The Best Minecraft Building Tips

The best way to get inspiration or guidance is by watching Minecraft videos or following builder social media accounts. Consider watching builders like Fwhip, Pearlescentmoon, or GeminiTay. Also watch one of the many seasons of Hermitcraft because some of the greatest Minecraft builders have participated in the SMP series!

This could be different for everyone or per build. Before building in survival, create a mock-build in creative mode first. This way, you don’t have to worry about fall damage when trying to decide on a theme. It also is quicker to get rid of blocks in creative, rather than mining them in survival.

Some fun ways to plan builds are:

• Pinterest board
• Reference photos
• Concept drawing/sketch

Before diving into larger builds, make a wireframe of them! Wireframes are a general outline or sketch of the build. Wool is a great block to use because its easy to break down or chant. This method is great for planning out where buildings or features will go before placing down harder to mine blocks like stone or glass. Wireframes make it easier for you to visualize the final product and test out height and width.

Regardless of what you’re building, sight lines are important to high quality visuals. This is especially useful when the build location is a forest or mountain biome. GeminiTay does a great job at talking about line of sight in the video below:

Before you get into the meat of building, make sure you know what blocks you plan to use and their available variations. It’s a good idea to go in with a specific theme and color scheme in mind. I also recommend placing down a palette of blocks in front of your build to have a reminder of your original vision. Block Palettes is a great site to find inspiration from!

Don’t be afraid to explore and test build with blocks you normally wouldn’t. There are some beautiful railings that can be made with lecterns or anvils!

I’ve yet to find a block that’s as versatile as trapdoors. They make great shelves, flowerbeds, or window shutters! When in doubt, add a trapdoor.

The details and decor for builds shouldn’t make up the entire structure or distract from it. Start simple and add sparingly to make the build visually appealing.

Rather than making a square house, consider adding more lines and dimension to it. Add a side porch or a second floor that’s off-center! Aside from urban areas, structures are rarely simple squares or rectangles, so take inspiration from every day life.

Rather than leveling off an area, think about how neighborhoods or cities are built in real life. Usually they’re on different levels of elevation. Keep interest by building a house on a different level than your farmland or barn. Don’t forget to keep line of sight in mind!