Room Reno #90: Grill and Chill Yard

Welcome back to Room Reno #90 here at The Sims Resource! Today we’re helping Sims who wants to turn their boring backyard into a grill and chill dream. Let’s meet the Sims we’re helping!

Meet the Roberts!

The Roberts family live in Evergreen Harbor. They love the eco friendly vibes of the neighborhood, and Ben, the dad, even works as a civil designer for the city. They recently moved from an apartment to a house, and want to make the most of having a yard of their very own! Their neighborhood has a large playground in sight of the house, so there’s not a huge need for playground equipment or large lawn toys for the twin girls. Instead, Ben wants to create a grilling and entertaining space for guests and the family to enjoy – in their apartment, the family was never able to grill or enjoy outdoor time in the same way that they can now enjoy it with their sparkling, brand new yard. On top of grilling, Brenda, the mom, wants space for entertaining, too. That means making space for some couches and a dining table as well as a grill setup. Let’s see what we’re working with!

The Before

This yard definitely has the potential to be something special. It’s lucky that there’s playground equipment nearby for the kids to play on, because it’s not the largest yard and the kid equipment in The Sims 4 tends to be extremely large and take up a lot of area tiles. Pro tip for placing your smaller lots if you ever lack yard space – place the lot in a neighborhood with a playground! Newcrest has the Llama Lagoon neighborhood with playgrounds, and you can also find one in the Spice District in San Myshuno. Or you can be a little sneaky like me and just add a lot with playground equipment into the area you’re building in – but the second option will come with a loading screen between your sims walking to the lot and actually being able to interact with it, so keep that in mind if your game tends to lag or you just hate waiting for load times.

Outside of playground placements, this yard is pretty good! I like how it comes with a premade hedge fence that creates a sense of privacy from the neighborhood buildings (since every neighborhood in Evergreen Harbor is mixed use and contains both residential and community lots). Passerby on their way to work or school won’t ogle the Roberts as they have a morning coffee or a summer celebration, but they’ll also be able to enjoy the sun and feel like a part of the town if they choose to. Now all there is to do is to get planning this outdoor space! Let’s get planning!

The Planning

The planning for this was pretty simple once I figured out the shape I wanted to go with. I considered creating a sort of galley kitchen shape, or even a U-shape, for the grilling area. I wanted to make it a nice and upscale grilling area for Ben since it’s his first chance to grill after living in the apartment for a long time, so there are definitely going to be lots of countertops to maximize prep space and to reduce the amount of trips in and out of the house while getting the grill going. Plus, it allows for countertop space being used as a buffet style serving table when all the dishes are ready. Perfect for parties!

The entertaining area is going to be pretty simple, but I was able to get a little more interesting with the shape of the sitting area than I was with the straight I shape of the kitchen. The couches will go one against the hedges, and another perpendicular to it, creating an L shape to make the sitting area feel intimate and cozy. The table and chairs will go behind the second couch, and it will either have four or six seats depending on how close the table comes to the cooking area with six chairs. Sometimes it’s easier to put furniture against a wall (or in this case a hedge) than try to squeeze extra seating that the Sims probably won’t even be able to route to. Let’s get building!

The After

This yard turned out great! It really has the perfect vibes for the Roberts family, and I think it will work great for gameplay as well. Ben will be able to grill to his heart’s content, with a great layout for outdoor dining and relaxing as well. Plus, as the girls get older, they can use the outdoor entertaining space as well! The one thing I regret not trying to add to this yard is a fire pit – they’re just perfect for chilly nights. The way that chairs slot around fire pits in the game would create a bit of an issue with how small this yard is, though, so it had to be cut out.

I think the current features of the yard are great anyway! Both outdoor couches look totally comfy, and the huge wooden coffee table could be used for dining and serving food on top of decoration. The dining area has some really great pops of color – I love the yellow swatch of that metal bench! It ties in perfectly with the pillows on the couches in the sitting area. I made sure to add some lights to the side of the house so that the yard doesn’t become unusable when it gets too dark out. Always remember to add lights to your outdoor spaces in the game! And in real life. Lights are generally a good thing to have in any builds.

Thanks for checking out Room Reno #90! If you liked this blog, check out Room Reno #89: Poolhouse Reno or our Gilmore Girls inspired lookbook. Looking for something else? Read about all the best Gossip Girl inspired CC or check out our Spring Break trends lookbook! Have a great day 😎