Skyrim:Hearthfire

Hearthfire is the second major official add-on for Skyrim. The add-on allows the player to build (from scratch) up to three unique homes. The add-on also introduces adoption, allowing the player to adopt orphaned children.
 

Gameplay Information
 
 
 
 
 
 

Features
thumb|right|A house built by the player in Falkreath Hold
Ability to build and customize your own house.
You must purchase the land and use raw materials at a drafting table and carpenter's workbench to create rooms and furniture for your house.
Equip your home with arcane enchanters, armories, forges, gardens, libraries, shrines, stables, taxidermy, and more.
Three plots of land are available for purchase, in Falkreath Hold, Hjaalmarch, and the Pale.
The structure of each house consists of stone, clay, and wood.
Ability to adopt up to two children, who will move into your house.
Interact and play games to raise your new family.
Allow your child to keep a pet after it follows them home. Some creature followers can also be kept as a pet.
If you wish to adopt children without moving into a new home, you may add a child's bedroom to an already purchased home in a major city.

Ability to hire staff:
Turn followers into stewards, who can supply you with housebuilding materials, furnishings, and staff.
A carriage driver who can take you to small settlements as well as major cities.
A personal bard to perform at your home.
New activities, such as baking, beekeeping, farming, and fishing.
Requirement to protect your house from various enemies such as bandits, giants, skeevers, and more.

Available Houses
All three of the new pieces of property can be purchased for 5000 gold.
  It is located in the south of the Pale, not far north of Whiterun (you can see the castle in Whiterun from the house); the closest landmarks are the Tower of Mzark, Loreius Farm and Blizzard Rest.
  It is located directly north of Pinewatch and very close by.
  It is located in the north of the hold, not far south of Solitude; the closest landmarks are Ustengrav and the Abandoned Shack.

Notes
Five new achievements can be earned after installing Hearthfire, listed on this page.
Four new loading screens are added after installing Hearthfire, listed on this page.
Hearthfire was subject to a 30 day exclusivity deal with Microsoft, where it was only available on the Xbox 360. As it turned out, it was released for the PC after 30 days, but due to severe performance issues, it wasn't until February 2013 that it was released for the PS3.
Display cases are not the same as the ones in other houses, so they do not allow you the "place weapon" option.
All areas of the player-built homes will reset to their original furnishings; only the storage containers and any items you drop from your inventory will be left as is. This allows storage in containers to be safe while respawning resources (e.g., the greenhouse) can replenish their stocks.

Bugs
 
 
 
 
This can be fixed by placing an item on the mannequin. It can then be taken off, and the mannequin will remain in place.
 
 
 
 
Exiting the menu may resolve this.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Reloading a save prior to using the forge will solve this.
 
 
This can be solved by killing your horse or cow, entering your home (and going back outside if your steward is outside). This should restore the option to hire a bard and buy replacements for your dead livestock. Note that it is advisable to hire the bard first, or you may once again lose the option to do so.

See Also
Official Trailer
Pre-Release Screenshots
Hearthfire on the Official Bethesda site