In the world of Skyrim, the fifth installment in Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls series, you can build your own house. Building your own house is often more rewarding than buying a pre-built house in a city since Skyrim’s housing market is small and typically overpriced. Also, by building your own house, you can get more benefits and customization options by completing the necessary tasks.
Your character’s residence can reflect their skills and interests. For example, you can build an armory if you have a warrior, or an alchemy laboratory if your character enjoys brewing potions. Also, if you have a home, you will be able to invite your spouse to live with you, adopt children, and have a steward. Read on to learn how to build your own house in Skyrim from scratch.
Why You Should Build Your Own House in Skyrim
You should build your own house in Skyrim because you can build a big house for you and your family, and it is cheaper than buying one upfront. You just need time to gather the necessary materials for expansion. In addition, your house can be quite large and customized with the features that you enjoy.
You can adapt your house to your character’s needs. Not only will you have a place to rest, but you will also be able to free up your inventory by storing all your items, such as armor, weapons, and books. You can also have gardens and greenhouses for your herbs. Additionally, the game becomes more entertaining with a house, as you can gain access to new features, such as farming.
How Hard Is It to Build Your Own House in Skyrim?
It is not difficult to build your own house in Skyrim. You don’t need special gaming skills, you just need time to complete the necessary quests and gather all the required materials. You only need to do one or two quests for a house, depending on the location you want for your home. The amount and type of materials required will also depend on the size you want your house to be.
How Long Does It Take to Build a House in Skyrim?
The house-building process in Skyrim depends on the size you’re aiming for and the resources you have available. Once you have all the materials, the actual building process takes about twenty minutes. However, if you don’t have the materials yet, it can take up to two days to get everything done, depending on the size of the house and the features you want in it.
How Much Does It Cost to Build Your Own House in Skyrim?
To get your plot of land, you only need 5,000 gold. Besides that, you will need some building materials. You can buy 20 sawn logs for 200 gold through most mill owners, and many blacksmiths and general goods merchants will sell metal ore or ingots, like iron and gold.
Ore prices vary depending on a merchant’s disposition and your character’s haggling skill, which can be raised within the Speech skill tree. You can also mine your own ore for free at ore veins.
How Much Cheaper Is It to Build Your Own House in Skyrim?
A house in Skyrim can cost you up to 25,000 gold, depending on its location. You can buy houses in cities like Whiterun or Riften. However, why buy a house when you can build your own? You only need 5,000 gold to buy land and the building prices are negotiable depending on your character’s skills and resourcefulness.
What Do You Need to Build Your Own House in Skyrim?
You don’t need to be an experienced Skyrim player to be able to build your own house. An average character can do it if they follow the steps and have the necessary tools and materials. Here, you can see some of the things you will need.
- Hearthfire extension: To build a house in Skyrim, you need to download the Hearthfire game extension, which you can buy for a PC or console.
- Quests: Before building your house, you will need land that you will get by talking to a Jarl. To be able to buy your land, you must first complete one or two quests for the Jarl.
- Plots of Land: You must purchase a plot of land in the location of your choice before you start building your home. For example, you would need to talk to the Jarl of Falkreath if you want to buy land there.
- Some Gold: To purchase your land, you will need an amount of 5,000 gold. You may also need some money to buy additional materials for other house features.
- Building Materials: To build and furnish your house, you will need some raw materials, such as sawn logs and iron ore smelted into ingots. You can use between 238 and 301 iron ingots, depending on what extensions and furniture you are going to build.
Building Your House in Skyrim From Scratch: A Step-by-Step Guide
Building a house in Skyrim is not as complicated as you might think. To build your Skyrim abode, you just have to complete some quests for a Jarl and follow the steps mentioned below. In the end, the specific steps necessary will depend on what you want your house to achieve and feature.
Hearthfire Add-on
The first step to building your own house in Skyrim is buying and downloading the Hearthfire game extension if you don’t already have it. You can buy the Hearthfire extension on Steam for PC, or via the PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, or Nintendo eShop. Depending on the version of the game you have, you may already have this extension, so be sure to check first.
