No Wood Boxes: A Building Guide

[Burnscars]

When using a new world and new character, materials can be limited. For this situation I use a method I like to call "noobie wrap."

You take basic wooden boxes to quickly gather NPC's, then you wrap the outside of the boxes with stone to create a castle, using materials easily found.

Eventually you might want to replace the boring wooden furniture, but quickly creating a frame to expand with has it's advantages. I created wood boxes after running out of my first stack of stones for the base, then I "noobie wrapped" the wood boxes to make a castle. This took me roughly 3 hours to build, not including the time it took to wait for the Travelling Merchant to bring me roof blocks. This is how I build when all I have to fly with are lightning boots, it takes much less time when you have a hover-capable end-game means of flying (like car keys), which also allows for more dynamic material choices since you can gather from a wider circle of influence.

Also, I like hanging "castlevania" style towers off the side of my castles (usually in the form of a bell tower) to expand NPC space. It's probably my only signature touch. Another player, and superior builder, hung a rope on one of my bells years ago, and I kept that touch to this day.

 

[Firexia]

So it's been a while since I posted this thread: does anyone feel my guide was helpful, or was I just stating the obvious with "take inspiration"? I feel somewhat outclassed by many of the builders here and elsewhere (including this thread!)

 

[Krookodile]

So it's been a while since I posted this thread: does anyone feel my guide was helpful, or was I just stating the obvious with "take inspiration"? I feel somewhat outclassed by many of the builders here and elsewhere (including this thread!)

Actually, this is probably one of the most helpful threads I have ever seen! It helped me to go from a very bad builder, to now just a semi bad builder!

 

[Commissioner Tadpole]

So it's been a while since I posted this thread: does anyone feel my guide was helpful, or was I just stating the obvious with "take inspiration"? I feel somewhat outclassed by many of the builders here and elsewhere (including this thread!)

Your guide - particularly the one with the location guide involving the jungle-stilted house - greatly helped me design my Jungle village!

Likewise, it aided me in constructing my Hallowed village:

(I really should make a thread detailing all my builds)

 

[dr.walrus]

thanks for the inspiration, based on your hellish, medieval build

 

[LowPower]

This is my first house, how could I improve?

It's a WIP. I'm still trying to fix the basement, attics, and the room in the middle.

 

[Firexia]

This is my first house, how could I improve?

It really does look good. One thing I like to do is use ebonwood painted brown. It looks like normal wood but tilted 90 degrees - maybe you could do something like that. Shadewood works well for that purpose as well.
Also, I agree the basement might need some work. Probably something to break up the stone slab - I can't really come up with anything specific right now, but you could try replacing the bottom two layers of wall with one or two materials.
(And sorry if I'm not being very helpful; most of my skill just comes from building a lot of dumb/wacky things until I find something I like)

 

[Lycos Hayes]

This is my first house, how could I improve?
View attachment 175860
It's a WIP. I'm still trying to fix the basement, attics, and the room in the middle.

for starters. that little window seems to be a great place to put a platform and a chair it can look like someone's sitting up there and looking out at the world, maybe with a rope to lead up to it. At least, that's what I'd do when furnishing it.

As for the basement:
Definitely needs to break up the back wall somehow. Maybe try different types of bricks painted gray?

Attic:
needs some sort of clutter and cobwebs XD

 

[LowPower]

Thanks for all the feedback. This was updated before I saw the feedback. I'm going to start working on that now.

for starters. that little window seems to be a great place to put a platform and a chair it can look like someone's sitting up there and looking out at the world, maybe with a rope to lead up to it. At least, that's what I'd do when furnishing it.

As for the basement:
Definitely needs to break up the back wall somehow. Maybe try different types of bricks painted gray?

Attic:
needs some sort of clutter and cobwebs XD

What little window are you talking about?

 

[Lycos Hayes]

Thanks for all the feedback. This was updated before I saw the feedback. I'm going to start working on that now.
View attachment 175937

What little window are you talking about?

The window above the ground-level exterior door.

 

[ToshiKZBZ]

Really cool thread, helped a lot with my building skills

 

[Spiro]

Im a very bad builder, i usally build boxes and such, but i did some building with some of my own and a youtubers styles and made this http://imgur.com/a/hBvX4 this was on my calamity modded world were unfortunatly got corrupted when i tried using tedit too contain the corruption
i was gonna fill the top with trophys, and extend my base into the mountain, but as i said before it got corrupted
[doublepost=1500607906,1500607547][/doublepost]

Im a very bad builder, i usually build boxes and such, but i did some building with some of my own and a youtubers styles and made this http://imgur.com/a/hBvX4 this was on my calamity modded world were unfortunately got corrupted when i tried using tedit too contain the corruption
i was gonna fill the top with trophys, and extend my base into the mountain, but as i said before it got corrupted

also if your gonna make a base, and some rooms are different in design, color or shape make a specific npc move there just too make it look a little more cooler
(i forgot too do that with my base as you can clearly see the witch doctor is in a midevil house

 

[Dispazz]

The first one is my first Tavern / Inn style of house.

The second is my underground fishing base for the Angler.

Is there anything that I could improve? The Crafting station in the first house needs fixing, but I need to know what else could be improved.

 

[Steelflame]

View attachment 177378

View attachment 177382

The first one is my first Tavern / Inn style of house.

The second is my underground fishing base for the Angler.

Is there anything that I could improve? The Crafting station in the first house needs fixing, but I need to know what else could be improved.

The ladder design you have could be improved upon. Either make it 2 wide, and as two stairs facing eachother in a U shape for each rung, or make there be a background to it 3 wide, with 2 column style backwalls on either side with the single inner piece having some type of wood with the rungs of the ladder as well. This is mainly for the one in the same room as the barkeep.

A very good bonus to the first one, if you don't need the ladders to act as room barriers (which in your case you don't look like you need em that way) is to actuate them into the background. It lets you retain the look of a ladder, without it messing with pathing.

For the second set of platform ladders you have to the right, turn them into _l stairs and actuate them into the background. Again, looks like an actual ladder, without screwing with pathing.

 

[Chisaki]

I tried not to build a box house does this look okay ? first time building anything other than a box house tbh.

Spoiler: Images

incase images don't load up : Here

 

[ItzDaBash]

Nice House, I Feel You Need more Clutter like Deco Though

 

[ItzDaBash]

http://imgur.com/O0CrIJy

How is This Little Scene of the Crimson I Made?

 

[tearstofall]

this is quite old, but any critique on these two?

( this one I made in an earlier world, it was for the tavern-keep. it's kinda
cluttered but that's the style of the house. I like it a lot even though
it's quite easy to replicate. )

( this one is newer. I like it a lot because of the hill thing and the fences and beams. it also has a roof
but I'm not finished with the attic/roof combination so I'm not going to add it right now. it's in my current
world and it's nice and big, even though I may add some other houses. )

 

[ItzDaBash]

I like your trying multiple woods, but use Boreal or Palm for sideways blocks, and dynasty or ebonstone for upwards blocks

this is quite old, but any critique on these two?

( this one I made in an earlier world, it was for the tavern-keep. it's kinda
cluttered but that's the style of the house. I like it a lot even though
it's quite easy to replicate. )

( this one is newer. I like it a lot because of the hill thing and the fences and beams. it also has a roof
but I'm not finished with the attic/roof combination so I'm not going to add it right now. it's in my current
world and it's nice and big, even though I may add some other houses. )

 

[fizzyq]

This thread has been really helpful! I just started playing terraria about 2 weeks ago and my buildings have come a long way since then. Here's a section of my latest project and a map of the whole thing.