How do you build on downloaded apartments in the Sims 3 Apartment Life?

richelle_g: How do you build on downloaded apartments in the Sims 3 Apartment Life?
Okay so I downloaded this amazing apartment in the Sims 2 Exchange for Apartment Life, but,alas, when I moved my sims in I realized that it has no doors…..I tried every way I could think of to put doors but I can’t figure it out. It wont let me build on the apartment at all, only add furniture and stuff. So, how do I do it?

Answers and Views:

Answer by jswartz146
Unfortunately, Maxis didn’t want to make it easy to modify apartments, hotels, dorms, and Greek houses. But it is possible with a series of cheats! 😀

In build mode, enter the apartment you want to edit (without anyone living there). Then, open up the cheat window (Ctrl + Shift + C) and enter “ChangeLotZoning Community” (without the quotes, as well as the fact you can also enter Residential instead of Community). Save the lot then return to the neighborhood. Now the lot will no longer be an apartment, which restricts the construction tools of Build Mode. Now you’ll be able to add door/walls/stairs/whatever that otherwise would be unavailable.

Then, when you’re done, enter the zoning cheat again, but this time, use ApartmentBase (or Dorm or Greek or Hotel or SecretSociety or SecretWitchLot). Save, and return to the neighborhood. It should be an apartment (or whatever) again. Of course, it wouldn’t hurt to make sure by reentering it in Build Mode again before adding any Sims.

NOTE: There are some rules for apartments though. 1.) Any yards associated with each apartment cannot have access to the street, as the only entrance can be be via the apartments. 2.) Apartments themselves cannot have fencing/gates inside of them marking “rooms” (so no floor dividers either).