Best Minecraft house ideas for 1.21: Starter, survival, modern & more

Minecraft House IdeasMojang

There are loads of ideas for houses in Minecraft that can spark your imagination, from easy builds to simple or cool designs — and even ones for the survival-inclined. But with Minecraft’s ever-expanding roster of biomes, seeds, and blocks, and so many options out there, it can be tricky to pin an idea down and start building.

So whether you prefer a cozy cottage to live out your cottagecore dreams in or a massive, blocky mansion, these are the best Minecraft house ideas in 2024, with a curated collection of houses to craft yourself or use for inspiration.

Article continues after ad

Easy to build Starter Houses in Minecraft

Desert House

an image of Starter Desert House in MinecraftMojang

Source: ItsMarloe

If you fancy living in a Desert biome, building the right starter house will go a long way in keeping yourself safe and having enough space for early-game resources. This house idea is also ideal for survival in the Minecraft Desert.

All you need is a few essential items like Sandstone which is easy to collect in the Desert, and some wooden doors and furniture to build it.

Glass Igloo

an image of Glass Igloo in MinecraftMojang

Snow biome lovers, this Glass Igloo would be the ideal starter house for you, especially if you’re fond of night sky gazing. For this build, you’ll need plenty of Stripped Oak Wood, Snow, and Glass.

Article continues after ad

We’d also recommend you use a Northern Lights Resource Pack which magically recreates the Aurora Borealis northern lights.

Hobbit-styled house

an image of Hobbit-styled house in MinecraftMojang

This Hobbit-styled house is a perfect starter house for Minecraft players who are a fan of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings series. Creator Marloe calls it the “Hobbit Hole” and it’s pretty easy to build in the wild.

It looks colorful and cozy, with enough room to provide both comfort and utility, making things a lot easier for you.

Article continues after ad

Mangrove House

a Mangrove House in MinecraftMojang

This Mangrove house is a small red-colored starter house that you can build to live among the green swamps. It’s a simple build from Folli that provides the perfect blend of peace and beauty in the middle of the marshes. As well as being great to start out with, this is also a really cute Minecraft house idea.

To get this exact look, we’d recommend using the BSL shader pack and Vanilla Tweaks texture pack.

Article continues after ad

Mountain House

a Mountain House in MinecraftMojang

Mountains are great structures to get your home right, as they’re strong and already made out of cobblestones, so you won’t need to mine many resources. This makes this house idea pretty easy to put together.

JUNS MAB Architecture Tutorial has one of the best Mountain House builds for Minecraft that looks both aesthetically pleasing and provides enough comfort while keeping enemies out of reach.

Starter Underground House

a Starter Underground House in MinecraftMojang

The good things about Underground bases are that they keep the land free from clutter by utilizing the space below the ground, and save you a lot of hassle.

Article continues after ad

This build guide from Marloe doesn’t take a lot of time to create, requires simple resources, and looks really cool from above due to its glass ceilings.

Swamp House

a Swamp House in MinecraftMojang

For swamp lovers, a house among the Mangroves might just be the ideal comfort place for them to make a home.

Another idea from Marloe, they have crafted a simple Minecraft Swamp house idea for the early game where you can use a boat to reach the land, easily enhancing your life in the swamps.

Article continues after ad

White Container House

a White Container House in MinecraftMojang

While this White Container House by ManDooMiN is a 3-floor structure, a major portion of it is made out of glass, meaning it shouldn’t take too long to build with the right resources. It has a futuristic design and screams minimalism from every corner.

With such a major portion of it being made out of glass, it shouldn’t take too long to build, provided you have gathered all the necessary resources.

Wooden House

Minecraft easy house idea wooden cabinGreg Builds
This is one of the best cute Minecraft house ideas and just a great house overall to try out.

While slightly smaller than a mansion, this is a great easy house idea to create as it’s made out of plentiful resources that you can gather quickly. It also looks beautiful and screams cottagecore.

Article continues after ad

Thankfully, this build is more than just a house design, as it also comes with a large basement, a beautiful balcony, and enough room to keep your bed, chests, and an enchantment table comfortably inside.

Survival Houses

Big Nether House

a Big Nether House in MinecraftMojang

The Nether is a completely different environment in Minecraft, with lava flowing everywhere, and giving you the feeling of being in a hellish world.

