be in line to purchase it the day it was released ;)

[comicblast]

Here's another modular that's pretty dang big! It's a Barnes & Noble bookstore with a Starbucks on the top floor!

There's also a CUUSOO page to support!

Design by: wooootles

Name: Barnes & Noble/Starbucks Building

CUUSOO Project

Amazingly accurate, would go with the Modular line, plus I really like the street lights!

[Darth Lego]

Here's another modular that's pretty dang big! It's a Barnes & Noble bookstore with a Starbucks on the top floor!

There's also a CUUSOO page to support!

Design by: wooootles

Name: Barnes & Noble/Starbucks Building

CUUSOO Project

That is sweet. It is very accurate and it would definitely "fit in" with the other Lego modulars. I like that little Lego section on the first floor. (:

[TheOrcKing]

That is sweet. It is very accurate and it would definitely "fit in" with the other Lego modulars. I like that little Lego section on the first floor. (: Yeah I geeked out a little at that too! Heh heh.

[Rich B]

Amazingly accurate, would go with the Modular line, plus I really like the street lights!

Yeah I love the hanging stop light!

[TheOrcKing]

Here is another amazing building by snaillad. I have been following him for a while now and always been impressed with the way how his buildings are very true to the time period each is based around. Plus just nice to look at. A trippy feature with this particular one is it opens up like a storybook similar to the Haunted House.

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/52656812@N04/sets/72157632724824993/

Avenue Saint-Jacques by snaillad

[TheOrcKing]

Check out this sweet modular Bookshop by kevin8 on flickr & Eurobricks.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevin8/sets/72157632430341953/

[Guest eightbrick]

Oh yeah I saw that one. I love MOCed modulars... I hope they do another Modular Madness event

[TheOrcKing]

Oh yeah I saw that one. I love MOCed modulars... I hope they do another Modular Madness event

Me, too. I love MOCs and modulars so put them together for insta-win! Well, here are a couple of Friends themed ones I came across.

Heartlake Hotel by spacecolonel

http://www.flickr.com/photos/spacecolonel/sets/72157634680947969/

Cafe Modular by Jotabeeeeeee

Cupcake Cafe by roger brickjet

And here is the first Friends related modular I ever saw by kjw010.

Emma's Place

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kjw010/sets/72157634019582348/

Andrea's Place (also kjw010)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kjw010/sets/72157635208645396/

[TheOrcKing]

Funny I found this because I was just thinking the other day what would the Cafe Corner look like in a different color or (jokingly) perhaps as a Friends set? Well, whatever the reason, enjoy the 'pinkitude' and cuteness of the "Lovely Hotel".

 

Here is the page on LegoGenre for this special MOC.

The builder's original page and brickshelf gallery.

[@rtisan]

It`s perfect! That is quite an impressive version of the Cafe Corner. Thanks for sharing! 

[Rich B]

Thanks TOK!!  That's sweet looking!

[dabbot]

Wow impressive...The time and $ it must of taken 

[Anakinisvader]

I think its a brothel.  I could have sworn I saw the Madame and I think Woody is trying to pick one of them up in the last picture.

[TheOrcKing]

Here is snaillad's latest creation, the Monde Cinema!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/52656812@N04/sets/72157638125748846/

[@rtisan]

Ok that cinema is epic!! Wow. Perfect colour scheme and excellent design. Very, very well done. Thanks for sharing that one!

[matrosov]

I'm salivating over snaillads Avenue Saint-Jacques.  Instructions are on ebay for $30 which is a gimme considering that this MOC is 13 thousand bricks.  This goes on my xmas list for next year.