Minecraft Basics For Dummies
Book image
Explore Book Buy On Amazon

Learn how to build a house in Minecraft quickly and efficiently, whether the home you construct is as simple as a shack or more complicated, like a larger house with multiple rooms. The step–by–step instruction covers choosing the right location and building materials, assembling the framework of your house, and adding doors and decorative features to complete your house-building — fast and proficiently.

The video above covers construction of a one-room rectangular house while also goes into an example of building a two-room, multi-level in-game home. Both quick and easy Minecraft construction projects include tips on how to avoid falling off your structure during the building process, how to quickly build sections of your house, and more. With the basics in mind, you can progress to more complicated homebuilding, with variations in materials and locations.

How to Make a House in Minecraft

You can build virtually anything in Minecraft, so why not use that ability to create impressive houses? Check out the following steps you need to take to build exciting and creative structures.

Sketch out a rough idea of your house

The first step to building a house is figuring out exactly what it is that you want to create.

First, focus on the purpose of the building or home. How do you want to use it? Is it only for decoration, or does it have a function? If your building has a specific function, think more about what you need to build or place inside and out.

Where you decide to build contributes to your building’s look. For example, are the surrounding buildings square, or are they rounded? If all other structures are square, yours should be square, too. Also, what does the environment look like? If you are in a desert biome, building a modern cobblestone house may stand like a sore thumb!

Select blocks

Choosing blocks is simple: Just refer to your original plans and pick the type of block that matches the idea. For example, if you want your building to look ancient or abandoned, use cracked blocks that look like cracked stone bricks. If you created the house with a specific theme, pick the color of the blocks based on that theme. Blocks are typically used for roofing, floors, walls, and other elements of a house (such as fireplaces, pillars, etc.) so be sure to select the right design choice. As always, the new structure should blend in with its surroundings. As always, the new structure should blend in with its surroundings.

how to build a house in minecraft

Set up your housing area

To set up the area, you first need to find an area. Where do you want your Minecraft house? On the beach? In the woods? In a city?

After you find an area you like, start clearing it — you need an open space to build in. To clear an area, destroy any trees, grass, or flowers that are in your way. (To destroy blocks, left click the mouse button.)

As you clear the area, look to see whether you can spot any water or lava near you. If you do, find out where it’s coming from, and try to stop the flow. The only reason that water might be helpful to you is if you want to build a farm.

Always ensure that your surroundings are safe.

Start with a central room

The central room of your house is the first room you enter, and you build all other rooms around it. First plan out the central room. Though this step may seem boring, don’t skip it!

To determine the size of the central room, look at its original plans. How big are the other rooms supposed to be? How much room does that leave for your central room?

Any time you build, start with a wireframe because it’s easy to tear down or change. To build a wire frame, place the blocks on both sides for the length of the room, and then the width, so that you have a square.

wireframing a house in minecraft

Next, make pillars in each corner of the wireframe base. However high you make the pillar is how tall the room will be.

minecraft house with pillars

Finally, connect the top of the pillars to finish the wireframe for your room.

6-sided house wireframe

Did you notice anything odd about the wireframe of the room? It has six holes: one above you, one below you, and four around you. Go ahead and fill in the holes with the block you want to build with.

Wireframe Your House

After you build the central room, you can wireframe the rest of your structure. Look at the original plans, and use wireframing blocks to make an outline of the rest of your build. Keep checking your plans so that you don’t become confused or make a mistake.

Fill in the wireframe

To fill in the wireframe, place blocks inside it until it’s full. To place a block, right-click. When the wireframe is filled, you end up with a wall. Keep filling in the wireframe until the outside of the structure is finished.

Remember the ceiling and the floor! To make these items, fill in the top and bottom of the wireframe. Soon you will have an enclosed Minecraft house!

Build within your structure

If you have a theme in mind for your building or a specific purpose for it, start by adding items that fit your intentions. For example, if you built a house to live in, it needs some basic items, such as a furnace and a crafting table.

A house also needs light. A torch is a helpful light source. Glowstone not only looks good but also gives off a good amount of light. You can use redstone lamps, too. Or you can go with windows or a glass ceiling for natural light.

Don’t forget House Decor Details

Now it’s time to pay attention to the details of your house in Minecraft. Elements such as trim, decorated doorways, and 3D designs can add pizazz to your build. Trim makes the colors in your house stand out and helps your house look more three-dimensional. Trim is all about the color of the blocks. Pick trim colors that complement each other.

You can make the doorway stand out by adding some trim. The idea is to make sure that the door doesn’t simply blend in with the wall.

Finishing up Your Minecraft House

Go outside and look at your house to see how other players will view it. If you see something you want to change, whether it’s a major revision or a small tweak, go ahead and change it.

Be sure to look at your windows to see whether they match. Are they the same height? Are they the same number of blocks from each other?

minecraft building

Another detail to examine is the door. You can make a bigger door by adding another door beside your first one. When you do, the handles turn toward each other on their own.

When you’re happy with the exterior details, take a look inside to see whether you want to change anything.

minecraft exterior of house

One element that players sometimes want to change is the flooring. You can use just about anything for the floor.

Tweak your House constantly

Congratulations! You’re pretty much finished with your building. Now you have only one last step to complete and that’s to never stop making your building better.

Other Tips for Building Your House

Be creative when building your house and other structures in Minecraft. Although a wooden rectangle with a door is likely to satisfy most of your needs, having a giant house full of storage chests, crafting tables, beds, farms, and other tidbits is always satisfying — and a welcome sight after completing a long adventure. The type of house reflects the personality and skill of the builder and can even be a status symbol in multiplayer games.

Though building is primarily left to your creativity, a few tips can help you build quickly and easily:

  • To build upward, jump and quickly place a block underneath yourself. Repeat this action to make a pillar.

  • To build off a ledge, hold the Shift key (so that you don’t fall) and walk up to the rim of the ledge. Then you can place blocks on the side of the ledge as shown in the figure.

  • To build a floor, move backward while placing blocks in front of you to make a line. To fill a space, repeat in any pattern you choose.

About This Article

This article can be found in the category: