Tutorials / View Tutorial
By Cyclonesue on Jul 14, 2009 • A Million and One Roof Heights! (Beginners+)
Do you miss the individualroofslopeangle cheat of Sims 2? Well, after this you won't, because this method is MUCH simpler and anyone can do it! It's EASY to add multiple roof heights to your lots...
The Golden Rule is remembering that the roof height slider can ONLY change visible roofs!
This is ALL you need to know!
But how do we make some roofs invisible?
We can delete them temporarily! Deleted roof pieces cannot be resized - they are no longer visible! Once we've done all our roof tweaking, we UNDO the delete and hey presto! Roofs of different heights!
Here's how in detail...
First, build a house that will need a few different roofs. My house will need 3 roofs and its size is as follows:
- a 6 x 6 tile main room
- a 3 x 4 tile outhouse on the side
- a 2 x 3 tile dormer upstairs
Size is totally unimportant. I only included the above for anyone who prefers following step-by-step.
Now add some roofs to each room.
I've used a gable roof for the main building and upstairs dormer, and a half gable roof for the outhouse. End result = mess! Oh well! With a million and one roof heights at our disposal, we don't care about that any more!
The default mess!
With the default roof heights, the main roof is too low for the dormer roof, and the outhouse roof has gone bananas! This is what normally happens - especially with smaller buildings. Happily, we can put it all right very easily!
I'm going to tackle the outhouse roof first. So that the roof slider doesn't change the other roofs too, I need to remove them first...
DELETE THE MAIN AND DORMER ROOFS with the delete mallet (shown on the right). Deleted roofs won't change when we adjust the outhouse roof!
You should then be left with outhouse roof (below).
Use the roof slider to lower your visible roof.
Outhouses and porches usually have low-angled roofs, so I've chosen a fairly low height. The deleted roofs have been excluded from all this action. Only the outhouse roof is lowered.
Without other roofs present, adjusting a single roof can be trial and error - and a whole lot of guesswork! However, if any roof is not right, simply repeat these steps, leaving visible only the roofs you need to change.
You can leave more than one roof visible at a time; just remember that the roof slider affects ALL visible roofs!
Time to raise the dead!
Yes, we now need to bring back our deleted roofs! Click the UNDO button (shown on the right) for every roof you deleted. I deleted 2 roofs, so I shall click the UNDO button twice.
Notice how the UNDO button doesn't undo the new roof height of our outhouse roof? My outhouse is a much better height, but the other two roofs were untouched.
Remember: the roof slider only
changes visible roofs!
See? It pays to remember the Golden Rule!
Now for the main roof!
This time, I DON'T want to resize the outhouse, so I shall delete it. I'm also happy with the dormer roof height, so I shall delete that too. The ONLY roof I want to change is the main roof, and so this is the only roof left visible.
Make this roof taller. As said, there is guesswork, but you're aiming to make this roof taller than the dormer roof.
When you've done, click UNDO to bring back your deleted roofs again.
Your finished roof!
We started out with an unusable set of roof sections, but by adjusting each individually, we now have three different roof heights and the cottage looks much improved!
And there you have it!
Because the roof height slider can only change visible roofs, we can hide any roofs we don't want to change by temporarily deleting them. In the croft cottage below, I ended up deleting 9 roof pieces in order to tweak one on its own. As long as you keep track of how many roof deletions you've made, ANY number of individual roofs is possible!
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112 Comment(s) posted so far
On Jul 17, 2009 manuke wrote:
thanks most helpful
On Jul 18, 2009 rendermenow wrote:
OMG! Thank you times a million!!! And it's so easy too! I'm off to go build me house! You rock!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! 
On Jul 18, 2009 pat350 wrote:
You rock ! it very cool
On Jul 18, 2009 EffieSue wrote:
3 words'll do it --- "YOU ARE GREAT"
On Jul 19, 2009 tiptippster wrote:
In looking for your "chimney cheat", I discovered this tutorial as well. This is a most straightforward tutorial I have seen on this subject. Now I can FINALLY figure out how to create mu "dream" Georgian / Dutch Colonial Behemoth. Brilliant as always.