However, you can get unique items from the area which is why a survival house in this exact location could be ideal if you’re brave enough to explore the dangerous dimension.

Article continues after ad

Fantasy Cottage

a Fantasy Cottage in MinecraftMojang

If you want a solid survival house with a fantasy flare, this Cottage by Cryptozoology is perfect. It’s an extremely cute house full of cozy interiors, and it’s strong and fortified enough to make for a great starter survival home.

We’d advise you to use BSL shaders to get the exact colors and looks.

Iceberg House

a Iceberg House in MinecraftMojang

Have you ever wondered if a large chunk of ice in Minecraft could make a house? Well, Marloe has once again got you sorted.

Article continues after ad

This Iceberg House in Minecraft is ideal for the mid-game phase when you have discovered enough resources and are feeling confident enough to survive alone in the cold.

Large Survival House

a Large Survival House in MinecraftMojang

This Large Survival House by EWEN is the perfect base for you to build if you fancy ample space with a wooden finish.

Make sure you have saved up enough Spruce logs and planks to get this massive build done quickly.

Steampunk Airship House

a Steampunk Airship House in MinecraftMojang

ItsMarloe’s Steampunk Airship base looks smaller than it actually is, in fact, it has just enough space for a bedroom and a bit of storage. This makes it a great small survival house idea to craft in Minecraft.

Article continues after ad

The primary resources used in this build are wool, oak planks, stairs, fences, trapdoors, and buttons.

Wooden & Stone Farmhouse

Minecraft cute house farmhouseMojang
Live your cottage dreams with this cute Minecraft house idea.

This is another cute Minecraft house that would be one of the easier ideas for survival. It’s a cozy and easy-to-build farmhouse filled with greenery and an adorable interior.

The best thing about this farmhouse is that it’s a fantastic home for those wanting something easy to build and use.

Small & Simple Houses in Minecraft

Japanese Village House

an image of Minecraft Japanese Village HouseMojang

If you want to build a simple Japanese-themed house in Minecraft that’s simple and resembles village life, then this video from Cortezerino has got your back.

Article continues after ad

This Village House is small, has dark pointed roof edges, and oozes Japanese culture from each and every block.

Medieval Hut

An image of a Medieval Hut in Minecraft.Mechitect

This Medieval Hut is incredibly simple to build in Minecraft and is perfect for those looking for a truly tiny living space.

It can slot nicely into an existing village or also looks great on its own in a wide open area. For a quick and easy house idea with a medieval style, this is a great option.

Article continues after ad

Small Wooden House

An image of the Small Wooden House design in Minecraft.Balzy

This small and simple Wooden House idea in Minecraft is ideal for anyone looking for plenty of storage space. The compact design comes packed with space for all your chests and resources. It’s also very visually pleasing to look at.

It’s a lovely house to live in or you can always strictly keep it as a storage hut, after all, it can easily store over 20 chests.

Minecraft Modern Houses

Floating Modern House

a Floating Modern House on Island in MinecraftMojang

A modern house in Minecraft is great, but a floating modern house is even better!

Article continues after ad

This build by Master Summary beautifully crafts a house in the middle of the water and looks cozy with modern interiors and a white theme.

Giant Modern House on Island

a Giant Modern House on Island in MinecraftMojang

This Giant Modern House was built by disruptive builds on an island and is enough to make feel like a billionaire.

It can be a great late-game house in Minecraft that features lush green covers with great interiors and beautiful scenery.

Glass Pillar House

a Glass Pillar House in MinecraftMojang

Do you fancy a tall house with a rooftop garden, an elevator, and a lot of greenery all in one?

Article continues after ad

Then this Glass Pillar House by ManDooMiN would be a great addition to your collection in Minecraft. It’s got a unique striking design that would be great for anymore who fancies a more modern build.

Luxurious Modern House

a Luxurious Modern House on Island in MinecraftMojang

Want to build a big house that is modern, luxurious, and looks aesthetically pleasing at the same time? Then the build from OSHACRA is the one you need to follow.

The creator beautifully utilizes quartz, concrete, dark oak wood, fences, and grasses to create a large house with every detail that screams luxury.

Article continues after ad

Minimalist Modern House

a Minimalist Modern House on Island in MinecraftMojang

This Minimalist Modern House from JUNS MAD Architecture Tutorial is perfect for any players who love simple but modern designs.

