Homestead ( Hearthfire ) A Homestead is a house that can be constructed with various materials as part of . Stage 1 : Purchase . The first step to building a homestead is to purchase one of three plots of land available and obtain a title deed from the local Jarl or their steward . The ruling Jarl is dependent on the choices made during the civil war questline . In addition , each plot of land requires one or more quests to be completed before the Jarl will allow the sale to take place . Each plot of land costs 5 , 000 . Stage 2 : Planning and preparation . After a plot has been purchased , the building site can be visited to begin planning . A building is typically comprised of several housebuilding materials that , when combined , make up the structure of the house . Upon arriving at the site , a drafting table and carpenter ' s workbench can be found nearby . The drafting table is used first to plan any structures to be added , and the carpenter ' s workbench is then used for the actual building of the house . In addition , a starter chest containing thirty clay , one corundum ingot , six iron ingots , and thirty quarried stone can be found by the workbench – enough to build a Small House . A useful planning technique for those that want to build a house all at once is to start a spreadsheet . The spreadsheet will have rows for the various materials and columns for Required , Have and Needed , where Needed is Required less Have . As an example : Then , go through the page below and the subpages for each section chosen , increasing Required based on options chosen . This will let one know ahead of time how many of each resource is needed . Then , as resources are obtained , increase the amount in the Have cell . Eventually , all of the Needed cells will be zero or negative , and everything will be ready for the build . Note that many materials , such as nails and hinges , can be smithed from ingots , so it is often easier to express the requirements as end products and not store ingots . Note that all costs below are for the bare building costs and do not include the cost of furnishing or decorating a house . Sawn Logs . Sawn logs are a core material in both constructing and furnishing a homestead . Lumber can be purchased from the owner of most lumber mills throughout Skyrim . The fixed rate is twenty sawn logs for 200 . It is possible to use the saw mill to cut lumber for free , but only if the miller gives permission first . To gain permission to cut wood for the Homestead , one must normally need to do a task for the owner of the lumber mill . This task is generally giving them firewood . After this , if asked , the owner of the lumber mill will normally grant permission for the Dragonborn to use the sawmill . Every time a log is plaved and then cut it , ten free sawn logs will be received . This can be done for an unlimited amount of times . Unlike other building materials , sawn logs are not added to the inventory , rather they are delivered to the building site . Here they exist as a physical object called a " Log Pile . " It is possible to see how many are available by pointing the crosshair at the logs . Once the lumber has been purchased , construction can begin . Stone and clay . Additional quarried stone and clay for future projects can be mined from nearby sources , called " Stone Quarry " and " Clay Deposit " respectively . These sources can yield 4 , 000 units each before depleting . Iron . Iron is readily available from blacksmiths and general goods merchants , or it can be mined . Typically , large amounts are needed in the construction of a homestead , meaning several trips to a merchant is required . Ore and ingots can often be collected as loot , so if the Dragonborn already owns a place to store resources , such as Breezehome , saving up for a house is an alternative to blacksmithing or selling these resources . Stewards can be asked to have sawn logs , stone and clay delivered , but they can only be hired once the Small House has been constructed . Stage 3 : Small House . Activating the drafting table will allow the first basic layout to begin construction . Choosing a " Small House Layout " will mark a rectangular plot on the land where the house will be built . Next , move over to the carpenter ' s workbench where the foundations and supports must be laid . The required materials include quarried stone , clay and sawn logs . Once all the required items are in one ' s inventory , the sections of the small house can be built . The small house consists of seven components that are spilt into five stages of construction : Stage 4 : Main Hall . Once the Small House layout is complete , the option to add a large main hall is available . Like the small house , the structure and furnishings of the Main Hall is identical no matter what location the homestead is built upon . The main hall consists a large dining hall on the ground floor flanked