Alternatives to 10190 Market Street?

[Iruini Nuva]

My wife has recently expressed an interest in hopping into Lego as a hobby (woo!). She really enjoys my Bionicle collection, but grew up with System and leans that direction herself.

 

She's also an interior designer and has an appreciation for good home architecture in general.

 

Does anybody know of any good "house" sets beyond Market Street? I'm looking for something more adult/professional than your average 200 piece Creator build. My primary issue with Market Street is simply the $600 price tag I'm seeing on Bricklink.

 

I've been eyeing some of the Architecture series in a pinch (Robie House, etc.), but was hoping for something a little less sterile.

[Valendale]

If she likes market street, she'll probably enjoy any of the other modular buildings as well, especially as they have detailed interiors where as Market Street did not.

 

Here's a full list.

[Iruini Nuva]

Yeah I've been eyeing the other modulars. Looking for something similar, but let's say...housing related vs. business.

 

Possibly the Parisian Restaurant. Has that middle apartment layer.

[Aanchir]

Yeah I've been eyeing the other modulars. Looking for something similar, but let's say...housing related vs. business.

 

Possibly the Parisian Restaurant. Has that middle apartment layer.

10218 Pet Shop is a pretty nice residential building. The left building is purely residential and undergoing renovations (the upstairs is still being painted), while the right building has a pet shop downstairs and an apartment upstairs. Unlike some of the other more residential modular buildings such as Green Grocer and Market Street, Pet Shop is still available, but it's the oldest modular building still available so if you want to buy it, you should do that sooner rather than later.

 

As you mention, Parisian Restaurant also has a great residential second floor and attic spaces. Like the Pet Shop, it is still available, so you can buy it direct from LEGO for a lot less than the inflated aftermarket prices of discontinued buildings. Either of these sets would probably be better for an interior designer than Market Street, because Market Street has no interior furnishings and these newer buildings do.

 

Creator has had some decent-sized house sets, albeit not as large or detailed as the modular buildings. 5771 Hillside House from 2011 can be bought new on BrickLink for less than $90 (it cost $70 new). 31012 Family House from 2013 is even larger, and with more detailed interior furnishing. It has a very modern look. Again, even though it's discontinued, BrickLink has them for less than $90 — a bargain compared to the modular buildings. Don't forget, non-expert Creator sets are 3-in-1 sets, and so even some sets that don't have a house as the primary model might have one as a secondary model. Among this year's sets, 31052 rebuilds into a pretty substantial two-story summer home.

 

LEGO Friends, controversial as it may be, also has some pretty substantial houses with brilliant interiors. The one I'd soonest recommend is 41095 Emma's House from last year, which is nice and big, with a really modern look inside and out. Livi's Pop Star House is also very modern and detailed, but is much more glitzy, to a degree some people might consider garish. Bear in mind that most Friends and City sets are more play-oriented than Creator sets. They have somewhat simpler builds and tend to be left open in the back, rather than enclosed on all sides like many larger Creator houses. City and Friends buildings also use stickers, which are not found in most Creator sets. I haven't recommended any City houses because there are few of them, and the few there are have been very simple with very sparse interiors.

 

Finally, The Simpsons House can be divisive since it has a license attached that some people might not be fans of. Its interior colors are also somewhat cartoony, in keeping with the show's color palette. But it is without a doubt the biggest, most detailed, and most complex LEGO house ever released. It boasts a garage, kitchen, and living room downstairs, and three bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs. Might be worth a look.

 

Hope some of these suggestions help!

Edited August 15, 2016 by Aanchir

[Ta-metru_defender]

Throw a dart at a board with the currently available modular buildings. I guarantee one of them will work.

 

As someone who owns Market Street, though, I can tell you that it doesn't use as many rare/specialized pieces as the later Modulars. You can probably find the parts for it through bricklink, albeit swapping out some of the colors.

[Iruini Nuva]

-snip-

Really appreciate the huge list of suggestions! Definitely gonna keep these on my short-list. Going for the Parisian Restaurant for now, I think (hoping for a large build that takes a few evenings). Pet Shop will probably be a close second, we'll see. The Family House might also make the cut--gonna see where her interests go.

 

Next challenge will be finding a good spot in the house to display a pending town.

[Reya]

I would advise getting Pet Shop first. It is the oldest of the current Modulars available at S@H and the most likely to retire soon!

[Iruini Nuva]

Just wanted to drop an update in here. Parisian Restaurant turned out to be a huge hit. Looks like I've started her on a new [-cough- expensive] hobby. Appreciate all the advice!

 

Have Pet Shop on the way as an anniversary gift. Shhhhhh...

[Ta-metru_defender]

Just wanted to drop an update in here. Parisian Restaurant turned out to be a huge hit. Looks like I've started her on a new [-cough- expensive] hobby. Appreciate all the advice!

 

Have Pet Shop on the way as an anniversary gift. Shhhhhh...

 

(Though woe unto your wallet, sir)