On Jul 19, 2009 My_Creed@walla.co.il wrote:
that will help in those kind of houses i will use it anytime im building a house like that one
thank u
On Jul 20, 2009 KiwiChristine wrote:
Amazing and Astounding! I read, I understood and I'm now off to fix those darn roofs that have been annoying me.
Thank You!
On Jul 20, 2009 senemm wrote:
Thx so much!!! You're great
and it's so easy
On Jul 20, 2009 Irish Pride wrote:
Thank you very much for this tut, Very informational and easy to follow!
On Jul 21, 2009 katana wrote:
VERY simple and useful tutorial! I was just lamenting the inability to make roofs of different heights. Thank you!
On Jul 21, 2009 darkfey wrote:
Your tutorials are really very beautifully presented. Very clear, step by step and useful. Thank you and I hope to see more from you. xx
On Jul 21, 2009 MamaSim2002 wrote:
That is uber amazing! I have always had trouble getting roofs to look right. Thank you for the great tutorial!
BTW, I want that cottage!
On Jul 21, 2009 keaddy wrote:
Thank you so much for writing this! Now I can finally get my roofs the way I want them.
On Jul 22, 2009 mauschen wrote:
wow, that really is simple. thanks !
On Jul 25, 2009 RosyMama wrote:
Totally awesome! Thanks!
On Jul 25, 2009 wonderobelisk wrote:
This is very classy.
It would be really annoying though if EA changed this in future expanisions.
On Jul 27, 2009 clare030182 wrote:
I normally end up with horrible roofs just because I didn't know what to do to fix it. This is just an "AMAZING" and "ASTOUNDING" guide and I'm all ready to go and fix mine now. Thankyou so much!!!
On Aug 2, 2009 SerinVal wrote:
Knowing the 'Golden Rule', now I will probably be more into building than before. I can't believe its just so simple! I had been wondering if you could change the roof heights individually. So any more possibilities are now open! Thank you so much for this tutorial!
On Aug 4, 2009 glowilliams wrote:
Thank you for taking the time to write this, I was having a terrible time with a roof last night, now I am going to try it again!
On Aug 7, 2009 vpcarson wrote:
this is very nice
On Aug 7, 2009 nic_thom9 wrote:
So simple i couldn't figure this out, thank you sooooooooo much!!! I wondered how this was done and was oh so jealous of those that had figured it out. Thanks
On Aug 11, 2009 _*sandy*_ wrote:
Wow, I love this, I always had trouble with my roofs. Now I can finally make them look pretty ^^.
On Aug 12, 2009 vigi.limi wrote:
This really was most illuminating. Thanks!
On Aug 13, 2009 ad27 wrote:
Thanks! Cleared up all my misunderstandings
On Aug 18, 2009 dancbauer wrote:
Thank you so very much... the default was driving me crazy, you've added so much to my game play!
On Aug 18, 2009 caridina wrote:
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you
You are fantastic.
On Aug 24, 2009 xXHomecomingXx wrote:
Phew... thanks!! I hate to not know how to make goodlooking roofs!
On Aug 24, 2009 ataylor69 wrote:
This is great! Thanks so much for making this tutorial!
I was getting very frustrated 
On Aug 29, 2009 Sandun wrote:
Thanks very much for this clear tutorial. I wouldn't have thought about that myself, ever. I've tried all kinds of things before, always with the same ugly and frustrating results. This golden rule is so simple that even I can do it. So, thank you very, very much!
On Aug 31, 2009 chandralea wrote:
thnx...very helpful, and btw good simple tutorial. =)
On Sep 1, 2009 nicketti wrote:
Aha! Now I know why my dormers were not coming out like I wanted. Yeah for you.