by two wooden staircases . At the north side of the hall is a smaller back room where an optional cellar can be accessed . Upstairs is an open plan balcony area that leads to a master bedroom on the east side of the house and an identical second bedroom on the west side . The master bedroom can be fitted with a double bed , while the second bedroom can be furnished with two single beds that will be used by the assigned Housecarl or Steward . The main hall consists of ten components that are spilt into seven stages of construction : Entry Hall . After the Main Hall has been built , the initial Small House can be remodeled into an Entry Hall . This gives the option to add a different set of furnishings that are more suited to an entryway . Stage 5 : Wings . Once the Main Hall is complete , additional wings can be constructed that connect to the Main Hall . A maximum of three wings can be added , and each wing gives three possible choices . This allows for twenty - seven possible combinations when all wings are built , however the choice for each wing once constructed is permanent . Sub types . All nine wings can be grouped into one of three distinct sub - types . Each wing sub - type is identical to its counterparts , both inside and out , and they require the same amount of building materials to complete . For example , the Library and the Enchanter ' s Tower are essentially the same construct , the difference being their location . The table below illustrates what wing options are available when planning . Each wing offers three options , but only one can be chosen from each row . This means a homestead can potentially support an Enchanter ' s Tower , Storage Room and Armory . It could not however support a Library , Armory and Kitchen , as these three additions are all part of the East Wing options . Despite the appearance of the sub - types being identical , their furnishing vary greatly and it is what gives them their unique function . West Wing . The west wing may consist of either : Enchanter ' s Tower . The Enchanter ' s Tower is a towered structure that serves as a dedicated place where Enchanting can be practiced . It offers a wide variety of enchanting themed storage and furnishings , such as braziers and an ornate Arcane Enchanter . In addition , an armor mannequin and several weapon plaques are available . Bedrooms . The Bedrooms is a rectangular room that offers more spacious sleeping quarters . This addition can be added to adopt up to two children ; each child also needs a bed and a chest or dresser . However , if beds and a dresser are added to the second floor west side bedroom in the Main Hall , it will suffice for two children . Greenhouse . The greenhouse is a rectangular room that serves as a dedicated place where plants and vegetables can be grown . It can be useful for growing rare and expensive ingredients , or simply a convenient location to harvest ingredients for alchemical purposes . North Wing . The available options for the north wing are : Trophy Room . The Trophy Room is a rectangular room that serves as a dedicated place where various creatures can be stuffed and put out on display . Furnishings include two types of bases to display creatures ; a small base that offers eleven options to choose from and a large base which offers eighteen . Creatures typically take the pose of those seen in loading screens . Storage Room . The Storage room is a rectangular room that serves as a dedicated place where various items can be displayed and stored . Fully furnished , it features numerous chests , cupboards and display cases . In addition , decorative mounted animal heads are available . Alchemy Laboratory . The Alchemy Laboratory is a towered structure that serves as a dedicated place where alchemy can be practiced . It offers a wide variety of alchemy related storage and furnishings , such as hanging racks and a washbasin . In addition , decorative mounted animal heads are available . Once it is fully furnished , a wide range of ingredients can be found throughout the tower . East Wing . The east wing choices are : Library . The Library is a towered structure that serves as a dedicated place to store the many books that can be found throughout Skyrim . Its furnishings focus on the several bookshelves that can be fitted . In total , 308 books can be stored in the library . This unfortunately is not enough space to display all available books , as there are over 350 individual books , not including journals and notes . Armory . The Armory is a rectangular room that serves as a dedicated place where various weapons and armor can be displayed and stored . Fully furnished , it features five mannequins , four display cases , and several storage containers . In addition , a workbench and grindstone can be added . Kitchen . The Kitchen is a rectangular room that serves as a dedicated location where cooking and baking can take place . Furnishings