Building Guide - Minecraft Guide - IGN (2025)

One of the first things you'll need to do in Minecraft is build a house. Expert players can craft some incredible structures – including massive castles, fortresses, and entire villages – but newcomers to the game should stick with the basics. Before your first nightfall in Minecraft, you'll want to have a basic structure in place that'll keep you safe from the mobs that spawn in the dark. Our building guide will walk you through the basic steps.

How to Build a House in Minecraft

Building a house in Minecraft can be as simple as digging a hole in the ground and covering it with dirt or as elaborate as building a mansion entirely out of diamond blocks. Regardless of which you opt for, there are some key elements every house should have:

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Optional parts of your home might include:

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Best Survival and Starter House Ideas

There's no such thing as the "best" survival house in Minecraft. If it keeps you out of harm's way and allows you to perform a few tasks throughout the night, then that's all that really matters. The same goes for the best starter house – as long as you're safe, your home is perfect.

However, here are a few tips to help you perfect your Minecraft survival house:

  • Start small: Your resources will be limited for the first few hours of the game, and there's no need to build anything extravagant. Throw down dirt, wood, or stone as your walls and ceilings, and don't feel bad if its only one large room.
  • Pick a good location: While it can be tempting to start building a house right away, take a few minutes to explore your surroundings. Ideally, you'll want to find a place with a good view, something near a village, or by resources you plan to harvest in the coming days.
  • Place torches: As soon as you have your layout planned, started adding torches immediately. You'd be surprised how fast night can creep up on you, and the last thing you want to do is sit in a dark house with no way to see what's happening around you.
  • Slowly add rooms: Once you've built a functional home, start adding rooms to it. One area can house a bed, crafting table, and furnace, while another could be dedicated to a brewery or enchanting station.
  • Windows: Adding natural light to your survival home will instantly make it feel more like a home – but it also gives you a strategic advantage. Instead of walking outside into the unknown, windows let you see what mobs are lurking about before heading out to explore.
  • Consider a farmhouse: Farming quickly becomes an integral part of Minecraft, and incorporating your home into a farm is an easy way to knock out both tasks at once.

These tips will give you a good start on your Minecraft starter home – but don't feel bad abandoning it and crafting a new one as you gain resources. It's often easier to start an entirely new project than demolish an existing one. Plus, having multiple survival homes throughout your Minecraft server means you'll always have a place to hide if you head on out a new adventure.

Minecraft Base Ideas

Struggling to figure out how to incorporate the above tips into an actual shelter? Here are some incredible Minecraft base ideas that'll get your creative juices flowing and bring some style to your server.

  • Minecraft Survival Farmhouse: Merging a farm with your Minecraft base is an excellent idea, and this build shows how to perfectly execute the plan.

Up Next: Recipes: How to Craft Every Item

PreviousTips and TricksNextRecipes: How to Craft Every Item

Top Guide Sections

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