On Sep 2, 2009 daybreaker82 wrote:
*kisses your feet* THANK YOU! I've been struggling with trying to get that to work for weeks now, and hooray it works! You are astounding hehe.
On Sep 4, 2009 Jaellra wrote:
Thank you very much, good instructions, easy to follow!
On Sep 5, 2009 babajayne wrote:
Thank you so much!
On Sep 8, 2009 Po wrote:
I had read another tute on this, but for some reason it had just said to "undo the roofs" which of course made no sense because the redo action would nullify the angle adjustment. The sledge hammer makes much more sense now, so thank you very much for being so precise!
On Sep 9, 2009 KimsSims wrote:
Thank you! Love the Golden Rule. Easy to remember and a very valuable tool.
On Sep 18, 2009 chasy wrote:
Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow!!! Seriously!! I downloaded your farm a while ago and my sims have been living on it forEVER (although, one of their daughters really hates the farm life and is desperate for a flat in the city). I was totally admiring your roofs and last night - NO JOKE - I was lying in bed trying to figure out how you could've made the barn roof look like a barn roof. I literally STUMBLED on this tutorial today, thanks to the TSR newsletter and it's wiki link. This is SO cool and I CAN NOT wait to put my newfound knowledge to work!! This is seriously AWESOME! I think this is probably one of the more awesome things I've learned about Sims 3!
Excellent tutorial and thank you so much for taking the time to put it together. Really. I'm embarrassed at how excited I am about this. LOL
Also, I just want to say, your sense of humor really comes through in this tutorial and that made it a lot of fun to read.
On Sep 18, 2009 GreenEyeLady wrote:
Ahhh, I feel much better about my roofs now. And feel fairly silly, how simplistic. Thanks for the tutorial, really!
On Sep 26, 2009 shebale wrote:
Thank you so much!!!! I love different roof heights!!
On Sep 27, 2009 Yngven93 wrote:
Love your tutorial <3<3 Thank u so so much!!
On Sep 28, 2009 ElronsElfee wrote:
thank you so much for this tutorial - i´m really miss the individualroofslopeangle cheat
On Oct 1, 2009 perryfreya wrote:
`AMAZING` `ASTOUNDING` and one of my favorites `that is sooooo cool!` No seriously though, i think roofs are so hard to do but you make it sound so easy
On Oct 9, 2009 Nosan wrote:
Thankyou so much. I gave up on having more than one type of roof because I couldn't work out how to alter them individually.
On Oct 16, 2009 aloleng wrote:
This is very useful and thank you, it is astounding.
On Oct 19, 2009 ...Wow wrote:
this is great!!! any chance the roof colouring works the same way?...i doubt it but it would be great for multiple buildings on a single lot... THANKS!!!
On Oct 20, 2009 elise-vd wrote:
Thank you verry much!!! Now I can finally everything build what i want to build so long!!
On Oct 22, 2009 Andijvie wrote:
Thank you so very much! This is exactly what I was looking for!
On Oct 27, 2009 Ray3050 wrote:
finally i found the trick to this, i've seen so many houses in the sims with it
On Oct 27, 2009 HeidiGrrrl wrote:
Wow! Amazing! Astounding! LOL!
Very, very helpful. That was one thing I was very irritated with--the loss of individual roof slope angles.
On Nov 2, 2009 moonhunt wrote:
This is really amazing. Thank you.
On Nov 13, 2009 JandrOcresS wrote:
wOW
On Nov 18, 2009 Josette1807 wrote:
Thank you very much, this is so helpfull.
Josette
On Nov 27, 2009 tonya99rn wrote:
Thanks so much!
On Dec 30, 2009 simsjeanie wrote:
I've tried to change the roofhight with other tutorials, but I failed. Till I found this wonderful tutorial - so easy to understand, so easy to do - and so indispensable when you try to build homes (instead of cubes)!
