How to Build a House with Hearthfire in Skyrim

Last Updated: March 28, 2019

You have killed dragons, saved towns, become a thane, and possibly even managed to land a spouse. Now it is time to settle down. Building a house in Hearthfire is the way to go! There are three houses you can build and unlike the houses you can obtain in the core game, houses that you get by playing the Hearthfire expansion are built with your own two hands from the ground up. They are far more expansive than the townhouses and can be a great way to level up several skills, as well as store and display your favorite gear, books, family members, and retainers.

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Obtaining Heljarchen Hall

1
Start the quest “Waking Nightmare”. In order to purchase land from the Jarl of Dawnstar to build a house in “The Pale” you will need to find out about the people of Dawnstar through their dreams.^{[1]
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- Speak to the various people in Dawnstar to learn about their bad dreams.
2
Follow Erandur into the Temple of Doom after you speak to him. Make your way to the library.

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3
Look for a book called, “The Dreamstride”. It is located on the upper level, on a lectern in the corner.
4
Follow Erandur into the laboratory. Here you will find a potion called Vaermina’s Torpor. Erandur will instruct you to drink it. You will be transported to a dream realm.
5
Locate and free the Miasma. Once done, you will be able to stop the force field using the found soul gem and be able to choose whether or not to kill Erandur. Return to the Jarl.
6
Complete the favor quest, “Kill the Giant”. You must be level 22 at the minimum to start this quest. The quest is very simple and only requires you to kill a giant at a camp specified by the Jarl and return to get your bounty.
7
Purchase land from the Jarl. After completing the above quests you will be granted the right to purchase land from the Jarl of Dawnstar.^{[2]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Obtaining Lakeview Manor

1
Complete the quest “Kill the Bandit Leader”. Speak to Siddgeir the Jarl of Falkreath. The will send you on a quest to kill a bandit leader at a designated bandit camp. Return to him.
2
Purchase land. Once you have completed the above quest, you will need to speak to Siddgeir again.
3
Do favor quests for other Falkreath residents. You will need to complete an undetermined amount of favor quests for the people of Falkreath in order to be able to purchase land from the Jarl of Falkreath. Check back with him after doing a few quests in the area to see if the option to purchase land has become available.^{[3]
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Part 3

Part 3 of 4:

Obtaining Windstad Manor

1
Start the quest “Laid to Rest”. When you enter Morthal everyone in town will be speaking about how Hroggar’s house burned down. You can obtain the quest directly from the Jarl, from speaking to Jonna at the Moorside Inn, or from a passing guard if you have already been to the burned house.
2
Go to the burned house in Morthal and speak to Helgi the ghost. She will want to play play hide and seek. Agree to do so. She will describe another player in the game, and request that the game happen after dark.
3
Wait for dark and return go to Helgi’s grave site. You should have a quest marker to lead the way.
4
Defeat Laelette. When you get to the grave you must defeat Laelette and then speak to Helgi. She will then tell you a gruesome story surrounding her death.
5
Speak to Thonnir. When Thonnir arrives speak to him to learn that Laelette was spending a lot of time with Alva.
6
Investigate Alva by entering her house. Here you will find her journal and more details. Turn in these details to the Jarl. You will be asked to go to Morvarth’s Lair and destroy the vampire boss within.
7
Return to the Jarl. Once you have completed the quest, “Laid to Rest” you will be able to purchase land in the Hjaalmarch region. Go to your new land plot and begin building your home.^{[4]
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Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Building Your House

1
Go to your new plot of land. Regardless of which of the three houses you have obtained you will go about building your house the same way. You will find a drafting table, anvil, and workbench at each plot.^{[5]
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2
Gather the required materials to build. Each house is going to need a few basic materials to build. Sawn logs can be acquired by going to any woodmill and purchasing them. Alternatively you can purchase them through your house steward if you have appointed one. Hinges, nails, and locks can be crafted using iron ingots on the anvil nearby. Quarried stone and clay can be mined in an unlimited supply from nearby deposits. Look for a pickaxe laying on the ground to find deposits.^{[6]
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3
Build the small home. Once you have gathered your supplies, go to the drafting table and choose to make a small home. Switch to the carpenter’s work bench to create the items now listed. This will build the very start of your own home. You can technically stop here and have a perfectly viable home. However, you would be missing out on the great expansions available to your beautiful home.^{[7]
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4
Expand the home. After you have build the small home, return to the drafting table and choose to turn the small home into an entrance hall. Then you can choose expansions to add to your home. Choose to add a Main Hall, this must be done before you can choose any specialty rooms.^{[8]
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5
Choose what to add to each wing. After you have completed creating your main hall, return to the drafting bench to decide what to add to each wing. You can choose from amongst three options for each of the three wings of the house.^{[9]
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- For the north wing, you have the option to choose between a trophy, storage, or alchemy room.
- In the east wing, you will have the options of a kitchen, library, or armory.
- In the west wing, you will be able to choose from a greenhouse, spare bedroom, or enchanting room.
6
Decorate your house. Once all wings have been built and your choices have been made you can go inside and decorate your house. In each room will be a workbench with various options to decorate. Gather your materials and go wild!