Housing Contests - Win a Notable Home! :)

Elara_Northwind · October 2019

Hello!

I shall be holding 2 housing contests over the next few weeks. The contests both have different entry dates, and I shall be touring and judging them myself the day after the deadline.

The first prize for each contest is a notable home, the second is a classic home, the third is a staple home. There will also be some custom furnishing packs designed by myself and other members of my guild as additional prizes, and all other entrants will receive something for their efforts. Nobody will walk away empty handed, even if your prize is something small.

The homes will be paid for and names given out to ZOS once the winners for contest 2 are announced, and will also be completely empty, with not one item in them, as they always are when bought directly through support.

You can enter either or both contests by either responding to this post, sending me a pm either on here or on Discord, or via email at ElaraNorthwind@gmail.com with your username, the contest you wish to enter (1, 2 or both) the home(s) you shall be entering and which server you are on (NA or EU). You will need to ensure that I have permission to enter your home the day after the deadline.

Rules

- You may enter both contests, but each may only be entered once.
- There are no limitations with regards to homes used or item limits.
- Please do not post any screenshots of your home in the forum post or in my discord server. I am going to really struggle with judging, because I love every home equally, so I would prefer to
enter each one with a fresh perspective and without expectations.
- Anybody can enter the contests on PC, either EU or NA. Sadly, I am unable to tour homes on console, and homes on PTS are not allowed, as everybody needs to work with the same tools for a
fair chance of winning!

Contest 1 - A Tiny House. Deadline: 15th November 2019

This one is a bit of a building challenge. The task is to design and build a tiny home! The home MUST use up to 10 Orcish Platforms (Block) to form the base and area of your home, and your entire build must be upon these platforms. They can be arranged in anyway that you like, and you are allowed to build vertically as much as you wish, so long as the other levels also do not exceed the size limitation. Anything outside of the platform area will not be counted towards your build or your score. You may send no more than one paragraph with your entry if you wish, which will be read during the tour.

You will be judged on how functional and livable your tiny home is, does it contain everything a home would need? How creative your build is, and how well you have utilized the small space!

Prizes

First Prize - A choice between Lake Xanmeer Manor OR Colossal Aldmeri Grotto

Second Prize - A choice between Frostvault Chasm OR Velothi Reverie

Third Prize - Any small, 200 item home.

Further prizes include custom furnishing packs designed by myself and some of my favourite decorators, blueprints, and lux vendor items.

Contest 2 - A Mystery to be Solved. Deadline: 22nd November 2019

This contest is to design a home with a mystery for us to solve when we visit! Did a murder happen here? Was there a burglary? Leave clues around your home, and see if we can figure it out! You may send a paragraph to be read during the tour to set the scene, but this must not contain any sort of clue as to the mystery.

You will be judged on the creativity of your build, story and the clues you leave. The mystery doesn’t have to be obvious, but shouldn’t be impossible to solve at the same time. You will also be judged on how aesthetically pleasing your build is, and how well you have used the space and items available!

Prizes

First Prize - A choice between Hunters Glade OR Tel Galen

Second Prize - A choice between Alinor Crest Townhouse OR Amaya Lake Lodge

Third Prize - Any small, 200 item home.

Further prizes include custom furnishing packs designed by myself and some of my favourite ESO decorators, blueprints and lux vendor items.

I wish everybody the best of luck! And remember, I will be judging this myself, so you don’t have to spend a small fortune to enter. To me, a small simple home can be just as wonderful as an elaborate, 700 item custom one. Creativity and use of items is the most important thing! The tour will either be streamed or put into a video, depending on how many entries there are.

Have an absolutely wonderful weekend, and I hope to see many of your beautiful homes when I tour the entries! And remember, everybody will win something, even if it is simply a bottle of wine and a glass

Elara_Northwind · October 2019

I just realised, because somebody asked a question about which Orcish Platform to use, that I did not specify in the post that it is the Orcish Platform, Block that is to be used for contest 1. I will edit the post itself too, but thought I would also write it here in case anybody else was confused about that! Sorry!

ArchangelIsraphel · October 2019

@Elara_Northwind for the first contest, will the place the home is built on be judged, or ignored? For instance, can I build this on the backlot of the Psijic Villa and just point you guys towards where it is, without worrying about what else is on the plot? ^^;; Thank you !

Araneae6537 · October 2019

Oooh, this sounds so exciting!

I think I shall try to enter both — sounds like so much fun!

Just so I know as I plot my mystery, is use of EHT elements and effects allowed?

bluebird · October 2019

Hi there, Elara!

I've put ESO on the back burner ever since the Dragonhold PTS, since this year's housing direction, decisions, and content (or rather lack thereof) left a bad taste in my mouth so I didn't want to continue getting frustrated with nothing to look forward to. I also stopped visiting the Forums for the same reason.