After using it for several months now it's time to say a big fat THANK YOU!
I love your houses since the very first time I saw your little house over the small brook or the light house (sims2) and it was your creations I admired that I took the courage to try and use the building cheats.
A lot of hugs and kisses to you for your wonderful work!
On Jan 5, 2010 leobeta764 wrote:
this was very helpful, thanks!!!
On Jan 10, 2010 Celdinara wrote:
Amazing! Thanks so much, just what I was looking for.
On Jan 13, 2010 Foundations wrote:
Thank you for taking the time to write this tutorial for us. It is well written and easy to follow.
On Feb 14, 2010 Morticcia wrote:
Would it be too much to say I Love You?
On Mar 9, 2010 RaShCl wrote:
OMG this is a great tut on roofing , all the problems i had with roofing are gone now
Thx hope to see alot more tuts on anything and evrything :P
On Mar 9, 2010 YrS92 wrote:
Thank you, thank you, thank you million times, Sue, for this absolutely fabulous tutorial
On Mar 11, 2010 misselaineous wrote:
I knew there was a trick to it! I had noticed roofs of different heights on my lots, but I just couldn't figure it out. Leave it to you!!! Of course! You are always a GENIUS! Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge with the rest of us mere mortals. ;D
On Mar 13, 2010 disorderedmind wrote:
Oh it's so simple once you know how! Thank you for sharing your tutorial
On Mar 17, 2010 baterka wrote:
AMAZING and ASTOUNDING! I love this tutorial! Now I can Make a better looking barn! Thanks a lot!
On Mar 20, 2010 shante090 wrote:
I'm soooo glad that I've found your tutorial! It's awesome! Thank you very much!
On Mar 23, 2010 Oblio wrote:
Amazing! Well done for working this out.....thanks...x
On Apr 21, 2010 MissIlly666 wrote:
I was wondering how the hell different roof sizes came into picture. Thank you very much for this useful tip!
On Apr 23, 2010 Giggler wrote:
Well that was easy.
On Apr 23, 2010 Mangio wrote:
you make it look so much more easier than it might be
On Apr 23, 2010 kazzyc wrote:
Thank you!
On Apr 27, 2010 AndyOSW wrote:
Thank you so much, it's so simple!
On May 3, 2010 tammyt317 wrote:
Once again you have made something that seem impossible to do and made it really really easy. You are truly amazing.
And as always I love your work and now I am getting a kick out of your tutorials. Thank you 
I am going to try to make a real house now. See you around.
On May 4, 2010 Izzy456323 wrote:
This tutorial is epic! I thank you so much for making it
On May 5, 2010 arfa8788 wrote:
Wow you're a genius! Thanks! Its awesome
On May 8, 2010 truusje0105 wrote:
me likey!
On May 10, 2010 callumts3 wrote:
Very easy-to-follow tutorial, can't believe how simple you made it! "AMAZING!" "OUTSTANDING!"
On May 19, 2010 SundayEve wrote:
i just fell in love with you!
On May 29, 2010 Abby_12345 wrote:
Thank you : )
On Jun 6, 2010 HBallisonM wrote:
Thank you, this is very easy to follow and understand
Now I can finally finish up my french house with towers!!
On Jun 30, 2010 ImzDesigns wrote:
amazing!!!! thanks a lot!!!!!
On Jun 30, 2010 squidney wrote:
This was very helpful, thank you!
Btw, what siding did you use?
On Jul 9, 2010 shakaib36 wrote:
Splendid....u rock man
On Jul 13, 2010 ThreeSeventy wrote:
Wow this is so easy! I've always hated putting a roof on my house, because I never could get it just right. Thanks for this!
On Jul 14, 2010 FifthAce2007 wrote:
Of course the alternative of getting the expansion packs which adds this feature by default is a tad easier
On Aug 3, 2010 eladgam wrote:
you have no idea how many migraines you have saved me by creating this goldminel! i've also read the extremely helpful chimney tutorial - consider this Sims noob a new fan of yours
On Aug 29, 2010 fiery_wench wrote:
As always - you have outdone us all! Thank you - I needed this!
