Inspired after reading siddji's topic of Best Site for MOC Modular step by step creations?, I thought it would be a good idea to have a topic listing some great resources to not only help anyone wanting to design their own modular style houses but also inspire a few ideas as well. Anyway, I came across this simple guide from Eurobricks listing the basics of how to generally get started.

How-To: Modular Buildings
by Aliencat

We regularly see each other at meetings and bring along a construction or two of our own. An ideal standard for combining buildings is the so-called Café Corner Modular Standard (or CCMS for short). Now if you don't own a Cafe Corner, Green Grocer, etcetera, how do you know what rules to follow when making your building fit in with the rest? I will describe the CCMS as applied in Lego's sets and as applied by many fans. There are basically two types of building in this standard.

1. Straight sections

Generally speaking every baseplate is 32 studs deep. The width is variable with straight buildings, always being a multiple of 8 studs. A common used width is 16 studs wide. The connection points, pavement, walls, etcetera, will then have the following sizes:

Whether your building is 8 or 64 studs wide, the sizes in depth are always the same. That way the Technic bricks with a hole will always align and allow for the buildings to be attached to one another through the use of Technic pins.

2. Corner buildings

In the case of a corner building, you are dealing with two connecting points at a 90 degree angle of each other. Therefore, your baseplate will always have to be 32 x 32 studs. Of course you can make the full building larger by attaching straight buildings forming a continuous whole at either side but the corner module must be 32 x 32:

3. Variation in depth sizes

If you look at a real-life (old) street, you will see that not all buildings align in a perfectly straight line: some jut out a bit while others fall a little further back. If you put a number of CCMS buildings in a row, this method of alignment will give you the best result. As long as you leave the Technic bricks in the right position for connecting, you're free to place your front and back wall at will. This might result in something like this:

Keep the variation in mind, because of your side wall. In some cases, part of your side wall will be visible. So if you were planning to omit your side wall, or make one out of all the colors you won't be needing for the front and back walls, make sure that at least the edge of the side wall that juts out is made of a color that fits with the rest of the building.

I myself always build an entire side wall if I know the building is going to end up in a combined layout with other builders because you don't quite know what will end up next to you. For all you know you might end up next to a construction side, leaving your side wall entirely exposed.

4. Height

The last point I wish to address is height. In terms of height, you are basically free to do whatever you want. Make it as tall or as low as you wish. One floor 6 bricks high, eight floors 12 bricks high each, everything is possible. Do keep in mind though, that if you're making a very tall building, your side walls will definitely be visible. So make it into something exciting featuring windows or something, so it's not just one boring, flat wall. Do take care that you won't have anything protruding over the edges, since you may not know how high the building next to yours might be.

Variation in height is another reason to build side walls in a matching color when your creation will end up in a combined layout: the building next to yours might be very low and you won't know ahead of time.

Resources:

• Eurobricks
• Brickhamster

So who wants to play some Space Paranoids?

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joel_baker/sets/72157650151498430/

Flynn's Arcade modular by Joel Baker

http://www.flickr.com/photos/52656812@N04/sets/72157650059351228/

Riverside Apartments by snaillad

http://www.flickr.com/photos/52656812@N04/sets/72157649139647834/

The Ocean Restaurant by snaillad

For anyone following, this topic was originally the "How to build a modular house" with a very nicely detailed walkthrough I had found over at Eurobricks to share here because I felt it was a fantastic resource in aiding anyone who ever wanted to make their own. Well I was thinking lately and the short of it, I wanted to help bring some better usage for this thread therefore I modified it a tad allowing the inclusion of displaying all the different sorts of custom modular house projects one may find across the net in the same manner how the MOC Highlights topic is for all general designs and MOC Alternates is for alternate builds. That way you had a basic guide to start with well as a number of projects to help give some inspiration hence the title change. (You may have noticed the MOC Highlights topic has shrunk a little which is because I moved any modular house design from over there to here.)

Please feel free to post anything fitting within the Cafe Corner standard (32x32), Market Street standard (16x32), or even the 'spite house' standard (8x32). You can still find the How To guide in the main post to peruse. To help kick off the update, here is a double whammy with two stables of delectable desserts in a Krispy Kreme beside a Baskin Robbins.

 

>Baskin Robbins and Krispy Kreme by tehLEGOman

Here is a selection of Super Hero themed modular buildings particularly based on actual sets designed by Hay Core. Oh and a Toys R Us just because.

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/87160724@N06/sets/72157633143559829/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/87160724@N06/sets/72157633843060814/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/87160724@N06/sets/72157633863123491/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/87160724@N06/sets/72157641233127174/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/87160724@N06/sets/72157644182749360/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/87160724@N06/sets/72157634104569861/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/80218546@N03/sets/72157630025139221/

Bubblegum Beauty Salon, Godwin's Hollow by Godwins in Kuwait

http://www.flickr.com/photos/25309284@N02/sets/72157630785695948/

Terrace Apartment by Myko-

Lego MOC Opera House by AdventureStar

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vkessels/sets/72157627100212962/

Dutch Irish Pub by Mr. Tomato Bread

I LUG NY Queens LUG Showcase Window, June 8, 2012 by notenoughbricks

http://www.flickr.com/photos/60001201@N04/sets/72157630331725260/

Nightclub - The Flaming Cocktail by Frederik Normann

Arthur's Pub by Ace Copland

Pets or Meat? by notenoughbricks

2012-08-30 14.45.57 by tower-city

I like some of the general ideas behind the last two but the guy could have done himself a favor to make sure everything was pressed together well. Those unnecessary gaps are just hard to look at.

the guy could have done himself a favor to make sure everything was pressed together well. Those unnecessary gaps are just hard to look at.

These gaps ruin everything.

Emerald House by cimddwc

These gaps ruin everything.

Indeed. I almost didn't post that set because of the messy bits but still I thought some of the overall ideas for aesthetics in the buildings were good albeit difficult to see past the obvious downfalls. At best there should be some decent inspiration to be had and maybe even a little nod towards what not to do.

Brickin' Games by DarthNick

>Casa e Bar by nuno2500

>my scoot and bike shop modular (wip) by geert.vanderbeke

http://www.flickr.com/photos/26864031@N00/sets/72157647998355297/

Jewelry Store and Pizzaria by sonicstarlight

http://www.flickr.com/photos/125221542@N03/sets/72157645786617840/

Lego Creator Modular Bike Shop and Cafe by Magma.Xenoliths

Edit:

Added a couple more 'modularized' customs of the base set, 31026 Bike Shop & Cafe.

The Ridge Modern Townhouse by Brickbaron

Here is a collection of 'mundane' builds to help add some realism to your city.

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vkessels/sets/72157637884137544/

Building Site by Mr. Tomato Bread

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vkessels/sets/72157646930599598/

Sewage Pumping Station by Mr. Tomato Bread, on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vkessels/sets/72157633051906129/

Telephone Corner by Mr. Tomato Bread

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vkessels/sets/72157633055941680/

Gravel Path by Mr. Tomato Bread

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vkessels/sets/72157629167885263/

Modular Recycling Lot by Mr. Tomato Bread

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vkessels/sets/72157627393168340/

Gate House by Mr. Tomato Bread

Modular Building by gipmetro

Lego MOC Starbucks Cafe by WingYew

Loft Apartments & Shops by jskaare

Modular Lego Wine Shop by jskaare

Corner of SUZHOU GARDEN by andybear@hk

Police Station & Pharmacy by Palixa And The Bricks