Sims 4 is an incredibly popular life simulation game where players can control their Sims lives. While many Sims 4 players focus on in-game leveling up and relationships for their Sims, a big part of the game’s appeal is building. Sims 4 allows virtually endless customization, so players can build homes of architectural splendor – be it a sprawling mansion or cozy cottage.
Lofts have been one of the sought-after features for a while in the game. While half elevated second floors are relatively simple to carry out, ladders were introduced much later in the game: forcing all lofts to be accessed through a staircase. Lofts can also be tricky when interior designing since the roof tiles tend to get into the way of a cross-section view.
Here’s a complete guide on how to make a loft in Sims 4 using the platform tool and decorate it in the Industrial Loft style, so your Sims can live in a Brooklyn-style studio apartment.
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How to Build a Loft in Sims 4 from Scratch
Here’s how to build a loft from scratch in Sims 4.
Step 1: Choose Area Lots
If you’re building a house from scratch, you’ll need to lay the blueprint and decide the shape of your home. While adding an extra floor to an existing house is always possible, you’ll get a much better result if you account for the loft while building the house from scratch.
Pick the size and shape of your house while keeping in mind the part of the house where you want to build a loft. Make sure that your dimensions are wide enough to accommodate an extra room on the side, so it doesn’t get too congested. You can choose any type of shape for the house, but there should be enough space for rooms on the first floor.
Step 2: Enter Build Mode
Once you’ve laid out the correct sized lot, it’s time to build your house. Once you’ve entered build mode, start using the Room tool so that you can construct rooms where you see fit on the first floor. It’s a good idea to layout the first-floor rooms correctly before you can build the elevated room. According to your loft preferences, make sure you account for space for a ladder or stairs.
You can also choose to omit the room walls if you’re trying to create a studio apartment-style house and simply demarcate space for a kitchen and living area. However, it’s probably a good idea to build walls for a bathroom!
Step 3: Creating an Elevated Second Floor
Now that your first floor has taken shape and you’ve created rooms and walls, it’s time to create the loft. There’s no option to simply add an elevated room, so you’ll have to first build a second floor.
You can do this by clicking on the ‘Up’ button in the top right corner. You’ll now have a second floor on your house identical to the first floor.
Create a room that is the size and shape of your loft. Try to make it a half or third of the second floor instead of an isolated room since it’s easier to construct minimal walls.
Now, select the part of the second floor that you want to demolish. You’ll have to select all the areas on the second floor except the loft you just built.
Once you’ve done this, remove the flooring for the selected area. Now, you’ll only have a Loft standing on the second floor and empty space everywhere else.
Step 4: Demolish Second Floor Walls
Your house has an elevated room on the second floor, but it’s not really a Loft until it’s visible. You want to be able to see up into the room when you’re on the first floor, so you’ll have to remove the walls for this.
Select the walls of the loft and remove them. You should now have only a floating floor, making the elevated loft on the second floor.
The last step is to build a ladder so that your Sim can get up to the loft, but it’s still a safety hazard with no walls. Instead of walls, you can build a short fence, so your Sim doesn’t fall over. Remember to leave some space in the fence to build a ladder or staircase later.
Step 5: Build a Ladder and Decorate your Loft
Now that you’ve got your loft suspended in the air let’s create a way for your Sim to travel up there. Ladders are the best idea for lofts since they take up minimal space and suit the Industrial apartment aesthetic. You can also build a staircase, but it tends to look more like a half-second floor rather than a loft.
Once you’ve built a ladder, your loft is completely ready. You can now start decorating your loft by adding a window and furniture. If you’re building a studio apartment, you’ll want to convert the Loft area into your Sim’s bedroom. You can accordingly add a bed and other bedroom furnishings here.
How to Build a Loft on Multi-Level Roof Houses
Building a Loft can be relatively straightforward when the roof is leveled. However, in houses such as the multi-level farmer house, A-shaped roofs can get in the way and make building difficult.
When building a house from scratch, a Loft can be built easily without any glitches. However, constructing a new floor on an existing house can cause problems since the roof is already built. Not to worry, here are a few ways you can work around this hiccup.
Building lofts on Flat-roofed houses
If you’re constructing a loft on a fully-constructed house, you’ll often see that the roof disappears once you remove the second-floor walls.
Here’s a simple way to override the problem. Before demolishing the walls of your loft, make sure you build a picket fence around the periphery of the Loft walls. It will look strange at first but is quickly rectified.
Now that the fence is built demolish the walls around the loft. Since you’ve built a fence already, the roof doesn’t collapse and remains the way it is.
You can now shift the fence to the correct position at the edge of the room or even swap it out for a different one.
Building lofts on Gable roofed houses (A-shape roofs)
Gable roofs can be a challenging architectural hiccup. Players often notice that the edges of the roof tiles poke into the Loft walls.
This happens because the roof was constructed before the loft was constructed. Usually, this doesn’t happen when building a house from scratch.
Here’s how to work around it. Click on the Gable roof and then select the four arrows on the edges of the roof. You can now adjust the roof’s pitch, which will allow you to make the roof steeper or a more gradual slope. Adjust it until it sits appropriately on the Loft ceiling without poking into the walls.
Here’s a pro-tip: make sure you only install lights on the second floor. This can be either on the Loft ceiling or a chandelier, and you can also construct a skylight through the roof.
Installing lights on the first floor will float in mid-air since you have previously demolished the first-floor ceiling while creating the elevated roof. Now that you know how to build a loft in Sims 4 check out our guide on how to build a house in Sims 4 for more interior design tips and tricks.
