When you start a new survival world in Minecraft, you may feel overwhelmed with the plethora of different things you need to do before day turns to night. Although you can certainly spend your first night inside a dirt house, a great way to boost your chances of survival is by constructing a smaller starter house, which can serve all of your early-game needs before you transition to a new home.
Just because these starter houses may not be permanent, that does not mean that you should skimp out on decorating them fully, as there are hundreds of different tutorials online that can assist you throughout the building process. If you are curious about which of these starter homes are the best for your needs, then check out the list below.
Updated January 24, 2026, by Zoë J. Osik: Your first house in Minecraft is a big deal–it’s where you’ll be setting up shop and putting down roots for your future endeavors. It’s a good idea to build something you’ll like, as it will be a safe haven for the first few hours of gameplay. We’ve updated our list to include new builds that you can experiment with to find that perfect starter home, regardless of the biome you find yourself in.
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Compact Starter House
This modular starter home utilizes the absolute minimum amount of space necessary, meaning you save both time and resources. Specifically, this home has a single block of standing room in the interior, as every other space is taken up by a bed, two chests, a crafting table, and a furnace.
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The home is made out of simple wooden blocks and cobblestone, and is best used by players who are not too keen on the building aspects of Minecraft.
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Cottage Starter House
There truly is nothing cozier that a simple cottage, and Ayvocado’s starter home truly proves this statement. Constructed with dark oak and spruce planks, this quaint cottage provides everything you need while you start out your Minecraft adventures.
Furthermore, you can add decorations, such as leaves or a false chimney, to further improve the overall aesthetic of this simplistic build.
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Plains Starter House
If you are entering the fantastical world of Minecraft for the first time, then we recommend settling down in a plains biome. These locations offer a large amount of wild life, plenty of space for farming, and areas free of obstructions for building.
Specifically, constructing the Plains Starter House means you will have just enough space to rest your head at night, while also maintaining a large grouping of crops that can replenish your hunger bar. While this is certainly the smallest house on the list, you could easily construct this building in a singular Minecraft day to protect yourself from any monsters that may spawn at night.
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Lakeside Starter House
If you find yourself spawning next to large lakes or oceans, you can always incorporate these bodies of water into your creations. This house uses spruce trapdoors as the foundations of a small L-shaped dock, which the entire two-story house rests upon.
The house itself is made out of simple materials, such as cobblestone, wood, bricks, and deepslate bricks. Even though the house is built on a sophisticated landscape, the entire base is only a nine-by-nine square, making it the perfect opportunity for newer builders to practice their skills.
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Deep Slate Starter House
The Deep Slate Starter House is somewhat of an updated version of the Plains Starter House, as this deep slate structure features an extra story and diorite decorations to make an appealing facade. Specifically, the Deep Slate Stater House uses the aforementioned blocks to line the roof of the home, allowing the spruce planks to seamlessly blend in with the overall structure.
Furthermore, unlike the two previous entires on this list, this starter home features a second story. This means that you can specialize different portions of your house as you progress through the game, adding things like extra storage, a smelting area, and an enchanting room.
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Starter Oak House
The Starter Oak House is perhaps the most generic starter home on the entire list, but do not mistake that as a bad thing. Modeled after the old villager homes, this multi-tiered structure is solely made out of wood and provides everything you need for your entire playthrough in a singular, small area.
Specifically, the lower level of the property is reserved for farming and enchanting, while the main level of the house contains the crafting area and your ever important bed. Overall, if you are a player that prioritizes utility and functionality, then this is definitely the starter house for you.
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Blue Starter House
This small blue starter house is perfect for players who love to explore the dangerous Nether dimension. The main construction material of this home is warped wood, which can only be found within a Warped Forest in the Nether.
This dark blue wood matches perfectly with darker woods, such as spruce logs and planks. The starter home is relatively small and is built with intersecting diagonal roofs, which creates space for an upstairs bedroom and storage area.
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Winter Starter House
If you find yourself playing Minecraft on a warm summer night and are yearning for something just a little cooler, then you should build the Winter Starter House. This home is made solely out of spruce wood and planks, as you will find an abundance of this wood in snowy forests.
Furthermore, you can decorate the outside of the home with dead plants, or berry bushes to add a splash of color to the structure. Finally, just wait for the snow to fall, and your roof will get covered in a comforting blanket of snow.
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Japanese Starter House
While most houses on this list focus on creating a completely functional structure, the Japanese Starter House aims to blend the utility of a starter home with the aesthetics of Japanese architecture. Specifically, this build utilizes deep slate stairs and slabs to create a peaked roof, which resembles Japanese temples.
However, while his design is certainly appealing, it may be quite challenging to replicate for inexperienced builders. However, we recommend you take on that challenge, as it will teach you the basic building techniques you need to generate appealing structures in the game.
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Medieval Starter House
If you are a fan of a more traditional aesthetic, then consider constructing Nanaroid’s medieval themed home. This traditional house comes equipped with a second story, an observation tower, a small stable, and a sloped roof modeled after houses from the time period.
Furthermore, a great starter home comes with amenities such as a farm, which you can easily construct to provide yourself with a consistent food source while also sticking with your build’s theme. Sadly, the only drawback of this build is the slight increase in difficulty, as building the roof can be somewhat tricky.
