How to build good houses in minecraft

Knowing how to build a Minecraft house or cabin is key to surviving, as well as being able to live in comfort. Constructing a decent home means you have somewhere to bunker down away from the Creepers and other monsters of the night, while also being able to store your precious crafting materials and equipment in relative safety. Your abode also gives you the chance to show off your artistic flair in Minecraft, where you can make it as fancy as you like and create a true statement piece – do you want a sprawling mansion that can't be overlooked, or an impenetrable castle so that no foe can breach your defences?

When building a Minecraft house you have to choose whether you're constructing for functionality, appearance, or somewhere between. Building underground helps save on resources, but the exterior probably won't blow any socks off when it's just a pile of dirt with a door. Alternatively, a glass wall looks very cool, but it's hardly going to hold up against any kind of attack. Whatever your priorities, we've laid out some basic construction tips and advice for anybody looking to build a Minecraft house above or below ground.

What to do underground in a Minecraft house

To get started on an underground Minecraft house, ideally you'll dig horizontally into the side of a hill – if the terrain isn't suitable then you can excavate downwards instead, but this does make construction somewhat trickier. You don't want to make your entrance too large, so carve out a tunnel one block wide and two blocks high that goes at least a few blocks deep into the surroundings. At the end of this tunnel you can then start digging outwards to construct your first room, then stick up some torches to get a proper look at what you're doing and add the other basic items we described above.

As well as providing a well protected bunker to live inside, you can also continue mining further into the surroundings to gather materials without having to return to the surface. As you tunnel away from your home, ensure you place a back door and extra lighting to keep your lodgings secure and monster-free.

Minecraft house ideas for above ground

This is probably the type of Minecraft house most players will be familiar with, as they're much more visible and there's scope for building some truly impressive structures. Any materials can be used to build the walls, but solid matter such as stone will provide a stronger foundation than wood. To get started, you'll want to clear a flat area to build on, which can be a large as you like but around a dozen blocks square is a good starting point so you don't run out of space too quickly – you can always expand later if needed.

Next, build walls around the perimeter at least four blocks high, leaving a gap for a door and any windows you want to install – make sure you fill these with suitable panels. For a roof, you can either go with a flat sheet of blocks, stack them up at an angle, or even use stairs to get the traditional sloped look. On the outside, consider ringing your Minecraft house with a fence to keep any marauding monsters at bay, with plenty of torches to ward them off. Add in all the basic items we've previously discussed, and your homestead is ready to go.

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One of the most exciting activities players can let their imagination run wild with is creating their own house in Minecraft. The options are endless and based entirely on your imagination. But with so many options, it can be difficult to know what kind of house to create.

If you’re unsure where to start, looking for inspiration, or just want to see what kind of incredible builds other players have come up with, here’s a collection of the best house ideas in Minecraft.

Classic wooden houses

You can never go wrong mixing and matching different kinds of wood alongside other blocks to create a classic wooden home.

The use of different kinds of wood and different wood blocks makes this build look incredible despite being made almost entirely with only wood.

This build uses wooden stairs in unique ways to make the overall shape of this home stunning. It also contrasts different kinds of wood to make it look interesting.

This cute cottage is small enough to be relatively simple for any players to build but also looks great. Smaller builds allow players to focus more on details and this build showcases how little details make a build more intriguing.

Underwater houses

Building a home underwater is one of the most challenging feats players can attempt due to the complex mechanics of Minecraft water, but it’s also one of the most rewarding once completed.

This is a massive underwater mansion floating among the colorful coral reef that looks incredible and features everything a player could ever need. Not only is it a unique shape, but it was also likely incredibly challenging to build since it is fully floating off the ocean floor and is almost entirely underwater.

Building most of your home into a mountain is smart when making an underwater house so that you won’t have to deal with the complexities of Minecraft’s water mechanics as much while building. This little underwater home is a perfect example of this. It’s built into a mountain and features a massive window with a perfect ocean view.

This hourglass-shaped build has an incredibly unique architectural style while also being half-submerged in water. The attention to detail and overall uniqueness of this build demonstrate that the only limit to what you can create in Minecraft truly is your own imagination.

The view from this sloping half-underwater build allows players to get the best of both worlds. It’s also another smart way of avoiding having to constantly deal with water while building.

