Skyrim can be a cold and unforgiving place, which means it’s nice to have a place to rest your head in between saving Mundus and fist-fighting half-naked men in tavern fights. But there are so many housing options available to your average Dragonborn, which one is the right choice?
Any house in Skyrim will serve as a functional home base and everyone has their own preferences. Perhaps you like being located in your favourite city despite the available real estate being on the smaller side? More power to you! But for those looking for the best-of-the-best, here is a ranking of each player house in Skyrim.
9. Honeyside
On the bottom of our list is the humble abode of Honeyside which is located in the quiet canal town of Riften. Honeyside is by no means a bad place to live as it boasts some interesting features, unfortunately, it just faces stiff competition from the other ownable houses across Skyrim. What’s notably unique about Honeyside is that it comes with a private dock, making it the only city home with external access to the rest of Skyrim.
Honeyside can be equipped with an arcane enchanter, alchemy table, several weapon racks and armour mannequins. It also comes with a garden that produces alchemy ingredients and even has a pair of chickens clucking around. However, some notable disadvantages of Honeyside include the children’s room replacing the arcane enchanter if the Dragonborn moves their kids here and also the fact that the town of Riften has no smelter at all.
8. Breezehome
I might catch some flak for this one but next on the list is Breezehome. This cosy cottage is located right in the centre of Whiterun and is likely the first property the player will purchase during their playthrough, meaning it holds a lot of sentimental value for players. It can be bought for 5000g immediately after finishing the main quest “Bleak Falls Barrow.”
Unfortunately, Breezehome has disadvantages over even Honeyside. It is the only home where an arcane enchanter cannot be installed and relocating children here will replace the alchemy table. It is an ideal spot for blacksmithing characters, however, as Warmaidens, the Skyforge and a block for chopping wood are all located nearby.
7. Severin Manor
The next entry isn’t in Skyrim at all but instead located on the ashy isle of Solstheim. Severin Manor is acquired after earning Raven Rock citizenship following completion of the quest “Served Cold.” The manor is quite large and comes fully furnished, with a particular highlight being the fully-equipped downstairs smithy. It also has a plethora of weapon and shield racks.
However, since the manor is located on Solstheim no spouses except ones added by the Dragonborn DLC can move here. Children are also prevented from moving to Severin Manor as there isn’t a children’s room. The basement area of the house unfortunately has very poor lighting. Curiously, dungeon music also plays in Severin Manor which just isn’t very homey now is it?
6. Proudspire Manor
People may be surprised to find Skyrim’s most expensive house only halfway up the list. This large estate is located in Skyrim’s capital, Solitude. One of the Stones of Barenziah is located within the house, and Proudspire Manor must also be purchased if the player wishes to become a Thane of Haafingar so completionists will likely be forced to pick this property up.
Proudspire Manor boasts a lot of upsides, it has a fully-equipped alchemy lab as well as an enchanting table. It has a patio area where the player can admire the Sea of Ghosts and the city’s surrounding hinterland. It’s located in the biggest hold with the largest variety of shopkeepers. Purchasing the children’s room does not replace any existing room, as is often the case. However, the house is quite expensive, it lacks a smelter, storage options could be better and in general, the manor feels quite soulless compared to other housing options which prevent it from truly feeling like a home.
5. Vlindrel Hall
Vlindrel Hall is the highest house in Markarth, allowing players who own this house to wake up to the refreshing view of the city and the surrounding countryside of the Reach. This one-floor home has several methods of acquisition, two involving the civil war questline and one that has the player simply helping out the Jarl.
Vlindrel Hall is very charming, both because of its location and also its decor. It’s particularly good for Skyrim’s bookworms as it has the largest book storage capacity of any pre-built purchasable home. It can be furnished with both an alchemy lab and an arcane enchanter and it has surprisingly respectable storage capabilities. However, it only has one mannequin and smithing facilities are a bit of a distance away.
4. Hjerim
That’s right, I believe Hjerim is the best house in Skyrim’s base game. Located in the wind-ravaged city of Windhelm, the player must expose a local serial killer in the quest “Blood on the Ice” before they can fix up their new dwelling. Once that unpleasant business is taken care of, Hjerim becomes one of Skyrim’s nicest houses to live in.
First of all, the creepy but amazing secret room is enough in itself to elevate this house to a high spot on this list. But besides this very important point, Hjerim still has a lot to offer. The house can be equipped with both an alchemy lab and an enchanting table, it’s also very close to smithing facilities, a merchant and the local Thieves Guild fence. Hjerim also possesses the biggest armoury available outside of the upcoming houses on the list.
3. Windstad Manor
Unsurprisingly, the best houses available are the homesteads added by the Hearthfire DLC. With fully customisable wings and ample room for an entire family plus a steward and housecarl, they can’t be matched by Skyrim’s pre-built houses. As each of the three options are fully customisable with the same options (with the exception of each house’s unique building), there are only minor differences separating them on this list.
Windstad Manor is located in the hold of Hjaalmarch at the delta of the Karth and Hjaal Rivers. Its unique building is the Fish Hatchery, an infinite fish farm. What makes Windstad Manor worse than its two Hearthfire counterparts is primarily its location. Hjaalmarch is quite a gloomy area of Skyrim and the surrounding land isn’t hospitable, with Horkers that spawn on the lake routinely attacking your housecarl Valdimar.
2. Heljarchen Hall
Heljarchen Hall sits atop a rocky mountain in the Pale. On cloudless days, Whiterun and the Throat of the World are visible from the homestead. After stopping Vaermina’s devious plot in “Waking Nightmare” and completing the simple matter of slaying a giant for the Jarl, the land upon which Heljarchen Hall will soon sit can be purchased.
Heljarchen Hall’s unique building is the grain mill, which can be used to make flour. This is the least impressive of the unique buildings as it isn’t even unique to the Hall as various usable grain mills are dotted around Skyrim. However, some upsides of the house (besides the stunning view) include the presence of a plethora of ore veins nearby, easy access to Blackreach via the Tower of Mzark to the immediate northwest and a farmable giant’s camp, Blizzard’s Rest, to the east.
1. Lakeview Manor
Finally, we have the king of all Skyrim homes, the fan-favourite Lakeview Manor. Located in the lush forests of Falkreath Hold, Lakeview Manor is undoubtedly the nicest location of the three. As the name suggests, the house overlooks Lake Ilinalta. Sure, there is an altar where necromancers perform unspeakable acts about 20 feet away but this can be overlooked because of the natural beauty of the land surrounding the homestead.
Lakeview Manor’s unique building is the apiary, a group of beehives which produce honey. There are several ore veins, quarried stone and clay deposits nearby. Your children would agree that this is the best house as they can often be heard saying “I like it here, the lake is so pretty”. I concur, Lakeview Manor simply cannot be matched in terms of location, making it the best of the three Hearthfire homesteads and consequently the most desirable home in Skyrim.