Skyrim: Bosmer Hearthfires
The Hearthfires DLC for Skyrim adds the ability to build your own home in three different locations around the province, providing player homes in holds that didn't have one in the city. Unfortunately, all the houses are essentially the same, with no variation in architectural style, and the choices are limited to three wing layouts for each of the three available sides of the main hall. There was some indication that texture sets were intended to be used to make the homes distinct, but that didn't happen.
For a Bosmer, trees are sacred, and cutting them down to make a home would be forbidden. So you'll need to use bone, horn, and hide, as well as clay and iron to make everything. The main wall of the home will be grown as a leaf-covered vine. Animal bones are added as a building material. You can collect those from animals larger than a wolf (and not from spiders or chaurus, of course).
There is no steward, so all the associated options of the Hearthfire homes are also absent. You get no bard, no carriage driver, and nobody will furnish the house for you. You have to do all the work!
The site
There is an empty animal den in the Rift, just right for this. It's not far from Boulderfall Cave, Redwater Den, and Autumnshade Clearing. A dragon mound is nearby, too, but far enough that it will cause no problems.
Although it's not very close to any mines, there are veins of iron and corundum in the vicinity, and clay down by the river. You'll have to go to Shor's Stone for stone.
The quest
You'll do Kyne's Sacred Trials (at Froki's hut) before this starts. You must have Kyne's token at least in your inventory to use the construction shrine.
Construction
There is a hollow stump outside the cave, that shelters a shrine to Kynareth. The stump becomes a crafting station where you can make the pieces of furniture, and smithing equipment. You have to close off the front with vines before you can make anything else.
Note that the recipes have been changed from those at the regular DLC homes to eliminate the use of logs. Some wooden parts are now iron, and others use animal bones.
Furnishings
The following are the items that you can construct to furnish your home. Some of these will be accompanied by miscellaneous additional items, some of which (specifically containers) are listed under Notes. The icon does not always match what is is built, but represents the type of item being made.
| Furnishings | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Options | Materials | Notes | |
| Containers |  |
Large Urn | 2 Nails, 2 Iron Ingot, 2 clay | Adds floor pelt |
 |
Small Urn | 2 clay | ||
| Small Urn | 2 clay | |||
| Furniture |  |
Bed | 2 Nails, 4 Leather Strips, 4 Animal Bones, 2 Deer hides | With floor pelt |
| Bed | 2 Nails, 4 Leather Strips, 4 Animal Bones, 2 Deer hides |  |
Chair | 4 Leather Strips, 1 Leather, 2 Mammoth Tusks |
| Chair | 4 Leather Strips, 1 Leather, 2 Mammoth Tusks | |||
| Miscellaneous |  |
Alchemy Lab | 2 Nails, Glass, Quicksilver Ingot, 5 Iron Ingots | |
 |
Arcane Enchanter | Nails, Glass, Refined Moonstone, 5 Iron Ingots, Grand Soul Gem (filled), Gold Ingot | ||
 |
Armorer's Workbench | 2 Quarried Stone, 5 Animal Bones, Iron Ingot | Next to forge and smelter | |
 |
Blacksmith's Forge | Iron Fittings, Iron Ingot, 10 Animal Bones, 5 Quarried Stone | You can make arrows here using Animal Bones. | |
 |
Cookpot | 2 Iron fittings, 2 Iron Ingot, Quarried Stone | Adds floor pelt | |
 |
Grindstone | Quarried Stone, 4 Animal Bones, Iron Fittings | Next to forge | |
 |
Small Chandelier | Iron Ingot, Iron Fittings, 3 Goat Horns | Left side | |
| Small Chandelier | Iron Ingot, Iron Fittings, 3 Goat Horns | Right side | ||
 |
Smelter | 4 Quarried Stone, 6 Clay, 2 Iron Fittings, 5 Iron Ingots | Outside | |
 |
Tanning Rack | 4 Animal Bones, Leather Strips | Next to entrance | |
| Vines | None | Must have Kyne's token in inventory (or worn) to grow these. All other items depend on this. | ||
| Weapon racks |  |
Weapon Rack | 1 nail | Just inside entrance, on vine wall |
| Weapon Rack | 1 nail | Just inside entrance, on vine wall | Total Materials: | 12 Clay,
36 Animal Bones,
7 Iron Fittings,
11 Nails,
13 Quarried Stone,
1 Grand Soul Gem,
1 Quicksilver Ingot,
1 Refined Moonstone,
23 Iron Ingots,
1 Gold Ingot,
6 Goat Horns,
4 Mammoth tusks,
4 Deer hides,
2 Leather,
8 Leather Strips
(31.1 Iron Ingots) |
Notes
- Animal bones are dropped from larger animals. Half of them are predators, who are likely to be chasing you. This does not include goats, which already drop horns, or trolls, but includes deer, elk, bears, sabre-cats, horses, and cows.
- Animal bones are still useful after you complete building the Den. You can use them to make arrows, but only at your forge.
- Unlike the other homes, you don't start with an anvil, so you can't make building materials on-site until you construct a forge. It is suggested that you make a few items in Shor's Stone on the way there. That location also has two stone quarries.