With a lot of space and even an outside pool, it’s and great combination of simple and fancy for those who want a bit of luxury in their Minecraft experience.

Modern Treehouse

a Minecraft Modern TreehouseMojang

There is no rule that tree houses in Minecraft cannot look modern.

Creator 6tenstudio has curated a modern tree house in the most creative way possible that has all the necessary items. It’s also really easy to travel between all the different levels.

Article continues after ad

Modern Villa

Minecraft modern house ideaMojang
Live well with one of the best modern Minecraft house ideas.

This modern design has an open-plan villa-style filled with glass, plants, and space.

It may be one of the more challenging builds on our list but it’s well worth the effort once you see the finished product.

Simple Modern House

Simple Modern Minecraft houseMojang / Mr Mirror

While perhaps not a huge mansion, this fantastic design is perfect for anyone looking to build a great house for survival. It’s also great for anyone who is less experienced with following build guides.

With easy-to-find blocks, a simplistic style, and a minimalistic interior, you can easily impress your friends by creating this cool Minecraft house.

Article continues after ad

Minecraft Beach Houses

Sand Beach House

An image of a Sand Beach House in Minecraft.Hey Natsu

This stunning Beach House from Hey Natsu is a gorgeous design packed full of detail and plenty of space.

It’s a fantastic house idea for anyone who wants to craft an ideal holiday destination home in their Minecraft world.

Sandstone Beach House

a Sandstone Beach House in MinecraftMojang

Zaypixel brings another beach house for Minecraft fans that’s made out of Sandstone and other resources which are quite easy to collect and craft.

It’s easy to build and sits right next to the shore, with touches of orange all over the edges.

Article continues after ad

Wooden Beach House

Minecraft beach houseMojang
Live by the sea with this beautiful Minecraft beach house.

Sitting directly on the shore, this is a more modest Minecraft house idea that still looks beautiful. It’s filled with easy resources, making it great for a Survival Minecraft house, and can be placed anywhere, although does look better by the sea.

If you’re looking for an easy Minecraft house idea while still having that beauty, this is the beach house for you.

Minecraft Castles

Medieval castle

Minecraft cool house build castleMojang
Rule over your Minecraft world with this awesome castle.

Medieval castles have it all – they look cool, have a considerable amount of space, and often use easy-to-find resources, making them perfect easy Minecraft houses to build.

Article continues after ad

Complete with tall pointed towers, a cute courtyard, and some moody lighting, this beautiful build is exactly what you’re looking for if you want an awesome Minecraft house idea.

Nether-themed Castle

a Nether-themed Castle in MinecraftMojang

Marloe has more castle-themed house ideas for Minecraft, and this one is a special small-sized Blackstone Nether-themed Castle. It’s pretty simple to build and has great aesthetics.

However, you will only be able to build it after getting a bit of experience in the survival world. Surrounding your castle with a pool of Lava adds an extra layer of protection from annoying creepers and zombies.

Article continues after ad

Small Castle

an image of Small Castle house in MinecraftMojang

Although you might run short of resources during the early phases of Minecraft survival, it shouldn’t stop you from having a castle-like house for yourself.

Albeit small, this castle has everything to make you look and feel like royalty, including enough defenses to keep enemies at bay during the night.

Minecraft Fantasy Houses

Barbie Film House

a Barbie Film House in MinecraftMojang

If you’re a fan of Barbie and have always wanted to make the dream Barbie house, Brookella has got your back with the right colors and layout.

Article continues after ad

It resembles the house from the Barbie movie, featuring pools, trees, open floors, and a lot of pink!

Big Fantasy House

a Big Fantasy House in MinecraftMojang

Fantasy-inspired houses in Minecraft can be some of the biggest and most detailed builds in the game, and that’s the case for this house from Minecraft Fantasy Builds.

Featuring pointy roofs with arching balconies, this build is ideal who anyone who loves a fantasy setting.

Botanical House

a Botanical House in MinecraftMojang

For anyone who adores gardening, this Botanical house could be a perfect home.

Article continues after ad

This creator has made a colorful home in the middle of the woods that’s surrounded by enough mushrooms and grass. Although it’s a smaller house idea, this is a cozy design that feels particularly unique thanks to the flowers growing on the roof.

