You have killed dragons, ended a civil war and hauled enough loot to sink a cart. And you still sleep in a rented bed at the Bannered Mare. Hearthfire fixes that by letting you buy a plot of land and build a house plank by plank.
The building part is easy. The annoying part is that each Jarl wants a favor before they sell you a patch of dirt,. This guide covers all three plots, what each one actually requires, how construction works and which house deserves your first 5,000 gold.
Hearthfire Plots at a Glance
Hearthfire is part of every Special Edition and Anniversary Edition copy, so there is nothing extra to install. There are three plots, each in a different hold, and each comes with one exterior feature the other two lack.
| Plot | Hold | Buy from | Favor needed (original Jarl) | Unique exterior |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeview Manor | Falkreath Hold | Steward Nenya, Jarl’s Longhouse | Kill the Bandit Leader for Jarl Siddgeir | Apiary (honeycomb and bees) |
| Windstad Manor | Hjaalmarch | Steward at Highmoon Hall, Morthal | Laid to Rest for Jarl Idgrod | Fish Hatchery |
| Heljarchen Hall | The Pale | Jarl of Dawnstar, the White Hall | Waking Nightmare, then Kill the Giant for Jarl Skald | Grain Mill (wheat into flour) |
The Math: every plot costs 5,000 gold, so owning all three runs you 15,000 before you buy a single log.
How to Buy Each Plot
The requirements above apply to the original Jarls. If the civil war swapped out a Jarl, the new one usually sells without the favor, which is one more thing to weigh when you decide whether to join the Stormcloaks or the Imperials.
Lakeview Manor (Falkreath)
The plot sits on a hill directly north of Pinewatch, overlooking Lake Ilinalta. Talk to Jarl Siddgeir, take the bandit leader bounty, clear the camp, then pay his steward Nenya. If the Stormcloaks run Falkreath, Jarl Dengeir sells through his steward Tekla instead. Becoming Thane later gives you Rayya as housecarl.
Windstad Manor (Hjaalmarch)
Windstad is a coastal plot north of Morthal, south across the water from Solitude and close to Ustengrav. Under Jarl Idgrod you need to finish Laid to Rest, the burned house mystery in Morthal, before the steward at Highmoon Hall takes your gold. Valdimar becomes your housecarl if you make Thane.
Heljarchen Hall (The Pale)
Plot twist: the Pale plot is nowhere near Dawnstar. It sits in the far south of the hold, on the snowy plain north of Whiterun, close enough that you can see it from Dragonsreach. Under Jarl Skald you first deal with the nightmares in Waking Nightmare, then take the Kill the Giant favor, which Skald only offers once you reach character level 22. Gregor is the housecarl here.
Lore Drop: Dawnstar’s bad dreams come from Vaermina, the Daedric Prince of nightmares, leaking out of the Nightcaller Temple. You untangle a Daedric curse to earn the right to buy farmland.
How Construction Works
Every plot comes with a Drafting Table, a Carpenter’s Workbench and a chest stocked with starter materials. The Drafting Table is where you choose what to build. Plans cost nothing, so experiment freely. The Carpenter’s Workbench then turns raw materials into the actual walls, floors and roof.
Materials and Where They Come From
- Quarried Stone: mined from the stone quarry on your plot. Bring a pickaxe.
- Clay: mined from the clay deposit on the plot.
- Sawn Logs: bought from any lumber mill owner, such as Hod in Riverwood, who delivers them straight to your land.
- Nails, Hinges, Iron Fittings and Locks: forged from iron ingots at an anvil. This is where most of your iron goes.
- Extras: straw, glass, goat horns and other bits for furnishings. Your steward can buy many of these for you.
Build Order
Start with the Small House. It is a cosy one room cottage and teaches you the system without much risk. Next comes the Main Hall, which turns the cottage into a proper two storey home with a cellar below. After that you add up to three wings, one on each side of the hall.
Here’s the catch: you only get three of the nine wing options, one per side, and you cannot undo a finished wing. Pick carefully.
| Wing | Option 1 | Option 2 | Option 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Wing | Bedrooms | Greenhouse | Enchanter’s Tower |
| North Wing | Storage Room | Trophy Room | Alchemy Laboratory |
| East Wing | Armory | Kitchen | Library |
Hot Take: the Bedrooms wing looks boring and is often the wrong call. If you play a caster, the Enchanter’s Tower gives you an enchanting station and soul gem displays under one roof, which pairs nicely with a mage build. The Alchemy Laboratory and Greenhouse are the money makers for potion brewers.
Stewards, Family and Extras
Once the house stands, hire a steward. A housecarl or most regular followers can take the job. The steward can furnish rooms, buy livestock, hire a carriage driver or a bard, and keep you stocked with building materials, so you are not hauling logs across the province yourself.
Hearthfire also adds adoption. You can adopt up to two children, and they need a bedroom with child beds in whichever house you send them to. Your spouse can move in too. A finished Library is a nice place to keep the skill books you have collected, since a house shelf is safer than your bag.
Which Hearthfire House Is Best?
- Lakeview Manor: best all rounder. Pretty spot, central enough, quick to unlock, and the apiary feeds bee ingredients straight into your alchemy.
- Heljarchen Hall: best for travel. It is close to Whiterun, the hub of the map, and the grain mill makes flour for cooking.
- Windstad Manor: best for fishers and alchemists who do not mind the swamp, and the Laid to Rest requirement is a fun questline anyway.
Actually Do This: buy Lakeview Manor first. Kill the Bandit Leader is a short job, the Half-Moon Mill sits on the same lake for log deliveries, and the house gives a new character a safe home early. If you are still finding your feet, our beginner build guide pairs well with an early home base. Then add the other two at your own pace.
Skyrim keeps pulling in players more than a decade on, as our Skyrim Special Edition player count tracker shows. More guides live on our Skyrim hub.
Hearthfire FAQ
How much does land cost in Hearthfire?
Each plot costs 5,000 gold, so all three cost 15,000 gold. Building materials and furnishings cost extra.
Can you build all three Hearthfire houses?
Yes. You can own and fully build Lakeview Manor, Windstad Manor and Heljarchen Hall in the same playthrough.
Where do you get sawn logs in Hearthfire?
Buy them from any lumber mill owner, for example Hod in Riverwood. The logs are delivered to your plot, or your steward can buy them for you.
How many wings can a Hearthfire house have?
Three: one west, one north and one east wing. Each side offers three options, and you pick one of them.
The Math: three plots, 15,000 gold, nine wing choices of which you get three per house. Nothing beats coming home to a house you built yourself.
