How To Expertly Make A Basement In Sims 4?

Need more space in your house without taking up a larger footprint? Have a Paranoid sim that wants to feel more secure? Let’s learn how to make a basement in The Sims 4.

Just over 6 months after the base game first launched, The Sims 4 got the ability to make a basement for lot builds as part of Patch 15. Adding that to updated above-ground floor limits players can now build up to 8 stories, half of which are subterranean.

How To Make A Basement?

Learning to make a basement in The Sims 4 is pretty simple thanks to dedicated tools. You’ll find the tools for basement building in the Walls and Empty Rooms section of Build mode, with options to drag and place rectangular rooms or draw them out, similar to the coordinating swimming pool tool. Once you have your tool selected, place or draw out the space like you would an above-ground room; an outline will show you where the basement is going if you’re placing it from above ground.

Alternatively, you can build a room above ground and then pick it up and move or copy it and place it below ground. This is a great option for easily duplicating spaces like bathrooms on multiple floors, or if you prefer building in the sunlight and moving underground once complete.

Basements aren’t confined to your house, either! Create an underground shelter with an entrance hidden in your yard, or a giant basketball court beneath a tiny home (you’ll lose your Tiny Home bonus, though). Build a cursed, deep well that sinks down the full 4 stories or a shallow Nectar cellar for your prestigious Makers. The possibilities are pretty open, and you can get really creative with your builds. You can even put a basement right up against a swimming pool and add windows!

Tips & Tricks

If you want the easiest experience trying to make a basement, follow these tips:

• Remember that to use a basement, your sims have to be able to reach it! Make sure to save space for stairs or ladders both above and below ground with special consideration for the amount of space a staircase might need.
• Sometimes when moving underground without having the Grid active, the Basement tool won’t have anything to “grab” to start the room build. Turning on the Grid should solve this issue.
• When placing a basement below a house with a foundation, the basement may cause ground distortion around the foundation. This can be avoided by dropping to the level underneath the house/underground (where everything is black instead of terrain) and drawing your basement there. Use the grid to help guide you on where the basement will end up.
• Similar to what happens when placing wallpaper, any items that were added to the build in odd places with the MoveObjects cheat will disappear and end up in the Household Inventory. Turning on MoveObjects before placing the basement will hopefully prevent this from happening.

More on SNOOTYSIMS: Did you know that there’s a whole host of content in The Sims 4 catalog that’s normally hidden from players? Get access by way of the Debug cheat!

In Conclusion

If it’s your first time trying to make a basement, you can rest assured that The Sims 4 makes it as easy as possible. With dedicated tools and a few tips, you can create the subterranean space of your dreams, perfect for any paranoia-riddled sims or sun-averse Vampires. Have you added basements to your builds? What’s the coolest thing you’ve built underground? Let us know in the comments and happy simming!

Related Content