Bridge House

a Minecraft Bridge HouseMojang

A Bridge house can be the ideal solution for ensuring safe traversal over rivers and smaller water bodies in Minecraft. This Bridge House also allows you to access every single item in your home or store extra items along the way.

Article continues after ad

It also stands out from the rest of the fancy houses – not for its lack of looks but for how useful and effective it can be.

Cherry Blossom House

a Cherry Blossom House in MinecraftMojang

Do you love cherry blossoms and want to build a house around them in Minecraft?

SheepGG’s build will result in the ideal blossom-inspired place to live. It features a huge amount of pink and is surrounded by cherry blossoms.

Cottage House

a Minecraft Cottage HouseMojang

This classic Cottage House from Croissant Cat provides all the vibes you need to live a cozy cottagecore in Minecraft. It’s large with ample space all around with great decoration of vines, flowers, and aesthetics.

Article continues after ad

To get the exact look you’ll need to use Mizuno’s 16 Craft Resource Pack, BSL Shaders, and OptiFine.

Observatory House

an Observatory House in MinecraftMojang

This Observatory-themed house is fantastic for stargazers. Whether you want to live there full-time, or just visit for all your stargazing activities, it’s an excellent unique build from ItsMarloe.

To get the very best view, we’d recommend building this one on higher ground like a hill or plateau.

Wizard Tower

a Wizard Tower House in MinecraftMojang

A sleek Wizard Tower is also a great option for any fantasy enthusiasts.

Article continues after ad

This Zaypixel design is easy to build and only requires basic materials like Red Bricks, Stones, and Spruce. It shouldn’t take too long to put together, and you’ll get an epic Wizard’s home when you’re finished.

Minecraft Farmhouses

Big multipurpose survival house

a Minecraft Big multipurpose survival houseMojang

This big survival house made by IrieGenie takes some time to build but fulfills multiple purposes at once. For instance, you have a farm, a stable, several furnaces, and a well-decorated cozy house at your disposal.

Article continues after ad

To get the exact looks from the video, use the Faithful resource pack and BSL shaders.

Large Farmhouse

a Minecraft Large FarmhouseMojang

If you want to create a larger farmhouse where step farming is the norm, then this build from JUNS MAB Architecture Tutorial is the one you need to follow.

It has a neat modular design with a structured plan to gather your own resources. For the right feel, use BSL shaders and the Faithful resource pack.

Windmill House

a Windmill House in MinecraftMojang

Why not create this Windmill house to make more out of your farmhouse life in the countryside? Thanks to Zaypixel, the creator made the perfect Windmill that can grind food items in a jiffy.

Article continues after ad

To get the right looks, we’d advise you to use BSL shaders and Vanilla Tweaks, Jerm’s Better Leaves, and Motschen’s Better Leaves resource packs.

Minecraft Japanese-Inspired Houses

Big Japanese House

an image of Big Japanese House in MinecraftMojang

This big old-school Japanese-themed house is surrounded by greenery and has plenty of space for anyone who wants to make it a home.

The creator has listed all the items you need to build this house in the Survival mode and it has enough room for all the essentials like a bedroom, an enchanting table, furnaces, storage, and more.

Article continues after ad

Large Japanese House

an image of Minecraft Large Japanese HouseMojang

If games like Ghost of Tsushima or Rise of the Ronin have sparked your interest in creating a large and extremely detailed Japanese house in Minecraft, then Folli has got you covered with this build.

Ultimate Japanese House

Minecraft house ideaMojang

For those who love Japanese architecture and want to embrace the beauty of some handcrafted Cherry Blossom trees and pools of fish then this is the perfect cute Minecraft house idea.

It’s tough to build but undeniably worth it if you want to impress your friends or just live in luxury. We recommend you download the BSL shader, which was used in the video to get the true design effect.

Article continues after ad

Minecraft Mansions

Compact Stone Mansion

a Compact Stone Mansion in MinecraftMojang

This Stone Mansion by Cryptozoology is a slightly simple Mansion design for those who would prefer to be less detailed in their house designs.

It’s also fairly easy to build and uses basic materials like Cobblestone and Wood.

Dark Oak House

a Dark Oak House in MinecraftMojang

This Dark Oak House from Lex The Builder is perfect for someone who wants to build a base that looks old and haunted.

