The Ocean House is part of an original theme I created whilst writing story for my son (now sons!). The first set in the theme was The Mountain Windmill, which I am very thankful to say was part of the Bricklink Invitational. I was also invited to do the Ocean House as part of the invitational, but at the time it wasn’t possible so I am thrilled to have the opportunity to submit it now.
The story tells of the mysterious Mountain Windmill that holds mysteries long since forgotten by the villagers who live in its shadow. The journey to the windmill is too dangerous to travel, until, that is, a young village boy discovers a map marking a hidden route to the Windmill. The Ocean House is the home of the boy.
One of the aesthetic 'design pillars' of the theme is the combination of nature and man-made structures. The other is a vivid and rich palette, I think maybe my favorite feature of the Ocean House is the bright multicolored cladding that runs around the facade. I am really happy with the way it turned out and I think offers a pretty unique sight in LEGO
One of the biggest design challenges was the order in which the set was constructed and how the decking should mount onto the legs, I am happy with the solution as I found when building that it wasn't bad taking it off and putting it back on, etc.
Here is the passage of the story that introduces the Ocean House:
The boy started home with the map tucked away safely in his satchel. Could it really lead to the Mountain Windmill, and what if it did? He wasn’t about to set off into the valley to find out. He decided to put it out of his mind for now.
It was dusk when the boy's house came into view.
The house stood on stilts above the water. Blue flowers grew knotted and thick across the roof. The boy’s father had removed the flowers a few years ago but they returned defiant, so he had decided to let them be. The boy liked the way the flowers looked, as did his mother, though they had started to damage the roof.
Their old fishing boat was tied to the jetty and rocking gently on the tide. The boy liked to sit in it occasionally and read, or just watch the fish swim around the legs of the jetty, enjoying the protection it offered from the open water.
The boy's cat meowed and brushed against his leg. The smell of cooking fish wafted over the sand towards him, and his stomach grumbled. He bent down and scratched the cat behind the ear before the pair of them headed up the ramp toward the front door. The boy looked forward to the sight of his familty at the table with a nice hot meal.
4 Minifigures included.
Model Dimensions:
Width: 40.9 cm / 16.1 in
Length: 47.8 cm / 18.8 in
Height: 28.2 cm / 11.1 in