Buy a Plot of Land
You can choose between the plots of land for Windstad Manor in Morthal, Heljarchen Hall in Dawnstar, or Lakeview Manor in Falkreath to build your house. In any of these three holds, you must talk to Jarl Brina, Jarl Siddgeir, or Jarl Skald, who will allow you to buy your land for 5,000 gold after you complete one or two quests for them.
Follow the Quest Marker to Visit Your Land
By following the quest marker to your land you will find a drafting table, a blacksmith’s anvil, a carpenter’s workbench, and a treasure chest with the materials you need to build and The Beginner’s Guide to homesteading.
Read The Beginner’s Guide to Homesteading
You can find The Beginner’s Guide to Homesteading book on top of the carpenter’s workbench. You need to read this book so you can understand what you need to do to build your new house.
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Select “Small House” on the Drafting Table
On the drafting table, you must select “Small House” to make the components for the small house available on the carpenter’s workbench. You can then begin building the small house.
Build the Components of your Small House
To build the components of your small house, you will need to use the carpenter’s workbench. Once the house is built, you can decorate the inside. Inside is the carpenter’s workbench that you can use to see the additional options available to decorate. Choose the aesthetic options that suit your character’s design.
Build The Main Hall
Select “Main Hall” on the drafting table to increase the size of your small house by building a large entrance. To build this main hall, you will need some extra basic materials, like quarried stone, nails, iron and corundum ingots, and sawn logs.
Gather the Materials to Continue Building
You will need to gather some materials to build a complete house and add custom features. You’ll need sawn logs that you can buy or cut at most mills in Skyrim. There are mills near Falkreath, Windhelm, and Haafingar. Sawn logs don’t appear in your inventory, but you can keep track of your log amount by checking the log pile outside your home.
You will also need clay, which you can get near your home by mining any reddish-brown deposit. Quarried stone can also be mined from gray deposits, you just need to have a pickaxe in your inventory. Ore can be mined similarly at metal veins, then smelted into ingots with a smelter and, finally, crafted into nails, locks, hinges, and other tools with the carpenter’s workbench.
Expand Your House
You can customize your home by adding additional house upgrades. For example, in the North Wing, you can place a storage room, an alchemy lab, or a trophy room. In the West Wing, you can place another room, an enchanter’s tower, or a greenhouse. Finally, in the East Wing, you can place a library, a kitchen, or an armory. Plus, you can transform your old Small House into an entryway with a cellar.
Decorate the Inside of Your House
To decorate the interior of your home, you must use the carpenter’s workbench that offers a list of components. Among the available options, you will have horkers’ heads to hang on the wall and iron chandeliers to light your rooms, among other functional options such as enchanting tables and alchemy tables.
Gather Feedback, Reflect, and Iterate
Designing a video game home in Skyrim can bring various benefits to your in-game character and be a lot of fun for you. Building a house will give your character a special place to rest and hone their skills, like alchemy and enchanting. Among the benefits it offers are the rewards from the quests you complete to obtain land, the opportunity to form a family, and the joy of having a place of your own that’s customized to your style.
How to Build Your Own House in Skyrim FAQ
In Skyrim, you can build three houses. These are Lakeview Manor located in the east of Falkreath, Windstad Manor located in the northeast of Morthal, and Heljarchen Hall located in the south of Dawnstar.
Many players think that buying a plot of land in Falkreath is the best option because of its beautiful forest environment and cozy houses. There is a lake around Falkreath and it’s close to the Bleak Falls Barrow dungeon. Additionally, Falkreath is an area where you can hunt, as there are various forest animals.
You will only need 5,000 gold to buy the plot of land. After getting your plot of land, you can build your house by gathering all the necessary building materials, depending on the size of the house and the features you want to put in it.
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Yes, you can expand your house in Skyrim and build a big house. You just have to carefully decide which additional spaces you want your house to have because these spaces will be permanent.
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