But I've just finished watching your video and wanted to come back to comment. I'd just like to say what an absolute inspiration your videos and house showcases have been to the housing community, giving people great ideas and motivating them to get creative! It's also such a joy to have personalities and voices like yours in the community so we can speak out and discuss issues, come up with suggestions and enjoy housing in the game while sharing build ideas, tips and tricks.

So, thanks for all your activity in the ESO housing community, and thanks for hosting these two contests too - I'm sure everyone will love to participate because the prompts are great and the prizes are very generous - but we'll all be sorry to see you go. So this will be a quite bittersweet contest... but I'll be looking forward to your house videos #99 and #100 as well!

Linaleah · October 2019

ok, so I wanted to verify.. do I have to use orcish platforms as the ONLY building blocks, or can they be used as say flooring, with other building materials used for walls, stairs, windows, roof, etc?

Saucy_Jack · October 2019

I think the configuration of the 10 platforms is the extent of the foundation/floor of the house. Everything in your build must be on top of the footprint of those 10 platforms.

As a question though - can our builds go up and out? Or do the edges of the platforms/house extend straight up?

Michae · October 2019

Nice! I definitely want to try! Do you want to have a tour of the house with a contestant or do you prefer to check it out alone?

DUTCH_REAPER · October 2019

@Thanos7895

Elara_Northwind · October 2019

Linaleah wrote: »

ok, so I wanted to verify.. do I have to use orcish platforms as the ONLY building blocks, or can they be used as say flooring, with other building materials used for walls, stairs, windows, roof, etc?

Hi Linaleah 🙂 you can use up to 10 platforms as the base, for everything else to be built on top of, it just sets the size of the home really, so it can be no bigger than that.

Elara_Northwind · October 2019

Saucy_Jack wrote: »

I think the configuration of the 10 platforms is the extent of the foundation/floor of the house. Everything in your build must be on top of the footprint of those 10 platforms.

As a question though - can our builds go up and out? Or do the edges of the platforms/house extend straight up?

Hi Saucy_Jack! 🙂 you can build up as far as you like, and it doesn’t have to match up exactly, as long as the additional levels are also no bigger than 10 platforms.

Elara_Northwind · October 2019

Michae wrote: »

Nice! I definitely want to try! Do you want to have a tour of the house with a contestant or do you prefer to check it out alone?

I am happy for the contestants to be there if they wish to be, I don’t mind 🙂

Elara_Northwind · October 2019

bluebird wrote: »

Hi there, Elara! I've put ESO on the back burner ever since the Dragonhold PTS, since this year's housing direction, decisions, and content (or rather lack thereof) left a bad taste in my mouth so I didn't want to continue getting frustrated with nothing to look forward to. I also stopped visiting the Forums for the same reason.

But I've just finished watching your video and wanted to come back to comment. I'd just like to say what an absolute inspiration your videos and house showcases have been to the housing community, giving people great ideas and motivating them to get creative! It's also such a joy to have personalities and voices like yours in the community so we can speak out and discuss issues, come up with suggestions and enjoy housing in the game while sharing build ideas, tips and tricks.

So, thanks for all your activity in the ESO housing community, and thanks for hosting these two contests too - I'm sure everyone will love to participate because the prompts are great and the prizes are very generous - but we'll all be sorry to see you go. So this will be a quite bittersweet contest... but I'll be looking forward to your house videos #99 and #100 as well!

Thank you so much @bluebird for your kind words ❤️ It really means allot to me! The entire community means the world to me and I will miss it very much when I go because it’s something I have really put my heart into over these last, almost three years! The contest is a nice way for me to give back to the community that has truly enriched my life during this time! And I am really excited to see what amazing creations everybody comes up with 😊❤️

Elara_Northwind · October 2019

ArchangelIsraphel wrote: »

@Elara_Northwind for the first contest, will the place the home is built on be judged, or ignored? For instance, can I build this on the backlot of the Psijic Villa and just point you guys towards where it is, without worrying about what else is on the plot? ^^;; Thank you !

You can build the home wherever you wish, location doesn’t matter at all! You are allowed to build it up in the sky if you wish to, as long it is accessible of course 😁

Elara_Northwind · October 2019

ErinM31 wrote: »

Oooh, this sounds so exciting!

I think I shall try to enter both — sounds like so much fun! Just so I know as I plot my mystery, is use of EHT elements and effects allowed?

If you wish to use EHT effects and such, then that is fine by me 🙂

Mix · October 2019

Sad to see you leave ESO, but you have been and will continue to be an inspiration to the housing community! Best wishes in your future endeavors

I can't wait to see what everyone does for these contests!

A couple questions:

May we cover the orcish platforms for the Tiny House build if the dark wood floor doesn't work for the build?

Is the exterior of the Tiny House part of the challenge?

Does the Tiny House have to be freestanding (or can it be snug up against parts of the house like walls/rocks/trees etc that exist on the property already?)