(Oh.. let me use the required words of 'Amazing' and 'Astounding' !!! )
On Nov 15, 2010 2freddie wrote:
Thats amazing! So simply, but who knew!! Thanks so much for sharing this.. Constructing homes will be much more enjoyable!!
On Nov 22, 2010 AstraMoon wrote:
wow, I wish I had known this BEFORE the individual height tweaker came along...lol This was quite an observation-good job on catching this!
On Dec 31, 2010 Jaydreamer wrote:
Oh thank you so much!
On Jan 2, 2011 teabag87 wrote:
Thank you so much for this amazing tutorial! I've been wanting to know for ages just how to make roof sections different heights (like so many of the houses I've seen on the The Sims Resourse)! I can't believe how simple the solution is! Thanks again!
On Jan 27, 2011 EclecticMuse wrote:
Thank you, this was a godsend! I'd been trying to do a roof section like the outhouse and it was giving me fits. This has been a huge help, thanks so much!
On Feb 6, 2011 mommiik wrote:
Thanks for this awesome tutorial. I have been fighting with roofs since I started playing. I hate the auto roof junk.
You're amazing!
On Mar 13, 2011 twest101 wrote:
This is awesome!!! Thank you!!!
On May 21, 2011 Tanyella wrote:
On Jul 25, 2011 zawiercie89 wrote:
Wow! Amazing! Thank you!
On Aug 1, 2011 oldmember_asimodious wrote:
Astoundingly amazing, he he. Thanks buddy, this helps alot and opens so many possibilities.
On Sep 1, 2011 PaigeyCakes wrote:
AGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
i think my brain may just elxplode with ecstaticness 
ive alwasy thought *hmmm wouldnt it be great if i could change the hieght of my roofs seperately* and now i can! you are amazing and astounding naturally
and now for my next wish ONE TRILLION DOLLARS MWAH HA HA HA
On Sep 2, 2011 Awellmax wrote:
Thanks a million!!!!!
On Sep 10, 2011 Cadhleigh wrote:
Oh my gosh, now I can totally make a replica of my grandmother's house with the help of this ASTOUNDING tut! You are just AMAZING! Brilliant, fantastic, molto bene!
On Sep 12, 2011 zawiercie89 wrote:
On Sep 23, 2011 greentea_mint wrote:
yayyy
On Oct 4, 2011 SimonettaC wrote:
I was just going through all the tutorials, and i couldn't believe i had not left a thankyou for this fab tutorial. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this Sue. xx
On Oct 21, 2011 0olalao0 wrote:
On Oct 28, 2011 mica42ar wrote:
mi piace!! devo provarlo!! Graziel mille!!!
Thank you!! Is a great tutorial!!
On Oct 29, 2011 sims 3 creator wrote:
Thank you,it's so helpful!
On Dec 16, 2011 annenalina wrote:
On Dec 17, 2011 Majuchan wrote:
gee! Thank you for this! =3
On Jan 9, 2012 KattyMay wrote:
really usefull thanks
On Feb 8, 2012 angel007sherm wrote:
Again you have rocked the socks off of my face. With you around I should probably stop wearing them on my face, since you keep rocking them off.
On Feb 8, 2012 PolinaCy wrote:
So simple and so usefull! Thank you so much for posting this!
On Feb 11, 2012 jmph wrote:
Thank you for the help. Looks great and is a much needed tutorial.
On Feb 13, 2012 arijsa wrote:
nice tutorial
but.....i noticed there is a tool in TS3 that you click on it then you click on the roof you want to change and then you just pull the mouse ....easy too 
On Feb 15, 2012 princessgodess05 wrote:
OMG...that was easy than I thought. It's so easy a caveman can do it!