The Dark Oak blocks combined with Deepslates match well and offer an impactful haunted vibe to anyone entering the house.

Article continues after ad

Large Stone Mansion

modern Minecraft Mansion buildBrandon Stilley Gaming

When it comes to creating a magnificent Minecraft mansion, you must craft one that stands out in the landscape and looks visually impressive. With this incredible build, you’ll be able to do exactly that.

The building itself comes with a design on the inside and the outside, as well as a relaxing pool in the back, as all mansions should have.

Multi-Storied House

a Minecraft Multi-Storied HouseMojang

While compact houses can be great to save time, nothing beats the satisfaction of building a massive multi-storied house.

Article continues after ad

This multi-storied house from JUNS MAB Architecture Tutorial features several floors with beautifully crafted interiors, and to get the right looks, use BSL shaders and Faithful resource pack.

Rustic Mansion

a Rustic Mansion in MinecraftMojang

Mansions can be great survival houses due to their large size, which means there will be enough space for comfort with great interiors.

Cryptozoology’s Rustic Mansion combines different resources in creative ways to give an old yet majestic look to a large survival house.

Minecraft Medieval Houses

Easy Medieval House

Minecraft Medieval houseMojang

This fantastic Medieval house is a smaller build than the previous Minecraft castles. It’s quicker to build and much easier to find resources.

Article continues after ad

With that aside, this is still a unique and beautiful Minecraft house idea, especially if you need a good tower to place your Anvil or Enchantment table.

Medieval House with Tower

a Medieval House with Tower in MinecraftMojang

The Medieval House that Miner101 made has two towers and is mostly made out of items that are easy to gather like oak and spruce wood, cobblestone, and grass.

The mods that you need to use to get the ideal Medieval look are Complementary Reimagined shaders and Jerm’s Better Leaves Addon resource pack.

Article continues after ad

Minecraft Treehouses

Bridge Treehouse

An image of the bridge treehouse design in Minecraft.Typface

What’s better than 1 treehouse? 2 treehouses! This design gives players a combination of 2 big treehouses with a bridge that connects them both. Although it can take a while to build, it’s a simple enough structure for both new builders and veterans to get their heads around.

It’s a distinct house with a wonderful symmetrical design to live in.

Modern Treehouse

a Minecraft Modern TreehouseMojang

There’s no rule that tree houses in Minecraft cannot look modern.

6tenstudio has curated a modern tree house in the most creative way possible that has all the necessary items along with easy travel between different levels of the house.

Article continues after ad

Wooden Treehouse

Minecraft easy house tree houseMojang

Nothing beats living a little closer to nature in a fantastic treehouse especially when it looks as amazing as this one.

The trickiest part of this build is undeniably finding the perfect tree. Once you’ve done that, you’ll be able to create balconies, large rooms, and so much more, all with easily located resources. Ultimately, this is one of the best cute Minecraft house ideas you must try out if you find yourself in a forest.

Article continues after ad

Underground & Underwater Houses

Simple Underground House

Underground Minecraft house survivalMojang

When it comes to playing Minecraft survival, sometimes it’s important to stay hidden from monsters, or other players. That doesn’t mean you can’t hide in style, however. Especially if it looks like this underground home.

With a hideable cross-shaped glass roof and enough space for all your crafting needs, it’s the ideal build for beginners and is one of the best Minecraft house ideas for survival.

Circle Underwater House

an image of Minecraft Circle Underwater HouseMojang

For players who like to build underwater bases, consider trying ManDooMiN’s Circle Underwater House. It’s half submerged and half is out of the water, giving you the best of both worlds.

Article continues after ad

It is pretty unique and the only mod you need is BSL shader.

Ultimate Underwater Base

Minecraft underwater house ideaMojang

This is one of many unique modern Minecraft house ideas and is perfect if you’re looking to live in the deep blue sea. It may be challenging but this build has it all from crops to a bedroom and storage space.

On top of that, the resources required can be found in survival mode, making it a fantastic Minecraft survival house idea, if you’re willing to do a bit of material gathering.

Article continues after ad

If you are, this will be a fantastic house and the perfect build for those looking for a more watery challenge.

Those are our top house ideas for Minecraft. For more on the game, check out cheats and commands, Bedrock Shaders, Best Minecraft Seeds, how to make a Crafter block, and all upcoming features.