Elara_Northwind · October 2019

Mix wrote: »

Sad to see you leave ESO, but you have been and will continue to be an inspiration to the housing community! Best wishes in your future endeavors

I can't wait to see what everyone does for these contests!

A couple questions:

May we cover the orcish platforms for the Tiny House build if the dark wood floor doesn't work for the build?

Is the exterior of the Tiny House part of the challenge?

Does the Tiny House have to be freestanding (or can it be snug up against parts of the house like walls/rocks/trees etc that exist on the property already?)

Thank you very much, that is very kind of you to say @Mix

You can cover the platforms, of course, and can build the home wherever you like, up against anything, even inside an existing home is fine, as long as it's the size of 10 platforms, that is all that matters

The exterior doesn't count towards it unless some of the platforms are used specifically for an 'outdoor' space, only anything within the area of the platforms will count.

TheDarkShadow · October 2019

1- Can I build UNDER the Orcish platforms?
2- Do the Orcish platforms must be part of the house, or they can be just a kind of area markers?

Elara_Northwind · October 2019

TheDarkShadow wrote: »

1- Can I build UNDER the Orcish platforms?
2- Do the Orcish platforms must be part of the house, or they can be just a kind of area markers?

Hi! Good morning @TheDarkShadow 🙂 the Orcish platforms must form the base of the build, both the actual house and anything else you might wish to include like a small garden. Only anything on top of them will count, but you can build additional levels, above or below them, as long as the additional levels aren’t larger than the main, 10 platform floor 😊

Elara_Northwind · November 2019

Two weeks left to enter contest one and three weeks to enter contest 2!

max_only · November 2019

This looks interesting. I’m not sure if I’ll participate but it looks interesting. I’m glad Zos is involved as well. More community activities are always welcome

Araneae6537 · November 2019

Elara_Northwind wrote: »

Two weeks left to enter contest one and three weeks to enter contest 2!

I’ll definitely be entering these contests!

I’ve been working on my entry for the first!

Elara_Northwind · November 2019

max_only wrote: »

This looks interesting. I’m not sure if I’ll participate but it looks interesting. I’m glad Zos is involved as well. More community activities are always welcome

I’m not sure exactly how involved ZOS are, aside from letting me buy several houses through support

but still, it’s going to be allot of fun! And we have started putting together some furnishing packs for other entrants that I’m drooling over

I’m so excited to see what everybody creates

Elara_Northwind · November 2019

ErinM31 wrote: »

Elara_Northwind wrote: »

Two weeks left to enter contest one and three weeks to enter contest 2!

I’ll definitely be entering these contests! I’ve been working on my entry for the first!

Great! I can’t wait to see what you have done!

bearbelly · November 2019

Hi Elara

I've decided to come out of my shell a little and enter my humble retreat into the second contest.
It is located at Autumn's-Gate in the Rift (PC/NA). I did create it with a rudimentary backstory for my clan of characters in mind at the time, but I'll need to add a couple of touches to fill the story out a bit.

I'm going to work on that today, then I'll PM you here with my in-game username and a little narrative blurb to set the stage for the "mystery."
It's not much, and I don't expect I'll win, but I'm proud enough of it to want to show it to you before you bid us farewell.

Elara_Northwind · November 2019

bearbelly wrote: »

Hi Elara

I've decided to come out of my shell a little and enter my humble retreat into the second contest.
It is located at Autumn's-Gate in the Rift (PC/NA). I did create it with a rudimentary backstory for my clan of characters in mind at the time, but I'll need to add a couple of touches to fill the story out a bit.

I'm going to work on that today, then I'll PM you here with my in-game username and a little narrative blurb to set the stage for the "mystery."
It's not much, and I don't expect I'll win, but I'm proud enough of it to want to show it to you before you bid us farewell.

I can't wait to see it @bearbelly

and everybody will be a winner!

CaiWenji · November 2019

Is the Essential Housing Tools Addon allowed for designing? It makes it much quicker easier and more precise.

Girl_Number8 · November 2019

@Elara_Northwind thnx for doing your best for the housing community and the community at large.

You always have been a positive influence and even more so now, after that all has happened, you're still giving back.

Enjoy your well deserved break *hugs*

Elara_Northwind · November 2019

CaiWenji wrote: »

Is the Essential Housing Tools Addon allowed for designing? It makes it much quicker easier and more precise.

Hi @CaiWenji

Of course! I have no issue with people using addons for the contest! It's supposed to be fun for everybody, so if people prefer to use addons then go for it!

Elara_Northwind · November 2019

Girl_Number8 wrote: »

@Elara_Northwind thnx for doing your best for the housing community and the community at large.

You always have been a positive influence and even more so now, after that all has happened, you're still giving back.

Enjoy your well deserved break *hugs*

Thank you so much

JumpmanLane · November 2019

Hi, one of my houses I put my blood sweat and tears into. I think it has a funny little spot in it that just might tickle folks.

So...I’m looking forward to entering it in the second contest. Hope you like it.