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

Brick Post Office by emo Lego

Please excuse the cross-post, but what do people in this dedicated thread think about this underground extension and the general idea of not building something into/onto a Modular but putting a complete set beneath it? Do you think there is a demand for something like this among Modular collectors (or more likely one-time buyers?)?
 

https://ideas.lego.com/content/project/link/d5c2a435-8082-40f6-a76c-697b14ae7317

I would think the market for something like this is small. I think most people just build and forget.

Putting something under a modular is a process. One way would be to modify the build it sits on to accept a baseplate. It obviously can’t connect without something to interface to what’s on the baseplate.

The second would be to take the baseplate out of the equation. Start the build on a plate and go from there.

16 minutes ago, Alpinemaps said:

I would think the market for something like this is small. I think most people just build and forget.

Putting something under a modular is a process. One way would be to modify the build it sits on to accept a baseplate. It obviously can’t connect without something to interface to what’s on the baseplate.

The second would be to take the baseplate out of the equation. Start the build on a plate and go from there.

You actually do connect the Basement only by putting 3 to 4 clips onto the edges of the Modular's Baseplate, after removing/replacing the tiles there. This should take about 20 seconds - that's a rather short "process":

Edited September 19, 20205 yr by Frank Brickowski

You actually do connect the Basement only by putting 3 to 4 clips onto the edges of the Modular's Baseplate, after removing/replacing the tiles there. This should take about 20 seconds - that's a rather short "process":

http://bp-forum.s3.amazonaws.com/monthly_2020_09/7_Baseplate_dritte.thumb.jpg.bdf423798f25238a27baf33bba066d26.jpg

Oh that’s cool. Make it easy and people would be much more interested

The Grand Billund Hotel by Will

Small Restaurant by Jakob Escher

Art Nouveau Neighbourhood by bricksandtiles

Olive Mansion & Pub by Peeters Kevin

Apocalypse Theatre by Keith Reed

Apocalypse Grand Emporium by Keith Reed

Old Town Street by Hannibal Joost

Wierzbowa 13 by glaz_pimpur

Belle Epoque by Utanapishtim

apologies if this is in the wrong thread (please re-direct if so!) but was wondering if anyone here can recommend a freelancer that could take a (real) home design and design lego instructions based on it?

Bricksterdam Street by Hannibal Joost

Hogewoerd Leiden by Utanapishtim

Automat by Rob Bender

Sanctum Sanctorum by Felix Greco

The Reality Dysfunction by Aliencat!

Bakery & Toy Store by Tobias T.

A peaceful street in Paris by Jean Macou

The Bricklyn Stiff Upper Lip Theatre by Nybohov Creation Ltd.