unique to the kitchen include an oven and a butter churn . The oven can be used to bake a wide selection of foods and the churn can be used periodically to obtain Butter . Wing Construction . The components that make up each of the nine wings can be grouped into one of three aforementioned sub - types . This means there is actually only three constructions recipes for all nine wings . Tower . The construction recipe for the Enchanter ' s Tower , Alchemy Laboratory or Library is : Room with Outdoor Patio . The construction recipe for the Bedrooms , Storage Room or Armory is : Downstairs Room . The construction recipe for the Greenhouse , Trophy Room or Kitchen is : Stage 6 : Exterior . The area surrounding the house may also be developed to include a vegetable patch , a complete set of smithing equipment , and a stable for horses and an animal pen for cows and Chickens . Each Homestead also has specific outside expansions , Lakeview Manor has the option of an apiary , Windstad Manor has the option of a fish Hatchery and Heljarchen Hall has the option of a Grain Mill . Animal Pen . An animal pen is a small enclosure which can be added to any of the three homesteads . A Tanning Rack is also included when it is built . It can be used to keep a cow and up to three chickens . Chickens will lay eggs from time to time , however the cow cannot be used to produce milk . Apiary . An Apiary is a beehive enclosure that can be used to breed bee s and produce honeycomb . These can be collected to use as ingredients to brew potions at an Alchemy Lab . It can only be crafted at the homestead of Lakeview Manor . After the Apiary is crafted , bees will soon start to begin to fly around the vicinity . Honeycomb and bees can be collected by activating the Apiary , much like a container . However , removing these may prevent new bees from spawning . Replacing these items will restart the bee spawning . Fish Hatchery . A Fish Hatchery is a fish breeding enclosure that can be used to breed most of the fish species found in " Skyrim " . These can be collected to use as ingredients to brew potions at an Alchemy Lab . It can only be crafted at the homestead of Windstad Manor . Garden . A garden is a small planting enclosure which can be added to any of the three homesteads . It can be used for growing almost all plants and fungi found in " Skyrim " . It is essentially a smaller version of the Greenhouse . After the garden is crafted , gardening can begin by activating a patch of fertile soil . Certain ingredients or food items can be planted and only one sample is required for each fertile soil patch . See here for a full list of plants that can be grown . The selected plant will soon grow in the garden , and will reproduce again after it has been harvested . Harvesting typically yields 4 or 5 samples of the plant , rather than only one sample that is obtained from plants in the wild . The patch may be cleared in order to replant new types of plants by activating the fertile soil again . Grain Mill . A Grain Mill is a workstation that can be used to produce sacks of flour from a sample of wheat . Activating the mill will begin an animation of pushing the mill and a crafting menu will appear in order to make the sacks of flour . The Grain Mill can only be crafted at the homestead of Heljarchen Hall . Stable . A small stable that can be added to any of the three homesteads . It must be built before a horse can be purchased from a Steward . This cost is in addition to the materials listed in the Standard Exterior Totals below . Smithing stations . Several smithing stations may be added to the homestead . Their locations vary slightly , depending on what homestead they are built at . Stage 7 : Cellar . Build and furnish a Cellar . Stage 8 : Furnishing . Use the links in the table in stage 5 to determine the cost requirements for the up to three wing choices made . Also see Main Hall for the miscellaneous items required to decorate the main building . Personnel and Animals . One ' s homestead can be enhanced by the acquiring of personnel and animals . The first member needed is a Steward , since only through a steward can one purchase animals and other personnel . Many followers offer to become a steward as soon as soon as the Small House has been fully built . Once hired , they can purchase a Bard for a price of 1 , 500 , and a Carriage , including a Carriage driver , for 500 . As a thane of the Hold one ' s homestead is in , a Housecarl will be assigned , who will also be part of the homestead ' s household . Every Housecarl can double as Steward . The animals that can be purchased for the homestead are a cow , for 200 , three chickens for 25 each , and a horse for 1 , 000 . To buy them all will cost 3 , 275 per homestead . Note that animals that are killed can be bought again , but the bard , if killed , cannot be replaced , and there is no option on the steward ' s menu to buy another .