How to Build a House in Minecraft (+ Examples)
Published July 5, 2023.
Whether it's keeping safe from all the evil mobs out to get you at night or just having a place to dump all your hard-earned materials, every player needs some sort of home in the world of Minecraft. And, in a world where creativity knows no bounds, constructing a house that has more than just 4 flat walls and a roof is an essential skill. Whether you're a seasoned player or just starting your journey, learning how to build a proper house in Minecraft can be an enriching experience.
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Preparing for Your Minecraft House Build
Key Resources and Materials
If you've just started in your Minecraft world in survival mode, the first thing you're going to need is a temporary safe place and some materials. The fastest way to get some basic blocks to build your first "house" so you can make it through the night without dying is to go punch a tree to get some wood, make a wooden shovel or a door on a crafting bench, and dig up a stack of dirt to make a temporary hovel to store your gathered materials. Be sure to leave a hole in the wall or roof to let in some natural light!
Once you've got a safety spot, you can focus on gathering some essential materials for your real home project. Some materials, like wood, can be used extremely diversely to make a wide range of building blocks, as well as aesthetic blocks to elevate your house designs to the next level. Here are some blocks we suggest farming up for the best range of home-building items:
- Wooden blocks from trees Includes logs, stripped logs, planks, slabs, stairs, fences, gates, doors, trapdoors, pressure plates, and buttons.
- Stone blocks from exploring Includes blocks, stairs, slabs, fences, buttons, and pressure plates.
- Sand for glass
- Quartz from the Nether Includes clean white blocks, stairs, pillars, and slabs.
Select an Ideal Location for Your House
A house on a lake? Easy. A mansion on the side of a mountain? No problem! A hideout in the treetops with a magnificent view? Sure thing! Each place you choose to build your home will have its pros and cons, so try to keep these questions in mind when you're choosing your spot:
- How safe is this spot from mobs? A house in the sky can mean a quick death with a cheeky creeper spawn, while one on flat ground can be swarmed by skeletons, zombies, and spiders.
- How easy it is to get back and forth from your house to your mine/portals/farms? Houses in the trees make can make getting back from your mining mission extra lengthy, for example.
- Is there space to grow? You'll be collecting a lot of stuff over your survival experience, is there space to add rooms to store it all?
Plan the Design and Layout
While gathering materials and picking locations, you should keep in mind your proposed house style—will it be a modern-looking house with an open-plan look or something more intimate like a hobbit hole with smaller rooms and a separate kitchen? You may want contrasting colors like white quartz and dark wood, or something a little friendlier with cedarwood and cobblestone. If you show up at the wrong spot with the wrong materials for the house you've got in mind, it can be a little demotivating, so save yourself the extra effort and plan ahead!
Build Your House
It's time to get building! I'll be constructing my own house alongside you in this blog. In this case, I've chosen a clean mountainside home looking over a small river that'll give me easy access to a mine and allow me to get carts and railways going if I ever want to incorporate them. There's also loads of space to expand and add new rooms within the mountain without changing the aesthetic feel of the place while still maintaining safety from the mobs that spawn on fields and open areas.
Foundation and Flooring
Now that you've done your planning and have a basic vision in mind for your lovely abode, it's time to lay down the foundations. Start by building the frame and floor of your house, and keep in mind where your house's entrance will be, so you can incorporate stairs and an entranceway if you need to.
Pro tip: Avoid having a big rectangle or square with just 4 walls to make the design look more exciting.
Walls and Structure
It's a great idea to choose a different material from your floor when building your walls. Smooth blocks work really well for this, especially when you start adding some decoration to them. Natural lighting is also quite important when building your house, so don't forget to plan for windows! I'd suggest building the entire wall first and knocking out sections where you'd like your windows to be.
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Roofing
When it comes to roofing, the actual design of the outside roof is pretty much up to you, though many people recommend keeping away from traditional pointy roofs as they can become tricky to build and use a lot of material to complete.
Don't make the ceiling too low, I like to have one more block's space above me than I think I need to have, which prevents any claustrophobic feelings when you're inside. Additionally, since we don't have much in the way of downlights in Minecraft, you should leave additional space for lighting.
Interior design
There's a joke amongst interior designers where if you see an open corner, stick a plant in it—and the same goes for Minecraft. After sticking down your obvious furniture, like beds, chairs, tables, and counters, take time to work on the small details next, like pot plants, decorative buttons, and fancy lighting.
Advanced building tip: Avoid boxes! Anything that breaks up the shape of a box is good, so try overhangs and pillars, half walls, windowsills, and garden beds to break up the boring feeling of living in a box. The most boring kind of house has no overhangs, four flat walls, and block windows, so try and avoid anything that fits this description.
Minecraft Is About Testing Your Creativity
You're officially equipped with the know-how to build an amazing house in Minecraft. Now it's your turn to let your imagination run wild and create the coolest digs in the virtual world. So go ahead, experiment with all kinds of materials, get those creative juices flowing, and build the house you've always dreamed of. Remember, the sky's the limit, and every block you place is a chance to show off your style. Happy building!