Treehouses

Treehouses are a practical and safe choice for survival mode gameplay in Minecraft. They also happen to look really cool, though.

These two treehouses connect in the air, which makes them look stunning and functions as an efficient way to stay off the ground where dangerous mobs spawn at night.

This treehouse centers around one tree with many levels and platforms rather than multiple trees with individual levels. One stunning treehouse with many pieces looks phenomenal and allows players to live on one massive, multileveled structure.

The use of lanterns all around this massive treehouse makes it a stunning sight at night. This approach to a treehouse is also a unique one since it centers around building inside of a massive tree rather than building platforms around it.

Castles

Who says your house can’t be a castle? Castles offer heaps of space and sturdy walls for protection, making them the perfect home for any Minecraft player.

Multiple levels, fortified walls, and impressive details make this castle a truly incredible build. It’s also simple enough that any player can be inspired by it.

There’s so much to love about this build but the massive bridge connecting its many separate pieces over a ravine is one of its most impressive and inspiring features.

This unique castle is built into the side of a mountain. It also uses half wood and half stone blocks on its exterior, which is notable since most castles lean heavily into just stone bricks.

Based on Bran Castle in Transylvania, this astonishing build demonstrates stellar attention to detail and creativity. Players can be inspired by this build to recreate famous castles themselves or design their own vast castles.

This fiery Nether castle is surrounded by lava and features an extraordinary structure. It also makes the deadly Nether look like a cool place to stay.

Fantasy houses

Try your hand at creating something magical and unique with a fantasy-inspired build. Think magic, color, and fun.

Be inspired by the mushrooms in Minecraft and use mushroom blocks to create a bigger mushroom to live in. Light-colored terracotta blocks are especially helpful alongside mushroom blocks because they’re similarly colored, as this house demonstrates.

This massive fantasy palace features beautiful detailing, a massively sprawling size, winding hedge mazes, and so much more. It’s a build that has so much to it that players can notice something new every time they look.

This cute cottagecore fantasy home looks like something straight out of a Disney movie. Even though it looks stunning and detailed, it’s also on the simpler side of building, which means that players can easily be inspired by this build.

Create your own fantastical tower to live in like this player did by mixing various types of stone and wood together. This style of build is also easy to expand upon in any direction.

This tiny mushroom home is a mix between a mushroom and a regular house shape. Try mixing fantasy with regular house aspects to create something unique like this.

Modern houses

If you’re looking to modernize your Minecraft world, consider building a house in a modern architectural style.

This stunning modern mansion features heaps of concrete, glass, and greenery to showcase one impressive modern home.

The circular shape of this modern house combined with a pool encased in glass makes it an amazing build.

The interior and exterior of this glass modern home are equally impressive. Windows are important in any Minecraft home so that players don’t step outside and immediately have their hard work blown up by a lurking creeper—and this home has no shortage of windows to look out of.

This blocky, three-story modern container home features a unique architectural design that can inspire players to try various shapes for their own modern Minecraft homes.

Spooky houses

There are so many blocks in Minecraft that lend themselves well to a spooky build and so many kinds of interesting builds that players can create with them.

This dark mansion is terrifyingly good. It contrasts different dark-colored blocks to make a stunning, realistic residence.

Don’t let the bright colors of this build fool you because this haunted mansion hides many spooky secrets. It also showcases that spooky doesn’t necessarily mean dark and broody. It can also mean colorful and playful.

This classic haunted house is simple, spooky, and the perfect inspiration for players thinking of building a haunted home in any forest.

Underground houses

Building into and under the ground in Minecraft is a smart move that not only offers players more security but also allows for some remarkable builds.

There are many levels and layers to this complex half-underground and half-aboveground base. It offers lots of space and has an intriguing geometric shape.

The combination of water and an underground house in this build delivers a home that is equally impressive and interesting no matter where you look at it from. Outside, it has a stunning coral reef surrounded by lush greenery. Inside, it has a colorful interior and glass panes with beautiful views of the surrounding water.

This is a simpler example of an underground base. The use of glass in this underground bunker allows for natural light and a constant view of the sky. It also has a cool shape and a clean interior.

There is no shortage of impressive houses in the Minecraft community. Now that you’ve been inspired by all of these incredible homes, get out there and get to building your own dream house.