Start with a basic box, then add walls and a door

A house in Terraria is a room with four walls, a floor, a ceiling, a door, and a light source — that is the minimum. Your first house can be as straightforward as a 10-by-10 space made of wood or stone, with a wooden door on one side and a torch on the wall. Once you have those five things, NPCs will move in and you can assign them to rooms.

The fastest way to build your first house is to gather wood from trees, craft wooden walls at a workbench, place them as the four sides of a rectangle, add a floor and ceiling, cut a door hole, place a wooden door, and hang a torch. This takes about 10 minutes if you already have a workbench. The house does not need to look good — it needs to be enclosed and meet the size requirement, which is at least 60 tiles of space inside.

Do not overthink the first house. You will build better ones later. Right now, the goal is to get NPCs to move in so they can sell you items you need to progress.

Key Takeaways

  • A valid house needs four walls, a floor, a ceiling, a door, and a light source, with at least 60 tiles of interior space.
  • Wood is the easiest material to start with because trees are everywhere and a workbench turns wood into walls and doors.
  • Each NPC has specific housing requirements — the Merchant wants a house, the Nurse wants a house, but some NPCs prefer certain biomes nearby.
  • You can build multiple small houses in a row or stack them vertically to save space and create a village.
  • Walls placed by you are different from natural cave walls — NPCs will not move into a room with only natural walls, even if it is enclosed.

Gather wood and craft the basic structure

Chop down trees with any axe or sword to get wood. One tree gives you 10 to 20 wood depending on its size. You need roughly 100 wood to build a 10-by-10 house with walls, floor, and ceiling. Craft the wood into wooden walls at a workbench — each wood becomes one wall tile.

Place the walls in a rectangle shape on the ground. Leave one space open for the door. Add a floor by placing wood horizontally across the bottom, and a ceiling by placing wood horizontally at the top. The walls must be solid on all four sides — gaps let monsters in and NPCs will refuse to move in.

If you do not have a workbench yet, craft one from 10 wood at any crafting station. If you do not have a crafting station, punch trees with your fists until you have 10 wood, then open your inventory and craft a workbench from the wood directly.

Place a door and a light source

Craft a wooden door from 6 wood at a workbench. Place it in the space you left open in the wall. The door must be placed in a wall tile — it cannot float in the air or sit on the ground. If you place it wrong, it will not work and NPCs will not recognize the house as valid.

Craft a torch from 1 wood and 1 gel (from slimes) at a workbench. Place it on the wall inside the house. The torch must be inside the room, not outside. One torch is enough for the house to count as lit.

Test the house by checking if an NPC will move in. Open the housing menu by pressing the house icon in your inventory, then click on an empty house. If it shows a green checkmark, the house is valid. If it shows a red X, something is wrong — usually a missing wall, door, or light source.

Understand NPC housing preferences

Most NPCs will move into any valid house, but some have preferences. The Merchant moves into any house. The Nurse moves into any house. The Guide moves into any house. But the Dryad prefers to be in a house near a Hallow biome, and the Goblin Tinkerer prefers to be near a cave or underground area.

You do not have to meet these preferences — NPCs will still move in without them. But if you want them to be happy and sell you items at a discount, place their house in the biome they prefer. Happiness affects prices: a happy NPC sells items cheaper and buys items for more money.

You can see an NPC's preference by talking to them after they move in. They will tell you what biome they like and which other NPCs they like living near. Use this information to plan where to build houses for NPCs you want to keep happy.

Build multiple houses in a row or stack them vertically

Once you have one house, build a second one next to it or above it. Stack them vertically to save horizontal space, or place them side by side to create a village. Each house needs its own door, walls, floor, ceiling, and light source — you cannot share a door between two houses.

A vertical stack of houses takes up less space than a horizontal row. A 10-by-10 house stacked 5 high uses a 10-by-50 footprint, while 5 houses in a row use a 50-by-10 footprint. Choose based on your terrain and how much space you have.

As you progress and unlock better building materials like stone brick, wood, or dungeon brick, you can rebuild old houses to look nicer. But for now, function matters more than appearance.

Avoid common building mistakes

Natural cave walls do not count as player-placed walls. If you find a cave and try to seal it off with a door, NPCs will not move in because the walls are not yours. You must place your own walls, even if the cave already has walls.

Doors placed in the floor or ceiling do not work. A door must be placed in a vertical wall tile. If you place it horizontally, it will not function and NPCs will reject the house.

Platforms are not walls. If you build a house out of platforms instead of solid wall tiles, NPCs will not move in. Platforms let you walk through them, so they do not count as enclosure.

Rooms that are too small will not work. The minimum is 60 tiles of interior space. A 10-by-10 room is 100 tiles, which is safe. A 5-by-5 room is 25 tiles, which is too small. If you are unsure, build bigger.

Upgrade to better materials as you progress

Wood is fine for your first house, but stone brick, wood, and dungeon brick look better and last longer. Stone brick is made from stone at a furnace. Wood can be crafted from wood at a workbench. Dungeon brick comes from the dungeon and cannot be crafted.

You do not need to rebuild your first house. Build new houses out of better materials as you unlock them. Your first house can stay straightforward and functional while you build fancier houses for NPCs you want to keep happy.

Painting walls and adding furniture like chairs, tables, and bookshelves makes houses look better and makes NPCs happier. But these are optional — a house with just walls, a door, and a torch is valid and functional.

Frequently Asked Questions

How big does a house have to be?

A house must have at least 60 tiles of interior space. A 10-by-10 room is 100 tiles and works. A 6-by-10 room is 60 tiles and barely works. Anything smaller will be rejected. The housing menu shows you the tile count when you select a room.

Can I use stone or dirt instead of wood?

Yes. Stone, dirt, sand, and many other blocks work as walls. Wood is easiest because trees are everywhere and you can get it without a pickaxe. Stone requires a pickaxe to mine. Use whatever you have — the material does not matter as long as the walls are solid and enclose the space.

What if an NPC will not move into a house I built?

Open the housing menu and click on the house. If it shows a red X, something is missing — usually a wall gap, a missing door, a missing light source, or the room is too small. Fix the problem and try again. If it shows a green checkmark but the NPC still will not move in, you may not have enough money or the NPC may already have a house assigned.

Do I need to build a house before I can progress in the game?

Yes. NPCs like the Merchant and Nurse will not move in until you have a valid house. You cannot buy items from them or use their services without a house. Building your first house is one of the first things you should do after getting a workbench.

Can I move an NPC to a different house later?

Yes. Open the housing menu, click on an NPC's current house, and unassign them. Then click on a new empty house and assign them to it. NPCs can move between houses as many times as you want.