The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has three DLC packs, all of which are included in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition. One of the more underrated ones was the Hearthfire expansion, which allows players to build their own homes in one of three different locations. Unlike Dragonborn and Dawngaurd, Hearthfire can be tricky to figure out, as there's no quest directly tied to it.
To start, players will first need to decide where they want to build their house. There are three locations available for this, with each building site located in a different hold of Skyrim: The Pale, Falkreath and Hjaalmarch. Each hold is located near a city that previously did not have own-able property, with the nearby cities being Dawnstar, Falkreath and Morthal.
There are some notable differences between the three different building sites, with each having a unique set of nearby resources. Many consider Falkreath's Lakeview Manor to be the best due to the availability of clay, iron, stone and corundum. Hjaalmarch's Windstad Manor has a Stormcloak and an Imperial camp nearby to buy supplies from instead of harvest. Finally, The Pale's building site, Heljarchen Hall, has the best surrounding view, but fewest nearby resources.
Regardless of where players want to build, they'll first need to unlock the ability to purchase a home in the right hold. This can be done by taking on side-quests for the hold's Yarl and earning the title of Housecarl. These quests differ depending on the hold, and can usually be obtained by speaking directly with either the Yarl or the Yarl's Steward. It'll cost players 5,000 gold to obtain a plot of land which is around the same price as other purchasable houses. However, instead of buying a pre-made house that only requires gold to furnish, players will also need the resources to construct their home from scratch. The benefit here, though, is that players have far more customization options.
Once players have purchased a plot of land for their homestead, they should travel to its location and mark it on their maps for fast travel. Players may trigger some special random encounters when visiting. They should see a drafting table and a carpenter's workbench near whatever unique stations come with the lot; the drafting table is used to pick things to build, while the carpenter's workbench is used to actually construct the chosen projects.
From there, player will have to build a small house layout. There should be a chest at the building site that'll include everything the players need for this. The small house layout will teach players how Skyrim's construction works. Afterwards, players will want to add a main hall to their home. Collecting building materials is perhaps the trickiest part of homestead management, as different materials can be obtained in different ways, from finding ore while exploring, purchasing sawed logs from a vendor or crafting hinges yourself.
The main hall requires 55 sawn logs, 86 quarried stone, 85 nails, 16 clay, one iron fitting, one lock and a hinge. Once built, players will have the option to turn their small house into an entry hall. Players will also have a few furnishing options available at the carpenter's workbench, though it's advised to avoid building furniture in the small house if they plan on turning it into an entry hall.
Constructing a main hall unlocks the option to construct wings, which is where even more customization options become available. Keep in mind that wings are categorized into three types -- tower, basement and patio -- can players can only build one of each type. The tower wing can host a library, an enchanter's tower or an alchemy lab, limiting the kind of crafting stations players can have at a homestead. The basement wing can be a greenhouse, a trophy room or a kitchen. Finally, the patio wing can contains bedrooms, a storage room or an armory. These options allow players tailor their homestead to their needs, whether that's storage space or somewhere to have a family.
Wings are the last rooms players can construct, with the rest of the available options being outdoor furniture. Players can construct things like animal pens and gardens outside as they see fit, with each outdoor option having practical uses. Each homestead also has an exclusive outdoor option, though these only let players collect certain kinds of resources from their homestead.
Finally, homesteads can host certain NPCs. The Dragonborn can get married to a spouse of their choice and even adopt children, who will move onto their homestead. It's also possible to hire a Steward, bard and carriage driver for the player's home. Most followers can become Stewards and still serve as adventuring companions. Bards and carriage drivers can be hired by speaking to the Steward, who can also handle the purchasing of animals and resources for the homestead.