Terraria house requirements, ideas, and designs

One of the biggest challenges you’ll face in Terraria is building the perfect house. That’s where we come in. With our Terraria house guide, we’ll go through the necessary Terraria house requirements, a bunch of Terraria house designs for the different biomes, the Terraria auto house mod, and even how to remove walls in Terraria. By the time we’ve finished with you, you’ll have all the materials you need to become a master builder and start constructing a masterpiece of your own.

If you are looking to build a house for your Terraria NPCs, you should check out our Terraria NPC guide which goes into great detail about the preferences of each NPC when it comes to living spaces, and even a happiness chart, showing where you should place them to maximise their morale.

Let’s dive into our Terraria house guide.

So, you’ve survived your entry into the perilous world of Terraria and want to build your own house. But where do you start? Building a house in this game is a little more complicated than simply planting some blocks around you and hoping for the best. You’ll need to be tactical about where you set down your roots, and adhere to certain house requirements before you can kick your feet up in your new abode. We’ve laid out the basic requirements below to get you started.

Terraria house requirements 

When building a house in Terraria, there are a number of requirements to keep in mind. It’s worth taking this advice into account, as creating a decent house will allow you to build up your town and welcome in new Terraria NPCs:

• A house must have between 60 and 750 tiles in total across its frame, floor, ceiling, and walls
• It has to feature at least one comfort item, one flat item, and one light source. If you’re just starting out, the easiest way of achieving this is by building a chair, a work bench, and a torch
• Be sure to add a background wall! Avoid leaving gaps in these where possible, so enemies can’t spawn in
• You also have to build an entrance to your new home, such as a door or a trap door. Remember that NPCs and enemies can’t use trap doors
• Also be sure to avoid any and all corruption zones

Terraria house designs and ideas 

Here, we’ve pulled together some Terraria house ideas for beginners, from a simple starter house to designs suiting different biomes. Check them out.

Terraria starter house

A good Terraria starter house follows all of the above rules and can easily act as your base of operations in the early hours of the game. Functional and quaint, you’ll always remember your first house fondly. Follow the above tutorial if you want something that’s good-looking and easy to put together, and efficient for your earlygame needs.

Terraria desert house

Here’s another simple build that fits its biome well and can easily be enhanced with fancy decorations once you’ve laid the foundations. Terraria’s desert biome is a favourite of several NPCs, such as the Dye Trader, so you’ll almost certainly feel the urge to build a desert retreat later in your playthrough.

Terraria underground house

If you’re looking to up your creative game, here’s a fun challenge for you – try setting up shop underground. It’s actually not as tricky as you might imagine, and the video tutorial above highlights how to covert an old ruin into your dream cave home. Of course, your first underground build needn’t be quite as complex, but the reward in this case is well worth the effort.

Terraria jungle house

The jungle biome is another popular one, but it’s also quite tricky to design for. The challenge lies in creating a house that doesn’t appear out of place. We’d therefore recommend going for a jungle hut design, much like the one in the video above. Sure, this is a pretty advanced build with a lot of bells and whistles, but it’s also super charming and easily adaptable to suit your skill level and taste.

Terraria snow house

Is there anything more homely and welcoming than a snowy winter cabin? This build in particular is one of the most pleasant we’ve seen yet, with its cosy fireplace and ample decorations. Once again, this might not be an easy build to put together if you’re still fairly early in your playthrough, so be sure to adjust the template to suit your current resources and ability.

If you’re looking for some more inspiration, you can always check out the Terraria forums which have plenty of unique, fan-made creations – whether you’re planning to make a Terraria greenhouse, a Terraria Japanese house, or anything else you can dream up, you can browse this catalogue showcasing some of the best Terraria houses at your leisure.

Terraria auto house 

If you’re looking for a simple way to pop up a fresh house, and don’t mind dipping your toes into the world of modding, Fargo’s Mutant Mod may be the answer for you. Fargo’s Mod is one of the biggest and most popular Terraria mods out there, including loads of cool features, from new NPCs and bosses, to quality of life changes.

One of the features included in the Fargo’s Mutant Mod is the Insta House, which is a craftable consumable that instantly creates a 6×10 wooden house with walls, a door, a table, a chair, and a torch. Though very basic, the Insta House ticks all the necessary boxes, and is very useful for spawning a place for NPCs to rest their heads. The Deviantt (a town NPC) gives you three Insta Houses when you ask for help for the first time, but you can always craft more using 50 wood and a torch at a Sawmill.

The Deviantt will only spawn when a rare enemy has been defeated or the world is in Eternity Mode, and there is an empty house for them to move into.

How to remove walls in Terraria 

There are plenty of reasons why you might want to remove a wall in Terraria – misplaced blocks, a change in design, wanting to replace dirt walls with something sturdier, the list goes on. Well, luckily, you can! It may be a little time consuming, but with the use of a handy hammer, you can destroy any wall that stands in the way of your ideal design. Start from the edge at the top and work down, as it won’t let you smash a hole through a wall from the centre. Here are some of the hammers you can craft early in the game.

And with that, we’ve come to the end of our Terraria house guide! While you’re here, remember to check out our list of Terraria wings, which includes all the info you need on how to obtain and use them, as well as our in-depth guide to every Terraria armour set.